Petalburg Woods.

  Shadowy, tall and imposing. That's what Lucas had heard. And, believed even more, when face to face with the forest. After a long and dry trek through the south of Route 104, they'd finally arrived. In the early hours of the morning too, sun basking the path behind them. But, walking towards the woods, the shadows of the winding trees completely blotted out its light, leaving a ground engulfed by darkness in its wake.

  "You doing one last check?" Seijo asked, Lucas turning to find Ellie combing through her duffel bag again. For around the third time. Ellie scrolled the mental list with relative ease, pale fingers fishing through for supplies, checking everything was in order. Then, she slung the bag over her shoulder, nodding with certainty. Seijo turned to Lucas, as if expecting him to do a check as well. But, Lucas just looked back, then shot a thumbs up. Seijo snorted. A gesture which the youngster swiftly ignored.

  "Well, what are we waiting around for? Let's get a move on, people!"

  Lucas burst into the forest before anyone could so much as react. The light disappeared from around him, shadows enveloping the entirety of his body. Trees passed by in a blur, until Lucas found himself knee deep in the thick of the forest. Humidity hit him instantly. Thick, damp air to accompany the swaying trees. Tall grass, stocky enough to make wading through more of a struggle than a peaceful walk.

  A copse of trees formed a path around the forest, the overlapping trunks casting darkened shadows at the outskirts of the grassy paths. So thick in its lightless complexion, Lucas struggled to believe he had been out in Route 104 just a moment ago. Little pockets of light shone through, but nothing that would've spoke of the radiant glimmer lying just outside the tent of trees.

  "Weird, isn't it?" Lucas asked Torchic, who chirped in agreement. Even the sun seemed to hide away from the place. Or, was being kept away by the copious branches, adorned with brown and green leaves. Lucas didn't even want to think about the nightmare search that would come of dropping his phone around here.

  "It's...dense," Ellie commented, strolling up behind Lucas. Mudkip clung close to her leg, scared it would lose her should it not dig its paws into her leg. Eventually, Ellie lifted her Pokemon from the tall grass, letting it get a look at the surroundings. She'd heard many stories of the professors trials and tribulations around the forest. Particularly the challenge of helping a bumbling scientist to the safety of civilisation. She supposed, when she had heard the merry laughs accompanying the story, she'd expected something a little less...dark.

  "Hope you guys like the shadows. We're going to be stuck in them for a few days." Seijo took the lead of the group, beginning to walk ahead.

  "Just how big is this forest again?" Lucas dared to ask.

  "The biggest in all of Hoenn," Ellie explained, finding a pout start to come onto Lucas' face at the mention of endless amounts of towering trees, with no end in sight. So, she added a small comment onto the end. "But, because of that, it has a whole bunch of Pokemon living in these trees."

  Lucas' face lit up, just as expected. "What type of Pokemon?"

  "All sorts of them, " Ellie responded, attempting to think of any to interest Lucas. But, she knew nothing of the type of Pokemon he preferred, other than that of his love of Torchic. Luckily, Lucas picked up the conversation before she could be caught in silence.

  "Well, are you planning on adding any to your team?"

  "I think I might try and catch a Taillow. I've been on the fence about catching one for a while, but seeing them flying around Route 104 got me to seriously consider it."

  "Which means we'll have two Taillow's on the team, right?" Lucas turned to Seijo, who nodded in agreement. "Maybe I'll get one too, then we can all have a Taillow!"

  "Ellie can always borrow mine, if you want a test run with using one?" Seijo offered, Ellie contemplating the thought for a moment.

  "Maybe. But, I'll see if I can catch my own first. If I don't have any luck, I'll consider it."

  "Fair enough." Seijo answered, turning towards the swinging branches. "I'm gonna see if I can catch a Normal type from around here. Considering my team's numbers are...lacking."

  "So, a Zigzagoon, or something akin to that?" Ellie asked.

  "That'd be the easiest, yeah. But, there's also Vigoroth's pre-evolved brothers lying around, as well." Seijo turned to both of them. "Any guesses at what it's like?"

  "Well, Vigoroth's tall, got long arms, and can't sit still. So, just a smaller version of that?" Lucas guessed. But, he could tell from Seijo's expression that he was far off.

  "We'll wait and see." Seijo turned, leaving Lucas in the dark, and pouting.

  "What about you, Lucas?"

  "Well, you guys seem to know all about what lies in the forest. But, I don't really know!" Lucas turned to look around for any Pokémon in sight. But, everything seemed to be hiding, at least for now. "I suppose I'll keep battling until I find a Pokémon I wanna be friends with!"

  Sounds easy enough. But, in practice...

  "Torchic, Ember!"

  A rocket of fire blew through the air, striking the tall grass. The snake that lay beneath took the brunt of the blow, fire burning through the deeply green verdure, scorch marks tainting its purple scales. The Poison type hissed, acidic spray hitting the forest floor, before slithering away. Torchic huffed, coughing up a little ash, before climbing back onto Lucas' shoulder. They looked around, but there didn't appear to be more Pokémon lying in wait to ambush them.

