yo im back. lemme just quote my brothere here: "your pw is like a cockroach. Unwilling to die and keeps coming back."

pw is back with a vengeance. ive been working three straight days for about 12 hours each day working on my insight and reflections. so apparently writing about what we've learned from the project is going to net me zero marks. ive got to improve on our solution to our identified problem. sounds easy? it is. that is, if all our five group members have 2 different ways to improve each

thats enough about me

omg ive been putting jongup's annoyed on replay :) haha maybe u cant tell but jongups my bias :))) and DAEHYUN'S SUDDENLY BECOMING A BIAS WRECKER WHERE DID HE COME FROM

and youngjae's drama is gonna come out within this month im just waiting for it man. and dont get me started on zelo's howler

***************************************

“No.”

“What?”

Irene doesn’t even look up from her work. “I said, no. Or did you not hear me the first time?”

“But Irene, we have to find the missing children,” Junmyeon pleads. “And the only way we’re going to do that is—”

“Tear down the forest? I will not have you do that,” Irene says. “Can you imagine how many Pokemon’s lives will be destroyed upon removal of that forest? Besides, the children are most likely dead by now.”

Junmyeon stares, appalled, at what she’s just said.

“Do you think that those children’s lives are worth the hundreds of lives that will be affected if you tear down the forest?” Irene says, eyes shining dangerously.

“But…the forest is clearly dangerous. We have lost both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo and nearly Chanyeol,” Junmyeon tries to reason. “We will relocate the Pokemon—”

“Death comes to all,” Irene says. “It’s just a matter of ‘when’. So, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo left early, and Chanyeol nearly fell into death’s grasp. If you do not yet get my point, it is that I disallow the removal of the forest, or damage to the forest in any way.”

Junmyeon grits his teeth. He clenches his fist. He has to keep himself in check. Getting mad and blowing up on Irene, who holds the most power in Oakre, is not going to help matters. He spins on his heels and turns to leave, but Irene’s voice stops him, if for just a moment.

“Tell the families of the children to start preparing the graves.”

*

“Barricaded?”

The distance from Faultmount to Howlbreak Forest isn’t big. In fact, they made it in less than a morning, taking only about two hours of walking. Of course, there are rest stops along the way. They’ve reached the entrance of Howlbreak Forest, but apparently the place is blocked off from public access due to some incident, that apparently the Heatstorm Leader was involved in.

The forest itself is foreboding, thin wisps of fog curling around the branches and trees, almost as if trying to draw them in. It gives off a sense of mystery, and Daehyun can understand why there’d be legends surrounding this place about ghosts and…supernatural occurrences.

“So, what do we do now? Turn back?” Youngjae says exasperatedly.

They aren’t the only ones affected. A group of teens also appear to be angered by the blockage, shouting profanities at the guards, who appear to be unfazed.

Then, Yongguk sees it. A flash of black, nearly invisible thanks to the mist, but it darts away from his sight and into the bushes. What was that? A Pokemon? It looked intriguing, and Yongguk can’t lie—he’s interested.

“That thing on your belt…is it a Pokedex?”A singsong voice from behind him chirps out. Yongguk spins to find a woman standing behind them, dressed in a rather shiny outfit, accompanied by her Musharna.

“Wow! Must mean you guys are really something!” Her Musharna gives a cheer. “You wanna pass through the forest, am I right?”

“Uh…yeah, but who are you?” Youngjae speaks up.

“Me? Oh no,” the woman shakes her head and wags a finger. “My name doesn’t matter. Just call me Dream.”

Dream? What a weird alias.

“Thing is, I’m supposed to be out there guarding the streets of Heatstorm,” Dream says, sighing. “Protecting people’s hopes and dreams…But, you know, I’m kind of stuck here.” Her Musharna lets out a low sigh. “And you know, the forest is filled with Ghost-types. Not like I can get through it on my own…” She looks over at her Musharna.

