Ch.40: Secrets of Nightshade's Lament! The Fight for the Poisonous Berry!

Gwyn was no stranger to experimentation. She could count on the number of leaves in the tree above her how many times she was caught in some lab accident during potion tests. Was it scientific or remotely safe to haphazardly manage her potion station with the skill and wisdom an outsider would comparatively relate to a drunken sailor mixing drinks?

Eh, depends on who you asked.

This time around, however, Gwyn took the standard approach to dealing with potions now that she was working with Nightshade's Lament. Though she had ideas for it, she needed to run the necessary tests to see how potent its toxins were. Gwyn hardly ever worried about poisoning herself thanks to her immensely high tolerance to most kinds, but she wasn't taking risks, especially with the scary looking fumes currently spewing from one of her flasks.

Dressed head to toe in a wooden shell fitted to her body, something like armor, she could keep the toxins out while still filtering in air. She had the technical knowhow to pull stuff like this off with plants, so no harm to be found. Of course, she later discovered certain chemicals gave the berries an acidic effect, which was both intriguing and terrifying when it ate away at her armor. A second layer had to be made to compensate for risks.

She also stationed herself far away from the others, deep in the oasis in fact, to safely conduct her experiments. If she was worried of the consequences the Nightshade's Lament could have on her body, there was no way she was putting her friends anywhere close to the stuff.

After reviewing her notes, Gwyn plucked a few of the menacing berries from their stems and mashed it up using a mortar and pestle. Its purplish-black coloring smeared across the inside of the bowl until she got it into a thick paste. She scooped the paste up with a spoon and dipped it into a beaker filled with a bubbly green liquid.

The next part was crucial. She gently stirred the paste into the liquid so that the mixture didn't splash out. Potion making was an exact science in many ways. One wrong move couldn't have disastrous consequences. The meticulous nature of the study made it seem unfit for someone as seemingly unfocused as Gwyn, but she dedicated her talents and mind to perfecting her craft. When faced with a potion challenge, she was completely in the zone—

"Hey Gwyn, whatcha' working on?"

"GAH!" Gwyn threw her spoon into the air and nearly knocked the beaker over. She grabbed it on both sides and kept it still. Nothing spilled out, thankfully. She sighed, then glared through her protective headwear at the intrusive Flareon standing behind her. "Flinty!"

Flint flinched and stepped back. "Uh, did I interrupt some—" Gwyn snapped her fingers, summoning strips of bark from the ground. They wrapped around Flint's head like rolls of duct tape until he sported a mask similar to hers. "AH! Gwyn!"

"Don't sneak up on me while I'm working with dangerous poison!" she scolded. "Do you know what could've happened if you inhaled this stuff?!"

"Uh, no?" he whimpered.

"Good, because neither do I!" She paused and tapped her chin. "Well, there is the possibility of it melting your lung, and then your stomach, and then your legs. There's also the chance it could grow a whole new garden of berries with your corpse serving as the nutrients."

A shiver ran up Flint's back. "Gee, thanks for the details."

Gwyn sighed and pushed the beaker aside. "Sorry Flinty, I didn't mean to snap at you. I've just been working hard trying to dissect the secrets of the Nightshade's Lament." She picked a berry up and rotated it between her fingers. "I'm thinking of using it in a Naturae Fruit. Problem is, the poison's so potent, it'd probably kill me before I got any beneficial attributes from it."

"That bad, huh?" Flint hummed. "Seems kind of dangerous, too. Why would you want something that deadly in your arsenal?"

Gwyn set the berry down and leaned against her workstation. "I don't, and that's why I'm making it. I'm not the biggest fan of killing, but even I know there are some threats that need to be put down, and quickly. If I can find a way to make use of the berry's poisonous properties, maybe I'll have something that can even kill the Shadow King."

"You really think you can make something that powerful?" Flint asked.

Gwyn just shrugged. "Worth a shot. Plus, it's good witch training. I've been using some of Medusa's old books to get some inspiration. I'm closing in on a breakthrough, but I still need to run some tests."

"Mind if I help?" Flint sheepishly rubbed the back of his wooden helmet. "I mean, despite the trouble you've put me through, I do like being your assistant."

"Aww, Flinty~." She nuzzled her helmet against his. "That's sweet, but I'd rather you not. I'm the one putting myself in danger. While I am more than prepared for the risks, I don't want to be responsible for your life in these experiments. Too risky, and I would probably freeze up with panic if you inhaled something toxic."