  "Is it gone?" Ellie's voice shook, guarded from both sides by Ralts and Mudkip, covering her in case another Poison type flanked them from the sides.

  "Me and Torchic took care of it!" Lucas flashed a thumbs up, letting Ellie take a huge sigh of relief. Mudkip eased, and Ralts teleported up onto a branch, scouting out the rest of the area, ensuring there was nothing else in sight. Then, when the coast was clear, it teleported down to the ground. Lucas turned to face Ellie. "You're okay, right?"

  "Just fine! As long as they don't get near me, everything's ok." Ellie rested against a tree for a moment. "I kinda expected this place to be a little friendlier."

  "Is it normally this bad?" Lucas turned to ask their gym leader. "This is like the tenth time just today!"

  "Tenth is a little exaggerated. But, you're right, it is unusual." Seijo kept Crobat drawn at the ready, just in case something came their way the kids couldn't take care of. But, so far, it'd just been the usual Pokemon of the forest. Bugs and Poison types galore. Nothing Lucas or Ellie couldn't handle. Although, Ellie wished she didn't have to handle half of them.

  "So, all the Poison types come out of hiding for little old me? How sweet." Ellie's voice dripped with sarcasm, before letting out a lofty sigh, bending down to let Mudkip back into her arms. The Water type nuzzled into her sweater, letting out something Ellie hoped to be a pact of protection. "Doesn't help that they're so hostile."

  "I'm sure we'll find some more friendly faces around soon enough!" Lucas insisted, continuing to waddle along with Torchic in tow. Even with the distance Lucas knew they must have made in the time they'd spent trapped amongst the trees, he wouldn't have been able to tell from surroundings. Everything's just the same! Trees, trees and more trees. All looming, basking the ground in shadows, gatekeeping the sun's glow.

  Lucas had at least gotten a few Pokemon scanned for the Pokedex. That Ekans that leaped at him, fangs bare, ready to strike. A couple Beautiflies flew on overhead, being the most docile creatures so far. Still, they didn't appear much in sight, before they turned tail and skirted away, leaving a trail of dust that no one wanted to know the effects of. Only one Pokemon he hadn't managed to catch the Pokedex entry of. Mostly because it'd passed into a tree and disappeared before Lucas could scan it. But, it was real. Even if Seijo and Ellie squinted in suspicion upon hearing a story about a phantom tree disappearing...into a tree.

  A loud squawk interrupted Lucas' contemplations of hallucinations. Two, in fact, screaming at the top of their lungs from just to the side of where they stood. Lucas gestured to the sound, thinking it familiar. Both other trainers agreed.

  "Sounds like some Taillow." Seijo muttered, looking to Ellie. "Could be your chance?"

  "They don't sound the friendliest Taillows in the world," Ellie admitted, wincing as one let out another harsh cry. Torchic looked to the source of the cries, then gestured its head down, towards Lucas' hands. Lucas held out his arms, Torchic leaping into his palms, fingers gently clasped around its talons. Lucas then began to inch forward, pushing past bushes until they could see what was going on.

  Two Taillows, just as surmised. But, not screaming at each other. Rather, they were both huddled around a small mushroom. Or, at least, what looked like it. But, mushrooms wouldn't shake when merely shouted at. Its frills, both atop its head and around its sides, shook with fear. Or worry. Either or; Lucas couldn't really tell. Its mostly beige body was covered in the occasional green spot, while the lower half of its body resembled the colour of the grass around.

  It shook its head from side to side. But, the Taillows pressed on with their screeching. It seemed less of a conversation between the Pokemon, and more like the Taillows were demanding something of the mushroom. But, it didn't seem to want to comply. Lucas looked to his side. Then, looked to Torchic. The two nodded, and Lucas lined up the sights. Cradling Torchic gently, letting it have a stable post from which to fire. Then...

  POP!

  Another squawk echoed through the forest. One Taillow fell to the ground, wings charred by the flames of Torchic's Ember. The two turned, Shroomish shaking ever more, while the other Taillow dived to avenge its fallen friend. But, a Psychic power kept the Pokemon in place. Ralts' hand angled forwards, tilting slightly. Such, Taillow's body came to an angle. Slowly, all of its momentum disappeared, until Ralts remained firmly in control.

  "Water Pulse!" Ellie gave the command, as Mudkip pelted the bird with a massive explosion of water, knocking the bird back. The other Taillow kissed the ground, slowly rising again. But, with a quick glance to each other, they agreed to retreat. Spreading their wings, they soared out of the way, ascending past the branches and fallen leaves. Light work.

  "Good job, buddy." Lucas helped Torchic back onto his shoulder, Torchic doing a little hop of celebration. Then, their eyes settled onto the small little mushroom. Lucas quickly brought out his Pokedex, scanning the small creature.

  Shroomish, The Mushroom Pokemon.