“But it’s not like we can go in anyways,” Daehyun says. “It’s blocked off.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Dream says, smiling. She bops Daehyun’s nose with a slender finger. “I’ve got this.” She marches up to the guard. “Hey.” She drags the word out. “Mind letting us through?”

The guard opens his mouth, supposedly to repeat his spiel about the place being barricaded.

Dream then flashes something—a badge?—and the guard splutters, but bows and lets her through.

“Oh, and you have to let these people in too,” she gestures towards Yongguk and company.

“Miss, you know I can’t just let anyone through…”

“Challenge them to a battle then. Triple or something. I don’t have all day,” Dream says, clasping her fingers behind her head.

“T-Triple battle?” the guard picks out three Pokeballs and hurls them to the ground. Three Pokemon burst from it. One is what looks to be a metal insect, one that looks like a sword and the last one a dinosaur.

Yongguk whips out his Pokedex, the Pokedex already gathering information on his three Pokemon.

Durant. Level 30. Type: Steel/Bug. Moves learned: Iron Head, Crunch, Bug Bite, Metal Claw. Ability: Hustle (trades accuracy for power). Durant dig nests in mountains. They build their complicated, interconnected tunnels in mazes.

Honedge. Level 30. Type: Steel/Ghost. Moves learned: Slash, Retaliate, Aerial Ace, Shadow Sneak. Ability: No Guard (incoming and outgoing attacks always land). Apparently this Pokémon is born when a departed spirit inhabits a sword. It attaches itself to people and drinks their life force.

Tyrunt. Level 30. Type: Rock/Dragon. Moves learned: Dragon Tail, Ancient Power, Charm, Bite. Ability: Strong Jaw (powers up “Fang” moves). This Pokémon was restored from a fossil. If something happens that it doesn't like, it throws a tantrum and runs wild.

“So, uh, who’s fighting?”

“The people with the weakest Pokemon,” Jongup says. “So those Pokemon can gain experience.”

Everyone turns to stare at Himchan.

“What? Hey! I’m not the weakest—”

“I’d love to hear you say that again,” Youngjae grins, as he shoves Himchan forward. Himchan’s Mightyena clearly is open to the challenge and leaps forward, growling and snapping its teeth at Tyrunt, who snarls and bares its fangs. Himchan shoots Youngjae a death glare.

“So, if we compare Pokemon levels, Daehyunnie and Yongguk too,” Youngjae says. “So, there we go! I know you’ll do us proud!” Youngjae sends a flying kiss their way (which Himchan actually tries to dodge).

“Proud,” Himchan mutters, but stands behind his Mightyena anyways. Daehyun sends out Plusle and Yongguk sends out Grovyle.

The battle starts when the guard yells his commands. Durant snaps its jaws, going straight at Plusle with those sharp mandibles. Honedge slashes at Grovyle with an Aerial Ace attack and Tyrunt aims at Mightyena with a Dragon Tail attack. Plusle, unable to dodge, takes the Crunch attack, trapped between the Durant’s mandibles. Aerial Ace never misses, and Grovyle sustains a heavy injury from Honedge’s blade. Mightyena leaps over Tyrunt’s tail and avoids the attack.

Now it’s their turn to make their moves.

Plusle sends an Electro Ball to Honedge, zapping the Pokemon with the giant ball of fizzling sparks. Grovyle attacks Tyrunt with a Leaf Blade attack and Mightyena lunges at Durant with a Bite attack.

Tyrunt sustains minimal damage, returning strongly with an Ancient Power attack, stones bursting from its body and flying towards Grovyle, who takes the attack easily and goes for another Leaf Blade, the vine smacking hard across Tyrunt’s chest.

“Helping Hand!”

Sparks fly from Plusle’s cheeks and paws, as if cheering on its teammate. At this, Grovyle, launches a final Leaf Blade before taking down Tyrunt. However, during this time, Honedge has caught Plusle in a Shadow Sneak attack, sending the mouse Pokemon flying forward, taken by surprise. Plusle ends up sprawled next to Mightyena, struggling to get up.

“Swagger!”

Mightyena roars and immediately, the Durant begins to veer away, mandibles snapping shut as it tosses its head from side to side in confusion.

