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Pokémon Story

*Brave Child and the Spooky Woods - Chapter 2 *

By J.C. Solis

Another dawn rose above the horizon, marking the coming of a new day and new things to do. The scent of spring was already wafting in the air, further rousing the townsfolk to get on with their daily routines. Life was normal and unchanging, and the comforting rays of the rising sun served only to further invigorate the residents of Petalgrove. The meadows around town began to bask in the warming sun, releasing their soft fragrance and distinguishable aroma. Spring had finally arrived. No more frigid days and frozen nights were to come, and from here on out the sun would ever increase in intensity. Such was the way of this pleasant town and it vast fields of bloom. The start of the new day also meant the start for breakfast to be made.

Little Mary was already enjoying the delicious food her mother made - a soft porridge with peanut butter and carrot bits swirled inside. Mary took happy bites with her spoon, relishing the delicious taste with each bite.

"Did you enjoy your meal, dear?" asked Mama Lopunny. As if she really needed to ask. Mary had polished off more than three quarters of the plate, and was still chomping spoonful after spoonful.

"It's delicious!" said Mary between bites. "You make the best foods ever, Mom!"

Mama Lopunny was flattered by her daughter's compliment. "Oh, dearie. I'm always happy whenever you are happy," said the gentle mother. "So where are you and your friends to today? I'm sure you must be excited to be on spring break."

"Just around the fields. Maybe we might even go as far as the Chestnut Woods," Mary lied to her mother.

"That sounds like you'll be having tons of fun today," responded Mama.

"Say, Mom," began Mary. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing, Mary dear," responded her Mother.

"What can you tell me about Specter Woods?" asked the little buneary.

Mama stopped what she was doing. She was stirring a large bowl filled with ingredients to make a carrot cake when she froze in her tracks. "That's an odd question, dear," replied Mama. "But the answer to that is simple. That place means nothing but trouble. So stay away from those woods if you know what's good for you. Those woods are a haven for bad things to happen."

"Like what kind of bad things, Mama," Mary pushed further.

"My, you sure are curious, aren't you," interrogated Mama. "I hope you don't plan on going to those woods."

"Oh no, Mama!" lied Mary. "I was just curious because I heard some of my friends talk about it." This time, Mary sort of told the truth.

"I don't know too much about those woods, Mary. And I'm happy that it stays that way. There are stories of people entering that place and not coming out. There are also tales of evil monsters and pokémon inhabiting that place, and to me it's nerve-racking that we live only a half an hour's walk away from there," she said with exasperation. After that bit of tension, Mama returned to her work in mixing. "I hope you and your friends have fun, dearie. And stay away from those woods."

"I will Mama," said Mary with her fingers crossed. She hopped off her chair and went to give her mother a hug. "Good bye, Mama"

"Good bye, dearie," said Mama Lopunny. And in quick hops Mary was at the front door ready to leave. The booming sounds of Petalgrove once again filled Mary's ears, bringing a nice smile to her face. She hopped right off the steps to her home and skipped through the hubbub of town to meet up with her friends. They were supposed to meet up to the town's main plaza, right in front of the school courtyard. It would be there where they would decide what their plan should be. Sure enough, Mary found all three of her friends in front of school. "Morning, everyone!"

"Good morning, Mary!" replied Wyatt.

A simple "Morning," was Frankie's response.

Jenna only gave a nod. "You didn't tell your mom that about where we're heading, did you Mary?" said Jenna coldly.

"No I didn't," replied Mary warmly. "I asked about it, but I told her were heading for the Chestnut Woods."

"Grrr. Mary!!" yelled Jenna. "I told you not to mention Specter Woods to your Mom. Now she might be expecting us to go there."

"I didn't tell her I was going there!" defended Mary. "I only asked information about that place. From what she told me, this place is a lot spookier than I thought."

"I don't like going to spooky places," complained Wyatt with a shiver.

