Author's Note:

Finally another chapter of Bonnie's journey, and as the title suggests...well...you'll see I guess. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5: Bonnie and Clyde

Rotom was great. He told Bonnie everything she needed to know, such as the identities of the Pokemon they came across, some of the moves that might be effective against certain Pokemon, the chances of encountering Pokemon and overall how to help her own Pokemon. She knew that if it wasn't for him, she might've had a much harder time with catching Wurmple and even making her way past some of her early failings.

But he was really getting on her nerves.

"Zzt, Pokemon trainer Bonnie has funny hair." It was the first thing he'd said to her the morning after they'd caught Wurmple. She'd had a rough night if she was being honest with herself. She supposed she'd been spoiled the night before, being Birch's guest, so it was really her first attempt at setting up a camp by herself. She'd managed to make a passable dinner for herself, but setting up her tent had been difficult, along with sleep being hard to come by.

Dedenne and Wurmple were fine, though, with Dedenne using the Scarf that Alain had given Bonnie to make himself a little bed. Wurmple simply didn't seem bothered, obviously used to sleeping in the wild, and the tent probably actually being an upgrade in comfort for it. And, of course, Rotom simply had to power down, and he was fine the next morning, giving Bonnie a rude wakeup call that made Torchic's Peck seem like a gentle nudge.

While Bonnie had definitely experienced some rough nights and camped before, it had never been on her own, and she realized now how difficult it was. Even Serena, who had forgotten a sleeping bag when she'd started out, at least knew how to make things fairly comfortable. Bonnie had been scrambling all night trying to get food ready, set up the tent and get all her various items in order.

None of that would have bothered her, though, as she knew she would figure it all out with time. She'd seen Clemont, Ash and Serena in action too many times for her to not realize where she'd went wrong and what she could do to make camping out an easier process. No, the problem was Rotom's constant...analysis.

"Zzt, the future is now thanks to analysis!" he shouted out later the next morning, once they were on the road again. "By my count, you have made forty-eight mistakes so far as a Pokemon trainer."

"Your job isn't to analyze my mistakes!" Bonnie yelled at him, glaring as the PokeDex floated ahead of her, distracted by a rustling in the bushes, which turned out to be another Wurmple. "You need to tell me about Pokemon and that's it."

"Not true!" Rotom told her indignantly, puffing out his...screen. "I am entrusted to you in order to help you to become an excellent Pokemon trainer, which includes analysis of Pokemon, guiding you on your journey and correcting any errors which may prevent you from advancing as a trainer."

Bonnie just ignored that, shaking her head as they continued walking. Luckily, Rotom did quiet down after a few minutes, taking pictures of various Pokemon they passed by. It was a much better day for seeing them around apparently, with Rotom zipping around and snapping pictures for about a half an hour. He proudly displayed his pictures on his screen to Bonnie as they took a short break.

"There are many more Pokemon around today!" the PokeDex declared proudly. "Perhaps we can catch another one before we reach Oldale Town. You will need to be much more careful, though."

Bonnie clenched her fists at that. She was pretty sure he'd told her to "be much more careful" with her next attempt at catching a Pokemon about fifteen times now. She supposed he was right, though, considering it had taken such a long time to catch Wurmple. They'd also been quite lucky that Dedenne hadn't been poisoned by a Poison Sting earlier in the day. She had berries and potions, but Bonnie knew that without a Pokemon Centre close by, it could be quite risky.

"Zzt, at least you have another Pokemon to use in your battles," Rotom pointed out, Wurmple's picture coming onto his screen. "Wurmple knows the moves String Shot, Poison Sting and Tackle. With these moves, along with Dedenne's, Pokemon trainer Bonnie has two normal type attacks, two electric type attacks, one bug type attack and one poison type attack."

"Is that a lot?" Bonnie asked, not too sure if she really had that much more of an advantage with just the one extra Pokemon. Although, Rotom was right that it was good to have another option. Unfortunately, there weren't really any Pokemon around here that seemed like the kind of Pokemon Wurmple would have an advantage against, and the ones Dedenne should've been strong against seemed pretty tough the day before.

Rotom paused a moment as he seemed to be going over whatever data he had, and then spoke up. "Wurmple will be strong against any grass or fairy type Pokemon, due to its Poison Sting attack. String Shot will be able to slow down opponents that are too fast."

Bonnie did like the sound of that, but she knew very well that grass types and fairy types seemed to be lacking around here. She looked at Dedenne as she thought about the Taillow they'd fought yesterday, remembering how fierce it had seemed to be. It would be useful to get a Pokemon like that, but she needed to use her advantages. In that case, it would be Dedenne's Thunder Shock and Nuzzle.

"Ready to help me catch another Pokemon, Dedenne?" she asked her partner Pokemon, adjusting the hat Ash had given her, much as she'd seen him do so many times as he prepared to set off on his next quest. "And you too, Wurmple?" she added, holding up the pokeball that held her newest bug type.