Plusle attacks with another Electro Ball aiming at Honedge, the sphere of electricity zapping Honedge, the Pokemon dropping to the ground with a resounding and satisfying crash. Mightyena chomps down hard on Durant’s body, cracks forming in the steel.

Durant snaps out of its confusion and attacks Mightyena with an Iron Head attack, smashing its head against the Pokemon. Mightyena roars in surprise, flinching as it staggers away. Durant leaps towards Grovyle, mandibles out, steel shining in the sun.

A sea of stars knocks Durant away, sending it sprawling to the ground. Taking this chance, Mightyena takes it down with another Bite attack.

“Ten minutes,” Dream says, Pokephone in hand. “Not too shabby.”

Daehyun heals his Plusle up with Himchan’s stock of healing items, and so do Yongguk and Himchan for their own Pokemon.

The guard returns his injured Pokemon to their Pokeballs and grumbles something about letting them pass. Dream claps her hands together happily and thanks the guard, winking before skipping into the narrow path through the forest.

*

Daehyun should have known that entering Howlbreak Forest was a bad idea. Bad, bad, bad. He didn’t think that when they walked through that damned entrance, but now he does and it’s way too late.

He’s lost.

The Jung Daehyun, separated from his group of friends. If Himchan hadn’t freaked out so badly when that Pokemon came out of nowhere...

But well, he had a right to be afraid. It was a Feral Pokemon. According to his Pokedex, a Trevenant. It had chased them for a good few metres when the fog got too thick for Daehyun to see anything. When the fog has finally cleared, he realizes that he is alone.

Afraid to call out to attract the attention of whatever lives in the forest (he shudders when he thinks of Yongguk’s story about ghosts…), he can only wander the woods, trying to find his group. He wonders if he’s the only one who got separated. Damn, I’m that one burden… Daehyun laughs bitterly.

Well, the wisps of fog and the occasional moving shadows aren’t helping his nerves much. There’s nothing he can really see through the thick fog, so he can only feel his way around and pray he doesn’t stumble upon another Feral Pokemon or…even worse, a ghost.

Monferno is clinging to his pant leg, frightened expression on its face as it swishes its burning tail around, trying to drive away some of the fog, but it keeps coming back the moment the fire shifts. Out of the corner of his eye, Daehyun sees a black shape leap behind a bush.

Then, red eyes. From the black shadow. Daehyun freezes. He knows it’s either a Pokemon or a ghost. With shaking hands, he quickly takes out his Pokedex.

Phantump. Level 1. Type: Ghost/Grass. Moves learned: Tackle, Confuse Ray. Ability: Natural Cure (heals status conditions upon escape from battle). These Pokémon are stumps possessed by the spirits of children who died in the forest. Their cries sound like eerie screams.

Children who died in the forest.

Children who died.

Children.

Oh Arceus, that Pokemon is a child.

The Phantump seems to notice Daehyun’s staring, and it gives a sharp cry, like a scream, before leaping out of the bushes, onto the main gravel path. The fog seems to clear around its body and the Phantump floats over to Daehyun. Monferno clings even tighter to Daehyun’s pant leg.

Come and play with me

The Phantump’s voice is like a little girl’s. It giggles, and proceeds to grab Daehyun’s hand. Daehyun’s eyes widen as the Phantump, with surprising strength, manages to pull him down the path. Monferno gives a frightened screech and scampers along.

“H-Hey! Wait! I’m gonna fall!”

Daehyun trips over a pebble but rights himself quickly enough. He stumbles once or twice more before Phantump lets him go, gesturing to a house in front of them. Daehyun looks up at the building. The place is run-down, so dilapidated to the point where all its paint has peeled off, leaving bare bricks in their places, and the window glass is utterly cracked and broken.

The door swings on its hinges, and Phantump takes Daehyun’s hand again, pulling him excitedly into the house.

The moment they walk through that door, however, it slams shut behind them.