"Still afraid of ghosts, Wyatt," joked Jenna. "Come on now, you guys. They're just a bunch of stories the grownups came up with to keep us kids from going."

"I don't know," said Mary. "We might be heading into something a little bit scarier than we thought," said Mary.

"Well it's not like we can back down! We got a bet to fulfill, and Leo and Jack won't be taking any excuse from us if we don't go," Jenna pointed out.

"Fine, but can we at least prepare before we go? Maybe buy a few Oran berries and some apples for the road?" pleaded Wyatt. "Spooks or not, we might get hungry in there."

"Fine," accepted Jenna. "Let's see how much money we all have and maybe we can buy a few things." Once the group counted their measly sums of money they headed to the nearest shop that sold what they needed. With the money between all four of them they had bought quite a large variety of things - from Oran and Pecha berries, to Apples and even pieces of fresh bread. By the time they were done, the group came up with a medley of wonderful things that they could use. Each member carried their own backpack, and the supplies were shared evenly between the four so that no one had too much of one thing. With supplies now settled, it was high time that they all headed out of town.

The cobblestone streets of town gave way to a dirt path through the meadows and fields - the places where the friends would usually hang out and play. And even sooner than that, the team came upon the first fork in the woods. The one on the left lead to the nearby Chestnut Woods, where the friends would also wander and explore. While these woods were close by, it was the right path that lead directly to the Specter Woods. So the team followed the path to the right. Specter Woods was well off in the distance, but the day was still young, and they had plenty of time to head to those woods and back. The four marched onward down the right path, feeling a sense of adventurism and excitement as they walked down the road. From here on until the woods it would be nothing but fields of flowers and the occasional pokémon hard at work. Combee and Beedrill were at work collecting nectar from the flowers, and the group even passed by farm land and vegetable patches, with the farmers hard at work in tending the fruits of their labor.

Jenna flew above and at front of the group, with Mary just a few step behind the flying Emolga. Meanwhile, Frankie and Wyatt huddled behind them, panting hard as they chased after the girls. To this, Jenna flew down to the ground and waited for the boys to catch up. "Boy, you guys are slow!" chided Jenna. "I know you're fast, Mary, but Frankie, Wyatt? You two slowpokes move slower than Slowpokes!"

"Hey, that's not fair," argued Frankie. "You know me and Wyatt ain't no sprinters like you two. Why don't you stop flying and hopping so dang fast and let us catch up?"

"Time is of the essence, you guys! We can't waste our time with this," exasperated Jenna.

"We're not on the clock, you know!" yelled Frankie. "It's still the morning, and those berry trees ain't going nowhere. Look at how close woods are."

The whole team turned around and looked straight at the woods. Specter Woods was right in front of them, off in the distance. And it was this glance that where everyone in the group went silent. The woods were no longer far away, the darkness of the tree line was clearly visible. A fearful mood then fell onto the team. The individual trees were now visible, they were so close to them. And a spine chilling realization was finally made. There it was, the place that even the bravest folks in Petalgrove feared. The place said to be shrouded in eternal dusk. Where many pokémon have disappeared without word of them ever again. Where a sinister aura was present all throughout, and no matter where you were you were never alone.

This was the place aptly named the Specter Woods.

In reality, the woods were a part of the much larger Dusk Forest, but Specter Woods is that part with the dark reputation. The folklore of Specter Woods has been shrouded under a veil of mystique and fear, with everything from pokémon disappearing without a trace to pokémon practicing black magic and hex rituals. Every corner of that place has a haunting story to tell, and the legend of these stories only added to the grand legend that belonged to Specter Woods.

"So that's Specter Woods," said Mary worriedly.

"Yeah, it sure is," replied Jenna. The whole team grew silent as they stared beyond, gawking at what lay in front of them. Until a few moments later they finally they got back to walking pace, but no longer was there any hurry in their steps.

"Do you think the Hex Witch is still in those woods?" asked Frankie.

