It's a good thing the dead can't tell secrets. If they could, we'd all go mad.

Agatha Kikuko – The Ghost Queen

Hilda and I waltzed into the coffee shop wearing our Hazmat suits. I don't know who was more surprised to see us, the employees or the customers. The customers stared at us blankly until we joined the line.

Fennel filed in behind me, looking excitedly around at the coffee shop. Her face dropped into a mask of disappointment at the blank looks that the customers were wearing. "Nobody cares anymore…" She grumbled to herself.

"What were you expecting?" I asked, adjusting my mask to keep it out of my face. "Running and screaming?"

She nodded, smiling awkwardly. "That's what happened the first time I came in here wearing one of those."

Hilda shot me a look over her shoulder, scowling. "Don't encourage each other." She turned back to the front of the line, ignoring us. "Fucking bad enough when there was only one of him."

I laughed, stepping out of the line. "You're just jealous that you can't have as much fun, aren't you."

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "Go blow up a voltorb" she said snidely.

I clutched at my chest dramatically and fell to my knees. "Oh you wound me" I said with a smile.

Fennel looked down at me, frowning. "You're not still mad about that, are you? Cuz I really really didn't expect it to explode."

I shook my head and got to my feet. "I'm not angry anymore. Now it's just a good story to tell" I said.

She smiled and nodded, satisfied by my answer.

The cashier signalled for Hilda, and the three of us walked over to him. Fennel stepped up, ordering for us. "Two of my usual, and three breakfast sandwiches."

The man nodded and punched in our order. He looked up at us and raised an eyebrow. "Will that be all?" He asked.

Fennel nodded and tossed him a pair of bills. She grabbed herself a coffee and handed the other one to Hilda.

I scooped all three of the sandwiches into my arms and looked at the two girls. "So how are we actually supposed to catch a musharna?" I asked.

Fennel smiled at me. "I'm pretty sure they can't put more than one person to sleep at a time. Just find one, the person still awake can throw a ball at it."

I nodded. "Seems simple enough."

Two hours later, Hilda and I stood at the rusted gates to the Dreamyards. I gave her a thumbs up and pulled the gas mask over my face. We pushed those gates open with all the confidence that two cocky teenagers like us possessed. It still might be one of the biggest mistakes I've made.

We barely made it twenty feet before I started getting woozy. I turned to Hilda, but she was gone. I turned again, and the Dreamyards themselves had disappeared. I was standing in a completely pitch black space that stretched as far as I could see. I blinked, and the scenery changed. I was at the top of a mountain, a swirling purple storm dominating the sky above me. I blinked, taken aback by the sudden change and the scenery changed again.

A snow covered hill exploded, and something started rising from the dirt. A purple blur shot into the clouds of dust.

I blinked.

A town full of sleeping people, a malevolent black shadow covering everything. A purple blur sped past, followed by something angry.

I blinked.

An island bathed in soft pink light exploded into purple flames.

I blinked.

A lake boiled away, purple flames diving into the centre of the lake.

I blinked.

A field of flowers, ablaze with purple fire.

I blinked.

I was floating over an erupting volcano. A massive yellow eye peered out of the smoke at me. I looked to the left and saw a tidal wave of water rushing towards me. A purple blur shot into the sky, escaping the carnage.

I blinked.

A wall of strange beings with tentacled arms flew towards me. The purple blur shot forwards, scattering them. A giant green dragon crashed into the ground, covered by the tentacled beings.

I blinked.

A pair of levitating dragons spat dragonfire onto a brilliant purple barrier.

I blinked.

A bright yellow star glowing over a humongous tree. The purple blur sped towards the star.

I blinked.

An explosion engulfing a vast desert. A purple blur speeding ahead of the fire.

I blinked.

A bolt of energy shot into the sky. A bolt of purple met it, causing a massive explosion.

I blinked.

A massive, twisting figure stomping through a forest. Again the purple blur was there, swirling around the figure's head.

I blinked.

Three beasts circled the bottom of a tower. A golden bird lay broken at the top of tower, a purple being standing victorious over it.

I blinked.