  Shroomish live in damp soil in the dark depths of forests. They are often found keeping still under fallen leaves. This Pokémon feeds on compost that is made up of fallen, rotted leaves.

  "Aww..." Lucas had to admit, even while it looked terrified, the little guy was quite adorable. The little frills, stubby body. But, his adoration came second to getting the Pokemon the help it needed. "You must be lost, right little one?"

  Lucas reached down, arms gently grasping around Shroomish. The creature squirmed under Lucas' grasp, even if he hadn't the intentions of harming it.

  "Don't worry, I won't hurt you!" Lucas smiled, hoping his expression would put the small mushroom at ease. Torchic trilled an affirmative. And, if Zorua hadn't decided to rest in its Pokeball, Lucas was sure it would've vouched for him too. Yet, the mushroom continued to struggle. It writhed in his grip, until Lucas finally got the picture.

  "Alright, sorry, I'll set you d-"

  Shroomish let out a wail. Then, a cloud of yellow dust exploded from the top of its head. Not at all forceful, like would be expected of such a large cloud. But, rather, it just spread golden particles all across the air, ascending then slowly beginning to fall around the two. Lucas sneezed as the dust tickled against his nose. Then, those sneezes turned into giggles.

  "Hehe, that tickl-"

  He collapsed.

  Shroomish jumped, leaping out of Lucas' loose grip before it too could join them, leaving behind two bodies in its wake. Shroomish shivered, legs trembling almost to the point of collapsing. Then, it did collapse, once it felt Ellie's stare. Cold, and long. Her hands reached into the duffel bag, although her stare never wavered, until she eventually found the Pokedex.

  Shroomish, Th-

  "Skip."

  If Shroomish senses danger, it shakes its body and scatters spores from the top of its head. This Pokémon's spores are so toxic, they make trees and weeds wilt.

  "Oh." Ellie took one step back. Then two more. Until she moved behind Seijo. "Do you mind? You know, getting rid of it?"

  "Come on, Shroomish's clearly scared out of its mind, Ellie."

  "It just poisoned Lucas to the point of collapsing! Instantly! The thing's dangerous!"

  A soft whistling sound echoed through the forest, interrupting their argument. Coming from Lucas' direction. Seijo's eyebrow raised in suspicion. Slowly, he stepped forward, inching his way around the Shroomish so it could tell he was of no danger. Then, slowly, he crouched to the floor, raising Lucas' head. The gym leader chuckled.

  "He's asleep. Those spores were sleeping spores, not poisonous spores," Seijo explained, gently overturning Lucas so she may look for herself. Examining the two, she confirmed it herself. Sleeping like the two had collapsed into a bed soft as an Altaria. Ellie sighed, looking back at Shroomish.

  "Sorry," she sheepishly admitted, although it was up in the air whether it could hear her. And, she still kept her distance, Pokedex entry hovering in her mind. Shroomish remained rooted to the spot, shaking. Poor thing was still terrified. But, Ellie still found it more pressing to wake up Lucas. Grabbing his jacket, she looked to Seijo. "Permission to wake him up?"

  "Permission granted." Seijo smiled, prepping to sit back and enjoy the fireworks. Ellie took a deep breath.

  "Wake upppppppppp!"

  Ellie dragged Lucas up and down, shaking him as violently as possible. Shroomish jolted from its spot, watching the goings on of the trainers with an equal mix of confusion, and still present anxiety. Torchic fell from its perch onto Lucas' shoulder, still faintly clinging to sleep, only to be broken from slumber by a harsh meeting with the floor. Yet, Lucas remained asleep through all of it, merely smacking his lips in response to Ellie's attempt to wake him.

  Torchic!

  The Pokemon hopped up from the floor, back onto Lucas' shoulder. It cried even louder, stopping Ellie's relentless shaking. She dropped Lucas back to the ground, head thudding against the dirt, still fast asleep. Torchic sighed, then began to peck its trainers nose, in a slow rhythm. One, two, three. All in a cycle. Until, by the fifth loop of the rhythm, Lucas' eyes began to widen.

  "H-huh?" Lucas blinked twice, slowly coming to grips with reality. At least there would be no harsh light to wake up to, covered in the shadows. First, he saw Torchic, claws digging into his T-shirt, stood right on his chest. Then, behind, he spotted Ellie, pouting.

  "How on earth does my mad shaking not wake him up, but Torchic pecking him a couple times on the nose?" Ellie huffed to Seijo, who had just as little clue, only responding with a shrug.

  "Is everyone okay?" Lucas asked, sitting up and letting Torchic drop down into his lap. His eyes sagged, blinking a few more times to come to grips with consciousness once more.

  "Yeah, everyone's okay. You just collapsed because Shroomish here put you to sleep," Seijo explained, Shroomish squirming now that it felt three set of eyes all focused onto it. Lucas yawned, smacking his lips then looking up to Ellie.

  "Anything else I need to know?"

  "Those spores might be toxic. That's what the Pokedex said."

  "Oh." Lucas responded, yawning again, then beginning to stand up from the floor, stretching his limbs. "So, what are we gonna do with Shroomish then?"

