"Saying we'll help, but how are we supposed to find the lost Pokémon in such a big place?"
After arriving at the forest mentioned by the researchers, Dawn began to regret agreeing to their request so easily.
"There's no other way, we can only search slowly.
Logically, they shouldn't be far from here.
" Brock also frowned.
Although he was comforting Dawn on the surface, he himself doubted whether they could find the lost Pokémon in such a large Forest.
"It's okay," Ash said, "Didn't those researchers say that the Staraptor are very docile and only Run Away because they were frightened? As long as they calm down, they should come back on their own, right? The problem lies with the remaining Piplup and Chimchar."
Compared to the flying Staraptor, Piplup and Chimchar are obviously in more danger.
It is said that the depths of the Forest are Ariados' territory.
Although the intimidation and destructive power of Ariados packs in the wild are much weaker than Beedrill, they are still not something rookie Pokémon like Piplup and Chimchar can handle if surrounded.
If viewed from that Simple perspective, the current situation is actually quite critical.
After hearing Ash's reasoning, Dawn and Brock nodded in agreement.
Indeed, just as Ash said, Flying-type Pokémon wouldn't get lost in this Forest; the only possibility for them to wander off is that they don't want to come back.
But after excluding the only possibility, their target is only Chimchar and Piplup.
As long as they find these two Pokémon, their mission can be successfully completed, but the problem lies in...
"A fork in the road..."
Arriving at a fork in the road, there are two paths in front of them.
"What to do? Should we choose one to take? Or..."
"In this situation, we definitely need to split up," Ash said decisively.
Based on past experience, if everyone takes the same path, the only outcome waiting for them is getting lost.
Whether it's to avoid the possibility of getting lost or to expand the search area, splitting up is the best choice.
"Yeah, I agree.
" Brock, who also has a lot of experience getting lost, of course understands that Ash's suggestion is correct.
After considering the situation of the three, Brock then said, "Then I'll take the path on the right alone, Ash and Dawn, you take the left."
Ash's combat power is the strongest among them, and Dawn doesn't have any Pokémon yet.
Therefore, having them go together is the safest option.
Even excellent Pokémon Trainers must maintain a basic sense of respect when facing this unknown Forest.
Otherwise, when the Forest slayou in the face in a way you never expected, it will be too late to start being cautious and respectful.
After a simple grouping, the three began to carefully explore into the interior of the Forest.
"Ugh...so unlucky.
I didn't expect to encounter so much trouble on the first day of my journey.
Did I not choose the best time to leave for a journey?"
Dawn, who was closely following behind Ash, couldn't help but complain in a low voice.
Before coming here, she never imagined that simply receiving a starter Pokémon would become so complicated and difficult.
If she hadn't come with Ash, she wouldn't have been able to do anything even if she had arrived here on her own.
"Think positively.
At least it's better than my situation back then, right? Besides, who knows if this is a bad thing for you? Although it looks pretty unlucky on the surface, there might be some opportunities hidden inside."
Ash didn't say this simply because he had heard about what happened today from Dawn before.
The main reason was that Ash himself had experienced this along the way.
The more troublesome and dangerous the place, the more opportunities there are.
He met and formed bonds with many Legendary Pokémon under these circumstances.
"I hope that's the case."
Dawn still could only take Ash's words as simple encouragement.
The bad luck she had today had already made her lose the confidence to continue saying her catchphrase.
Right now, she just wants to quickly find the lost Pokémon and go back.
Ash saw what Dawn was thinking, but ultimately didn't say much more.
Some things can only be truly felt after experiencing the pros and cons firsthand.
It had been almost 20 minutes since the two entered the Forest.
Although the area of the Forest initially seemed quite large, in terms of depth, this Forest could only be called a small Forest.
It wouldn't take a particularly long time to walk to the end.
"The fog is so thick..."
Dawn, following behind Ash, began to get nervous.
Without realizing it, she had tightly gripped the hem of Ash's clothes.
Even for someone as optimistic and cheerful as her, it was difficult not to be afraid in such an environment.
This is a Forest, a place inherently full of dangers.
When there's no fog, she can still observe the surroundings with her own eyes, but now, under such thick fog, her visibility is only about three or four meters.
The tension and fear of the unknown quickly engulfed her.
"Is there a relatively large Lake around here...? Otherwise, such thick fog shouldn't form in this place."
"A Lake...?" Prompted by Ash, Dawn seemed to remember something and quickly replied, "Come to think of it... we should already be near Lake Verity, one of the three Great Lakes in Sinnoh."
The largest and only Lake in this Forest is Lake Verity, located in the center of the Forest.
But, Dawn never expected that they were already near Lake Verity.
If they continue walking, they'll deviate from Sandgem Town.....
Just as Dawn was worrying, Pikachu, who was walking in front, twitched its ears slightly and reached out to stop Ash and Dawn, who were about to continue forward.
"Pi~ka~pi!"
Pikachu's tone was full of seriousness, and just as Dawn was about to ask Pikachu what it had discovered, the surrounding fog seemed to sway from side to side as if in accordance with her wish, dissipating a lot.
It was the dissipation of the fog that revealed the figures of the predators that had already surrounded Dawn and the others in the center.
"Ariados?! Also, so many..."
In just a moment, Dawn had already spotted no fewer than ten Ariados in her field of vision.
In this tense situation, Dawn couldn't help but move closer to Ash.