"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered, while the pokeball holding Wurmple shook a few times.

With that, they set off once more, Bonnie feeling a little more confident in her chances, even if she knew Rotom would continue to pester her. It wasn't too long before they came across another Pokemon, and Rotom quickly zoomed forward as Dedenne hopped off of Bonnie's shoulder. The PokeDex startled the Zigzagoon that appeared before them, causing it to jump up in surprise as a picture was snapped of it.

"Zzt, a Zigzagoon!" Rotom said excitedly. "It is only the third one I've seen today!"

"Zagoon?" the Zigzagoon said, tilting its head as it moved forward to sniff at Rotom. "Zig zig zigzagoon."

Bonnie laughed as Rotom backed away suddenly, looking surprised by the interest Zigzagoon had in him. The PokeDex quickly returned to her side, though, while Dedenne took a few more steps forward. "Zigzagoon, I challenge you to a battle!" Bonnie finally called out, the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon looking up at her in interest. She waited a moment, not wanting to attack if it was scared, but it just continued to stare, so she decided to just order an attack. "Dedenne, Thunder Shock!"

"Zagoon!" the normal type cried out, jumping to the side as the bolt of electricity ripped through the air, hitting the spot where it had been a moment earlier. It seemed fairly quick, which Rotom noted quickly, so Bonnie knew she needed to be careful.

"Zigzagoon will likely only know one move that can inflict damage," Rotom pointed out to Bonnie, before she or Zigzagoon made their next move. "The Zigzagoon on this route appear to mostly use Tackle and Sand Attack."

Bonnie frowned at that, unsure if that gave her an advantage. The Poochyena from the day before had managed to defeat Dedenne with its Sand Attack giving it the opening it needed. And with how fast Zigzagoon seemed to be, it would be difficult to land a Thunder Shock, which would be her best move. "Dedenne, return!" she called out, a new strategy coming to mind. It was simple, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"Nene?" Dedenne turned around, looking surprised, but upon looking at Bonnie's excited expression, he quickly went to her side, while she pulled out Wurmple's pokeball.

"Zzt, Wurmple has no advantages against Zigzagoon!" Rotom cried out, apparently not liking the idea of using the bug type. Bonnie didn't care, though.

"Don't worry about that, Rotom. Wurmple will be just fine. Wurmple, let's rumble!" she yelled out, throwing the pokeball forward as the Zigzagoon watched, tensed up and ready to move. It was clearly ready to act at any moment, but it wouldn't open itself up to an attack by rushing at her.

With a flash, Wurmple's pokeball opened, shiny golden sparks flying out as it emerged, the sun shining on its purple body. The bug type looked back curiously at Bonnie, obviously surprised to be out for its first battle. "Wurmple?"

"You can do this, Wurmple!" Bonnie encouraged it, while Rotom was silent, showing his concern only with question and exclamation marks all over his screen. "This is our first battle together, so are you ready for it?"

Wurmple hesitated a moment, looking over towards Zigzagoon, realizing it was the opponent, but after another look at Bonnie, it straightened up, showing it was willing to give its best effort. "Wurrrmple!" it cried out, bracing itself as it faced off against Zigzagoon.

"Zzt, Pokemon trainer Bonnie needs to be very careful!" Rotom cried out. "Wurmple is untested and has no advantages against Zigzagoon."

Bonnie was a little worried as she prepared to call her attack, but as she remembered watching Ash in all his battles, he didn't let these kinds of things stop him. She needed to be able to get around these kinds of obstacles. "String Shot, Wurmple!"

"Wurmple!" the bug type sent the rope of web forward, aiming straight for Zigzagoon. Bonnie knew it would be effective in slowing the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon down if it hit, but also wasn't surprised as it slid aside, the web falling to the ground next to it.

It was part of her plan, though. "String Shot again, Wurmple! Hit the ground all around Zigzagoon."

Wurmple seemed surprised by the order, but acted regardless, sending the webs flying outward, striking the ground, Zigzagoon jumping aside whenever it needed to, until finally having nowhere to go. "Zagoon?" the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon called out, looking surprised as it stared back towards Bonnie and Wurmple.

"Good job, Wurmple!" Bonnie praised her bug type, jumping up proudly now that she could see her plan working. Just like Viola battling Ash at the Santalune Gym!

"Zzt! Pokemon trainer Bonnie has Zigzagoon trapped!" Rotom cried out excitedly, looking stunned as he darted up and down in the air. "You should attack and weaken Zigzagoon now to catch it."

"Okay Wurmple," Bonnie started, the Worm Pokemon turning back to Zigzagoon as it prepared to move. "Use Tackle!"