Again, a shiver crawled up Flint's back. "Point taken…" He smiled through his mask and nuzzled her back. "Well, just try and be careful. I wouldn't want the same happening to you."

Gwyn giggled. "Don't worry. I know exactly what I'm doing—"

"Should that beaker be bubbling?"

"Eh?" Gwyn turned back to the beaker. The liquid turned a wine purple and fizzled at the top, letting out pockets of gas. "AH!" She smacked the beaker of the table, then clapped her hands. A flytrap-like plant sprung from the ground and ate the beaker.

Gwyn and Flint stared at the still plant for any changes, then gasped as the head of the plant began to bubble. It went limp into a puddle of viscous, green goo with a squishy splat.

Gwyn blinked a couple times, then peeled the mask off her face. "Ooookay, time for a break."

"Sounds good to me," Flint mumbled after peeling off his back. "Actually, that might be for the best, too. I came over here to pass a message along for Medusa. When you were done, she wanted everyone to meet up outside the hut. She's got an announcement for us."

"An announcement, you say?" Gwyn clapped her hands, instantly popping off the protective wooden layers from her body. She stretched her sore limbs, then smiled. "Well, I'm free now. Just let me pack this stuff up and I'll join you guys."

"Alright, cool. See you in a bit." Flint kissed her cheek, then limped along back to the others.

Gwyn grabbed the poisonous berries and placed them back in a protective case. As she went about packing up her equipment, she casted a look out into the distance, a suspicious look one would say. Gwyn had been learning a lot about being a witch and better communing with the ground. She couldn't quite top Medusa's mastery, but she was getting there.

All that in mind, she couldn't help but feel like she was sensing something outside the Oasis Zone. It faded in and out every time she got curious. She wrote it off as travelers, though it seemed odd. Still, she had no reason to worry. She assumed Medusa would've already mentioned if something bad was going to happen. No reason to panic.

Though, thinking back to when she channeled her senses through the ground, she recalled when she sensed everyone's presence in the oasis. She sensed everyone and everything. Faces she knew, yet also a face she couldn't quite place.

What of that one familiar presence she couldn't identify?

Fifteen minutes after getting the message, Gwyn trekked back to the hut, where she saw her friends hanging out in the shade with glasses of lemonade freshly poured by Venus. The little Espurr sensed Gwyn's arrival and happily handed her a glass.

Gwyn smiled and accepted the beverage. "Thank you very much, Venus." She dropped her bags down and sat between Flint and Ambrosine before gulping down the lemonade.

Andre stretched out the sores in his body and yawned. "Man, Medusa's one hell of a taskmaster. I'd say I want to go home, but perhaps I'm safer hanging out here."

Ambrosine rolled her eyes. "Safe bet if you ask me. I'm sure the plants will scare would-be bandits off. I have ample reason to leave this horror show."

Gwyn giggled. "Aww, but I love it here!"

"Of course you do. The plants here love you! I've been violated by pretty much every species of flora here." She shivered. "Why do so many trees here have tongues? Why do they have tongues?"

Medusa slithered outside, cackling to herself. "Ever heard of any old witch recipes that involve the tongue of something? Where do you think we get the tongues from?"

"That does not answer my question, and now I feel sicker," Ambrosine groaned.

"Welcome to the weirder side of magic, child," Medusa laughed eerily. "Regardless, you won't have to put up with my little home much longer. I know you all have to get on your way eventually to regroup with your friends, and I can't think of much else to put you lot through to bide time."

Andre raised his brow. "You're admitting this has been nothing but busy work?"

"Well, I definitely needed the shed, so not entirely."

Flint asked, "What do you mean we won't be here much longer?"

"Ah yes, that's why I called you all over. I have some exciting news. I've gotten word back from Cicely and her rounds through Mysto. Quite a lot has been happening around the region, as you can imagine, and she and the other mages are doing everything in their power to contain the chaos. I didn't think she would ever return to the Oasis Zone, but it appears enough order has restored to leave it in the capable hands of what few resistances are building against the shadows."

Gwyn gasped. "Wait, does that mean—"

"Correct. Cicely will be here in the next couple of days."

Gwyn, Flint and Ambrosine grinned and wrapped their limbs around each other. "Awesome!" they cheered.

"Finally! Goodbye, creepy woods! Hello, time temple!" Ambrosine exclaimed. She caught Medusa's narrowed stare, then coughed into her fist. "Err, no offense, of course. You have a lovely home."

