Fariju Forest was as peaceful as ever. Leaves fell silently, with every gentle blow of wind that swept through the beautiful landscape. A natural habitat for many Pokémon with helpful, and cheerful natures. Chansies, Bellossom, Aipom, Miltanks, not to mention almost every bush, every tree, every plant is likely to house some sort of edible food-one would think that for any Pokémon in need, this would be the closest thing to heaven. Which is why, over the years, its grown to be a bit of a hotspot. It started with a lowly Rattata, who visited the forest during winter. He stayed, and finished his journey to his family's habitat, looking rather plump for a weak Pokémon that had just endured winter. He told his family, who told their friends, who told their families, about this mystic sanctuary that would allow even a snorlax to live contently through the harshest seasons.
It was no surprise, when dozens made the trip from their homes to this forest, to begin living a life of the highest quality-even occasionally attracting royalty to spend time and mingle with the normal folk there. Its grown, thanks to various bug-types spreading seeds, from a thicket that housed barely a hundred of the original helpful Pokémon , to a gargantuan forest, miles across, big enough to even have it's own river.
Of course, this was as if the forest itself used Attract, as more Pokémon began to live there. An unbelievable amount of Pokémon live there, now, ranging from Kanto all the way to Sinnoh.
...And two from Unova.
Cherie, an Eevee of high class, was late to the news of a forest with qualities that rivaled heaven, and had immediately called for her servant to schedule a trip to the forest. Although, she herself doubted that this place would live up to the standards she has been led to believe.
A Buneary bounded into her room, screeching to a halt, to stand at attention. "Ma'am!" She reported.
Cherie turned to address her. "I wish to visit Fariju Forest." She stated, turning to stare at the Buneary with a flat look-one might've even confused it for a glare.
The Buneary nodded, and bowed, the tips of her ears scraping the ground. "Yes ma'am. I'll get on it immediately, ma'am."
To which she turned, and after slipping once on the polished floor, ran out from the room.
Cherie scoffed at the moment of clumsiness, before turning back to resume staring at her reflection in a giant mirror-like surface. "Mercia, you'd better not be hyping it up..."
A Pikachu-sporting a purple bandanna and a silver badge-grinned back at her. "I don't lie, not my style."
"Even so. I pray this won't be time wasted."
"Hey, if its bad, you could always just badmouth the place. After all, that's what you like doing to most places you visit, anyways."
Mercia was Cherie's bodyguard, hired for 24 hour protection. None of the elite Gold-ranked teams would accept her money to protect her-any reason why not was beyond her-but even still, protection was a must.
Luckily, she met Mercia, an aspiring rescue Pokémon who had motivation for Lucario Rank. And although it wasn't what she had hoped for, Cherie hired her regardless. After all, she had to make-do with what she had, and besides, Pikachu were cute. They had been together for quite a few years, now-five, in fact. Since then, Mercia had been promoted to Silver Rank, and although Cherie wouldn't admit it, she's been proud of the progress her friend has been making. The two were close. Almost sisters. The friendly figure Cherie so desperately needed in her life.
Nowadays, she prefers Mercia over Gold Rank.
As for Mercia...She was equally grateful towards Cherie for giving her a chance. After all, not everyone is excited when a Normal Rank Pikachu shows up for a mission. She had always been written off as naive. Inefficient. Unoriginal. A wannabe, and even...Weak. Of course, this was incredibly damaging to her ego, and confidence. Had Cherie not accepted her offer, she might not even still be a rescue Pokémon.
Truly, they were close friends.
"That isn't the issue. If I find my time wasted, that will be unforgivable. Because even as much money as I have-"
"-Time is priceless. Yeah, I know. You've told me enough times." Mercia rolled her eyes.
Cherie smirked. "Don't interrupt me. But yes, that's very much correct."
They stood in silence. The Buneary came back in a few hours to proclaim the trip ready to make, before Cherie dismissed her.
"...It's a pretty place, isn't it?" Mercia asked after a long moment.
"I've seen better." Cherie turned, and trotted out from the Crystal Caverns. But not before flashing a grin at Mercia. "But I suppose I should thank you. It's certainly...Unique."
Mercia just gave a thumbs up, with a concealed smile.
Outside, a Pidgeot bowed.