Daehyun is greeted with darkness, with only Monferno’s tail to light the way. The Phantump beckons it over to a room on his left, and Daehyun gulps, deciding to follow. He approaches the room at the far end by Phantump’s instructions and he pushes open the door, surveying the area for a few seconds before stepping inside. There doesn’t seem to be any visible threats, but Daehyun is not one to let his guard down.

The room is strewn with toys, ranging from chewed-up dolls to broken trains and stray building blocks lying around. The Phantump, with much effort, is trying to drag a box over to the middle of the room.

“D-Do you need help?”

The Phantump doesn’t seem to hear him, but Daehyun walks forward and helps anyway, lifting the box and laying it down in the middle of the carpet.

You’re so nice

The Phantump smiles and reaches into the box, fishing out a Chatot doll. One of its eyes has dropped off and part of its fluff has already dropped out. The Phantump holds it out to Daehyun.

This is Chatty. It then proceeds to the doll’s head. Isn’t it cute?

“Yeah, very,” Daehyun nods. It can’t hurt to play with it for a while, right? It’s still a child after all. A child who met an unfortunate end.

Chatty makes me feel safe. You know, from the bad guy who lives here.

The bad guy who lives here?

“Bad guy?” Daehyun probes. What could be plaguing this child?

Yellow monster thing. It likes to eat dreams. And it eats and eats and eats. And it doesn’t stop. And it killed me. Phantump hugs the doll tighter to it. And it sometimes lures other kids with its friend.

Yellow monster thing. Perhaps it is a Pokemon?

And Tzuyu’s gone crazy. Phantump says. Tzuyu never talks to us anymore. She always uses her knife and scare people.

Talks to us. There’s more than one dead kid here. Make it at least three, because apparently this Tzuyu appears to be a dead kid too.

And seemingly driven mad by whatever the Pokemon has done to her. This Pokemon eats dreams. And it has a friend. A friend as bloodthirsty as the Pokemon. This is looking worse and worse by the second.

And…and…there were two more people! The Phantump says, eyes lighting up. Two more people that got lured here too! I don’t know what happened to them though…but they looked very strong.

A sudden realization dawns on Daehyun. The missing Gym Leader! Could it be?

Stay with me. The Phantump looks insistent. If you go out into the forest you might meet the big yellow monster! If you stay here the monster won’t come and find you.

“What if I promise to get rid of that monster for you?” Daehyun asks. “If I can get rid of that monster, you’re free to go anywhere you want without having to worry about it.”

The Phantump looks up at Daehyun, scepticism in its eyes. Are you sure you can beat the big monster?

Wow, getting flamed by a kid.

It’s really scary. And it has this small stone thing it keeps swinging. Like this. The Phantump demonstrates. From what Daehyun can tell, it’s a pendulum. So, this Pokemon carries a pendulum. And you can’t look at it. If you look at it, you’ll fall asleep and the monster can eat your dreams.

Daehyun sighs, running a hand through his hair. So, his adversary has a pendulum to put people to sleep and eat their dreams, not to mention having a voracious appetite as well as a co-conspirator who lures children. In addition, it has also managed to incapacitate a Gym Leader (Daehyun’s speculation but hey, it could have happened).

“Alright, I will definitely defeat the monster for you,” Daehyun says. “Cross my heart.”

The Phantump looks glad, and it does a twirl in the air. I’ll be here if you need me.

Daehyun nods, and with Monferno, the Pokemon having newfound determination, he opens the door.

Coming face to face with a solemn-looking Do Kyungsoo.

*

Baekhyun wakes up, feeling rather woozy. Where is he? That’s right. The room with dead kids. The smell of rotting flesh is getting to him. The death stench. He turns to his left and if any part of him is still asleep, it wakes up immediately. The boy’s facial expression is one of horror, empty eye sockets, mouth open. Baekhyun wants to puke.

He hears something breathing by his other side, and Baekhyun tears his eyes away from the disturbing scene to find Ribombee asleep next to him.

At least his Pokemon is still alive, but damn, that Hypno got him good.