"Wurmple!" It charged forward, moving along the ground easily, the webs not sticking to it as it approached Zigzagoon. Then, it reached the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon, who looked on in surprise as Wurmple slammed into it, causing it to fall back into some webs behind it.

Bonnie wasn't going to let up now. She had the advantage and she couldn't let it slip away. "Use Poison Sting!"

"Zagoon!" Just as Wurmple started to move on Bonnie's order, Zigzagoon proved to be more resourceful than Bonnie had thought, digging its paws into the ground, under the webs, and flinging the dirt underneath right up into Wurmple's face.

"Wurmple!" the bug type cried out, staggering back as it shook its head. Bonnie could see its eyes were shut tight as it tried to shake away the dirt. Meanwhile, Zigzagoon seemed to be using Sand Attack once more, hitting the ground behind it to clear away more of the webs.

"Zzt, updating data. Sand Attack appears to be Pokemon trainer Bonnie's biggest weakness, and can be used to clear a path through a web-covered battlefield." Bonnie glanced over at the PokeDex, seeing that he was, indeed, doing some kind of loading of data. She was about to get Dedenne to show him what a Thunder Shock felt like, but just then, her partner Pokemon cried out to her, pointing ahead to Zigzagoon, who had now gotten away from the webs, running towards the bushes.

"Oh no! Wurmple, use String-"

She stopped, suddenly hearing a strange noise up ahead, noticing Rotom, Dedenne and Wurmple going quiet as well. It sounded a bit like the noise a flag would make on a very windy day, flapping in the wind. However, it was more like there were dozens of flags, making it almost sound a bit like a helicopter. She was almost sure she heard a small shout as well, but assumed she wasn't hearing right as the flapping stopped suddenly, making things go very quiet.

"What was that?" Bonnie asked, looking at Rotom, wondering if he might know. "Was it some kind of Pokemon?"

The PokeDex looked confused, question marks all across his screen. "I am not sure. I have no data on that noise."

"Nene!" Dedenne suddenly cried out again, Bonnie looking down to see him pointing ahead. She sighed as she realized what it was, seeing no sign of Zigzagoon, who had clearly made its getaway. She'd let another one escape.

"Awww, and Zigzagoon is such a cute Pokemon!" she couldn't help but say, sitting on the ground as Wurmple started making its way over to her, the bug type looking surprisingly nervous, presumably from the strange noise they'd heard. "Oh well...you did a really good job, Wurmple. And it was your first battle, too!"

"Zzt, Wurmple will have gained valuable experience by participating in this battle," Rotom pointed out, floating down to hover closer to Bonnie and Wurmple. "Wurmple are known for evolving quite quickly after gaining experience in battle."

Bonnie couldn't help but smirk at the PokeDex. "So I guess I was right to use it then?"

"Zzt! Updating data! Pokemon trainer Bonnie was right!"

She was about to grab the PokeDex, but just then, they all heard a rustling in the bushes next to them, and they looked up, curious to see what it was. Bonnie was hoping it was Zigzagoon, coming back to finish their battle. She had been so sure she was about to catch it, and she desperately wanted another chance to do so. However, what they did see, was definitely unexpected.

"Treecko treecko?"

"Zzt! It's a Treecko!" Rotom exclaimed, moving forward to look at the Wood Gecko Pokemon closely, the grass type backing up a step as the PokeDex approached it.

"A Treecko! That would be a good Pokemon to catch!" Bonnie said excitedly, Rotom backing up after taking a few quick pictures. "Wurmple, you'll be perfect for this," she said, looking down at the bug type, who nodded and moved forward, apparently eager to help its trainer after Zigzagoon got away.

Treecko tensed up as it noticed Bonnie and Wurmple preparing for battle, its green tail tensing up as it took a step back, narrowing its eyes. "Treecko tree treecko," it muttered, looking at Wurmple with as threatening a look as it could muster.

"Poison Sting!" Bonnie shouted, not wanting to lose her opportunity.

Wurmple looked like it was just about to charge forward when suddenly, the loud noise from earlier could be heard once more. Bonnie, Rotom and the Pokemon all looked up, all their eyes looking in the direction where Treecko had approached from. They were silent a moment, listening to the strange flapping noises, when suddenly, Bonnie realized it was getting louder...much louder. And...there also seemed to be something joining it. Was someone yelling?

"Wurmple!" Wurmple suddenly cried out, turning around and bolting right past Bonnie and up the path, not even looking back once.

"Wurmple! Wait!" Bonnie yelled, turning to run after her bug type, before suddenly being slammed into by a heavy force coming out of the bushes.

"Oomph!"

When she hit the ground, she was winded for a few seconds and lay there for a moment, trying to regain her bearings. Dedenne was next to her immediately, making sure she was all right, while Rotom seemed to be darting around above her in a panic. As she started to sit up, Bonnie was pretty sure she heard the Treecko they'd just encountered making noises as well, followed by a groaning sound from next to her.

