The Legend of Yellow

By: hydro-serpent58


Chapter 29: The Cursed Jungle

"With great power comes great responsibility." — Peter Parker

"Dang it!" A sheer number of profanities soon followed after the sharp cry.

Yellow stopped and turned around only to be met with the sight of Crystal wrestling with a vine. "Why are there so many freakin' vines?" She spat tearing at the green appendage and irritably rubbing her ankle in frustration.

After landing on the coast earlier this morning, the group had begun to trek through the vast jungle. "Forest Haven is known for having dense trees." Kitt said airily from his position in the air.

For some reason Mist had been strangely quiet. When the blonde had asked about it, the pixie had simply responded with, "I'm tired." Currently she was resting inside Yellow's bottle which was kept snug in her pack. This did nothing to elude her fears though, when she'd asked Kitt about it he'd simply said, "Let her rest." Not very reassuring.

"Well thank you Captain Obvious!" Crys snapped as she finally ripped her foot away from the troublesome plant. She'd been content earlier this morning, strangely happy with her spirits uplifted. As if she had finally gotten closure. Obviously, that mood had gone down the drain.

Yellow sighed, "Just follow the path I clear alright?" She couldn't really argue with Crys, the jungle was thick and vast. She wasn't sure where they were going exactly, but Kitt seemed to know.

Turning back she lifted her sword and slashed the foliage blocking her way. Her sword was starting to get worn out. She could already the see the metal beginning to rust and the handle cracking. Her shield could only last so long; and she doubted it would stand a powerful attack. Crystal's whip was in better condition, but it was built to stand the high temperatures of Wingheat Island, but after the whole ghost fiasco in Pandium, the frost had weakened it considerably. They were going to need to replace their weapons soon.

And so, they continued further and further into the jungle, navigating their way through with Crys cursing behind them. Yellow couldn't help but wonder if Blue had gotten drunk and expelled her colorful vocabulary unto Crys in her high. Blue was like that, she was a light weight and got wasted. Fast. It was something she took advantage of, using it to drown her woes completely. Unfortunately any person left in the vicinity would be exposed to her constant swearing. "S*** dude, really, it's not my f****** fault I curse in every d*** sentence, it just comes out and I can't...c***." No doubt if Gold were here he'd probably say Crys was PMSing or something.

Shaking her head Yellow raised her sword to hack off another branch when Kitt suddenly stopped.

A chill ran down her spine.

Without warning, a sudden gust of wind swept past them, causing the trees tremble, almost as if in fear. But what really terrified Yellow wasn't the heavy silence that enveloped the group, but an echoing scream. It wasn't exactly very clear or shrill, but it was far worse, as though it was ringing in her soul, in the very depth of her mind, and covering her ears to block out the sound did no good at all. Yellow knew that something – or someone – was wailing its agony on the wind.

"K-k-Kitt," Yellow whimpered, cowering even nearer to the sparrowman.. "I can feel it, someone's in pain…Really terrible pain…"

There was no answer. Yellow looked up, and saw, with another bout of fear and concern, the look on Kitt's face.

"Kitt?" Crystal asked, she too looked frightened at the male's countenance.

Kitt had landed on a branch and was bent over, one hand was fisted and clutching his chest while the other was leaning against the tree heavily seeking support. His eyes were squeezed shut in distress, almost as if he was cringing. His mouth was set in a tight line, as though to suppress any emotion from choking out of him. For one heart-stopping moment, Yellow almost thought the sparrowman was about to cry. She shivered when she realized that Kitt's expression perfectly mirrored the agony that the scream carried.

"Hey, are – are you all right?" Crystal stammered. They'd never seen him like this before, had the scream really affected him this much?

Seconds went by as Kitt tried to steady his breathing. Yellow slowly reached out to him, "Kitt–"

Suddenly his head snapped up. His normally calm eyes were crazed, glazed over and wide in panic. With an inhuman shriek, he howled and shot into the jungle leaving two frozen girls behind.

Yellow snapped out of her stupor first, "Matte!" She yelled dashing after him, with Crystal hot at her heels.

