Chapter 5: Misty's Scream and a Bug Too Big
The morning sun warmed the treetops as light filtered through the leaves in golden beams. A cool breeze drifted across the campsite where Kai and Misty had slept the night before, the lake nearby still shimmering under the early light. Blaze — Kai's Charmander — stretched beside the dying campfire, yawning adorably as a tiny puff of smoke escaped his mouth.
Kai sat cross-legged, toasting a berry on a stick for breakfast. "Morning, Blaze," he said cheerfully.
Blaze chirped, "Char!" and gave a small salute with his claw.
"Smells better than those trail bars," Misty said from behind him, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she emerged from her tent. Her hair was messier than usual, one sock was missing, and she looked like she'd been in a mild wrestling match with her sleeping bag.
"You look like you lost to a Snorlax," Kai teased.
"I tripped over my own sleeping mat," she mumbled, plopping down beside him. "Twice."
Blaze tilted his head and giggled with a squeaky "Char-char!"
Misty narrowed her eyes. "He's laughing at me, isn't he?"
Kai nodded solemnly. "He is. He's very honest."
"Great," she muttered, tugging her other sock on. "So much for dignity."
Kai handed her the toasted berry. "Compensation?"
She took it, bit into it, then paused. "…Okay, this is really good."
They sat in silence for a while, watching the ripples on the lake, listening to distant bird Pokémon calling.
"Y'know," Misty said after a minute, "traveling with someone isn't as annoying as I thought."
Kai looked at her. "High praise from the queen of sarcasm."
"I'm serious," she said, nudging him with her elbow. "It's kinda nice."
Blaze hopped into Kai's lap and gave a happy "Char!"
Then—rustle… rustle…
From the bushes came a strange squishing noise.
Blaze looked up, alert.
Kai turned his head.
Misty froze mid-bite.
The bushes rustled again, and a large green head with beady yellow eyes poked out.
"…Caterpie," Kai said.
Misty screamed.
Not a normal scream.
A soul-shattering, spine-twisting, "GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" kind of scream.
She leapt behind Kai, practically climbed his back, and pointed. "KILL IT WITH FIRE!"
Blaze, understandably confused, looked from the harmless Caterpie to Misty's panicked expression.
Caterpie blinked, tilted its head cutely, and inched forward.
Misty squeaked and grabbed Kai's shoulder. "Why is it coming closer?! It knows! It knows I'm afraid!"
"It's a Caterpie," Kai said, half-laughing. "It probably wants to say hi."
"I don't care! It has a face! And those big round eyes! And the way it—slithers!" Misty was practically trembling.
Kai couldn't help it. He was laughing now.
Caterpie chirped happily and curled up next to Blaze.
"Oh great," Misty muttered, still clutching Kai's back. "Now it's friends with your fire lizard."
"His name's Blaze," Kai said, patting the little Charmander on the head. "And don't worry, Blaze is a fire type. He'll protect you from… the terrifying inchworm."
Misty smacked his arm. "I'm not scared of all bugs. Just the ones that slither, crawl, and have faces."
"That's basically all of them."
"Exactly!"
Caterpie gave a cheerful "Caaater!" and started rubbing against Misty's bag.
"NO!" she yelled, grabbing it and holding it above her head like it was contaminated.
Kai gently picked up Caterpie and set it back into the bushes. "Go on, buddy. She's not emotionally prepared for this."
Caterpie chirped once, looked back sadly, and disappeared into the foliage.
Misty slowly sat back down, red-faced. "If you tell anyone about this—"
"Too late," Kai said, smirking. "Blaze already told like five Pidgey."
Blaze gave a proud "Char!"
Misty groaned. "Ugh. At least tell me you don't like all Pokémon."
Kai shrugged. "I think they're all cool in their own way."
"Even Muk?"
"…Maybe not Muk."
They both laughed.
Misty relaxed a little, her legs still crossed, arms folded. She tossed a small pebble into the lake and sighed. "I only really use water types. That's what I'm comfortable with."
"I know," Kai said softly. "You're good with them."
She turned to him, slightly surprised. "You've seen me battle?"
Kai blinked. "Uh, I mean… I can tell. You have the calm, commanding presence. You don't panic, except when bugs show up."
Misty raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Hmph. Good save."
Kai looked out over the lake. "Maybe someday you'll catch more types."
Misty leaned back. "Maybe. If you stick around, maybe you'll convince me."
> [System Notification] — Misty's Trust Level increased! — Event: "First Panic" triggered. — Companion Comfort Effect Unlocked: +10% recovery speed for Pokémon when Misty is in camp. — Blaze has gained a boost in affection.
Kai ignored the message and smiled to himself.
Misty grinned sideways at him. "Just so you know, I don't do well with embarrassment."
"I noticed."
"Next time, I'm pushing you in the lake."
"Noted."
As the sun climbed higher, the group packed up camp and headed north together — Blaze leading the way, Misty trailing just a step behind Kai, always watching the trees with suspicion in case another bug appeared.
And while they hadn't battled that day, Kai knew something even more valuable had happened:
A bond had deepened.
And laughter — real, shared laughter — had taken root.
Even in a world full of Pokémon and mysteries…
Friendship was the real start of their journey.