"Owww...that hurt. Did I run into an Ursaring or something?"

Bonnie jumped up immediately upon hearing the voice, turning her head and stepping back. She was still a little dizzy from the collision, but she managed to focus on what, or rather who, was in front of her. When she saw who they were, she was a little surprised that they weren't an Ursaring, although she was insulted to have been considered one herself, even if she thought it was a cute Pokemon, from what she knew of it.

It was a boy, maybe a year older than her. He wasn't big, despite what the collision had been like, but perhaps about the same height as Max. He had messy brown hair and when he looked up, Bonnie could see the surprise in his brown eyes. He started to stand, wincing a bit as he brushed the dirt off of his brown shorts and forest green vest that covered a black t-shirt. As he straightened himself up, Bonnie noticed the Treecko from before standing at his side.

"You're not an Ursaring," he said, staring at Bonnie, blinking as he too seemed to be trying to get his bearings.

"No...I'm not," Bonnie muttered, narrowing her eyes." She brushed off the dirt from her own clothes, trying to make the point that it was him who had caused the collision, even if it wasn't effective from the look on his face.

"Nenene?" Dedenne asked, touching Bonnie's ankle as he looked up at her in concern.

She gave him a small smile, about to assure him she was fine, when the boy suddenly knelt down and shuffled forward, eyes wide with interest. "What is that?" he asked excitedly, looking up at Bonnie. "That doesn't look like any Pokemon around here!"

"Zzt, Dedenne, the Antenna Pokemon," Rotom began, floating forward and hovering next to Dedenne as the boy's eyes widened even further. "Dedenne communicate-"

"Dedenne and I are from Kalos," Bonnie explained quickly, interrupting Rotom, having already heard Dedenne's information from him a few times at this point. "He's an electric and fairy type Pokemon."

"Huh...looks kind of like a mini Raichu," the boy noted, reaching out to pet Dedenne, who seemed to enjoy it, which surprised Bonnie a little. "I'm Clyde by the way. And this is Treecko," the boy, Clyde, said, pointing to himself and then Treecko.

"I'm Bonnie," she said, not really sure she what to think of this boy at the moment, but ignoring that as Dedenne smiled up at him, apparently not bothered. "And this is Dedenne, my partner Pokemon, and Rotom. Rotom's...um...a PokeDex. It's a long story."

Clyde definitely seemed interested in that, looking at Rotom with wide eyes, which made the PokeDex look quite pleased with himself. "A Rotom inside a PokeDex...I know someone who would love to see that."

Bonnie nodded, before looking down, about to make her last introduction. "And this is..." she trailed off, her head finally clearing as she remembered what she'd been doing before Clyde had run into her. "W-wurmple?"

"Wurmple? I don't see a Wurmple," Clyde said, tilting his head in confusion as Bonnie looked up at him, pursing her lips. "Is that another one of your Pokemon?"

"It ran off at that noise," Bonnie said, hearing the panic start to rise in her voice. She realized that the strange noise seemed to have stopped for now, but that didn't stop her from being worried. She had no idea how far Wurmple could've gone by now. "I was going after it when you showed up."

"Zzt, we need to find Wurmple as soon as possible!" Rotom cried out, exclamation marks on his screen. "Whatever that noise was, we don't want it to scare it off too far."

Clyde looked quite alarmed, and a little guilty as well, and he immediately looked down to his Treecko as Bonnie adjusted her backpack. "We'll help them look, okay Treecko?" he said, his grass type nodding, despite a suspicious look at Bonnie, who realized she should probably feel a little guilty as well, since she had just been about to attack the grass type before all this. "That okay, Bonnie?"

"Whatever, let's just go!"

Bonnie took a quick look around, eyes finally resting on the path ahead, before leading their group ahead as she ran. She supposed she couldn't really blame Clyde for this, the noise having spooked her out a little as well, so she could understand why he'd been running without really looking. However, she was still very worried, hoping that whatever could have been causing that noise, wasn't going to show up again and put Wurmple in danger, or make it harder to find.

"Do you know where Wurmple might go?" Clyde asked, running beside Bonnie as they went down the path, looking left and right for any sign of her bug type. "Any hiding places it likes?"

"I don't really know too much about it at all," Bonnie admitted, looking back at Rotom as he seemed to be trying to scan bushes as quickly as possible for any sign of Wurmple. "I only just caught it yesterday."

Clyde looked uneasy upon hearing that, and looked back at his Treecko, who was running alongside Dedenne. "New trainer?" he asked, looking back at Bonnie, who nodded, slowing down as they neared some tall trees, which she was thinking could be a place where Wurmple could've hidden. "I just got my Treecko as well. We were kind of scared off by the Taillow, too."

"Taillow?" Bonnie asked, pausing as she heard a soft squeak up ahead. She looked at Clyde, while Rotom and Dedenne approached them. "That didn't sound like a Taillow."

