The forest floor, a tapestry of damp earth and fallen leaves, finally gave way to a path of smooth, moss-kissed stones. The air, once thick with the scent of pine and decay, lightened, carrying notes of nectar and sun-warmed soil. Lila, walking beside me, let out a low whistle. "Well, I'll be," she said, her usual sarcasm softened by genuine awe. "It's real."
I knew what she meant. We'd heard stories, but stories can't prepare you for Greenvale. It wasn't a town built near a forest; it was a town that was a forest. Buildings of polished wood and living stone were woven into the landscape, their rooftops overflowing with blooming flowers and edible gardens. Vines, thick as my arm, snaked around doorframes and lampposts, pulsing with a faint, green light. Pokémon roamed with the same ease as the people—a Skiddo nibbled on a planter box, a trio of Budew sunned themselves on a windowsill, and a Sawsbuck, its antlers adorned with spring blossoms, watched us with placid curiosity.
And at the center of it all, piercing the sky like a silent god, was the Great Tree.
It was colossal, a titan of bark and leaf whose canopy created a secondary sky over the town. Its roots were the size of hills, forming the very foundation of the central plaza. The entire settlement seemed to breathe with it, a single, sprawling organism. The air hummed with a life force so potent I could feel it in my bones, a familiar thrum that resonated deep within me.
"Feels like home," I murmured, not my old home, but something more primal.
"Sure is green," Lila commented, nudging me forward. "Come on, let's find this Gym Leader. I'm getting tired of you talking to your Oddish more than you talk to me."
Posters were tacked to message boards and the trunks of smaller trees. They featured a man with a calm, almost severe expression, his eyes deep-set and knowing. Leaf-like patterns swirled across his arms. The text below was simple: Leader Forrest. Respect the bond. Harmonize with nature.
"He looks intense," Lila noted, peering over my shoulder.
"He looks like he understands," I countered.
The Gym was exactly where it should be: at the very base of the Great Tree, nestled between two of its gargantuan roots. It wasn't a building so much as a cultivated space, a massive greenhouse of shimmering glass and intertwined vines. Mist swirled within, obscuring and revealing glimpses of a verdant world inside. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the leaf-shaped wooden doors.
The air inside was warm, humid, and alive. It smelled of wet moss, night-blooming jasmine, and ozone. A single, brilliant beam of sunlight pierced the canopy far above, illuminating a circular arena in the center. The rest was a beautiful chaos of glowing fungi, hanging ferns, and thick, swaying lianas.
A figure emerged from the mist, moving with a quiet grace that didn't disturb a single leaf. It was Forrest. In person, he was less stern and more… present. He was younger than his posters suggested, perhaps in his mid-twenties, with soft-spoken confidence that radiated from him like warmth from a stone. The leaf patterns on his arms were tattoos, intricate and dark against his skin. He leaned on a gnarled wooden staff that seemed to have grown right out of the ground.
His eyes, the color of moss after a rain, found mine and held them. There was no surprise, only a deep, unnerving recognition. It was as if he could see the part of me that wasn't quite human, the part that heard the whispers of the green and felt the pull of the wild. He sensed the chaotic, harmonious energy that I'd carried with me across worlds.
"You have traveled far," he said, his voice a low rustle, like leaves in a gentle breeze. "Your spirit feels… loud. Wild. Yet it does not fight the world around it. It sings with it." He took a step closer, his gaze drifting to the two Poké Balls on my belt. "You seek a battle."
I nodded, my own voice feeling small in the vast, living space. "Yes. I want to earn the Sprout Badge."
Forrest was silent for a long moment, studying me. The mist curled around his staff. Then, he asked the question that would define everything.
"Do you command your Pokémon… or do you listen to them?"
The question hung in the air, heavier than the humidity. I thought of Butterfree, of the flutter of her wings telling me she was excited, not just ready to fight. I thought of Oddish, the way his leaves trembled with nervous energy before a challenge. They weren't tools or soldiers. They were friends.