Wasn’t expecting Kyungsoo to get him good too. If he told Soo, he’d never hear the end of it.

He’s got to get out of here somehow. He returns Ribombee to its ball, then pushes himself off from the ground, stumbling to his feet. The Hypno appears to be missing from the room. Said room looks exactly like an office, with a desk (albeit rotten) and a bookcase next to it. The carpet is mouldy and is fraying at the ends.

Baekhyun brings out Mimikyu, the tiny Pokemon floating by his head. Out of all his Pokemon, Mimikyu is the bravest. Well, partly because it’s also Ghost-type—it can take on more horrors than Baekhyun can imagine.

Baekhyun tries the door. The doorknob is gone, possibly having dropped off after years of disuse. Baekhyun slams his body against the door. Nope. Nothing.

Mimikyu flies forward and with one Shadow Claw attack, destroys the door’s hinges. The large piece of wood falls forward, revealing nothing but an empty hallway, giving off the same eerie vibes as it does the rest of the school.

Hypno nor Kyungsoo is anywhere in sight, so Baekhyun can probably find a way out. Well, the only problem is that the windows of the place are far too small for a human being to fit through. He can only hope to find his way out (and maybe find Kyungsoo at the same time) through the confusing, winding corridors.

Mimikyu floats through the corridors, and nothing jumps out at it. It beckons Baekhyun with a shadowy claw, and Baekhyun begins to move. He half-expects something to grab at him from the multiple doors along the corridor, but nothing does, and he safely makes it to the end of the hallway.

Okay, there are a few things he’s got to look out for. One of it obviously being Do Kyungsoo. The second being the purple balloon Pokemon Drifloon. The third being the girl ghost with the knife on the second floor.

Once he’s out of here, he’s going to phone Junmyeon.

Phoning Junmyeon…why didn’t he think about that? Oh Arceus, Baekhyun you’re an idiot. Fingers shaking from the adrenaline, Baekhyun reaches for his phone and tries to switch it on. Nothing. ing hell…the battery must have died. He wants to throw his phone on the ground and stomp down on it, but it’s going to draw attention. He pockets his phone again and with Mimikyu’s company, steadily makes his way down to the second floor, where the ghost girl with the knife is.

Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes, making Baekhyun leap three feet into the air. He grabs his heart. He can’t take this kind of stress.

Then, at that moment, Baekhyun hears a scream.

*

Jongup sighs. He’s been wandering this forest for quite a while already. Helioptile has long since been tuckered out, and Jongup is running out of healing items, having to run from most wild Pokemon since his own Pokemon no longer has much energy left to fight.

He had run after Daehyun after seeing him tear away from the group, who had surprisingly managed to stay together during their Trevenant encounter. That thing was a Boss Pokemon at level 89, and it was in their best interests not to fight it.

Now, they’re lost. And it’s not he has a Pokemon that can use Defog.

Then, he sees something purple appearing amidst the fog. It’s round, with a yellow “X” where its mouth should be, large oval black eyes staring back at him. Jongup recognizes that Pokemon, but he takes out the blinking Pokedex anyways.

Drifloon. Level 15. Type: Ghost/Flying. Moves learned: Focus Energy, Gust, Astonish, Minimize. Ability: Aftermath (damages the attacker once defeated). Stories go that it grabs the hands of small children and drags them away to the afterlife. It dislikes heavy children.

Can this be the Pokemon that has been luring away the missing children?

Possibly. If so, Jongup has to follow it. It could have taken Daehyun away (It’s certainly possible. Daehyun has the mental age of a five-year-old).

The Drifloon seems to notice that Jongup isn’t a kid, and begins to back away, before turning tail and fleeing down the path. Jongup gives chase, footsteps feather-light so as not to attract any more attention from other possible threats. Not when his Pokemon are all exhausted. A tired-out Minun is riding on Jongup’s shoulder as Jongup continues to run after the Drifloon.

The Drifloon disappears behind a tree, but it’s enough for Jongup to realize that he’s standing in front of a large mansion-like building. There is no signage. No nothing to tell him what kind of place this used to be.

