Post-story Chapter 2. Freed


Full Moon Forest ( watch?v=xP2TcMAkia0)

You really should have killed that Minun, the demon told her as she stood outside Full Moon Forest, a.k.a. Cresselia's home. Despite the name, the dungeon was available for exploration on this gibbous night.

Surrounded by trees stretching 30 feet tall, Formora stood underneath a starry sky uninterrupted by clouds. The leaves on the ferns around her were a bluish-green in color, and luminescent moonflowers tickled her body.

What point is there in killing someone who wanted to die? she asked back, hoping to stave it off for this trip.

She did not want to lose herself to her demon here of all places.

B1F-B2F

Cresselia's dungeon had short, springy grass littered with giant roots and moonflowers swaying lazily in the crisp spring breeze. Short cliffs adorned with ferns, bushes, and small trees kept Formora inside while teeny will-o-the-wisps dotted the air.

As Formora guessed, the enemies here all had a moon theme: Lunatone, Sylveon, Munna, Clefairy, Illumise, and Umbreon. The foes were incredibly weak-even a sneeze would probably do them in.

As she wandered, she made sure to try and put Cresselia in a good mood lest the lunar legendary was watching.

"Your dungeon Pokemon sure compliment you, Cresselia." "Oh, this breeze is lovely." "What pretty flowers!"

Even to Formora, the words sounded hollow.

B3F

Formora winced after checking the wound on her chest. The skin around it was red, swollen, and hurt to touch. Definitely infected.

Should have killed the Minun before she stole your kill, the demon piped up again.

"Wasn't my place to do so," Formora replied, gritting her teeth against its monstrous influence.

He tore open that cut on your chest. She killed him much too quickly. You would-should-have done better.

"Well it's over and done with, so shut up already," she snapped.

Ugh, her chest hurt. Hopefully the infection would clear up on its on, as she could find no herbs in this place to treat it.

...Although, on second thought, she deserved the pain. She deserved much more.

B4F

Ah, a Clefairy! Formora stood still as it Sang, allowing the sweet lullaby to send her to sleep. Perhaps Cresselia would be more comfortable visiting Formora in the safety of the dream realm?

It was not so. Formora woke up to a paltry Double Slap. The little Slaps felt more like taps to her, and a Frost Breath quickly ended the fairy-type.

B5F-B7F

Whenever she came across an enemy with Hypnosis, Sing, or the like, she let herself sleep.

Cresselia, however, never showed up in her dreams.

B8F

B8F found the Froslass staring down at a Red Gummi in front of her. She slowly picked it up, then after a moment's thought placed it with Ezra.

B9F-B12F

Oh, right, Carys existed! Formora started upon finding a Grass Gummi. Ezra's Pumpkaboo friend! Where was she?!

Formora racked her brain, trying to remember if someone told her the Pumpkaboo's whereabouts. She couldn't recall...

Someone else to kill? the demon asked snidely.

Formora shook her head, ignoring it. She'd have to add finding Carys to her list of things to accomplish.

B13F

The Stairs and a Munna were here with her when she arrived. Though the Stairs were much closer, she gave Cresselia one more chance and let herself be put to sleep.

...No. When Formora woke, she was still in the forest. With a sigh, she banished the Munna with Shadow Ball.

B14F-B15F

On she went, obliterating any and every enemy who dared get in her way. After a while, she switched to punching her opponents in lieu of attacks. These foes were so weak, one punch was all it took.

Just how long was this baby dungeon? And why didn't Cresselia have better bodyguards?

Full Moon Clearing

The dungeon, as it turned out, was not long at all. Formora now found herself facing a spacious clearing underneath a blanket of stars. Trees with roots almost as thick as the trunks formed a protective ring around the clearing, sealing her in.

Nothing was here except ferns and moonflowers swaying in the moonlit breeze.

Formora went to the end of the clearing in front of her, where a small gap in the roots allowed her to squeeze through them. Behind the root wall was a mossy path. It led to a smaller clearing that held only a single pale rose lying on the ground.

Formora picked it up, looking around for signs of life. The rose looked as though it had been cut just recently; perhaps the Pokemon behind its placement was still around?

After a few hours of fruitless searching, Formora had to admit: either Cresselia wasn't here, or had no desire to see her.

Formora did not blame her.


Formora clenched her teeth as she dragged herself into the town. Her head was pounding, her entire body ached, and green-tinted pus oozed freely from her chest.

She needed medicine, and soon.

The town seemed to be holding some sort of bazaar, as colorful banners and streamers hung from every street light, every rafter. Stalls lined the streets, practically overflowing with goods and food. Pokemon laughed and danced, enjoying their merry, pathetic lives.

Formora lurched over to the nearest vendor, who was a Girafarig selling brightly-hued cloth.