Neither girl noticed how the deeper they went, the darker it became as less and less sunlight filtered in through the canopy. Panting, Yellow slowed to a stop, "Kitt!" she yelled.

Only silence greeted her, it was as if the jungle itself had swallowed up her voice. Crystal growled, "Great, we lost our navigator. F****** perfect."

"Uh Crys..."

"What?"

"Is it night time?"

Surprised, the blue head looked up only now realizing how dark it was. "Can't be, we entered at mid-day, it's too short." Yet the shadows glared back at her defying her logic.

Yellow sighed slumping, "What are we going to do?"

"Call Mist, she can sense aura right?"

"It costs a LOT magic to use that skill, besides the only reason she did it in the Fortress was because she could borrow the magic from the foundation and feed it into herself. Besides, she said she's tired, I don't want to force her."

Crys let out a deep breath through her nose, "Well then, what do you suggest we do?" She snapped. Honestly, she had absolutely no idea why she was so cranky today. Her mind was in a haze, and crying waterworks last night had not cleared it up, if not it had only made it worse.

Yellow flinched back feeling hurt, "Well, I thought that maybe Kitty could fly me over the tree tops and perhaps we'd see where we are..." She said softly.

Guilt immediately assaulted her heart, and she would've apologized too if she hadn't been interrupted. "Kree!" Looking up, both girls spotted a bird with the most vibrant, and beautiful plumage. It preened its feathers before flying off, low beneath the trees.

Yellow's breathe caught in her throat.

"A Hue! We can follow it!"

Suddenly a dust cloud was kicked up into her face; coughing, Yellow looked up to see she was all alone.

"Matte! Don't leave me!" Desperately she tried to catch up, but it was no use. Crystal's athletic form was getting smaller and smaller into the distance.

What is she thinking? Didn't Tamashii say that they lead to contaminated rivers? Her stomach lurched. This was bad. Very, very bad.

Her hands flew to her utility belt and plucked the lasso from her waist, tossing the rope in the air it sung faithful and true. With a click, the grappling hook snagged unto the branch. Pulling herself up she swung through the branches, reminiscent to Sapphire who freakin' owned the forest.

I hope I can catch up to her Yellow thought worriedly. She did not want to be caught alone after dark in this place, especially lost.


Crystal pumped her legs faster as she urged herself to keep up. The avian was just a couple meters ahead of her, its bright feathers glowed like a beacon compared to the shadowed brush surrounding it. It didn't help camouflage the bird at all.

She grinned. There's no way I'm losing sight of you It seemed she was unaware she had left her sempai behind.

Swooping left; the Hue made a wide semi-U-turn and shot into the branches. Her brow furrowed, where did it go? Confused she hurried her pace and came to a small clearing. It was pretty narrow, stretching from east to west and the trees were pretty far apart from each other in this area. The Hue was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly the heel of her boot slid out from underneath her; the girl lurched forward slipping on mud.

Gasping, her arms reached out to steady herself. She scowled at her now sticky fingers, encased in goo before a wooshing sound caught her attention.

A large grin spread across her face, "Jackpot."

Just a couple feet from the mud bank she had fallen into was clear, rushing water. Hue's lead to water and water leads to civilization.

Crawling forward, she ignored the fact that she was getting mud all over her legs and arms and instead reached her hands forward. Cupping her hands, she scoped up some of the water and brought it to her lips. The cool liquid slid down her throat, it was heavenly.

Gulping greedily, she reached her hands out again into the water hoping for another sip. Instead, what she got was a long tendon shooting out of the water and wrapping around her wrist. Her eyes widened, before she could utter a cry she was suddenly yanked underwater.


Her eyes burned as the cold water stung her eyes. Her skin became acquainted with the familiar feel of cold wrapping around her. She felt herself calm down as the chill raked through her body. Following the appendage linked to her wrist, she saw that the tendon led down to a creature at the very bottom of the bank. It was a large amphibian. It had brown, scaly skin and was barely distinguishable amongst the murky bottom, yet one thing stood out. It was the rough ridges above its shocking yellow eyes that resembled eyebrows. They were made of bone, resembling something akin to horns; it stretched down the creatures back giving it the appearance of a outer spine. It was pretty large and fat, and was crouched down silently like a predator awaiting its prey.