  "You're not even gonna-" Ellie stopped, shaking her head with a smile on her face.

  "Well, it looks lost. Plus, it's just gonna keep getting harassed by other Pokemon," Seijo commented, looking down at the mushroom's shaking legs.

  "So, we look after it?" Lucas asked, not too against the idea, wishing for nothing more than to see those shaking legs calm.

  "How are we meant to help something that puts us to sleep if we do, though?" Ellie commented.

  "Think you can try and speak to it, buddy?" Lucas placed Torchic on the ground, who attempted communication. A few cheery cries, faces of happiness to attempt to alleviate Shroomish's woes. But, whatever Torchic said appeared to do nothing for the Grass type. If anything, it seemed to freak out Torchic, who backed off more, then shook its head at Lucas.

  "Think it wants to be left alone?" Ellie asked.

  "Maybe. But, I still wanna try and help it." Lucas thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. Reaching into his bag, he pulled a Pokeball. Shroomish remained rooted, frozen like a statue. At least, until Lucas tapped the ball against the ground, opening it to reveal a small black furred fox. Lucas whispered into its ear, and Zorua nodded. Its form shifted, until it resembled the exact species it faced in front of it.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Shroomish took a deep breath, then stared. Zorua's form held steady, enough to even hold a conversation, masking its own cry as that of Shroomish's species. The mushroom knew it to be a mere imitation. Yet, in the heat of the moment, it did make it better to see something like a sibling standing in front of it. They talked, then talked some more. Slowly, Shroomish's face didn't quite lighten. But, it grew less heavy with worry. Like the storm cloud above its head was coming to pass. Until, eventually, Zorua shed its form and turned.

  "Is everything okay?" Lucas asked, and Zorua nodded. Carefully, as gently as he possibly could, Lucas reached down towards Shroomish. The Pokémon froze up again, as it was scooped into Lucas' hands. Then, slowly raised into the air, until they stood face to face with each other. Lucas looked around for any spot its bulbous head would fit upon. Only one space fit.

  "Hold still."

  Lucas raised Shroomish even higher, until it reached above his head. Shroomish squirmed, feet a flapping, although its head didn't quite explode with spores like before. And, this time, it settled, once it found a bed of Lucas' messy hair. Lucas kept his head entirely still, looking to the others for support.

  "It's a mushroom hat!"

  Shroomish tilted its head at the meaning. But, it seemed the humans understood. Seijo let out a small chuckle, especially as Lucas beamed like he'd won an award for comedy. Ellie rolled her eyes with a huge grin on her face.

  "Still, how are you going to keep it steady?" Seijo brought the situation back to reality. But, it seemed Shroomish already had an answer. Its body glowed green, vines outstretching from the sides of Lucas' head, coiling until they wrapped around its legs. Lucas tilted his head, yet Shroomish remained steady. Lucas chuckled.

  "Well, aren't you a special one?"

  Lucas rubbed his finger along Shroomish's head. Shroomish held steady, not quite easing into the motion. But, anything was above releasing spores at this point. So, Lucas took it as further progress. Torchic clung to Lucas' shoulder tighter, while Zorua jumped up at him, requesting a ride in his arms. Lucas did so eagerly, turning to the rest of the group.

  "So, should we keep moving?"

  "Let's keep it going."

  "Water Pulse!"

  Mudkip leapt into the air, eyes meeting the Dustox floating in the air. An orb of water blasted the Bug back, wings flapping and attempting to fight against the rushing projectile. But, ultimately, the momentum pushed it against a tree, water bursting and soaking the Bug. Traces of poison powder coated the bark of the tree, eroding the brown crust. Then, its wings picked up again, retreating once more.

  "Arceus, they're relentless..." Ellie breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the bug scatter back into the forest. Lucas turned, nodding in agreement. Torchic's throat tickled with the amount of Embers it'd been forced to cough up to protect them from the forests' inhabitants.

  "You ok, little one?" Lucas reached up to pat Shroomish on the head. The mushroom didn't quite give a response. But, its vines did stop shaking upon its head meeting Lucas' palm. Which, Lucas took as good enough.

  "Maybe, it's time we give it a rest?" Seijo looked down at his slightly shattered Rotom Phone. It already approached the hours of night, and the shadows looming over every corner of Petalburg made that ever the more obvious. No use walking around in darkness, especially when Pokemon could lie in wait, ready to ambush them at any moment.

  "Fine by me!" Lucas chirped, looking to Ellie for the final vote. Ellie didn't object. And, so, they set around finding a place to settle. After a few minutes of searching, illuminated by Torchic's warm glow and the flashes of their phones, they found a large patch of grass to settle down onto. Three tents for each of them lay out, with a fire at the centre between them.

  "Think you can handle the Pokemon's food while me and Seijo sort out food?" Ellie turned to Lucas, grabbing her Pokemon's chosen food and letting it drop to the floor.