Upon spotting the bloodstained dagger in her hand, the merchant paled. "Um...Please leave before I call security. Your kind isn't welcome-"

She was dead before she finished her sentence. Formora yanked her knife out of the corpse's windpipe, giving it a quick shake before she moved on.

A particularly painful ache spasmed across her chest.

Sorry, Ezra...

Fortunately, Formora did not have to travel far before she found the stall she was looking for. A Monferno was carefully laying out herbs on a white cloth lit by blue and pink lanterns.

"Carys?" Formora asked him.

"Huh?" the Monferno only stared blankly at her before spotting the dagger. His eyes widened and he took a frantic step back. "Leave me alone!"

"Need medicine," Formora winced, pointing at her chest.

The Monferno hesitantly stepped forward. "If I give you it, will you get out of here?"

Formora shrugged. The Monferno thought a moment before kneeling down and picking up a briefcase. He opened it and handed her a cluster of tiny white flowers held together by a red ribbon.

Formora's vision filled with rage, and she Shadow Balled the Monferno into the building behind him.

"YOU THINK I CAN'T RECOGNIZE HEMLOCK?!"

Her Aurora Veil was dancing across the town before he could react. The townspeople, surrounded by colorful lights and decorations, did not notice anything wrong until the agonized screams of the Monferno cut through the merriment.

Now the laughter turned to shrieking as all scrambled to flee from the enraged, infected Froslass.

KILLKILLKILLKILLKILL

She lurched through the town, unleashing her wrath on anyone too slow to get out of her way. Stalls were Shadow Balled to splinters, banners torn from rafters, dead or dying Pokemon sprawled out on the streets.

Stop hurting stop aching stop SCREAMING!

The rampage only stopped when Formora noticed a flower booth. Particularly, a vase of blue-and-white lilies. She floated over, taking a packet of seeds and ignoring the hushed whimpers of the merchant hiding underneath.


Ebony Grotto ( watch?v=FCgxDx_yK0Y)

Formora woke in front of a rugged cliff that had at some point been torn open by an earthquake. The highland trees were growing through the raised rock wall, their roots creating little nooks and crannies after finding soil again. A yellow flower with five golden petals was tickling her face.

With a groan, she stood up, nearly falling back down after a wave of nausea hit her.

Her chest had gotten even worse. Stinking pus was practically cascading down her front, and the world had gotten hotter.

St. Mary's Blessing, a hazy thought came to her. The plant treated infection and grew in damp, dark places such as the grotto in front of her, which upon closer inspection appeared to be a dungeon.

This was gonna suck.

B1F

Formora stood hunched over above a floor made of loose gravel and dirt. Black rocks as big as the 'ribbon' on her back lay scattered across the warm, damp grotto. The walls were mostly stone interspersed with tree trunks, their massive roots zigzagging across the floor. The tops of the trees grew above the ceiling out of sight.

Formora looked around. There were some tubers and mushrooms, but no herbs.

...Why was she here again? Formora shook her head, wincing as her inferno of an abscess roared with the movement.

Find St. Mary's Blessing.

Formora blinked. Who was St. Mary?

B2F-B3F

She didn't find anyone named St. Mary, nor got blessed by her, but she did find something that made her heart lurch.

Among the Phantumps, Polteageists, Morgrems, Golbats, Parasects, Morelulls, and Lampents that roamed the halls were Litwicks and Pumpkaboos. Granted, the Litwicks were not Shiny, but Formora couldn't help but see Ezra's sweet face on every single one.

Yep, she was definitely here to get punished.

B4F

Formora did not want to hurt the Litwicks when they attacked. She deserved every blow coming from the little Pokemon. Were they all Ezra's spirit, come to haunt Formora for Ezra's gruesome death and desecration?

Soon. Ezra, I promise. Just hold on a little longer!

B5F-B8F

Oh, dear, sweet Arceus her abscess hurt. Thousands of pins awash in flame pricked her chest over and over, never ceasing for one second.

Formora bit back a groan as she accidentally brushed against a wall, sending a new wave of pure torment through her body.

Is this your way of punishing me, Ezra?

B9F

Someone was here with her.

She didn't quite understand how she knew, but something deep down told her she was not alone. It did not take long to find the other person.

As she rounded a corner, she stumbled across a Raboot picking up a Life Seed.

"Eh? Who are you?" he demanded upon noticing her.

Formora furrowed her brow in confusion. Now why was a carrot talking to her...?

"If you're here to back up the Soarings, I'll end you before you be-EWW! Is that pus?! That's disgusting! Nope, never mind, you can keep your diseased self away from me!"

The carrot turned and scurried out of the room. Formora watched him go a moment before shrugging-BIG MISTAKE, ouch!-and moving on.

B10F-B13F

No more carrots or other vegetables bothered her. What did bother her was that the world was getting dimmer and less focused.