Medusa chuckled behind her tail. "No hard feelings, child."

"Cicely's really coming back soon?" Gwyn asked to be sure.

Medusa nodded. "Indeed. I've communed with her plenty about your arrival and how you've been settling into the Oasis Zone. She's heard nothing but extraordinary things about each of your achievements and successes against the other mages. Do take caution, however, for she is one of the three strongest."

Flint glared. "Right. Cicely guards the Key of Time, and she wields tremendous skill in time magic."

"Don't you know time magic, Flint?" Ambrosine asked.

"Only the one spell, and not even the improved version. I can't imagine what Cicely's capable of pulling off." Flint grimaced. "Actually, I'm kind of worried for Wes. I've seen spatial magic firsthand from my father, and he'll be fighting the grandmaster."

"Worry only on conquering the battle against Cicely," Medusa advised.

Gwyn smiled sheepishly. "I don't suppose you could give us some tips or advice for battle?"

"Don't lose," she answered with a smug grin.

Gwyn pouted. "…Sounds about right."

"It wouldn't be much of a test if I just gave away all of Cicely's tricks. Though, I do advise caution. Cicely's a tricky one when it comes to time magic. Brute force won't do you any good without tactics and determination."

Flint rubbed his chin. "If only I had spell books detailed known time-based spells. It would give us a head's up on what to expect?"

"How detailed is time magic?" Ambrosine asked. "It can't be that complicated beyond stopping, going through, or reversing time, right?"

"Trust me, once you get to the advance stuff, it gets pretty complicated. There are still some spells Pokémon can't wrap their heads around just from theoretical concepts and states of the universe. Of course, when it comes to magic, bypassing the known laws of the universe is a given." Flint glared off to the side. "Though, I do have a pretty good idea of some of the complicated stuff since my last fight with Zaros…"

Medusa smiled. "Well, it seems you three have a lot to plan for. I suggest using this free time devise a strategy and get some training in. You're going to need all the prep time you can get."

Flint huffed through his nose, then stood up. "Sounds like a plan." He turned to the girls. "Since we're going into this blind, how about we think up every possible counter we can to some of the spells Cicely likely knows? After that, we can work on the physical stuff."

Gwyn grinned. "I'm in."

"Same," Ambrosine said.

Flint smiled at Andre. "Do you want to come and watch, Andre?"

The Thievul yawned and curled up on the ground, wrapping his tail around himself. "I've been working my paws off the last several days. I'm taking a much-deserved nap."

"Suit yourself." He nodded at the girls, then they walked off into the forest.

"We'll have dinner ready when you three get back!" Medusa called out.

Venus pouted. "You mean I will have dinner ready when they get back."

"And you make it so well, sweetheart." Medusa slithered into the house, but stopped short of the entrance.

Venus tilted her head. "Granny?"

Andre opened one eye and looked the frozen Serperior over. "Hey, old lady? You good?"

Medusa narrowed her closed eyes. She saw visions through the oasis. Blurred, static, and unclear. A sensation no different to when the bird Pokémon sense an oncoming disaster even before it starts, or reminiscent of the legends casted around the noble Absol and their ability to determine a preordained disaster. The magic coursing through the plants transmitted such a sensation through the elder witch, spelling doubt of what is to come from unclear sight.

Was it a false alarm? Was there trouble brewing at the border of the oasis, perhaps a group of bandits? Or was a fate of reckoning rearing its ugly head?

"Venus." Her voice was chilling, yet soft.

Venus blinked. "Yeah?"

"…Would you mind playing inside for a little while? Same for you, Andre."

Andre stood up. "Are there bandits nearby?"

"I'm just going to check around the perimeter for a bit. If there are bandits, rest assured that I can easily dispatch with them." She pointed her staff at the fox. "Be a dear and keep an eye on my granddaughter. If there's trouble, take her down the stone path in the backyard. You'll both be safe there."

Andre frowned. "Lady, you're kind of freaking me out."

Medusa smiled. "Then hope it is just bandits. I'll be back in an hour. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge." She turned and slithered on her way.

Andrew glared. "That woman gives me the creeps, I swear." He looked down sheepishly at Venus. "Err, no offense, kid."

Venus narrowed her eyes worriedly. "Granny sensed something bad. Really bad."

"You can tell?"

"Mmhmm."

Andre looked back the way Medusa left, frowned, then gently pushed Venus toward the house with his tail. "C-Come on, kid. Best we get inside. I can help you make lunch or something."