Four birds lay on an island, broken by the purple being.

I blinked.

A dragon bore down on a lone man.

I blinked.

The purple being stood before a boy. He knelt before the being, bringing a smile to its feline face.

I blinked.

An island exploded. The purple being stood among the flames and wreckage, tail flicking from side to side angrily.

I blinked.

A boy stood alone against a massive white dragon, snow blowing around them both.

I blinked.

Two dragons faced off, bolts of lightning and gouts of flame obscuring everything.

I blinked.

The white dragon stood before me, heat shimmering off it.

I blinked.

Hilda lay on the ground in front of a flaming V, eyes closed.

I shut my eyes, not wanting to see any more. Then something opened my eyes, and I swear that I temporarily lost my mind. The visions came back, flashing in front of my eyes faster than I could track. I think I screamed, although I don't really know if I was actually awake or not at that point. I remember those visions though, I don't think I could ever forget them.

I don't know how long those visions kept flashing at me, because the next thing I remember was being suspended in the air. I opened my eyes, probably only my second worst choice in recent memory, and saw a musharna for the first time. I attempted to run, but couldn't move my legs. It took me a second, but I realized that I was inside some sort of factory.

Fennel's description didn't come close to the horror that floated in front of me. It was wrinkly, and sagged like a half-inflated balloon. A human face looked at me, eyes dead and mouth hanging open. It just floated there, staring at me.

Then I heard a moan to my right. I turned my head, and saw an unconscious naked man floating the same as I was. I looked down, and realized that my hazmat suit was gone, leaving me naked as well. The musharna turned away from me and floated over to him. He opened his eyes, and attempted to struggle against the unseen force trapping us. The musharna let out an angry tone, and the man cried out in pain.

The musharna backed off, and the man started begging for his life. If I lived my whole life over, I could go without hearing a man beg for his life. It's not something that you just recover from. A huge gash appeared on the man's side, and he must've resigned himself to his fate because he just started crying. The musharna didn't listen or care, and I realized what was about to happen. I closed my eyes as the man's skin was torn off by unseen force.

I didn't dare open my eyes, but the unseen force came back. It pulled my eyes open and held them like that. Then it turned my head to the side. The man's organs and skeleton were still suspended in the same position that he had been held. The pile of skin floated over to the musharna, and the creepiest thing that could have happened did. The musharna's misshapen lips met the man's and his skin inflated. I closed my eyes again, not wanting to see the pile of human skin shape into one of those things.

I heard the remains of the human that had stood at my side fall to the ground. I felt the blood splash along my side, soaking my entire right leg with the hot and sticky liquid. The unseen force came back, forcing my eyes open. The musharna was suspending what looked like half a musharna in the air beside it. The force pushed my head to the left, and my heart skipped a beat.

Hilda was held in the same position the man and I had been, eyes firmly shut. The musharna floated over to her, and seemed to look at me pointedly. I heard a sick gurgle come from the musharna, then realized that it was going to make me watch this time.

I'm not proud to admit that I gave up. I resigned myself to that fate. I was sure that Hilda would be skinned next, with me following immediately after. I didn't expect to last more than a few minutes at that point. I certainly didn't expect a crossbow bolt to pass through the musharna's floating body and bury itself in the wall of the factory. The musharna dropped to the ground, wailing loudly. The unseen force dropped me, and I crashed to the ground.

Ignoring the pain that shot up my leg as I landed, I forced myself to get up. Hilda had fallen to the ground beside the musharna, and I built up what little strength I had left in my body. With a running start, I kicked that struggling musharna across the room. It hit the wall with a sickening splat, and I turned away from it with a satisfied grin.

I didn't notice the other man in the room until he had reloaded the crossbow he held and fired another bolt into the doorway behind him. He turned his head, and realized that I was awake. "Eon, help him!" He barked before he dropped to one knee and started cranking the crossbow's string back into position.

I nearly did a double take when a xatu appeared beside me with a faint pop. The man forced another bolt into his crossbow and fired it back into the open doorway. I grabbed Hilda's arm and hauled her to her feet, ignoring her groggy protests. The xatu's wing brushed against my hand, and we were sucked into a void.