"Fix it," she mumbled to whoever was in charge. Honestly, shapes should be well-defined and not blurry!

On B11F she noticed a pink blob that smelled like a Pecha Berry. The ache in her chest simmered down ever so slightly upon eating it.

Pools of water appeared on B13F, and she could have sworn they spoke to her. They wanted her to take a dip, to cool off. But she was chilly now, so she politely declined.

Still, the water beckoned...

B14F

Formora stopped dead in her tracks. St. Mary's Blessing was an herb, not a person! Okay, now things made sense again. Sort of. She must need this herb-not-a-person for her abscess.

...What did it look like again? She resolved to eat every plant she came across just to be safe.

B15F-B17F

Ugh, her aim was off. Battles that should have lasted seconds were now taking a few minutes. Her foes kept teleporting from one side of the battlefield to the other. Her arm wouldn't stop shaking. Things just would not be perfect!

This was not how the Snow Wraith operated. She grimaced after finally defeating a Morgrem. The sooner she found the herb, the better.

B18F

Come to us, Formora.

I don't need a bath.

We have tea.

What?

"Tea!" said something behind her.

She turned to see a water elemental spring forth from the stream beside her. A spherical creature, it floated haphazardly in the air for a moment before hurling a purple ball of energy at her. Formora gasped as she crashed into a tree trunk, chills of pure malice shuddering through her. This creature was no friend!

"Th' water's no fren!" she mumbled, hurling her Shadow Ball.

The elemental suddenly teleported a few feet to the right, and the Shadow Ball whizzed past it harmlessly.

"Hee hee hee!" it giggled, dancing in the air as it cooked up a plan.

Oh, what was that attack named...? Nasty something...Nasty Scheme? Yes, that sounded right.

"No," Formora pouted, hissing as she got up. Her chest wanted her to sit still. "No..."

She tried again, hurling her Ball. The elemental countered it with a Ball of its own before sending out a green beam of light. The beam encased her, and what little strength she had disappeared and returned to the creature.

Formora flopped down on the ground-she spat up bile as her abscess hit a rock-but with the pain came a brief moment of clarity. She laid still, waiting until the elemental got closer. Snickering, it hovered directly in front of her.

"GRAH!" she hollered, thrusting a Ball into its face.

FINALLY her attack hit it!

"POLTEA!" the creature shrieked before vanishing.

Formora blinked. Where did it go? Back to the water? Ha! She showed it!

"Yeah, dat's right," she mumbled, flopping her hand around in an attempt to shake her fist.

Ebony Cove

The dungeon's ceiling opened up to bright sky above. Formora shrieked at the sudden assault on her eyelids, holding up a shaky hand to block out the rays. Though she was now in a small clearing devoid of everything but trees, roots, and rocks, she could hear the rush of a river somewhere nearby. Underground, maybe?

What caught her eye was not the cluster of Pokemon about to face off, but the herbs growing in the sun.

She brightened. St. Mary's Blessing!

"Hey!" an Archeops with Druddigon wings shouted at her happy cheer. The rest of the Pokemon turned to face her.

On the left was the Archeops, along with a Chimecho, Golurk, and a gray blob that vaguely resembled a Shelgon. Facing the group on the right were a Sandslash, Nuzleaf, Lickitung with a purple tongue, and a strange amalgamation of a Cherubi and Oranguru.

"You hired a merc, Sandslash? Ha! You wasted your money on her; we'll pound her to a pulp!" the Chimecho laughed scathingly.

"Ew, looks like she's half-pulp already," the Nuzleaf shuddered.

Formora did not know why, but she unleashed a pretty swirl of transparent colors. Greens, pinks, and bright reds danced across the cavern.

"Whoa, whoa, it's the Snow Wraith!" the Cherubi-half of the amalgamation screeched.

The cluster of shapes and colors all screamed, pouring to the corners furthest away. The Golurk, slowly oozing into a trapezoid-shaped golem, stamped a trunk-like foot. A transparent green dome coalesced in front of him and his posse.

Formora would have gasped if she'd had the strength. A sorcerer! How extraordinary!

"L-look, man, if we leave you alone, will you sp-sp-spare us?" the Golurk whimpered behind his wizard-shield.

Well, perhaps he did not want to show off his magic today. She understood. Formora tried to shrug, but it came off looking more like a seizure. "Duncare..."

She knelt down-flopped, rather-to the herbs, stuffing as many of the leaves in her mouth as she could. After making a gritty poultice, she spat the wad into her hand, which she rubbed all over her aching chest. Instantly the roaring inferno of her infection was reduced to a warm ember. Formora sighed in relief. Muuuuuch better.

She grabbed the remaining leaves and stood up to leave. Behind her, she could hear the two gangs begin to clash.