"It was a whole flock of them," Clyde explained, his Treecko nodding next to him. "There were probably about fifty of them. We were getting some berries out of a tree and then they all just came out of nowhere. We got out of their way, but they came our way again. It seemed like they were scared of something too, and they were mad as well. I tripped as Treecko was running ahead and got pecked a few times." He showed Bonnie his arm, which seemed to be a bit scratched up.

"Maybe that's why Wurmple was scared," she suggested, looking back up the tree. "If it knew they were Taillow."

"Bug types and flying types aren't exactly a good mix, so it would make sense," Clyde said, nodding, before following her gaze. "Hopefully we find it fast, because it seems like those Taillow are freaked out by something, and they could be on the move at any time."

"Wurrrmple." Bonnie smiled as soon as she heard it, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the branches high above her. Then, a moment later, she saw it, the small bit of purple that signalled where her newest Pokemon was. Unfortunately, it seemed to be pretty high up.

Clyde looked up as well, seeing the bug type as it shuffled along the branch up top, seemingly trying to get as close to the leaves as possible, where there was the most cover. "Is that Wurmple a different colour?" he asked, looking awed by it.

"It doesn't matter what colour it is! That's my Wurmple." She looked back to Dedenne, who looked up at the tree, relief in his eyes as well. She then looked back up, pulling out Wurmple's pokeball and aimed it up. She quickly realized there were too many branches and leaves in the way, and that if she hoped to get Wurmple back, she was going to have to go up there herself. "I'm coming to get you, Wurmple!" she called up, ignoring Clyde's shocked protest.

"That's too high up. Treecko's made for this kind of thing. He can go up," Clyde said, his grass type already jumping up onto the trunk of the tree to demonstrate."

"Zzt, Pokemon trainer Clyde is correct," Rotom told Bonnie, the PokeDex floating next to Treecko as it waited. "Treecko often build their nests in large trees, so it will be much easier for it to go up there than you!"

"Nenene," Dedenne agreed, grabbing onto Bonnie's leg as though trying to pull her back.

Bonnie understood what they were saying, but she knew she had to do this herself. If it was Ash, he would already be up there, pulling Wurmple down and making sure it was safe. Besides, if those Taillow came around, she didn't want to cause Clyde's Treecko to get hurt. She would be able to hold on better if they attacked, and she didn't even know if Wurmple would cooperate with Treecko. "No, I have to do it."

Clyde looked uneasy, but he nodded before looking back up the tree. "Fine...I guess I would do the same thing. Although...I am sort of scared of heights."

Bonnie just ignored that, turning a bit as she looked at her backpack, remembering some of the features Clemont had used throughout their time together. "Clemontic Gear on!" she shouted out, clicking a button on the strap, before a flap opened up, and a mechanical arm emerged, extending up towards the lowest hanging branch and grabbing onto it with a hand like an Aipom's tail. Bonnie smirked as she noticed Clyde staring at it in surprise, before the Aipom Arm pulled her up until she was able to stand on the branch, holding onto the one above so she didn't fall. Good work, big brother, she couldn't help but think to herself, glad the invention didn't break...or explode.

"Wh-what is that thing?" Clyde called up, looking amazed yet again. He looked at Rotom again, before looking back up at Bonnie. "Where do you get this stuff?"

"That's a secret!" Bonnie teased, winking and sticking her tongue out, before looking up and pulling herself up to the next branch.

With that, she began to slowly make her way up, carefully grabbing onto the branch above her and ensuring she was stable before moving onto the next one. It wasn't too hard to begin with, although she needed to go slowly with the branches lower down being clustered together, but she was still able to make her way up fairly far. As she pulled herself up onto the sixth branch, glancing down and realizing she was getting pretty far up, she couldn't help but wonder how Wurmple had made it to the top. She supposed it had used String Shot, but it still seemed pretty crazy to her. I guess it was pretty freaked out.

It was when she was reaching her hand up towards the next branch that things started to go wrong. She was so focused on the task at hand that she noticed it last, but she soon heard the panicked calls of Rotom, Dedenne and Clyde down below, followed by the loud noise, which she now realized was the sound of dozens of flapping wings, approaching them. She paused as she looked down the path they had come from, seeing what looked like a dark cloud in the distance.

"Bonnie, you have to hurry up! They're coming back!" Clyde shouted.

She nodded, pulling herself up onto the next branch as quickly as possible. These Taillow had attacked Clyde earlier, so she knew that even if she hadn't done anything to them, there was still a chance that they went after her. Of course, what she was more concerned with, was Wurmple, as well as those down below. "You guys should hide!" she called down to them, hoping they wouldn't attempt to be brave. Fortunately, Rotom led the charge in not being foolish, grabbing Clyde's shirt, while Dedenne led Treecko into the bushes. They soon disappeared out of Bonnie's sight, but she knew they were down there, not too far away.