  "Leave it to me, ma'am!" Lucas did a small salute, scooping the bags of Pokemon food, as well as a small number of bowls from his own bag. Eight bowls, set out for all the Pokemon, either caught or taken care of. With more than a few moments of deliberation, Lucas set to making the combos for every Pokemon. Torchic, Zorua, Mudkip and Ralts came easy. But, when it came time for Lucas to pick Seijo's Pokemon, he ultimately mixed every berry he could find until one stuck.

  Taillow huffed at the sight of its random assortment of berries, eyes focused on Lucas to know it wasn't at all satisfied with his work. Lucas simply looked away, then only made occasional glances to check the berries it ate. Seemed it liked the few Aspear Berries the most. Vigoroth dug in with vigour, not stopping for a second to be picky, devouring all in sight. Even if it made Lucas' life a whole lot easier, it still remained terrifying seeing the thing completely demolish a bowl full of food in no time at all. Then, Crobat sat and ate everything. Albeit, in a more dignified manner than that of Vigoroth. And, with a particular fondness towards Sitrus Berries.

  Which brought Lucas to the final Pokemon. Shroomish. After making a mental note of all of Seijo's preferences (then a physical note upon the reflection that he'd likely forget), he set a similar mix of food and berries in front of Shroomish. The mushroom looked at the bowl for a moment, then up at Lucas again. Lucas crouched down to bring his stare closer to the Grass type. He pushed the bowl a little closer. Yet, Shroomish didn't seem enticed.

  A quick scan of the Pokedex revealed why, too. Vague memories before he'd been driven to slumber flashed in Lucas' mind. Compost, and dampened soil. Or, rotted leaves. Neither of which they really sold in Pokemon food sections. Nor, did Lucas have a spare bag of compost he kept in his backpack in case of safekeepings. His eyes darted around, first giving the rest of the food to Vigoroth (who ate it in 9.76 seconds, according to Lucas' mental stopwatch), then finding a leaf and placing it in a bowl in front of Shroomish.

  "Can you eat this?" Lucas asked. Shroomish looked down, head brushing against the leaf. Then, it slowly began to chew. Its face scrunched up. It couldn't have been that easy.

  "You struggling?" asked Seijo, overlooking the two. Lucas nodded.

  "You happen to have some compost lying around?" Lucas asked, half jokingly, half hoping some miracle will come around.

  "I'll...check my bag." Seijo smirked, Crobat following by his side as he and Ellie set to making some form of soup for all three of them. Seemed he was on his own for now. Shroomish looked up, as if to beg for more food. The boy thought for a second, then looked to his Pokemon.

  "Wanna look around the forest for a bit? Find some food for Shroomish?"

  Torchic nodded with great enthusiasm, hopping straight onto Lucas' shoulder. Zorua glanced around, then nodded, jumping up at Lucas, until he eventually took it in his arms. Then, Lucas lowered to the ground, letting Shroomish hop up and mount his head. With vines secured to the side of his head, Lucas stood back up, beginning to run from the camp.

  "I'm gonna go find some stuff for Shroomish to eat, will be back shortly!" Lucas waved goodbye to Ellie and Seijo.

  "Don't take too long, your soup will get cold!" Ellie responded. Lucas merely shot a thumbs up, then darted into the forest again. Shroomish clung on tighter, as Lucas ran along as fast as his legs could take him, until he ground to a halt. Torchic glowed a bright orange, Embers burning inside causing its coat to shine. Then, Lucas' phone light added to their glimmer, allowing them sight through the shadows.

  "Tug on the vines if you spot anything edible." Lucas set two steps forward, before wincing at the thought, adding. "Gently, if you don't mind."

  Shroomish nodded, then began its scouting of the area. The others helped, although it became unclear what they were exactly looking for amongst the trees, dirt and leaves. What stuck out as decomposing compared was alive and well was unclear even during the daytime. Now, in the night-time, Lucas didn't have a clue where to look.

  Occasionally, he'd reach down and feel at the soil, just to pretend he was doing anything at all. Offer a leaf, only for Shroomish to shake its head. Crumble some dirt beneath the roots of the trees, only for Shroomish to click in disapprovement. At some point, Lucas even attempted a piece of bark, picking it from a tree and offering it to Shroomish. Shroomish sighed. Not that Lucas could blame it. He'd too, if offered bark.

  "Anything all that's familiar to you?" Lucas' antsy requests only got rejected, Shroomish looking around again only to find very little. The shadows of the forest were beginning to set in. Even with Torchic and Zorua there, it still felt like a Pokemon could set upon him at any opportunity. Quick light flickers tried to expose anything hiding in the shadows, but nothing emerged.

  A cry startled Lucas. Until, he realised it came from atop his own head. Accompanied by a tug at the vines on the side of his head. Not too harsh, but enough to know Shroomish had found something with one of the many flashes of his phone. Slowly, the light panned around the forest, until Shroomish tugged on the vines once more, the force nearly threatening to take off some of his hair with it.