"You're late." Was all Cherie greeted her with, hopping onto the Pidgeot's back, Mercia and the Buneary following in silence. Whatever retort it might've had was lost in sheer respect for the eevee-as it flapped it's wings, once, twice, rising high into the air, to begin a slow-slow, at least to the Pidgeot-trip towards the forest. Naturally, Mercia sat on the Pidgeot's head, enjoying the feeling of her fur ruffling. The Buneary stood in front of Cherie, if only to shield her from the buffeting winds. Cherie napped, like a true Pokémon of power.
It would be quite some time, before they reached Fariju...
Now, if there would be one reason Fariju would be considered dangerous, it would be a reason only herbivorous, small Pokémon could tell you. And that's this: If this forest attracted all sorts Pokémon, then that included predators. Absols. Charizard's. There was even a rumor a savage Ninetails prowled the southern chunk of the unexplored forest...Which is why not everyone jumped to visit. And lesser known, why some never visited twice...
After all, how could so many Pokémon leave for a nice few weeks there-and then never come back?
Unsurprisingly, some believed Fariju was simply too good to be true.
Which was immediately disproven, once Jerai arrived. A Zoroark, who concealed his threatening claws and stature, by maintaining a lowly Rattata's form, widened his eyes walking in. He looked around, at the trees that practically had piles of berries and fruits, stacked at every base. And for every one a Pokémon passing by took, an Aipom would swing by, and dump at least a dozen more. Small Pokémon ran about, playing chase, for varying reasons. Chansey kept watch over everyone. Miltank provided, well, milk for those who were thirsty. There were even Bellossom dancing about, spreading pollens that generally calmed the vibe of the area, into a generally chill place.
It looked like a goddamn Candyland.
And not because of the natural delights.
Jerai felt himself grin, staring at all the small Pokémon. Completely unaware of the wolf in sheep's clothing. Nobody noticed the Rattata's canines.
The moment he walked into the forest, away from sight, a Pidgeot landed, scattering a good amount of dust, berries, and unintentionally, a pair of Caterpie that had been walking near at the moment of landing.
Mercia was the first off, rushing to help the Caterpies up. Second was the Buneary, who assisted Cherie down from the Pidgeot's back.
"Hmm..." Cherie tossed her head, disdainfully, at the trees. "...That can't be sanitary..."
"You could just cook 'em ya know." Mercia commented, walking next to her after assuring the bugs were safe. "There's a Charmander letting others use his tail right over there."
Cherie shook her head. "Only Sacred Fire."
Mercia just looked annoyed, from the specific necessities. "Sure, I'm sure we can find someone with that move."
Cherie once again shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
Mercia blinked, and then laughed a bit. "Whatever. C'mon, I'll show you around."
Cherie and Mercia started to explore. Well, it was exploring to them-keeping to the trails, they scouted out the various landmarks. And even had a few laughs. The entire time, the lowly Buneary trailed behind, before she noticed a pair of eyes staring from the brush.
"M-ma'am?" The bunny stuttered.
"Not now Isabelle." Cherie responded.
"But ma'am...!"
"Isabelle. What did I just say?"
"Ma'am, there's someone watching-"
Cherie's near non-existent patience ran out. "Go back to the Pidgeot, and wait for me there." She snapped, pointing a paw towards the path they had came.
Isabelle flinched, and muttered to Mercia, "there's someone in the woods..." Before leaving, with her ears drooped down.
Satisfied, Cherie turned, and resumed her walk. Mercia frowned, looking around them, as they kept on.
Isabelle kept thinking about those eyes, as she walked back. Her feet plodding along glumly, despite the rest of her body looking rigid; alert. There was a predator in these trees, she just knew it. And for Pokémon of her species...That was bad.
It was a good ten minutes before she felt she was being watched again. A twig snapped. She started walking faster.
Leaves crunched. She started to jog.
It was only when she felt something breathing down her neck, that she broke into a run, using her front paws to help her sprint, away from whatever it was. Whimpering all the while, knowing Arceus was throwing a pair of die, to decide her fate, at this very moment.
Something swiped her from behind, and it was strong enough to send her flying through the air. Landing with a thud, she finally turned, to get a good look at her assailant.