Its eyes focused on her before opening its large mouth. Suddenly, like a vacuum the water turned into a vortex as the girl was sucked towards it, its tongue ensnaring her waist.

For the first time, panic began to consume her. Its mouth, which was like a black void that led into a bottomless pit, reminded her of the way a Swalot consumes its food. The Poison Bag Pokémon would literally swallow its prey whole, its jaw unhinging like a snake and body expanding in order to digest it all. Not to mention its stomach acids could dissolve virtually anything, being able to consume an entire car if it had too.

As if that wasn't enough already, it had closed its second eyelid, that exact same way a Sharpedo would do before attacking prey to protect their eyes. (*A/N: In real life, sharks actually do this*) The reminder of these two fatal Pokémon caused a new bout of adrenaline to shoot through her veins.

With renewed vigor, she pulled at the tongue, disgusted at how slippery and warm it felt. The creature didn't move, it simply sat there and patiently reeled her in, like a fisherman catching Magikarp.

She reached for her whip before realizing I'm underwater! It won't compact enough force, and it won't even swing correctly! At that moment she accidentally inhaled the icy water. As she convulsed tiny bubbles left her mouth and traveled towards the surface

Thrashing about, she couldn't do anything as invisible hands grabbed her and dragged her towards the river monster. With her vision fading, one last fleeting thought crossed her mind. Celebi, please help me...

*Do not forget your identity, Messenjā Kitakaze.*

That's not Celebi...

Soft blue light encased her, before shooting outwards like a shock wave. Multiple rings of blue light left her body and extended outwards covering the entire river.

And suddenly, it was still.


Crack. The sound of ice shattering rattled through the forest. Coughing, the girl wheezed harshly. The river had frozen over, the sounds of rushing water that had once filled the muddy bank was now dead silent.

Shivering violently, the girl hauled herself atop the ice platform and crawled back to the bank. That was when the sound of splintering ice met her ears. The sound cut through the silence like gunshots. Craning her neck around, her heart stopped.

Several of those horned brimmed amphibians had catapulted off the river bed and were now sitting atop the ice with less than pleased expressions were on their faces.

Clawing at the ice, she hauled herself forward desperately trying to create space between them. It wasn't easy, slipping and sliding constantly.

A deep groan met her ears before a shadow fell over. Instinctively she rolled to her left right into the mud just as a huge splat echoed. Cringing at the sickening sound, Crystal looked up to see the one of the creatures sitting in the place she was just in. Its yellow eyes glared down at her, before its mouth slipped open. And out shot a long, sticky tongue that would put Lickitung to shame.

Shing! A terrible, deep roaring shook the ground causing her hair to rise. Squelch. Startled, Crys looked down realizing something wet landed in front of her. It was a long piece of muscle that had cleanly been sliced off. The end of it was still spurting blood, while the pink flesh was dripping in saliva. Disgusted, the girl winced and scrambled away barely paying attention to her surroundings.

So intent she was on distancing herself from it, she didn't realize the tall tree behind her until- thunk! The back of her head collided painfully with the hard bark. The last thing she saw was Yellow's back to her, blocking the creatures from view.

Yellow scowled at the beasts, Josh's words replaying in her mind.

"Hue's don't nest around here because of the Hornet Frogs that live around here. They are immune to viruses and are very poisonous. They hunt down mosquitoes but they also eat birds. They usually keep to themselves, but they sometimes attack so we try to avoid them if we can."

"So, you're Hornet Frogs I assume." She muttered, her eyes switching between the group. Seeing their comrade's lost tongue, the Hornet Frogs bellowed in rage, their throat sacks filling with air and expanding. Alarmed, the blonde was forced to jump back as steaming stomach acid was shot her.

The acid caused the mud to sizzle and sink into it. Luckily, it didn't spread. "Crystal, are you alright?" She called over her shoulder hoping the girl had got out of the way.