"I thought they got rid of her already," said Mary.

"Well I'm more worried about the Ghost Manor. Do you guys think it is still in there?" asked Wyatt.

"You guys are better off shutting your mouths," chided Jenna. Though she tried to put on a brave face, even she felt the same tension and fear that the rest felt.

Both tales the kids mentioned were equally haunting, and are amongst the most infamous stories that permeated the Woods. The tale of the Hex Witch was that of a corrupted Delphox that was practicing dark magic deep in the woods. She would capture stray pokémon and use them in her ghastly experiments, from using them as ways to attempt immortality to attempts at reanimating the dead. In the end she was finally exterminated by a large band of witch hunters and families of the one's she'd captured, and with that ends the life of the Hew Witch. But even after many years later since the occurrence, the legend of the Hex Witch carried on.

Another infamous story was that of the Ghost Manor. Supposedly a very affluent noble-pokémon came and built a manor within Specter Woods so he and his family could stay secluded from the outside world and its troubles. But one fateful night the manor was burned down to the ground, and reports stated that no one made it out of there alive. Some say it was due to a passing thunderstorm that lit the house ablaze with a lightning bolt. Others say that someone who meant the family harm lit the manor on fire. There was even a horrible rumor that the owner himself lit the mansion ablaze for a ritual in the dark arts. What really made the story even more incredible was that the night right after the manor burned down it strangely disappeared, with not even so much as a timber remaining. And ever since then, there were sighting of the mansion reappearing and disappearing all throughout the woods. And with this the legend of the Ghost Manor was born.

"Well, the woods are waiting for us, guys," said Jenna. "Let's just get this over with and come back home safe."

And so, the four children marched onward, with no idea as to what awaited them. No longer did the group continue with a hurry. They seemed have slowed their pace, almost hesitant moving. Mary could feel the fear around her friends, and frankly she too was scared. After hearing so many stories about the place it seemed surreal that there is where she was going.

But Mary had a brave and kindly heart. No way would a bunch of stories ruin her sense of adventurism and enthusiasm.

The forest was now nearby, the canopy ever getting closer and closer as they made progression until at last the team made it to a fork in the road. The road split right in two, with one route going straight into the woods and another going Eastward. The East bounding road was the alternate detour route for travelers to go around the woods. Though the route was much longer and more time consuming, it was obviously the safer route. Needless to say, the alternative route was the one that received the most traffic. The road going into the woods seamed to fade away, the road boundary barely visible and much less traveled. But it would be this road where the children had to go.

Mary could see that the forest was dark indeed. "Well, you guys ready to go in?" she asked.

"About as ready as we can be," replied Jenna.

"I'm still scared, guys," worried Wyatt with a shiver. "It looks so scary!"

"We're here with ya, pal," said Frankie adamantly. "There ain't no spook in there that I won't deal with."

Despite being the youngest in the group, Frankie was also the most hard-headed and courageous to a flaw. While good in dire situations, this attitude often lands the little Aron into troubles way over head.

"Well, I guess this it, guys," said Mary. "We're almost about to enter the woods."

"Yeah," said Jenna nervously. "Here we go!"

And the team went forward into the canopy. And the darkness that was of Specter Woods swallowed them all whole.

One thing to notice immediately was just how dank the forest was. This canopy of oaken trees and conifers blotted away most of the sun's comforting light, and it was hard to get their bearings as to where they were. The road's outline was still visible if only just barely, serving as the guide for the group to follow.

"S-See any Colbur berry trees yet?" whimpered Wyatt.

"Not that I can tell," said Jenna. "I wonder how they're able to grow here with little sunlight."

"Don't the trees have something to do with Dark type Pokemon?" asked Wyatt.

"How would I know? I've never seen one before," stated Jenna.

That there was a critical error.

"What!?!" yelled Wyatt. "You mean to tell me we came all this way over here, and you have no idea what we're looking for?"