"I don't think of it as command at all," I answered, the words coming easily because they were true. "They tell me what they need, what they feel. I just try to understand them."
A faint, knowing smile touched Forrest's lips. It was a small, fleeting thing, but it changed his entire face, softening the intensity into something akin to approval.
"Then this battle will test that understanding." He tapped his staff once on the mossy ground. "Let us begin."
With that single tap, the Gym floor came alive. Roots shifted beneath our feet, and the vines hanging from the ceiling swayed in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized. Forrest took his place on the far side of the sunlit circle. The space between us was no longer just an arena; it was a living field of moss and roots, a battlefield that breathed.
"The format will be one-on-one," Forrest declared, his voice echoing slightly. "Show me the harmony you speak of."
I took a breath and unclipped my first Poké Ball. "Butterfree, I need your help!"
She emerged in a shower of purple light, her delicate wings beating the misty air into gentle currents. On the other side, Forrest sent out a Bellsprout. It was larger and more vibrant than any I'd seen, its movements sharp and aggressive.
"Bellsprout, Vine Whip!" Forrest commanded, his voice calm yet firm.
The vines of the Gym itself seemed to respond. Two thick, thorny creepers shot out from the floor, lashing towards Butterfree. It was fast, coordinated, and brutal.
"Up, Butterfree! Gust!"
She soared high, her wings creating a powerful downdraft that pushed the mist into swirling patterns and deflected the vines just enough for them to miss. The battle was set. Forrest's Bellsprout moved as an extension of the forest around us, a seamless part of its environment. We had to rely on something else.
"Acid, now!"
Bellsprout spat a glob of purple poison. "Dodge and use Confusion!" I called out.
Butterfree banked sharply, the acid sizzling on the moss where she'd been a second before. A wave of psychic energy pulsed from her, shimmering in the sunlight. It struck Bellsprout, causing it to stumble, its bell-like head swaying erratically. The battle became a dance of instinct and trust. I wasn't just shouting orders; I was feeling Butterfree's exhaustion, her bursts of adrenaline, the subtle shifts in her flight path. I moved with her, my body swaying as if I were the one flying.
Bellsprout, recovering, began to glow. "Sleep Powder," Forrest said quietly.
A cloud of shimmering, soporific dust erupted from Bellsprout, blanketing the air. I felt a wave of panic as Butterfree's wings began to slow, her movements becoming sluggish. She was fighting it, but the powder was thick, clinging to her like a shroud. Shouting a command would be useless; her mind was clouding over.
I closed my eyes, focusing on that thread of connection between us. I didn't shout. I spoke, my voice soft but clear, projecting my thoughts, my calm. "Stay with me, Butterfree. I'm right here. Just listen to my voice. You can push through it."
On the sidelines, I could see Lila leaning forward, her knuckles white. To her, I was just murmuring to myself. But in the arena, something was happening. Butterfree's wings, which had nearly stopped, began to beat again, slowly at first, then with renewed strength. She shook her head, scattering the last of the glittering powder. She had resisted, guided not by an order, but by trust.
Forrest's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of genuine surprise.
"Now, Butterfree!" I yelled, a surge of pride and adrenaline coursing through me. "Psybeam!"
A concentrated beam of rainbow-colored energy shot from Butterfree's antennae. Forrest reacted instantly, raising his staff. A wall of thick vines erupted from the ground to shield his Pokémon. But the Psybeam was too strong, too focused. It shattered the vine barrier into splinters of green and slammed into Bellsprout, knocking it out cold.
The vines receded. Forrest calmly recalled his Pokémon, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Your empathy is a formidable weapon," he said, his voice carrying across the silent arena. "You nurture your Pokémon's spirit. But be warned, young trainer. Nature can nurture—or consume."
He tossed his second Poké Ball. A Gloom materialized, its petals drooping and a foul, sweet stench filling the air. This was the other side of nature—the decay, the poison, the overwhelming power.