When she got no answer she turned her head and gasped. "CRYSTAL!"

The researcher was leaning against the tree trunk out cold. Her skin was pale and she was shivering, her damp clothes clung to her skin. Traces of hypothermia was setting in.

"Grooak," Jerking away she threw herself to the side as a frog leapt at her. Rolling out of the way she raised her shield and charged the nearest one preforming a vertical slice.

However; her efforts were for naught. Its tongue shot out and wrapped around the blade. Startled, the blonde tugged at the sword, but try as she might it wouldn't move. Gritting her teeth, she spotted movement on her left. Barely having enough time to duck and cover, Yellow released the hilt and rolled on her feet bringing up her shield.

Shhh was that sound that greeted her ears. Lowering the wood slightly, she couldn't help but wince as the acid ate at the bark already dissolving the iron coating that had covered it. She needed backup. Now.

"Omny, Kitty, let's go!" In a blinding flash the butterfly and ammonite Pokémon appeared. Seeing the Hornet Frogs temporarily blinded by the light, Yellow quickly barked out orders, "Omny watch my back! Kitty, protect Crystal!"

"Star!" The ammonite hissed rolling to his mistress' side. Without wasting time it shot out a Water Gun that squarely hit the Hornet Frog Yellow had been wrestling with in the chest. Grunting, it staggered back a couple feet, the sword coming free from its grasp.

Yellow made a mad dive for the sword leaping atop the ice bed; meanwhile the rest of the Hornet Frogs got the hint and went to attack the unconscious blue head. Unfortunately, a certain butterfree wasn't about to let them.

"BrEeEe!" Kitty screeched. The sound waves crashed into the amphibians halting them in their tracks.

Dazed, the frogs paused trying to clear their heads from the Supersonic. Taking advantage of their dizziness, the butterfree let out a Psychic blasting them backwards.

Come on, almost got it... Yellow thought stretching her arm out, nearly dislocating it in the process. The blade shone in the starlight, as it fell back to earth.

Suddenly a painful shriek escaped the blonde's mouth as something heavy crashed into her. Skidding backwards, her back smashed into the ice causing a couple cracks to form. [YELLOW!] Her Pokémon shouted in unison.

Omny turned to glare at the insect. [You stupid bug! Look what you did!]

Kitty flinched back guiltily. One of the Hornet Frogs that had been thrown back by the psychic attack had collided into Yellow, the bug hadn't paid attention to where they were flying.

[I'm sor—]

[Look out!] Suddenly a jet stream of water shot forward knocking Kitty sideways. Sputtering, the poor bug desperately flapped its wings trying to stay airborne.

[AARRGHH!] The Omastar let out a shriek eerily similar to Yellow as a bucketful of acid sprayed over its skin. Turning her head, Kitty spotted a Hornet Frog that had recovered from the Psychic; the blast caused the confusion to be cancelled out.

Deftly sneaking up on them, the frog had spat out a stream of stomach acid at the butterfly's open back. Seeing this, Omny knocked the bug Pokémon out of the way causing itself to be next in line for the incoming hit.

The dual type Pokémon skin became to rot as the acid burned the flesh. Its hard shell as well, began to decompose. Kitty froze, if the acid had struck her, her wings would've been permanently damaged leaving her handicapped.

Groaning in pure agony, the Pokémon heaved itself up and used Brine. However, instead of attacking the Hornet Frogs Omny tilted its head upwards. Water shot up into the air like a fountain. The droplets cascaded down the ammonite's skin cooling down the burning sensation and washing away the acid.

Suddenly a slimy, pink appendage shot out and wrapped itself around Omny. Grunting, the ammonite retreated inside its shell, the scarred tissue on its tentacles disappearing from sight.

"Bree!" Kitty squeaked in alarm as Omny's shell was lifted and brought towards a gaping mouth. The insect's eyes glowed light blue, preparing to send another Psychic attack when something with great force slammed into her back.