"O…Okay."

"…They've noticed us."

Isidore turned to her Heliolisk coven companion as she stared out toward the Oasis Zone. "What are you talking about?"

"I sensed the spirits calling out, warning me of a presence that foretells our own." Chantal turned to Isidore, eyes filled with lifelessness. "There's a powerful force there. Not a god like Belladonna, but something truly terrifying."

Isidore glared. "Hard not to take that seriously. Still, you worry too much. We're only here for one thing. We'll be in and out before anything happens." She smirked over to their shadowy compatriot, the short humanoid figure cladded in silver armor who also stared out toward the Oasis Zone. "I'm sure you'll be more than enough muscle to eviscerate our enemies, War, so long as you keep Gwyn Belladonna in one piece. Even if we don't find Callista, Gwyn's an essential component to her grand design."

War narrowed her eyes. "As long as I get to slaughter the rest, I don't care."

"That's the spirit." Isidore spun her staff as she checked the sun's position. "Speaking of, we've given the boys enough time to prep." She pointed the staff behind her and, with a snap of her tail's fingers, opened an inky black vortex into space.

Stepping out from the vortex were Barrett and Reuben, one juggling a knife in his hand and the other fiddling with the mask covering half his face. The mask had a red crystal imbedded into the eyehole.

"Cute costume, Reuben," Isidore teased.

The Alolan Sandshrew hissed at her, then finished adjusting the mask. "I finally got around to fixing my face after what that bastard, Flint, did to me. You said he's here, right?"

"And blissfully unaware of our arrival, yes."

Reuben grinned. "Good. I've got a bone to pick with him."

"Keep your petty squabbles to yourself," Barrett chastised, stepping forward beside Chantal. "Aeternus wants us to get a special plant that grows in this place. He needs it to complete the Shadow King's revival."

"How's that going, by the way?" Isidore asked.

"He's been better," Reuben grumbled. "Between making new puppets and fixing up the Shadow King, I've barely had a moment's rest." He glared toward the oasis. "Once we get that plant, it'll all be worth it, and maybe I can get back to just making new puppets."

"Speaking of," War spoke up, flashing her jet black claws at the shrew. "You have our first wave ready, right?"

Reuben smirked. "Naturally. Isidore, if you would be a dear? We simply must have a bigger entrance way than this dinky portal."

The Ambipom twirled her staff, pointed it at the portal, then enlarged it with a snap of her tail fingers. "There you go. A grand entrance for your toys."

Reuben laughed aloud. "Then, shall we begin?" He clicked his claws.

Glowing red eyes pierced through the inky darkness of the portal. A synchronized march of feet stomped out into the sandy terrain. With but a gesture, Reuben signaled them toward the patch of greenery standing ahead. Groans and whirs of compliance came from the undead army as they advanced on the oasis, preparing the hidden weapons stored in their bodies.

"I'll draw in their attention, while you guys focus on snuffing out Team Ravenfield," Reuben said. "Capture Gwyn, slaughter the rest, and claim the Nightshade's Lament."

Barrett caught his knife and stashed it away in his robe. "Give me a few minutes and I'll have those berries before you know it."

"Enough talk," War grumbled as she followed the puppet army. "Only kill."

Isidore shrugged and waved the coven along. "You heard the little lady. Let's greet our old chums. We have so much to catch up on." The witches smirked and advanced toward the Oasis Zone.

Time to remind Team Ravenfield of who was in charge of the world.

Flint, Gwyn, and Ambrosine sat together in a circle, drawing up plans and putting their heads together to devise strategies to combat Cicely. Though ten minutes of planning had gone by, it was mostly ramblings to fill the silent air. Flint did most of the talking since he was their only real expert on time magic, regardless of how limited his knowledge was.

"I know of the spell that allows one to perceive and move through stopped time. It's the improved version of my Time Halt." Flint sighed. "Sadly, I don't know how to perform it, so I'm not much help in that department."

"Could you learn?" Gwyn asked.

"I mean, if I put in the effort, naturally. I just didn't have the time or need since I don't run into a whole lot of people who use time magic…save for Zaros," he grumbled.

Ambrosine looked at the spells written out in the dirt. "Some of these are the ones Zaros used back in the underground cave, right?"

"Tempus Point and Temporal Destruction, yeah," Flint said. He pointed at Tempus Point. "This is the improved version of my spell, which offers some handy modifiers like that Skip ability. Sending everyone five seconds forward through time and rendering all our actions null is pretty powerful. And just withering things to dust with Temporal Destruction is cause for concern."