The Drifloon realizes that Jongup has been following, and proceeds to float through the door. Jongup pushes the door open, immediately taking note that the door has been pushed all the way open recently, judging from the mark made on the Welcome mat.

Jongup hears the door slam behind him when he enters. He surveys the place. Clearly a haunting zone for Gastly and Shuppet. The two types of Pokemon are in abundance in this place. There is a giant chandelier and a full-length mirror by the stairs leading up to the next floor. Looking up, it appears that there are three floors in total.

And looking at the number of toys on the ground, it appears to have been inhabited by a family with children.

Lightning flashes outside and Jongup groans inwardly. Rain is always an obstacle to survival. It will be difficult to rely on his sense of hearing now. As if on cue, he hears the familiar pounding of raindrops on the creaky roof. Water begins to drip from the ceiling above, a droplet falling and plopping on the tip of Jongup’s nose.

He scrunches his face up, and begins to walk into further into the house, first turning to the left of the house. There is a long corridor with a few rooms. Kicking open the door to each room reveals nothing. Except that only the room at the far end has toys strewn all over the place. Nothing of interest.

He returns to the foyer. To his right is the janitor’s closet. Doesn’t hurt to check. He kicks the door open. The door unhinges and falls to the ground. Nothing other than a few brooms and mops. Jongup turns his back and decides to head to the second floor.

It is at this moment he hears a scream.

*

Daehyun is ing terrified. Arceus, someone was chasing him! His Pokedex couldn’t register this being. A girl dressed in a white gown with a bloody knife. He’s run as fast as his legs can take him and managed to stuff himself in an incredibly dusty closet.

He’d screamed his lungs out and then some. He hears the girl humming a tune, the tune getting louder and louder. His heart thuds in his ears, blood rushing the only thing he can hear. He has returned Monferno to its ball. He shouldn’t expose his Pokemon to such danger.

He prays with all might that the girl doesn’t find him there, or any other ghost. Oh Arceus, if he’s known it’s going to be like this, he wouldn’t have promised that kid.

Come out come out wherever you are

Daehyun shudders at the singsong voice. From the crack between the closet doors, he spies a flowy white dress.

Daehyun shuts his eyes and wills the girl to go away.

There you are

Daehyun jolts as the doors of the closet are thrown open, revealing the sickly pale face of the ghost girl, knife in her hand as she the blade. Without another word and with a giant grin across her face, she raises the knife and…

“Parabolic Charge!”

An electric shock hits the ghost girl and she screams, fizzling away into nothingness. A Helioptile rushes into the room, and Daehyun almost collapses in relief. A familiar figure with an equally familiar mop of blue hair follows Helioptile closely into the room, and Daehyun almost throws himself at him, but he does tear up a little.

“Are you okay?”

Jongup looks mildly concerned, and Daehyun shakily crawls out from that closet, his legs almost giving way under him as he attempts to stand, only to have Jongup catch him from the front, arms winding around Daehyun’s middle.

It may be a little inappropriate to have such a reaction in a haunted house, but Daehyun can feel heat rise to his cheeks as he tries to stand on his own two feet. All of a sudden, Jongup feels too real and is standing too ing close and Daehyun just makes a squeaky noise as he pushes against Jongup’s chest, falling hard on his rear in the process.

“Ow.” All fear is momentarily forgotten when Daehyun notices the tiny smile on Jongup’s lips, but it disappears as quickly as it came. Jongup extends a hand and Daehyun takes it, ignoring the tingling feeling when he feels Jongup’s skin on his. Arceus, what’s wrong with him?

“I don’t know how you ended up in here, but trouble seems to always find you,” Jongup says, taking a quick glance towards the door. A Shuppet floats by, clearly uninterested in them. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“I would say ‘hell yes’, but there’s this teeny weeny problem.”

So, Daehyun tells Jongup about his promise to the Phantump, and that there is another person, the Faultmount Gym Leader, that is trapped in some trance-like state here as well, who had attempted to attack him, and Daehyun had managed to escape the menace when he reached the second floor, only to be attacked by the ghost girl who was very keen in stabbing him.