The butterfree let out a muffled cry as pain shot up the insect's back. Her face was shoved harshly into the ground, caking it in mud. The heavy pressure on her back pressed down on her wings, bending it at odd angles.

"Grooak." The frog croaked from its perch. It leaned down on top of Kitty and licked her wing; its tongue ripped off the scales and coated it in saliva. (*A/N: If you catch a butterfly, never hold it by its wings. Your fingers will rub off the scales in its wings, rendering it unable to fly when released*)

Kitty's eyes began to fill with tears. Her heart ached, they were about to become sushi. Sniffling, the butterfly was inevitably reminded of the time she had witnessed her siblings snatched from her mother's nest and brought to the nest of hungry Pidgeys. The poor Caterpie had never looked at avians the same way ever again. And now, she's probably never see amphibians the same ever again.


Tears sprang into Yellow's eyes as throbbing pain spread throughout her body. Her back ached and her chest was heaving—struggling to breath. The weight of the frog compressing her chest wasn't making it easy.

"Grooak~" It rumbled in triumph. Opening its mouth, the creature leaned forward to swallow her when, for some reason it froze.

Suddenly creatures' eyes rolled back in it eye sockets and its tongue dropped out, before toppling forward. The blonde wriggled freeing her hands, and with all of her strength, she pushed the Hornet Frog off her.

It slumped back unmoving, and after a moment she saw why. The sword had fallen face down and the blade was deeply embedded into the frog's back.

Shakily, the girl got up and placed one foot on top of the frog's back to steady herself, before proceeding to pull the blade out of the frog. A sickening squelching sound soon followed in its wake as the once silver blade was now stained in a deep yellow color.

Yellow turned her head and promptly threw up. "Ugh..."

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, the girl looked up just in time to see Omny use Hydro Pump.

The ammonite's shell rapidly spun while it fired powerful jets of water from its mouth through all the shell's openings. It flew like a frisbee towards the surprised Hornet Frog, slamming into it while pelting it with water.

The frog groaned in pain as it was knocked backwards, crashing into the frozen river. It sunk below the ice, and did not reappear.

"Bree..." The weak sound whimpering reached her ears. Turning her head, the blonde's heart stopped when she spotted Kitty's wings vanishing within the frog's mouth.

"NOOO! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yellow screamed. She hurtled forwards clumsily raising her sword and preforming a horizontal slice, cleaving the Hornet Frog in two.

Thick gooey liquid splashed on both of them, but Yellow ignored it. Kneeling down, she gently smoothed out Kitty's bent wings. She winced as agonizing cries met her ears. "Kitty," she whispered tearfully, "I'm so sorry."

Suddenly, the temperature plummeted. Her eyes widened realizing what was about to happen before quickly hugging Kitty close to her, shielding her body from the cold. Almost immediately a snowstorm appeared, snow and hail rained down around them.

Yellow tugged her hat down trying to protect her face as her ponytail slipped out of her hat and whipped around behind her. The Blizzard only lasted for a moment, but it was enough.

When the icy winds finally died down, Yellow worriedly looked up to see how her other Pokémon was faring. What she saw made her chest tighten so much, she could barely breathe.

Omny stood alone, blisters and burns intertwining on his rotting skin. His shell was heavily cracked and resembled a crushed M&M pieces, with the colored hard shell shattered and the inside turned to mush.

Snow covered the mud and trees and hung there like dew, the rest of the Hornet Frogs were trapped in ice cubes. Tiredly she called, "Omny, come here."

Hearing her voice, the ammonite turned around and slowly trudged back. Yellow bite her lip to keep from crying, it looked horrible. The acid had attacked Omny's skin and shell like a beak slices through a berry.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Yellow gently laid the butterfly out on the frosty floor next to Omny before reaching her hands to both of them. All three began to glow as she focused her power into treating their wounds and the poison.

When the light died down, she slouched backwards exhausted. Sleepily, her eyes watched the two drained Pokémon before her. Kitty's wings were repaired, but she doubted the feel of having them ripped from her back would fade soon. The blisters and burns had disappeared on Omny, but there was still some scarring left.