  By the roots of one of the large, spiralling trees, lay gold. Not literally. Rather, gold for a certain mushroom. Composting, moist soil. Leaping from Lucas' head, it dived to the ground, and dug itself into the earth. Lucas couldn't quite see the feeding taking the place. But, he could hear the ravenous grunts and bites as Shroomish tore through the dirt. The dirt even seemed to fall over its head, as Shroomish ate away at the supports underneath.

  "Is it good?" Lucas contemplated taking a bite for solidarity, before looking at the dirt again and realising he'd actually considered the idea of eating dirt. Then, he stopped, settling to merely observe Shroomish, eyes occasionally darting to the shadows behind. Nothing ever appeared though. And, it seemed Torchic and Zorua had it covered. So, Lucas could watch Shroomish, eating away at the ground beneath them.

  "Take your time," he told Shroomish. Shroomish planned on it, taking all it could, until its head emerged, cheeks swollen with dirt. Lucas giggled, flashing a quick picture, temporarily blinding the mushroom while he did. Then, he scooped it up into his arms, and placed Shroomish atop his head. He waited a moment, watching as Shroomish looked back at the ground, before eventually settling atop Lucas' head, vines and all.

  Tracing their steps through the crunch leaves, following the faint glow of the fire in the distance, they found their way back to camp. Both trainers gathered around a fire, a bowl of soup set on the floor. Ellie's eyes glanced back at Lucas, even before he'd announced his appearance, having heard the faint snap of the leaves below his feet.

  "It's a little cold, but it still should be fine!" Ellie gestured to the soup. Lucas quickly waddled along, grabbing the bowl then sitting down next to Ellie. "Any success?"

  "Yup! Shroomish got a hearty meal, can't you tell?" Lucas pointed to the top of his head, where Shroomish absently glanced to the other trainers. Then, with the realisation all eyes laid upon it, the Grass type froze, blushing.

  "Not really," Ellie answered.

  "Well, I can't see its expression, so I'm gonna imagine it beaming with joy just to make myself feel better."

  Ellie chuckled. "Right, sure."

  Before Lucas could begin digging into his food, Zorua had begun to claw at his shirt. Looking down, Lucas spread his arms open, letting the fox fall to the floor. Torchic soon came crashing down afterwards, beginning to chase Zorua around the camp. A game the fox didn't really ask for, but entertained Torchic regardless with its compliance to play.

  "Only you left, buddy!" Lucas placed down his soup for a moment, hands reaching above his head to help Shroomish down. But, when Lucas pulled to lift it, the roots held strong. The Grass types face scrunched up with effort, holding its vines strong, clinging to Lucas' hair until it hurt the trainer to try and remove it.

  "Ow-" Lucas whined with the strain of pulling, looking around for assistance. "What's Shroomish doing? Is it absorbing my energy or something?"

  Ellie giggled at him. Lucas' expression grew panicked in an instant.

  "Is it?!?"

  "I think it might just want to stay there, Lucas." Seijo prodded the end of a spoon in Lucas' direction, then angled it so the edge faced Shroomish. Sure enough, once Lucas stopped attempting to pull it away, Shroomish calmed. Its eyes slowly drifted closed, before shuttering entirely, flaps shaking slightly as it settled into the perfect position.

  "Does its face say that?" Lucas turned to Ellie, pointing to Shroomish. Her eyes squinted for a moment, attempting to mark its expression. But, soon, she didn't even need to answer. Ralts had teleported onto her shoulder, startling her half to death. Then, the Pokémon nodded at Lucas, before teleporting away.

  "Huh..." Lucas smiled, rubbing Shroomish on the top of the head. "Well, get comfy, little guy..."

  Shroomish gave a small murmur of happiness, before slipping into slumber that would last well into the morning...

  Either through Arceus' blessing, or the early hours of the morning, they'd yet to have a Pokémon jump at them for no reason other than existing. Pokemon certainly had appeared before them. A couple Silcoons draped from the tops of tree branches, a few Zigzagoons wiggled their way through the tall grass. But, no longer did they have the incessant attacks of Taillow's, Ekans and the like. Only a long road of trees and tall grass.

  Then, the group rounded a corner. Seijo threw out his arms, halting them immediately. Lucas' head tilted, attempting to see what had caused Seijo to stop so suddenly.

  "About time I found one," Seijo uttered, smile not visible, but audible in his voice. Lucas sidestepped the gym leader, gazing out at the open plain where a single Pokemon lay. A quadrupedal Pokemon, laid out flat on the ground, with light brown fur and two darker brown stripes along its back. It didn't do a single thing. It lay there, head not even tilting to take note of the three trainers watching it.

  "It's..." Lucas thought for a moment for what observation he could make. Then, saying the first thing appropriate. "Not...moving..."

  "Never does." Seijo answered, walking up to the Pokémon and crouching down to its level. "Take a scan of it with your Pokédex! I'm sure it'll tell more about it than I could off the top of my head."

  Lucas did just that, stepping a little closer and scanning the creature.

  Slakoth, The Slacker Pokemon.