I can't properly explain what it feels like to teleport. It's kinda like going underwater, but you can't see anything if you try opening your eyes. It's not a sensation that I'm ever eager to repeat. We reappeared beside a campfire that had clearly been put out only a few hours before. Hilda slumped against me, knocking me to the ground. The xatu squawked again, and disappeared with a pop.

I put my head back down, and took a breath.

"Hilbert?" I heard Hilda say. I popped my head up and looked at her. "I'm naked. Would you mind letting go of me?"

I laughed and put my head back down, letting her roll off me. She stepped away from me, and covered herself with her hands. "I don't suppose you have any clothes?" She asked. "Or anything to cover either of us with?" Her stomach growled. "Or anything to eat for that matter."

"No," I said. "I don't have anything. If you didn't notice, I'm naked too. I don't exactly have anywhere to hide snacks."

"Oh believe me, I noticed." She snapped at me. "Can you just find me something?"

"Well what do you want me to do?" I asked. "I just got a slideshow from hell, then watched a man have all his skin torn off by some demon that wanted a friend." I shook my head. "I thought you were next, ok?"

She shook her head. "You can find me something to cover with before you bear your soul. I'd feel a whole lot more comfortable if my boobs weren't out for the whole world to see."

I stood up and walked over to the pack sitting next to the fire pit. I pulled the bedroll off it and tossed it at Hilda. She unzipped the side and wrapped it around herself while I covered myself with a thin blanket that I found in the pack. I uncapped a bottle of water that sat attached to the pack and drained half of it before tossing it to Hilda. She copied me, downing the rest of the bottle in seconds.

My hand brushed absentmindedly at the spot on my side where I kept Vermais' ball. I slowly turned to look at Hilda. "He's gone. Vermais is gone."

Hilda's eyes widened and she looked down at the ground. "Oh god, Hera."

The xatu popped back into existence in front of us. The man who I assumed to be its master appeared beside it, scowling at the both of us.

"Alright, which one of you wants to explain why you thought that going in there was a good idea?" He paused and his expression softened. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you two weren't wearing anything. I'd offer you what I have, but it looks like you've already taken it."

Neither Hilda or I said anything. The man sighed, and brushed a lock of golden brown hair away his eyes. "Look," he said. "I was just in the area and thought you needed a little help. I can go into town and get you each of set of clothes."

Again, we didn't answer him. He sighed and pulled a trio of pokeballs from inside his jackets. "I assume these are yours?" He asked. "I found them in a pile of shit back in the factory. Figured that you'd be wanting them back."

I took the three balls off him, and raised an eyebrow. "We only have one pokemon each."

He frowned. "I guess those things caught someone else before I got there. I didn't see anyone else in there."

I grimaced. "They did. They pulled his skin off right before you came in."

He wrinkled his nose at the thought of that. "Glad I didn't have to see that." He looked down at the three balls in my hands, then back up at me. "Well you'd better open them. I'd like to get all this sorted out before we head into Striaton."

I tapped the button on the centre of one of the balls. Vermais appeared, looking around for me. He practically tackled me when he saw me and planted himself at my feet, growling at the man. "Ignore him" I said. "He's vicious when he wants to be, but he's just being protective."

The man shrugged. "As long as he doesn't try to eat my face. I've had enough of things that try to do that."

I tapped the button on the second ball, releasing Hera into Hilda's waiting arms. The snivy wrapped her vines around Hilda's body, seeming to understand that she was naked underneath the bedroll. Hera glared at me, threatening me if I so much as looked at Hilda. I didn't dare anger the tiny plant, and turned my attention to the third ball.

"Well here goes nothing" I said. The pokemon inside the ball was intent on proving me wrong. The musharna appeared, floating right in front of my face. Before it was fully formed, an unseen force slammed into me, knocking Hilda and I across the man's campsite. I picked myself up off the ground, scrambling to avoid a blast of energy that knocked Vermais into the underbrush that surrounded the camp.