Yellow sniffed, it was so unfair. She didn't have enough energy to completely heal Omny without falling asleep. And that was a bad idea considering Crystal was still out cold.

Sensing her frustration, the Omastar cooed in understanding. He lifted a tentacle and patted her hand, the suction cups on its underside clung to her skin slightly, but it was comforting. Giving a watery smile, Yellow nodded mutely before taking out their Pokéballs.

"Return." she half whispered, half choked. They disappeared in red light.

She sighed. I am so thankful I didn't run into them in Pandium.

Suddenly, the sound of something shifting behind her caught her attention. Turning around, she spotted Crystal sitting up.

Relief coursed through her, "Crystal! I'm so glad you're okay!" Yellow called.

Yet for some reason, the blue head didn't answer. Her face was shadowed and her hand was wrapped around her leg, the same leg that had been caught on the vine earlier that morning.

"...Crys..tal?"

Snap! Yellow cried out as she was thrown backwards. She sailed painfully into a tree, the dull ache in her back returning full force. The blonde gritted her teeth forcing back tears. There was bound to be a huge, black bruise there by tomorrow.

The stinging sensation was still fresh though. She gently lifted a hand to cup her cheek while Crystal unsteadily got up. In her hands was the whip she'd struck Yellow with.

"Crys?" The sempai asked softly, almost hesitantly.

Fear clutched her heart when the kouhai finally raised her head. Her eyes were cloudy, and narrowed. Her face screwed into a dark scowl. Yet, there was something insane about those foggy cyan blue eyes.

Yellow jerked back, her breath coming out in short gasps. She drank the water, didn't she?

Slowly, Crystal approached the blonde. Crystal-like ice forming around it similar to the day it had when she had first fought Tamashii.

Yellow gulped backing away, "Crys, please, it's me Yellow, your friend!" She spoke pleadingly.

Crystal paid no heed, crack! Crystal snapped her ice covered whip, the belt curled like a vicious Arbok going in for the kill.

Yellow dodged left somersaulting over the frosty ground. Behind her, the frozen Hornet Frog's body shattered with the impact of the whip. The blonde winced as chunks of its body flew everywhere. At least there's no blood

The thought of the yellow substance made her feel queasy. It was then she noticed a dark shadow looming over her. Gulping she looked up to see Crystal's misty eyes boring into hers.

Shoot. Yellow quickly swung her leg out knocking into Crystal's ankles. The blue head fell backwards as her feet were swept out from beneath her.

Yellow scrambled to her feet desperate to gain distance; however, it was at that moment the animorph's eyes narrowed.

Crack! The whip came down, fast and hard. Shocked, Yellow blindly grabbed her deteriorating shield and thrust it forward. The force of the ice whip crashed into the shield, cracks formed across the plate before it broke into pieces.

Yellow dropped the handle and jumped backwards, staring in disbelief at what was left of the broken shield. She'd have to remember to buy a new one. Her olive eyes traveled back towards the researcher, who was slowly picking herself up. She couldn't fight close range, the whip was just like the Hornet Frog's tongue, and if she lost her sword she didn't have the shield anymore to protect her from a second strike.

Her mind flashed to Kitty and Omny. She could call out her Pokémon, but they'd be confused as to why they were fighting Crystal. And that might make Crystal take the initiative to call out her on Pokémon, who were currently higher leveled than her own. Sure, she could diffuse spirits into her Pokémon to boost their levels, but she didn't want to hurt Crystal's Pokémon. She'd rather not involve any more Pokémon for that matter, especially after Kitty and Omny sustaining such injuries from battling the Hornet Frogs.

That left only one option.

Standing up, Crystal advanced towards Yellow. This time there was more aggression in her stance, and her previously cold eyes were now blazing.

Yellow was taking no chances. Backing away, she snatched some snow off the ground and fled. Behind her the powdery snow crunched as Crystal pursued her, however the blue head was slightly sluggish, her lips were turning violet and her cheeks were flushed with the cold. It was obvious she was forcing her body to move against its will.