"Well, I doubt any other berries will grow with this little sunlight," rebuffed Jenna. "I doubt you could find even an Oran berry tree around here with this little sunshine."

"Let's just keep searching," recommended Mary. "I know we'll find it when we see it."

And so, the team kept on looking at the trees that were near the road. With no success in finding even a clue as to where they're hiding, they regrouped to come up with a plan.

"Listen guys," started Jenna. "I think it'd be a good idea to spread out from each other a bit further."

"You sure that's a good idea," complained Wyatt. "W... What if one of use gets lost?"

"Don't worry. We'll just spread out a little further, but still within shouting distance," assured Jenna. "That way we can stay connected while we spread out and search."

"I guess we can do that," acknowledged Mary. "Just not too far away from each other. Let's make the road our guide to return to when we come back from searching."

"Fine. Let's just get this over with," accepted Wyatt.

And with that, the team separated and went their own ways. Mary went toward her direction in search, and she really put in a good effort to see if the trees she checked held any form of berries. But no luck, as the bramble held none of the mysterious fruits. "Any luck?!" shouted Jenna through the bush, her voice muffled by the trees and the brush.

"Nothing here!" shouted Wyatt.

"I got nothing here, too," Frankie also shouted.

Mary went further on. "Not here either, guys," she said as she continued to walk toward the blackness of the brush. Every step she walked she went further and further into the darkness, blind to see where the path she followed would take her. Suddenly she heard a rustling sound that cam from the bush behind her. Mary turned back to see where the sound came from, but there was no pokemon who could've produced the sound. Now worried, the little buneary went ahead and and tried to backtrack her way back to her friends.

"Guys!" she shouted, but her words were blocked by the thick brush. She coudn't hear her friends calling back to her either. "Guys?!" she said again, but no response. The brush all but muffled her voice. Mary was now starting to worry--and was starting to get scared. She continued to backtrack her steps, but it seemed as though she only further got herself lost as she tried to remember. The canopy was dark, and little if any light could enter the thickness of the brush, making it all possible for Mary to stumble around and lose track of her previous footsteps. It didn't take long for Mary to have the idea sink in of her being lost in the woods. Little did she realize how much in mortal danger she was in. Anyone or anything could surprise her at any moment.

And the little bunny pokemon would be too weak to fight back...

"Guys, where are you!?!" she shouted once more. Once again, she was greeted with silence. Another ruffle was heard behind her, and she immediately turned around to face what or who was behind her. She walked past a brush to see a small glimmering light, almost violet-purple in color. She walked even further, and inside a small clearing was a small tree with purple-ish berries. "Colbur berries!" shouted Mary. She had finally found them! And one after another, she picked them from the tree and filled her pack with as many as she could stuff. But Mary was still in a predicament. Her friends weren't around, and she had no idea where in Arceus' sakes she was. She took a few steps back, trying to think of a way in which she could be able to come out of this predicament. When she suddenly bumped behind someone-

"AAAHH!" screamed Mary.

"Waaahh!" yelled out Wyatt. "What'd you do that for?" he later fumed.

"Wyatt?" said Mary. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I got lost and didn't know my way back."

"What's the big idea, gettin lost like that in the middle of these spook woods!?" barked Frankie, who appeared next to Wyatt.

"Yeah, Mary!" said Jenna, who appeared next to Wyatt. "Why did you go off so far like that?! We were all worried as heck in finding you!"

Mary's ears drooped at hearing this. "Sorry guys," she said. "I just wanted to go and see if I could find the berries we were looking for. And guess what? I found them!!"

All three of her friends eyes opened. "Really!?!" they all said at once.

Mary opened her pack and the berries came pouring out. "Oh my gosh!" said Wyatt.

"Awesome! Nice work, Mary!" giddied Jenna.

"Well I'll be. Them things are genuine Colbur berries," said Frankie.

The berries were there, and they were all in perfect condition. Now that the team was together again and had the berries, the next step was getting out of the woods as quickly as possible. They couldn't wait to rub the berries in the Tyrogue Twins' faces.