"Wurmple?" Bonnie could hear the fear in her bug type's call as she looked up at it, noting that she still had tough climb up ahead. It was still clear that she wouldn't be able to use her pokeball, so she knew she just needed to do her best to keep climbing.

"I'm almost there, Wurmple!"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes as she grabbed onto the next branch, ignoring the increasingly loud noises of the approaching flock of Taillow. This was her duty as a Pokemon trainer. She had to help Wurmple, and she wasn't going to let it get hurt. "Taillooowww!"

She picked up the pace, not using as much caution as she had used when she was lower, but knowing she didn't have the time for it. Another glance down the path showed the flock of Taillow very close now, a few of them veering off into the various trees, almost like they were hunting. Bonnie could see some of their eyes, and she was sure they weren't in their right state of mind, their gazes wild and hungry, unlike the determined, focused looks of the ones she'd seen when trying to catch a couple.

"Wurrrmple!" Wurmple cried out, clearly terrified at the sounds that were now all around them, the flapping of wings and the screams of the Taillow making Bonnie want to cover her ears, despite needing her hands to climb up the next few branches.

"Hang on, Wurmple!" She wished it hadn't cried out, noticing a sudden increase in flapping wings as many of the Taillow began shooting towards the tree they were in. It took a moment for them to find their targets, but eventually, both Wurmple and Bonnie were in trouble. "Ahh! Ow! Get away from me!"

Bonnie only had two Taillow to contend with at the moment, both of them pecking at her hands while she tried to pull herself up to the next branch. She swatted one of them away, giving herself enough time to pull herself up, before swatting the other away. Unfortunately, once she'd done that, they joined about a dozen others as they zeroed in on Wurmple.

Wurmple cried out again, this time not only out of fear, but pain as well, the Taillow battering away at it with Peck attacks. Bonnie felt the adrenaline rush through her and she pushed herself even harder to get up there. "Leave my Wurmple alone, you bullies!"

And this time, Wurmple seemed to hear her. As Bonnie looked up, grabbing onto the final branch as she pulled herself up onto the one below, she could see her bug type's eyes barely opening, looking down at her. It whimpered out a reply, and she knew it needed her, so she put everything into it as she jumped up to the final branch.

"Taillow! Taillow!" the Tiny Swallow Pokemon were screeching, many of them pecking relentlessly at Wurmple while the others screeched and flapped their wings loudly. As Bonnie approached them, more began to dive into the tree, some of them joining in on the attack of Wurmple, while some of them went after her.

"Ahh!" she yelled, stumbling a little as she was pecked on the head, Ash's hat providing a little protection, but not enough to make it painless. She quickly clicked the button for the Aipom Arm again and it grabbed on the branch she was standing on, giving her some small sense of security as she tried to push her way through the crowd of Taillow. "Get...out...of...my...way!" she yelled, pushing a few more aside as they pecked at her.

Finally, when she was within a few feet of her bug type, the branch now dangerously slim as she did her best to balance, she looked down, seeing Wurmple squinting up at her, whimpering as a couple of Taillow continued to peck at it. Bonnie knew it was risky, but she wasn't going to stand by and let Wurmple get hurt. She jumped forward, wrapping her arms around Wurmple before both fell over, the Aipom Arm now dangling them from the branch above.

"Bonnie!" she heard Clyde shout from below, getting the attention of a few Taillow who suddenly darted towards some of the bushes. Bonnie heard him cry out, while Rotom started shouting about how he needed to protect his data, and she knew they were in trouble as well. She needed to get down there, but first, she and Wurmple had their own problem to get out of.

"Are you okay, Wurmple?" Bonnie asked, holding the Worm Pokemon close to her, feeling how tense it was from fear of the Taillow.

Before it could answer, there was a loud screech above them, and Bonnie looked up, seeing the Taillow suddenly shooting towards them once again. She winced as she held Wurmple close to her, unable to grab its pokeball because of the attacking flying types. Fortunately, Bonnie was able to keep Wurmple away from the worst of it, but as more and more Taillow began attacking them, she was definitely getting pecked quite a lot.

"Neneneee!" she heard Dedenne crying out, barely able to see the bolt of lighting striking a few Taillow that were attacking the group down below. Bonnie was pretty sure she heard Clyde shouting an order for Treecko as well, hearing a few Taillow crying out upon being hit. She was glad that they seemed to be fighting back, but she knew she couldn't hold on much longer, the Taillow around her making things very painful and difficult.

"Wurrrmple!"

"Hang in there, Wurmple," Bonnie said, wincing as her arms were pecked, trying to prevent her Pokemon from being hurt much more. "I won't let them hurt you more."

"Taillooowww!" a group of Taillow above screeched, flapping their wings and then darting forward, joining the crowd already around them. Bonnie didn't know how much more she could take, seeing the Aipom Arm holding on, but noticing the thin branch not looking too stable.