  Slakoth lolls around for over 20 hours every day. Because it moves so little, it does not need much food. This Pokémon's sole daily meal consists of just three leaves.

  "20 hours?" Lucas looked to Slakoth again. Awake, yet still unmoving regardless. "How does it even..." a yawn interrupted Lucas' speech. "How does it even battle?"

  "With great difficulty. At least for the trainer trying to get it to do anything." Seijo's hands dug into his pockets, fishing a Pokeball and tossing it onto the ground. "But, the rewards for training it well are immense."

  Out popped Vigoroth, movements uncontrollable and crazy. Yet, when it saw Slakoth, it settled slightly. Both at seeing its old form right in front of it, and the strange need to yawn.

  "Meet the evolution of Slakoth! Or, I suppose, here's a little reintroduction." Seijo presented Vigoroth, much to Lucas' bafflement.

  "You're telling me that Vigoroth, face of unpredictability, can never stand still..." Lucas pointed to Slakoth. "Comes from a Pokemon so lazy it makes me wanna yawn just looking at it?"

  "The yawning thing is biological fact, too," Ellie hummed, revising the couple Pokedex entries she had found upon researching Vigoroth and its evolution line before her gym battle.

  "Unbelievable. So, the final evolution must be super super hyper, right? Zooming even faster than Vigoroth?" Lucas made a guess, imagine a sloth goliath leaping from tree to tree with great agility. Equal parts cool as it was absolutely terrifying.

  "Maybe. You'll find out, if I can manage to train up this Slakoth." Seijo reached into his bag, retrieving an empty Pokeball, then dropping it onto the ground in front of Slakoth.

  "You're training another?" asked Ellie.

  "Well, Vigoroth seems content to be itself." Seijo watched his Normal type run rampant, claws slashing at the tall grass aimlessly, before hanging limp as it ran between the trees. "So, I'd like to see if this Slakoth has what it takes to reach that final form."

  Seijo nudged the Pokeball a little closer, for ease of acceptance. But, Slakoth just remained stationary. Not budging an inch. The two kids expected so. But, Seijo expected something a little different.

  "Usually they're a little more...responsive to a Pokeball," Seijo admitted, rolling the ball a little closer. Then, a little more. Then, a little too much.

  CLICK!

  "Oops."

  1.

  2.

  3.

  POP!

  The Pokeball settled, but it felt like no celebration. Rather, the most uneventful capture of all time, only befitting of a Pokedollar store confetti cannon.

  "Congrats?" Ellie gave a half hearted clap, which Lucas followed up with a more enthusiastic, yet still half hearted clap.

  "It didn't break out, so I guess it wanted to be caught?" Seijo picked up the Pokeball, examining it again. Slakoth had been caught, alright. Very easily.

  "I don't think it wanted to put in the effort to break out of it's ball." Ellie commented, as Seijo released Slakoth again. The Pokemon didn't even give a single acknowledgement of its new trainer. Just a straight gaze at the floor, with the same derpy smile on its face. Seijo sighed.

  "This is gonna take some effort..."

  Lucas had nailed it.

  8 bowls laid out. Sitrus Berries for Zorua, Torchic and Crobat. Oran Berries for Mudkip. Pechi Berries for Ralts. Aspear Berries for Taillow. Whatever the heck was in the bag for Vigoroth. Then, a singular leaf for Slakoth. One that it took five minutes to eat. But, regardless, each seemed delighted with their food. The range of 'delight' spanned from the look of non-disapproval from Taillow, to Torchic jumping up at him and rubbing its feathery coat right on the side of Lucas' cheek.

  "You feeling better now?" Lucas rubbed his pet chick on the head, Torchic cooing in approval. Zorua went to paw at Lucas' leg, only to be brought into his arms before it could lay its limbs on Lucas. Zorua smiled, then settled into Lucas' arms. The trio had assembled. Now, there was only one more mouth to feed.

  "Wanna go look for some food, my loving hat?" Lucas scratched Shroomish on the head, awaking it from a small power nap. Shroomish looked around, then watched as Lucas gestured towards the food bowl beneath. Shroomish tilted its head up and down. "Alrighty then!" Lucas hopped in place, then sprinted through the camp, shouting to Ellie and Seijo. "Going to gather some more food for Shroomish! Will be back shortly!"

  "Stay safe!" Ellie responded, Seijo waving his goodbyes as well. Lucas waved as well as he could with arms full of Zorua, then set off into the forest at blazing speed, quickly leaving the camp behind. His phone flickered on, attempting to mark the way forward. If they'd set up camp in the same spot as before, it'd have been trivial to get back to their pot of earthy gold. But, moving forward forced Lucas to fumble around in the darkness for that lustrous dirt.

  The shadows seemed even more restless this night. Maybe it'd been the relative quiet of the day, creeping up and forming paranoia in Lucas' mind. But, the feeling wouldn't shake, no matter what reason Lucas tried to fight it with. The darkness danced before him, forming into unusual shapes before the flash of his torch, and his Torchic. Zorua shuddered in Lucas' arms, as frosty gales of wind passed through the four. Shroomish shook its head, chills settling into its body. Torchic clung closer to Lucas' head, warming his cheeks, while attempting to pass some of its warmth to Shroomish. The Grass type smiled at the gesture, even if it ultimately did little.