The man raised his crossbow, only to have it torn from his hands by the unseen force. The crossbow smashed into the side of his head, knocking him to the dirt. His xatu squawked angrily and disappeared with a pop. It reappeared on the other side of the campsite and ripped a pair of saplings free of the dirt with its mind. The saplings flew across the clearing, swatting the musharna out of the air.

The xatu descended on the fallen musharna, tearing at it with the talons on its feet. It didn't stop until the musharna was nothing but a pile of meat, shredded to pieces by the angry xatu. The man picked up his crossbow, and gingerly poked at his cheek.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning." He turned to look at Hilda and I. "You two ok?"

I nodded as Vermais burst out of the underbrush. He looked around wildly. "Vermais, abstain." I ordered. The oshawott looked at me confused as I turned to look back at the man. "I think we're gonna be fine" I said.

"Not for the lack of effort on that thing's part." Hilda added bitterly.

He shook his head. "Who the fuck would actually want to capture one of those things?" He asked.

Hilda looked at me pointedly. "Yes," she said snidely. "Who would want to catch one of them?"

"Someone who doesn't know how dangerous they are" I said cautiously. "So," I started. "Did Fennel send you?" I asked.

The man raised an eyebrow at me. "Who's Fennel?"

"She's a scientist," Hilda said. "We were doing some field work for her."

The man shook his head. "I've never heard of a woman named Fennel. My only contact in Unova is a man named Cedric."

"Cedric Juniper?" I asked.

He nodded. "I was setting up a breeding contract with him. I get rare species to breed and sell, he gets the best of the stock." He looked around as if he was trying to get his bearings. "I'm supposed to be on my way to some lab south of here. His daughter was going to hand over the pokemon to me in a week."

I smiled knowingly. "Professor Aurea Juniper's lab is three days south of here. You're looking at one of her former assistants."

He nodded, smiling. "What a coincidence then. Could you call ahead and put in a good word or something?"

Hilda laughed. "You going back to grab our X-Trans?" She shook her head. "They're back wherever our clothes went."

He grimaced. "Not going back there" he said. "You didn't see how many of those things there were." He looked over at the skyline of Striaton City, smiling. "Tell you what, I'll take you into the city and replace your clothes. You can find a phone and make whatever calls you need." He held out a hand for me to shake. "Deal?"

I took his hand and shook it. "Deal." I looked him right in the eyes. "What's your name stranger?"

"Ethan Alexander Gold, at your service" he said with a smile.

My stomach rumbled loudly, and I realized just how hungry I was. "I might have to trouble you for a sandwich before anything else."

By the time Hilda and I found a phone, the sun was starting to dip in the sky. I dialed in the number to professor Juniper's lab.

"Aurea Juniper's office, how can I help you?" Professor Juniper asked.

"Hello professor" I said.

The words had barely left my mouth before she shrieked. "HILBERT?!"

I pulled the phone away from my ear, protecting my hearing from the professor's shouts. "Yes professor, it's me. Hilda and I are fine."

I heard an audible sigh of relief, and the professor stopped yelling. "What happened to you two?" She asked.

"Well, we kinda got lost in the Dreamyards. Fennel had some field work for us."

"So you get lost for three weeks?" She asked.

That caught me off guard. "Did you say three weeks?" I asked. "We were in there for three weeks?"

I could practically hear the annoyance in the professor's voice. "Yes, that's when you called me last. Understandably, both your parents have been inconsolable."

I felt a pang of guilt, and realized that I hadn't called my mum before I left for the Dreamyards. "Shit," I started. I paused for a moment. "Just let them know we're ok. Hilda and I have to get back to Fennel's place. It's been three weeks, I'm sure she almost as worried as mum is."

"Hilbert," Juniper said softly. "Fennel's dead. She's gone Hilbert."

SUSPENSE! EXCITEMENT! In all seriousness, I sincerely enjoyed writing this chapter. Hopefully you guys like what I did with the musharna, and if you did, then I think you'll love what I've got planned once we get a little bit further into the story. Leave a review to let me know what you thought, and check out my other story in this world if you're enjoying this one. Sqcircles out!