I recalled Butterfree, giving her a silent thanks, and looked to my last companion. "Oddish, it's your turn."
My little Oddish hopped into the light, looking tiny and vulnerable against the formidable Gloom.
The battle was immediately one-sided. Gloom's power was immense. A cloud of Poison Powder billowed out, forcing Oddish back. Before he could recover, Gloom unleashed a Mega Drain. Glimmering green tendrils of energy snaked out, latching onto Oddish and siphoning his strength. He cried out, his small body wilting.
I didn't shout frantic commands. I knew that would only add to his panic. Instead, I knelt down, getting as close to his level as I could. "It's okay, Oddish," I said softly, pouring all my belief into the words. "You're stronger than this. Feel the ground beneath you. It's on our side, too. Adapt. I know you can."
Gloom prepared another assault, but Oddish, inspired by my words, did something I'd never seen before. Instead of trying to dodge or counter, he dug his root-like feet deeper into the living moss of the arena floor. He closed his eyes and used Absorb. But he wasn't targeting Gloom.
He was draining energy from the Gym itself.
A faint green aura flowed up from the roots beneath him, knitting his strength back together. It was a subtle, brilliant move. Forrest was using the arena as a weapon; Oddish was using it as a source of life.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lila's jaw drop. She was finally seeing it, I realized. What she called my "instinct" wasn't just some weird, animalistic trait. It was a harmony with life energy itself, a give and take that transcended simple commands.
Forrest nodded slowly, a deep respect in his eyes. "Incredible."
Gloom, confused by this tactic, launched another volley of Poison Powder. But Oddish was ready. He countered with Acid, a perfectly aimed stream that cut through the purple cloud and struck Gloom dead-on. The two Pokémon were locked in a tense standoff, Gloom's raw power against Oddish's resilient, adaptive spirit. It was a battle of attrition, but Oddish, tethered to the life force of the very ground he stood on, had the advantage.
Finally, with one last, desperate push, Oddish fired a final Acid attack. It hit Gloom squarely, and the larger Pokémon swayed for a moment before collapsing, its petals folding inward.
The battle was over. I had won.
For a moment, there was only the sound of my own ragged breath. Then, the vines all around us retracted into the walls and ceiling. The mist cleared, and the full, unfiltered sunlight of the central beam flooded the room, warm and golden.
Forrest walked towards me, his staff silent at his side. He was smiling, a genuine, proud smile this time. "Strength can command obedience," he said, his voice resonating with ancient wisdom. "But only love can inspire growth. You've proven that, young trainer."
He held out his hand. Resting in his palm was a small, crystalline badge shaped like a sprouting seed. The Sprout Badge. I took it, its surface cool and smooth against my fingers. As I did, a sound broke the silence—applause. A small crowd of Gym staff and other trainers had gathered in the shadows to watch. Some were even recording the battle on their devices. It was my first, strange taste of local fame.
"Not bad, nature boy," Lila said, coming up to pat me on the shoulder, a wide grin on her face. "Guess you're officially legit now."
I laughed, a shaky but happy sound, and spun the badge in my fingers. It caught the light, casting a brilliant green shard across the floor. "One down," I said, looking from the badge to Oddish, who was now happily nestled at my feet. "A few hundred lessons to go."
Outside the Gym, the evening sun bathed Greenvale in gold. The Great Tree's leaves looked like a canopy of fire. I stood there for a long time, just looking at the town, at the people and Pokémon living in a harmony I'd only ever dreamed of.
I held up the badge, its inner green light seeming to glow with a life of its own, reflecting in my eyes. I turned to Lila, the weight of the last few weeks, the confusion of my arrival in this strange, beautiful world, finally beginning to settle into something that felt like purpose.
"If every world has this kind of beauty," I said, my voice barely a whisper, "maybe I was meant to protect more than just one."
High above, the leaves of the Great Tree rustled softly in the evening breeze, as if whispering their approval.