“If we get rid of this Hypno, you’ll leave?”

“I don’t want to go back on a promise,” Daehyun says. He releases Monferno, the fire monkey Pokemon running into Helioptile and pulling it into a hug. Monferno is just as afraid of the place as Daehyun is.

“This Hypno…let’s find it then,” Jongup says.

Lightning flashes, then followed by a clap of thunder. Daehyun flinches, but suddenly, Jongup releases Servine, the Pokemon leaping out in front of him, tail twitching, as if ready to launch an attack.

The figure that appears at the door, however, holds up his hands in defense, his Mimikyu ready to defend its Trainer.

“Whoa, whoa!” he whisper-screams. “Don’t kill me, man!”

There is a flash of recognition in Jongup’s eyes and he tells Servine to stand down, which the Pokemon does with a frown and steps warily back to Jongup’s side. Jongup his head.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

Daehyun glances from Jongup to the newcomer (something about him seems pretty familiar). “You know him?”

The newcomer shifts from one foot to the other, looking extremely jumpy. “Elite Four member Byun Baekhyun, at your service. I came to investigate the disappearance of Faultmount Leader Do Kyungsoo.”

“Hey, I saw him,” Daehyun says suddenly. “On the first floor.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun says, nodding as he enters the room. “I mean, it’s great that you found him and stuff, but he’s obviously not himself. Plus, we got that balloon thing to worry about and the Boss Pokemon.”

“You mean the Hypno?” Jongup asks.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun nods. “We have to get out of here. We can’t deal with this case on our own. Might have to wreck the forest.”

“Wreck the forest?” Daehyun asks, voice raised. “Isn’t that—”

Baekhyun says nothing, but whirls around immediately, only to find the purple balloon Pokemon from earlier. The Pokemon makes no noise as it vanishes into thin air when Mimikyu tries to hit it with a Shadow Claw.

“It’s found us,” Baekhyun hisses. “Come on, I’ll explain outside. Get ready to run.”

Before he can take a step out, the short figure of Do Kyungsoo appears the doorway. His image is as unsettling as Daehyun remembers from a few minutes ago. Dried blood all over his body; amazing he has not yet perished from the numerous mortal wounds. Kyungsoo lunges for them, the Pokeballs on his belt rattling, as if the Pokemon inside are trying to warn them.

Mimikyu darts away, and so do the others.

“Leaf Storm!”

“Don’t hurt him!”

The Leaf Storm generated by Servine all hit the protective Light Screen that Slurpuff throws up, the leaves falling to the ground instead of hitting Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo turns around, red eyes glinting, as he makes a dive for Baekhyun.

“Thunder Wave,” Jongup throws a hand forward and Helioptile sends a weak pulse of electricity at Kyungsoo. Immediately, Kyungsoo’s limbs begin to stiffen and he jerks, toppling headfirst onto the ground. Helioptile hops over back to Jongup’s side.

“Let’s move,” Jongup says, and with its vines, Servine picks Kyungsoo up effortlessly.

“H-Hey, what about—?” Daehyun begins.

“Later. We have to get Kyungsoo out first,” Jongup says firmly, and Daehyun can’t argue with that.

“No, I’ll do it,” Baekhyun says, clearing his throat. “I mean…I’ll take out that Hypno. You have to get out to safety. Get Kyungsoo away from the Hypno’s influence.”

Jongup gives Baekhyun an expressionless stare, “This may be a stretch of the imagination, but I believe the one causing this mind-control is not the Hypno.”

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun furrows his brows.

“Take Kyungsoo to safety. Daehyun, go with him. I’ll stay behind to investigate,” Jongup says. “Servine, go with them.”

“H-Hey, wait,” Daehyun starts, but Baekhyun holds out a hand to shush him.

“Stay safe, you hear?” Baekhyun says, saluting him, and then begins to make his way down the stairs, Kyungsoo in Servine’s vines. Daehyun opens his mouth to protest, but one look from Jongup has him following closely behind Baekhyun.