A Ninetails, who was for some reason, missing one of it's lustrous tails, growled at her from where it stood. Before Isabelle could even begin to resume fleeing, it roared, piercing through her very soul with a glare that could make boulders crack and mountains shiver. The glare of one thing, and one thing only: a predator. And to Isabelle, it made fear ricochet through her body, disabling almost every muscle, burning through her heart and crushing her will.
It was later she would realize the ninetails had used Mean Look.
And damn if it wasn't super-effective.
Her legs buckled, no longer hers to control. She sunk into the ground, as it approached. It crouched, getting ready to pounce...She mentally stammered out a prayer, as she watched death approach.
Surprisingly, the surrounding area turned dark. Warped, before resuming it's original form. Almost everything aside from the two Pokémon in question found themselves in the exact same area-but it felt different, surreal. Although it did nothing to stop the Ninetails, as it pounced, pinning her effortlessly. She expected it to bite her neck, or end her life in another way, but instead, it howled, and with it's paws, forced her limp legs apart.
Isabelle's breathing quickened. Was it...?
She gasped, at the sight between it's hind legs.
It was at least three-quarters of her own body long. As thick as her stomach...She had heard rumors Ninetails were well-equipped, but this was just absurd! That cock was downright monstrous! She started to once again attempt to regain control of her body, but her resistance only inspired another spine-tingling glare that, if possible, made her body even more locked up. Leaving her in a position worse then before, her chest started to expand and contract, at such a rate only a rabbit-type Pokémon could achieve. Her heart pounded like a jackhammer, as the very tip of the member touched between her legs, feeling around the warm, fuzzy wool, that was hiding her folds inside.
It was at this moment she began to cry, realizing the utter helplessness of her situation. The Ninetails was simply stronger than she was. So it was going to take what it wanted, be it her life or her virginity. But before the member would so much as brush against her opening, an arm tore through reality, grabbed one of her paws, and dragged her through the rip in space-time, away from the threat. Which understandably, angered the Nintails from being denied it's pleasure. It leaped after her, towards the rip, fangs baring...
Isabelle opened her eyes, laying on the floor. Looking around, her first reaction was to yelp, at the sleeping Ninetail's form a few feet to her right. And another yelp, when she looked to her left.
A black-and-red Pokémon she had never seen before, sat in a meditative position, focusing on something. His features was far too close to a fox's for Isabelle to trust, she settled for turning tail, and starting to get ready to run off.
"I wouldn't." The fox said. "You'd either end up back here, or back in the illusion."
Isabelle frowned. "The...What?"
The fox opened an eye. "...Shh, gimme a second. It's harder than it looks, to keep the Ninetails stuck in there."
Isabelle gulped. This wasn't much better than her last situation. Now this new guy was going to do with her as he pleased, he was merely stealing the toy from the Ninetails-
"I'm Jerai." He said, breaking through her thoughts. "Just a moment, I'm almost done."
"..." She remained quiet, as once again, the world around them warped. Colors were restored. The trees untwisted. And the sunlight became warm again. The Ninetails remained asleep.
'Jerai' stood up, dusting himself off. "Now that that's out of the way...What's your name?"
"...Isabelle." She replied, keeping a wary eye on Jerai.
He beamed, as despite a smiling fox always unsettled her. "That's cool. And sorry for wrapping you into the illusion alongside the Ninetails. I just shot blindly.." He looked at her sympathetically. "...Whatever he started to do, just know that it wasn't real. Alright? It's just the type of illusion I cast...It twists every situation into the worst possible scenario."
Isabelle blinked. "...What?"
"It's...A long story." Jerai shrugged, as if he himself was unsure what to make of it. "I just can't seem to make normal illusions."
"...So, that means..." Isabelle stole a glance at the sleeping Ninetails. The member between its hind legs was...Plainly not as large as she saw. The Ninetails whimpered in it's sleep. Realization about her own personal 'worst scenario' dawned on her. "...Oh. Oh!"
Jerai had stood up at this point, stretching. "I should probably do something about this feral Pokémon...Can't have something like him running around, eh?"
He might as well have been talking to a tree. Isabelle was clearly not listening, thinking about how from the moment it used Mean Look, nothing was real. Even...
"Hey."
Jerai blinked, picking up the Ninetails. "Mm?"
"Am I still in an illusion?"