The question is, why? Yellow grimly wondered ducking behind tree trunks and sprinting through bushes. Her sword was sheathed across her back offering some protection if Crystal decided to target it; while her hands furiously molded the snow into a sphere.

Suddenly she felt something snag her right ankle. "AAHH!" Her yell echoed into the shade of the trees. She awkwardly fell on her knees and arms, one leg bent and the other stretched out. Her arms mirrored this position.

Groaning, the girl looked down relieved she had saved her snowball. She turned around to inspect her leg; sure enough a certain string of leather was wrapped around it. The icicles were digging into her pant leg causing the spot to dampen.

The sound of dead leaves crunching met her ears. Crystal stepped out of the shadows, whip in hand. She then began to stride over, in a confident yet deadly strut. There was something about the fact that she wasn't running but instead walking at a fast pace that scared the heck out of Yellow. It was like her body language was saying: "I'm going to f*** you up." (*A/N: If you've ever played the game Haunting Ground, the maid Daniella pursues you like this, and it's so badass that unlike the other stalkers who chase you screaming or the invisible psychopath that just shoots you, she just silently follows you at a fast pace. Somehow, it's even creepier than the guy who drags his body out of a wheel chair and chases you like an insanely fast zombie.)

The blonde gulped, praying this would work. Just as Crystal got three feet away from her, her arm shot out like a crank and propelled the snowball forwards. It hurtled through the air like a baseball and slammed into Crystal's wrist. The girl dropped the whip and clutched her hand as throbbing pain assaulted her hand.

Yellow was on her feet in an instant. She dashed through the jungle, weaving in and out of trees and ducking under branches trying to keep to the shadows as darkness swallowed up the island. The whip dragged along behind her, but she knew better than to detangle it. If she did, Crystal would pick it back up, and giving her weapon back was a big no-no.

Crystal snarled as the blonde took off. Her unnaturally sharp canines glinted ominously before she sprang through the underbrush. Her movements changed and became more animalistic, her cloudy blue eyes turning brilliant crimson. A blood curdling howl ripped itself from her throat and swept through the night.


Yellow panted softly as she blindly navigated the jungle. Her sword drawn, she gingerly picked her way through. As much as it unsettled her to slow down, she had to remain quiet and could only chop off branches that wouldn't make too much noise when she stepped through. She didn't want to leave behind a trail.

Yellow swallowed, sweating profusely. Ugh, so…tired… Her empty stomach was panging with hunger, and the taste of bile in her throat hadn't left her mouth yet. If that wasn't enough, it was extremely painful to move with her back aching every step of the way. I should really put ice on it. The blonde mused, wincing as she pulled her neck.

Releasing a sigh, her gaze locked unto the thick vines hanging overhead. I should get in the canopy; Crys will be searching the floor.

Stepping forward, she pulled out her grappling hook and shimmied unto the tree. Just as her foot touched the branch a chilling howl carried on the wind. Eyes widening, she ducked down hiding within the leaves. Oh no, was that a Houndour? I really don't want to be burnt to a crisp…

Although she thought this, internally she knew that probably wasn't the case. If she had walked unto Houndour territory no doubt she would've been toast earlier that afternoon, plus they lived in packs. So far, only one howl had rang out.

Shoulders sagging, the girl leaned into the tree closing her eyes. Kitt, what happened to you? Why are both you and Crys acting this way? What did I do wrong?

On the ground, Crys slowed down. She had spotted the bent saplings that were spread apart. Her prey was turning to stealth rather than speed.

Hunching low, the blue head carefully observed the terrain, her ears straining to pick up sound. Above her, Yellow's eyes snapped open and her breathing grew ragged, hearing a twig snap under her.

Looking down, her form went rigid when she saw Crystal slinking through the foliage. Her hand flew over her mouth, trying to stifle her erratic breathing. It wasn't the gleaming fangs peeking through her friends' lips that scared her the most, rather it was her shadow. The shadow had taken on a ghastly form, too large to be human, yet it was too short to be bipedal. The shadow seemed to move the way a four legged animal would, in sync with Crystal's movements. It was bizarre to watch.