  Lucas once more flickered between ancient trees, hoping to find what Shroomish sought. The light pointed mostly at the ground, to any soil of interest. Blue eyes flickered over the dirt, attempting to distinguish it from the regular murky brown soil. But, ultimately, Shroomish never called out anything of interest. And so, they kept on walking. Deeper and deeper into the darkened forest.

  Lucas kept a mental map of every step they took. Yet, he doubted his mind's machinations more and more as time passed through. The hunt had taken at least twice as long as the first time, with a significant amount more space moved. Lucas took more than a few glances back at the place from whence they came. But, the light of that central fire had long dimmed, and been lost to the darkness and the moonlight.

  Shroomish tugged at the vines attached to Lucas' sides. The boy winced for a second. Then, his face lit up. "Where? What'd you find?" he asked, looking around at the ground for anything of interest. Shroomish dived from his head, sailing towards the ground. Lucas' phone light lit up the spot of Shroomish's interest. The shadow loomed. Tall, imposing.

  Then, just at the roots of the shadowy tree, sat just what they sought. A jackpot of rich, nutritional compost. Crushed leaves mixed in amongst the dirt. Shroomish once more dug its head into the ground, taking in its one huge meal of the day. Lucas chuckled, letting Zorua from his arms to join Shroomish in facing the dirt.

  Shroomish emerged from the dirt a couple minutes later, mouth swollen with the great soil. Lucas looked at the compost, hands reaching into the dirt, crumbling between his fingers. His eyes glanced behind, looking all around at the shadows. He didn't want to be trapped amongst the twisting trees again. So, he quickly dug into his bag, then retrieved a few plastic bags.

  "Mind helping me grind up the dirt?" Lucas asked Zorua and Torchic. Both quickly leapt into action. Torchic trodded all over the dirt, ripping it to shreds beneath its talons. Meanwhile, Zorua dug into the earth with practiced efficiency, like it had helped with a similar task once, or many times before. Shroomish occasionally attempted to help, weakly headbutting the crumbling dirt. But, risking getting slashed by the hacking claws proved a little too scary for Shroomish, jumping at a scratch too close to its body, then rooting itself back to Lucas' head.

  "It's okay buddy, thanks for trying." Lucas rubbed Shroomish on the head for its efforts, resulting in a smile Lucas couldn't quite see coming onto the Grass type's face. But, somehow, Lucas could feel it anyways. The boy crouched down towards the ground, slipping onto the floor and beginning to fish through the dirt. It wasn't exactly the most efficient method of moving dirt. Just cupping his hands and praying as he tipped the compost into small plastic bags. But, it worked well enough.

  Soon, Shroomish tugged on Lucas' head, stopping the boy on his tracks. Seemed him and his Pokemon had worked through all the good dirt. Five bags worth, to be precise. Which meant five trips into the forest late at night that Lucas didn't have to take. A great success, all around. Now, only came the even more difficult part. Finding his way back in pitch darkness, with only his phone's flash to light the way.

  Lucas took a step forward. Then, a step left. Only to be interrupted by a tug on the vines.

  "Wha-hey!" Lucas stopped in his tracks, as Shroomish cried out. Lucas continued walking, only for his hair to be yanked again, followed by another cry. "Jeez, be a little gentler!" Lucas winced, stopping again. The vine tugs became lighter. Faint, yet still there. Lucas concentrated for a moment, feeling the right one get tugged in particular. So, Lucas turned right. Then, began to step forward. When they reached another tree, the vines signalled left.

  "So, you mapped our path?" Lucas asked. A light tug on both sides, which the boy supposed was a yes. Enough to earn some rubs on the head. "You're such a smart mushroom, aren't you?"

  Shroomish cooed, then shook its head, its body gently shifting forward, reminding Lucas of their mission. The boy nodded, trodding forward through the leaves and tall grass. Taking a left here, a right there, his flickering phone light wandering the plains of the forest. Until, finally, the faint flicker of fire loomed in the distance. Lucas ran to it in an instant.

  His sneakers screeched to a halt. The fire flickered around the empty campsite, breathing its last breath. Then, the whisper of the wind put it all to rest.

  Poison scattered across the floor. Lines of poisonous acid, dripping over the crushed earth. The large pot, brewing over the once roaring fire, spilled its open guts to the world. Scents of a warm broth coated the air. But, accompanied with the scene, it left Lucas with only a sinking feeling of sickness.

  Their tents had all but been usurped. Tossed aside, pegs littering the floor like mere trash. No life flickered from inside, or around them. Lucas searched for it. Yet, he found nothing. Only two Rotom Phones, left behind in the wake of something Lucas couldn't quite comprehend. His voice trembled.

  "H-Hello?"