"Wurrrmmmpllle!"

Bonnie looked down, stunned as she noticed Wurmple glowing in her arms, its body expanding, feeling harder but also somewhat soft to the touch. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, her mind not really focusing right as the Taillow pecked at her, but suddenly, Wurmple jumped from her arms, spinning in midair as it glowed, hitting the Taillow above them and scattering them. Bonnie caught it as it fell back towards her, the glow around its body dimming, revealing it as a yellow, spherical Pokemon with blue eyes.

"Wurmple...did you...evolve?" Bonnie asked, catching the Pokemon and looking at it with shining eyes. She supposed it wasn't a Wurmple anymore, but she didn't know what else to call it. Fortunately, it seemed to give an answer to that question.

"Silcoon!" it said in a muffled voice, its own eyes shining as it looked up at her.

"Silcoon..." She remembered hearing that name somewhere, so she was pretty sure that's what it was called. She could barely believe that she already had a Pokemon evolve, even though Rotom had mentioned that Wurmple could evolve fairly quickly. She knew she couldn't really think about that right now, though, hearing Clyde and Rotom down below, while Dedenne and Treecko fought some of the Taillow. There were also the Taillow above her and Silcoon, recovering from Silcoon's counterattack, getting ready to go after them again. "Silcoon, can you still use String Shot?"

"Coon," it answered, giving a little nod, or what appeared to be a nod anyways.

Bonnie looked back up at the Taillow around, them, seeing them get the enraged look on their faces again. "Okay then, Silcoon, use String Shot and lower us down branch by branch. I'll keep the Taillow away with my Aipom Arm." Silcoon seemed a little nervous, the adrenaline from before not giving it the same boost, but it nodded all the same, and before Bonnie could lose her nerve, she activated the Aipom Arm once more.

They dropped quickly, but Bonnie could feel their descent slowing every few feet as Silcoon fired out the webs, hitting its mark each time as she kept the Taillow away with her Aipom Arm. It wasn't perfectly effective, a few Taillow managing to get through and peck at her, but she managed to keep them away from Silcoon, and was only hit a few more times herself. Then, finally, she felt arms guiding her down, noticing Clyde below, making sure she didn't fall, while Dedenne and Treecko kept another crowd of Taillow away from them.

"That was close," Clyde said, looking nervously around them as the Taillow surrounded them. "Is Wur...um...Silcoon okay?" he asked, looking at the newly evolved bug type in Bonnie's arms.

"For now, I think," Bonnie said, holding Silcoon up, the bug type blinking back at her, Rotom making sure to snap a quick picture. She looked over to Dedenne and Treecko, both backing up, appearing tired after exerting so much energy in fending off the Taillow. "Any idea on how to get out of here?"

Clyde swallowed, fear evident in his eyes. "I didn't do much planning for this kind of thing. When I got Treecko, I left home pretty quickly. All I know, is that when a Taillow pecks you, it hurts." He looked kind of guilty as he looked up at the Taillow, but when he looked back at Bonnie, he seemed to gather himself. "I think I've got an idea."

"What?"

"Run!" With that, he grabbed her arm, making Bonnie wince a bit as the scratches on her arms made her arms a little sensitive, but she didn't hesitate, following along as she called for Dedenne and Rotom to follow. She noticed a couple of Taillow dive as they started moving, but Clyde was quick to act. "Treecko, use Leaf Blade!"

"Treecko?" the Wood Gecko Pokemon called out, looking confused as it ran alongside Dedenne, who fired off a quick Thunder Shock, which sent a group of Taillow flying away.

"Zzt, Treecko cannot use Leaf Blade!" Rotom cried out, sounding terrified as he held on tight to Bonnie's backpack. "Pokemon trainer Clyde is not very intelligent!"

"Hey!"

"What moves can it use?" Bonnie asked, panting as they ran, most of the Taillow staying close, and a few of them darting in to hit them with some more Peck attacks.

"Um...Bullet Seed!" Clyde yelled.

"Treecko!" the grass type shouted, sending a barrage of seeds back at the Taillow, knocking a few more away while Dedenne sent out another Thunder Shock.

"Silcoon, try to hit a few with String Shot!" Bonnie ordered, holding the Cocoon Pokemon up a bit so it could aim better.

And as they ran, they managed to find a rhythm. Dedenne would fire off a super effective Thunder Shock, freezing a few Taillow at a time in their path, before Silcoon would hit them with a String Shot, slowing them further, while Treecko would knock a few down with Bullet Seed. If they had the chance, Dedenne would dart in with a Nuzzle or Tackle, while Treecko would use Pound or Quick Attack, decreasing the crowd of Taillow even more. As they continued to run, the flock grew smaller and smaller, with some of the Taillow shaking their heads and losing their enraged looks as they were struck by a few of the attacks, almost like being snapped out of a daze.