He gave a ghost of a smile. "...Like I said. Only nightmare illusions from me. Unless I scare you~"
"...N-no! It's not that, I just..." She sighed. "This is confusing. Being told something you experienced wasn't real. How do you even do that?"
"Oh?" He grinned cheerfully. "All Zoroark have the ability to create illusions. I just have a special variant."
Isabelle was still confused. But she let him go, anyways. Walking back to the hotspot in the forest, still questioning reality.
Jerai, meanwhile, brought the whimpering Ninetails to the edge of the forest, setting it down in front of a Purrlion, who was counting coins from a bag. "Is this him?" He asked, sitting down to resume maintaining the illusion.
The Purrlion smirked. "...Yeah. According to this wanted poster, his name was Kaiya. Until he disappeared up north...Who woulda thought he'd claim territory at Fariju Forest?" She scoffed, bouncing down to bind the Ninetails. "Well, we shouldn't dwell on who he used to be. He's feral, now."
Jerai sighed, from his position. "I wish there was a cure for it, other then exile, or...Y'know."
"Don't be silly. We're Hunters, not Rescuers." The Purrlion said, fastening the binds. "We bring in Pokémon that do wrong, and we get paid for it. Whatever happens to them after we turn them in, is their fault."
Jerai sighed. "Not everything is black and white, Sheryl."
"But this is. We hunt, we deliver, and we move on."
"Remind me why we can't be a rescue team?"
"Because Hunters are a necessary evil."
Jerai sighed. She was right, Hunters were the shady branch of Teams, in the Pokémon world. You had Rescuers, who delved into Dungeons, to save those in need...And you had Hunters, who brought dangerous Pokémon-feral or simply evil-to whatever fate they wrought upon themselves. As a result, they're seen as mercenaries, bounty hunters, and no better than the ones they catch.
Jerai hated it. But he stuck with it, because as Sheryl said...They were necessary. They still did good-they made sure dangerous Pokémon that usually stayed in dungeons, didn't stray into communities. They would either scare them off, or in the case of a wanted Pokémon (such as this Ninetails), catch them, to be turned in at an office. Or, rather, simply turn them in to whoever's the local leader of a town or area. He wondered who that'd be, in a place as peaceful as Fariju Forest…
"Well..." Sheryl shrugged. "It's what we do best, anyways. We make a great team. I track, you catch, just as we always have."
Jerai shrugged, keeping focus on the illusion. Until he felt a tap on his head. Opening his eyes, to catch a berry as it fell.
"He's tied up, you can drop the illusion."
"...About time." He muttered, tossing the berry into his maw, chewing. Sighing in relief, as the pressure lifted from his body, after dropping the illusion. It always taxed him so much...
"How long did this Hunt last? Two days since we got the job?"
"Yeah..." Jerai stretched, laying down. "Doesn't Fariju Forest have any other feral Pokémon to catch?"
Sheryl shook her head, riffling through what looked like papers with various information on them. "No, it's a pretty peaceful place." She said, picking up an apple from the ground, "but hey, maybe we can relax here for a few days, plan our next hunt."
"I thought we were gonna find that Delibird thief next?"
"Shhh, let's just stay here..."
He shrugged, and continued to munch on berries. "This Ninetails is about...Two-hundred?"
"Two-hundred fifty." Sheryl replied, biting into the apple she picked up, "it was level fifty-three."
Jerai scowled. "I will never understand why I can take down Pokémon of levels that high."
"Because you're special."
That didn't help. After all, that was Sheryl's response to anything she couldn't explain.
Feral pokemon were just 'special', legendary Pokémon are just 'special'...He's learned to take that phrase with a grain of salt, when it comes from Sheryl.
"Anyways, I met a Buneary on the way." He commented, staring at the sky.
"Really now?"
"Yeah, she was about to be attacked by that Ninetails."
"Oh Arceus, this isn't gonna be like when that Ghastly followed us for three weeks, is it?"
"Nah. She's more scared then in awe, to me."
"Well, good. We can't afford another pokemon we saved following us around again. I swear, that Ghastly was addicted to my dreams..."
Jerai shrugged, settling for resting on the ground. "But I feel like we're gonna meet again, soon…"
Sherly merely went back to counting the coins, with a disinterested scoff.