They manage to reach the familiar foyer without any major issues. The large doors come into view, and finally, after such a long time, Baekhyun and Daehyun emerge into the foggy Howlbreak Forest. The fog is unsettling…

But the group of friends waiting for them with concerned expressions is not.

*************************************

Pokedex entries gathered:

Durant

Honedge

Tyrunt

Drifloon

Cameo appearances:

Musharna (Dream's Pokemon)

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Daehyun's Pokemon:

-Cottonee. Level 26. Type: Grass/Fairy. Moves learned: Giga Drain, Growth, Poison Powder, Leech Seed.
-Monferno. Level 26. Type: Fire/Fighting. Moves learned: Mach Punch, Flame Wheel, Taunt, Fury Swipes.
-Bagon. Level 25. Type: Dragon. Moves learned: Crunch, Dragonbreath, Focus Energy, Headbutt
-Plusle. Level 20. Type: Electric. Moves learned: Encore, Bestow, Spark, Helping Hand

Youngjae's Pokemon:

-Petilil. Level 26. Type: Grass. Moves learned: Growth, Magical Leaf, Stun Spore, Giga Drain.
-Lopunny. Level 25. Type: Normal. Moves learned: Jump Kick, Baby-Doll Eyes, Return, Endure.
-Braixen. Level 25. Type: Fire. Moves learned: Psybeam, Tail Whip, Flame Charge, Fire Spin.
-Cubone. Level 19. Type: Ground. Moves learned: Focus Energy, Leer, Bone Club, Headbutt.

Jongup's Pokemon:

-Helioptile. Level 31. Type: Normal/Electric. Moves learned: Charge, Parabolic Charge, Quick Attack, Thunder Wave.
-Lucario. Level 32. Type: Fighting/Steel. Moves learned: Feint, Aura Sphere, Swords Dance, Bone Rush.
-Araquanid. Level 29. Type: Water/Bug. Moves learned: Bite, Bug Bite, Bubblebeam, Aqua Ring.
-Servine. Level 28. Type: Grass. Moves learned: Mega Drain, Growth, Leaf Tornado, Slam.
-Minun. Level 25. Type: Electric: Moves learned: Encore, Copycat, Electro Ball, Fake Tears.

Junhong's Pokemon:

-Clefairy. Level 25. Type: Fairy. Moves learned: Wake-Up Slap, Sweet Kiss, Minimize, Magical Leaf
-Weepinbell. Level 26. Type: Grass/Poison. Moves learned: Vine Whip, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, Acid.
-Meditite. Level 28. Type: Fighting/Psychic. Moves learned: Hi Jump Kick, Confusion, Calm Mind, Force Palm
-Croconaw. Level 21. Type: Water. Moves learned: Ice Fang, Scary Face, Water Gun, Bite.

Yongguk's Pokemon:

-Rufflet. Level 27. Type: Normal/Flying. Moves learned: Hone Claws, Scary Face, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace
-Houndour. Level 29. Type: Fire/Dark. Moves learned: Beat Up, Ember, Howl, Bite
-Ariados. Level 28. Type: Bug/Poison. Moves learned: Infestation, er Punch, Scary Face, Fury Swipes
-Grovyle. Level 25. Type: Grass. Moves learned: Fury Cutter, Leaf Blade, Leer, Pursuit.

Himchan's Pokemon:

-Floette. Level 24. Type: Fairy. Moves learned: Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant, Wish.
-Kirlia. Level 25. Type: Fairy/Psychic. Moves learned: Draining Kiss, Heal Pulse, Confusion, Magical Leaf.
-Brionne. Level 24. Type: Water. Moves learned: Icy Wind, Encore, Disarming Voice, Bubblebeam.
-Mightyena. Level 24. Type: Dark. Moves learned: Assurance, Roar, Howl, Swagger.
-Spearow. Level 18. Type: Normal/Flying. Moves learned: Aerial Ace, Fury Attack, Pursuit, Mirror Move.