Then, finally, as the last few Taillow were thrown back, Bonnie, Clyde and their Pokemon ran for about another half an hour, collapsing to the ground when they finally stopped, utterly exhausted by the whole ordeal. Bonnie simply lay face down, Dedenne and Silcoon lying against her head, while Rotom rested on her backpack. In front of her, Clyde and Treecko were each gasping for air, the former looking almost like Clemont as he did his best to catch his breath.

When they'd finally managed to recover a little, Bonnie looked back, relieved to see no sign of the Taillow coming after them. She was pretty sure she didn't find them to be so cute anymore, although she did have a feeling something wasn't right about that group. They had seemed too angry, and too intent on hurting her and the others. At that, she looked to her Silcoon.

"Are you okay, Silcoon? That wasn't so fun, was it?" she said to the Cocoon Pokemon, holding it up as she managed to sit up.

"Silcoon," it said, sagging a little from its exhaustion, although its look made her think it was happy to be with her again, and she hugged it close, hearing its muffled voice murmur contentedly.

"You're kind of crazy," Clyde suddenly said, getting Bonnie's attention. "I thought you said you were a new trainer."

"I am," she muttered, glaring at the boy. He smirked a little at that, and she quickly clarified. "I'm a new trainer, but I'm not crazy."

"Aren't new trainers supposed to be more careful than that?" he asked, watching as Bonnie opened up her backpack, pulling out a couple of Oran berries for Silcoon and Dedenne.

"Not the good ones!" Bonnie said confidently, smiling as Dedenne at his berry quickly. She noticed Treecko looking longingly at it and pulled out one for him, Clyde looking a little uncomfortable but nodding in thanks. "How did you even come across those Taillow?" she finally asked Clyde, looking at him questioningly.

"They came out of nowhere," Clyde said quickly, a little too quickly for Bonnie's liking. "I was minding my own business when they attacked us."

"They looked really angry about something," Bonnie noted, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Did you do something to them?"

Clyde looked stunned at the accusation, eyes widening as he held his hands up. "No way! I would never do anything to hurt a Pokemon. I'm not like...some people."

"Like what people?" Bonnie asked, closing up her backpack and shouldering it again, while Rotom hovered over, finally having time to do a better analysis of Silcoon and Treecko.

"I don't know...like the ones who vandalized Island Cave," Clyde said, as though Bonnie would know what he was talking about. He seemed to notice the confusion on her face and shook his head, deciding it didn't matter. "You're right, though. They did seem angry."

"Zzt, maybe we should analyze them to find out!" Rotom declared, looking back in the direction they'd come from. Bonnie and Clyde were quiet upon that suggestion, and Rotom seemed to quickly decide against the idea as well, turning around with a nervous face on his screen. "Perhaps that would be a mistake."

"I think we managed to snap them out of it," Bonnie said, remembering how the Taillow had abandoned their chase once they'd been hit by a few attacks. "Hopefully they're okay." She then looked to the path ahead of them, before noticing how tired Dedenne and Silcoon looked. "We should keep going to Oldale Town."

"Oldale Town, huh?" Clyde said, looking a little nervous. "I was gonna head there too."

"Zzt, I believe Pokemon trainer Clyde is asking to join us," Rotom said, deciding to get right to the point.

"No...I mean...well..." Clyde scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Does he always just say whatever is on his mind like that?"

"He has a name, and it is Rotom!" Rotom said indignantly, floating over in front of Clyde, who backed up a bit.

Bonnie giggled at that, looking back at the path behind them, thinking of their ordeal. It had definitely been tough situation to get out of, and Bonnie was pretty sure that she might not have gotten out of it without Clyde and Treecko, even if they seemed a little clumsy...and had brought the Taillow with them in the first place. She supposed it wouldn't be so bad to have someone join them.

"I guess we made a pretty good team back there," she noted finally, looking back at Clyde. "If they come back, we shouldn't be taking them on alone."

"Yeah," Clyde agreed quickly, smiling. "Definitely wouldn't want to fight those Taillow again on my own."

"Zzt, it appears we have a new member!" Rotom said, snapping a quick picture of Clyde. "Look out for Bonnie and Clyde!"

Author's Note:

And so, Clyde has joined up with Bonnie, and Wurmple even evolved into Silcoon. I assume it's obvious why I went with the name Clyde. Hopefully he'll turn out to be something good...although we'll see more of that as the story goes on. For now, he's just a sort of rookie who's come across Bonnie's path (along with an angry flock of Taillow) and wants to follow along to Oldale Town. Hopefully his intro worked well enough, though. At the very least, he and Bonnie teamed up well to escape those berserk Taillow.

Hope you enjoyed, and look forward to the next chapter of Bonnie's journey, Chapter 6: A New Threat, an Oldale Feeling.