Except there was one problem...

"Wah! Look up there, you guys!" said Jenna, pointing her hand upwards. Up in the canopy, there was a hole that looked into the sky, and the sky beared a Full Moon and a dark nighttime sky. And that moon had a slight crimson red color.

"Whoa. How did it get so late so quickly?" said Wyatt.

"Oh, we're in for it now. Our parents are gonna be so mad at us for being out so late," said Jenna.

"I can already hear my Ma yelling at me right now," said Frankie.

"But how did it get dark so fast? It's barely been an hour since we entered the woods," said a curious Mary. To her, The Moon was very mysterious, what with it looking red and ominous. To Mary, it seemed surreal to have such a moon like that up in the sky.

"We better get out of here, and fast!" said Jenna. "Do you guys remember which way the roads was at?"

"Yeah. We walked not too far from it," said Wyatt. "It should be over here." And the four went to the place were they last saw the road. But as they continued on their trek, the road was still nowhere near to be found.

"Where is it? I'm sure it was here."

"Great. Now we're in some real good trouble," said Frankie. "Where the heck did the road go?"

The friends sure did find themselves in quite the predicament. Though it barely felt like an hour had passed, it was at last nighttime. For sure their parents were to give them a good scolding for being out so late, and even more so for going into the forbidden Specter Woods. But the main problem the four faced was now trying to see if they could escape the woods. The night made the woods hard to see in, meaning the four could be stumbling around in circle if they weren't careful. But Mary was not terribly worried. She knew that they'd find the road eventually, and that they would be home free once they did. But she still wondered about the red moon that they saw earlier. It seemed out of this world, almost too unreal to believe in. Yet there it was, hanging up high in the night sky. Even more so was the fact that she didn't feel sleepy. If it truly was nighttime, she should be groggy with sleepiness.

Right now, it would be Mary's bedtime, but the little bunny didn't feel an ounce of sleep coming to her. "What now guys?" said Mary. "We're lost here. What do we do? I'm kinda hungry to be honest. Let's have a quick snack before we head out again."

"Here!? in the middle of this haunted forest?!" said Wyatt.

"It's not haunted, Wyatt," said Jenna. "And sure. Let's eat. I'm starving"

"I got a rumblin tummy, myself," said Frankie. "Let's chow."

And so, the group all sat together, in all the darkness, and shared the food they had brought with them to town. They began munching on berries and candy and pastries as they planned on where to go next.

"Doesn't the moon look too weird to you guys?" said Mary.

"It sure does," said Frankie. "Why the heck does the moon look like it got itself a paint job?"

"I don't know," said Wyatt. "And what's even weirder is that we can still see in this dank forest. If it really is night, we shoudn't be able to see anything in here."

"I'll admit, it's all pretty strange," said Jenna after taking a bight at an Oran berry. "But let's try our best to get out of these woods."

When the team was finally done eating, they all lifted themselves up from the ground and began walking. Through the brush they went, and this time they all huddle close to each other so that way no one would get lost. It seemed like forever that the they continued walking, until-

"Hey! I see a clearing up ahead, guys," said Mary. "Maybe it's the exit."

"Finally. I'm was scared that we'd never get out of here," said Wyatt.

And so the gang ran up to the exit, finally free from the thralls of the woods.

...but it was a lie...

They only made it to a large clearing. But their eyes beamed wide open as fear went down their spine. The stories they all heard from the adults were real, and never did the four thing that they would come across it. For in the center of the clearing, they saw what they thought was the epitome of terror.

"*gasp* Oh Arceus, help us!" said Wyatt.

Frankie was too still to frightened to say anything, and Jenna barely could speak from utter fear, for at the center of the clearing... "It's... it's real," she finally said.

Mary was the one who finally said it, for the surreal spectral structure was now facing them in the center of the field.

"It's the Ghost Manor!!!"...