Suddenly Crystal froze, her eyes narrowing. The blue head approached quickly, unlike her previous slow motions from before, and made a beeline for the tree Yellow was in. The blonde panicked. How does she know I'm here?!

It was when she looked down did she realize, she hadn't untangled the whip from her foot. The whip had trailed done from her leg and was hanging down the bark, like a brown vine. Her hands shot out and carefully tried to pry the leather off her ankle, but it was wrung tightly around it. She'd have to shift her leg to get it off. If I move my leg I'll give away my position, but if she gets her whip back I'll be in even more trouble!

Distracted by her thoughts, the blonde didn't realize Crystal had arrived under the tree until a sharp yank jerked her leg. Yelping, the blonde's arms flailed for something to grab, unfortunately the animorph heard her cry and tug harder. Her harsh pull sent Yellow falling. The blonde screwed her eyes closed as she slammed into the ground.

"Owww." Well that hurt, but wait. Wasn't the ground supposed to be hard and not soft?

Opening her eyes, olive orbs clashed with scarlet. "Oh…uh, thanks for breaking my fall?" Yellow said feebly.

Crystal hissed before rolling over. The blonde gasped sharply as their positions switched. Yellow's arms were pinned to her side; her sword had fallen a couple feet away, the whip still entangled with her pant leg. Hovering over her, Crystal's eyes bored into hers.

Yellow's breath came out in quick gasps. "Crys, please. Snap out of it…"

The blue head growled, opening her mouth to reveal her wolf-like. Trembling, Yellow's breath hitched as Crystal's warmth breath tickled her ear. Bending over her, the blue head sniffed at her neck, before lowering her mouth.

Goosebumps ran up Yellow's spine as her teeth grazed the fisherwoman's neck. The blonde's eyes snapped shut. This can't be happening. This is all just a dream, a very bad dream…

Her thoughts derailed completely when Crystal's jaw clamped down on her throat. "AAARGGGHHHH! CRYSTAL STOP, CRYSTAL! AAAAAHHHH!"

Screaming bloody murder, Yellow was barely aware of footsteps in the background. Suddenly she felt Crystal's weight disappear. The sounds of the animorph's snarling and growling reached her ears before it was cut off with a low whimper.

Teary olive eyes opened to see Crystal's limp body on the ground, out cold. Two tall figures stood over her, wicked looking lances digging into her neck and back.

Above her she heard murmurings she couldn't quite decipher. Aribous… Her mind supplied as the esoteric language flew through one ear and out the other.

Feeling heavy, her body drooped as darkness overtook her vision. The last thing she saw was the blurred image of vermillion red staining the dark sky.


*A/N: I'd like to thank my reviewers:

Shiki and Ichijo Forever

I'm glad, it's always been my goal to make people feel something and want to turn the page when they read my writing. :) A snowstorm is going to hit my area soon, so I worked hard to get this done. Someone brought up a good point when they mentioned that Crystal seemed a lot stronger than Yellow. Part of the message of this chapter was the emphasize the fact that while power may be preferred, when turned against you it is fatal.

pikaace

That's very kind of you! Hopefully, this chapter transitions us back into the Magical World well enough. I'm pretty sure this is something none of my readers were expecting. xD

xxx

Thanks, my new year's resolution is to update this story five times this year! This is the second update, which means I still have at least three more updates to do before the end of the year. :P

PokeRescue 18

...Four months? O_O Well that just goes to show how often I check my e-mail. Lol. xD Thanks for reviewing though. Don't worry, I promise I'll continue helping you with your story. I'm actually kind of embarrassed that you like my writing enough to seek advice from me, whenever I re-read this I always cringe at how the first couple chapters look like. It hard on the eyes and there are multiple grammar/spelling mistakes everywhere. Hopefully I've improved, I'll PM you later.

Glaceon1362

Why hello there! It's always nice to get new reviewers. Anyways, like I've said before, Red and the others won't be appearing for a while. It'll be a slow process, but eventually Yellow will find everyone. :) Can you guess who will be next? I'll give you hint: They appear in patterns.


~hydro-serpent58