MunchMunch was practically shaking with excitement.

  Well, he was actually shaking — but he was trying really hard not to! He didn’t want the Pokemon in the Egg to hit her head on the shell!

  But he was so excited! His Teddy was talking to some people Gastly told him were called Rangers, and then they were going to go into the forest!

  “What’s Ilex Forest like?” MunchMunch asked Mama Gastly for the tenth time. She always had something different to say, so it was important to ask lots of times!

  “It’s the biggest forest in Johto,” *Mama* Gastly said, patient as ever. “We need to be careful to stay on the path,” she continued, her eyes floating to look at the trees. “Many trainers get lost. The Rangers aren’t always able to find them.”

  “Oh,” MunchMunch said. That sounded really bad. “Wouldn’t the Pokemon in the forest help?” He asked.

  Gastly hummed thoughtfully.

  “Wild Pokemon don’t like trainers,” Gastly she eventually said. “They don’t like Pokemon like us either, and will often attack if they think they can win. Sometimes, they will attack anyway.”

  “What do you mean ‘like us’?” MunchMunch asked, taking a worried bite of his forever-snack.

  “Pokemon who have a Trainer,” she said simply. “You see, wild Pokemon look down on Pokemon who have trainers. You are different because you were an Egg, but for many of us — it is a very big deal to choose a trainer. Truthfully, most Pokemon never do.”

  MunchMunch thought about that for a moment. “That seems sad, Teddy is really great!” He said.

  He saw Gastly smile a little bit, and he knew she thought the same too!

  “That’s true, but most trainers aren’t like Teddy. And most Pokemon don’t want to listen to a human.”

  That gave MunchMunch a lot to think about. He hugged the Egg close. He hoped the Pokemon inside would like Teddy, too. He hadn’t thought about Pokemon not liking their trainers!

  “Munchlax!” His Teddy called, and MunchMunch happily MunchMunch-skipped over to him.

  Then he made some more noises that MunchMunch couldn’t understand, but it was ok because he knew his Teddy was asking if he was ready to go!

  “Munch!” He shouted, raising his paw and waddling towards the building in front of them. The rest of the forest was blocked off by a huge fence, which made so much more sense now that he knew wild Pokemon might not like the town very much!

  MunchMunch marched right up to the door, but was too short to reach the handle.

  “Munch.” He huffed. It was so frustrating. He was tall enough to see the handle, but his arms were too short to reach over his head.

  “Munch. Munchmunchlaaaaaaax. Munch.”

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  “Can I help?” The Ranger’s Caterpie asked.

  Munchlax eyed it skeptically. It was even smaller than he was, and had no arms. He wasn’t really sure —

  The Caterpie shot out a string from its mouth, wrapped it around the handle and pulled.

  The door swung open.

  MunchMunch gasped and took a bite of his forever-snack in excitement. “That was awesome! Thanks!” Maybe his magic paw could do the same! But it might also use hyper beam on the door, which wouldn’t be very good. Maybe he would Fly! That would be so fun!

  The Caterpie puffed out its chest as MunchMunch skipped through the door.

  Then he gasped so loudly he almost dropped his forever-snack out of his mouth!

  Across the room there was one more door - the door to the forest. But that wasn’t what was amazing. It was what was on the door! MunchMunch could tell it was a super special door, because right in the middle of it there was a glass window in the shape of a Pokemon he had never seen before. The glass sparkled and shimmered in the most perfect-est way.

  “Mama Gastly,” MunchMunch breathed. “Who is that?”

  Gastly regarded the door for a moment.

  “That is Celebi, a Legendary Pokemon,” Gastly floated down next to him. “He is the Keeper of the Forest and Lord of Time.”

  MunchMunch gazed up at the door. “He looks so nice,” he whispered.

  “No one really knows anything about him, but for some reason whenever a Pokemon sees a picture of him, they all think the same thing,” she smiled.

  That made sense to MunchMunch. Celebi looked really nice and kind, so he must be nice and kind!

  “ — I do know he has a shrine in the Forest, but only those he allows to find it ever see it.”

  MunchMunch nodded.

  “What does Lord mean, Mama Gastly?” MunchMunch asked.

  “It’s…it’s a title we give to someone who is powerful and also in charge,” Gastly said after a moment.

  “Oh! Like Nurse!” MunchMunch nodded.

  Gastly paused for a moment, then cackled. “Yes. Like Nurse.”

  MunchMunch waddled right up to the door, so he was super close to the image of Celebi. It was even more beautiful up close, and MunchMunch liked how the glass made the light green - which made him look green.

  Then, he held the Egg up in front of him.

  “Lord Celebi,” he whispered quietly, “Can we pleeeeease see your shrine? I…I want to show it to my friends,” he said, gazing at the image’s eyes.

  “…and I wouldn’t mind seeing, too,” he whispered as softly as he could.

  He thought for a moment, then gasped. “Oh! I will make sure my Teddy brings food!”

  MunchMunch loved food, so he thought it would be the perfect gift to bring!

  “Ok Mama Gastly! I can’t wait to explore!”

  Then MunchMunch pushed on the door and MunchMunch-skipped into Ilex Forest.

  ____

  Gastly floated through the wall with a smile, while Teddy sprinted to catch up.

  This… is going to be wonderful, Gastly thought.

  She didn’t just mean the Forest.

  She gazed ahead to see MunchMunch waddling forward, trying to sing again while patting the Egg.

  She glanced back to find Teddy hurrying to catch up to his rambunctious baby Munchlax.

  She regarded her reflection in the glass panes of Lord Celebi’s depiction.

  No.

  What she was looking forward to was the journey with the team.

  Her team.

  Wherever that path led. Whatever it meant.