"Cicely wouldn't use that on us, right?" Ambrosine muttered.

"This late in the game, I doubt it."

Gwyn crossed her arms and whined. "Time magic is so confusing, and this is just the bare minimum of what we know."

"Believe me, the scholars who practiced this stuff would share the same opinion as you." Flint looked up and tried to think of other spells. "I've heard of some techniques called Time Traps, though I doubt Cicely would use one."

"What's Time Trap?" Ambrosine asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like. It locks you into time for a predetermined amount of time, and they can be frighteningly effective at ending fights. For instance, I've heard of one such usage a long time ago where a time mage trapped a murderer in an impenetrable bubble of time. To us, the spell only lasted a couple seconds. But to the murderer…well, according to the accounts by the mage, he wouldn't have been able to age, sleep, starve, or anything. He was just trapped there, unchanging, with only his mind. The world around him was frozen, and he was rooted to a single spot. Lowball estimate, he's been there for a year or two. Highball estimate, uh…the lifespan of the universe?"

"Holy freakin' Mew, that's messed up," Ambrosine gasped.

"I second that," Gwyn mumbled.

"To be fair, that would take an insane amount of magic to pull off. Even the lowball is pushing it." Flint shrugged. "The other use, however, is creating alternate timelines to trap your victim in. Something of a merciful version of the regular Time Trap, as you can trap them in their own dream world. Never actually seen one before."

Ambrosine sighed. "The more we talk about this, the more worried I become about fighting Cicely. Medusa said she's tricky, and now I'm beginning to see why."

"Well, we don't know what she could use for our trial. That's the whole point. Time magic isn't quite that flexible with variations like spatial magic. Sorcerers are still trying to figure out ways to time travel with magic. The working theory—"

"Too much magic?" Gwyn guessed.

"Bingo."

Ambrosine leaned back on her hands. She more or less zoned out as Flint blathered about temporal sorcery and the numerous theories surrounding the practice and applications. Bunch of boring nerd talk she didn't have the mental capacity to meaningfully retain. Instead, she turned her focus to the sky and decided on counting the clouds. Something fun could come from that, right?

Of course, thoughts of fighting one of the Mages of Origin itched at her brain. Each member of Team Ravenfield has had at least one chance to fight a mage on their own. Not so much the Espeon, Ella, though she was on her way to face one, so it still counted. Ambrosine, being the most recent member to the group, hadn't had the chance to prove herself among her peers. They each had their strengths to take on powerhouses. Ambrosine would just be lucky not to suffer sudden cardiac arrest in the middle of a punch.

What more could she do beyond being the healer? She had useful spells, sure, but what else did she have to contribute?

She breathed a sigh through her nostrils and tried to focus back on the black clouds—

Black…clouds?

Ambrosine narrowed her eyes as the onyx-colored formations rising over the oasis. They seemed too dark to be storm clouds, and they were in the Desert Zone of all places where rain was a once-in-a-lifetime rarity. Her nostrils flared up when she got a whiff of the air. A pungent, alarmingly familiar smell passed through her naval cavities.

"Smoke."

Flint and Gwyn removed themselves from their conversation and faced the stunned Steenee. "What was that?" Flint asked.

"Smoke. Smoke!" Ambrosine repeated louder, pointing up at the sky.

Flint and Gwyn whipped their heads and gasped as a dark cloud covered the sky. Looking ahead, peering through the dense forest, they saw the glow of heat spreading through the foliage.

"What the heck?!" Gwyn cried. "The Oasis Zone is on fire?!"

"We need to find Medusa, now!" Flint yelled. "Maybe she knows how to put it out!"

They nodded in agreement and raced back to the hut.

They just about slid to a stop when they arrived back at the hut, where Andre and Venus stood in the front yard gawking at the smoke towering over their area. "Andre!" Flint called out.

The Thievul snapped from his daze and looked to his friend in a panic. "Dude, what's going on? I looked outside for a moment, then saw this happening!"

Gwyn bent down and held Venus' shoulders. "Venus, where's your grandmother?"

Venus, eyes still locked fearfully on the smoke, pointed out into the forest. "Sh-She sensed something at the border of the Oasis Zone a-and…" She couldn't speak, too preoccupied with the stir of worry flooding her mind.

Flint bared his teeth. "Don't tell me we're being invaded by someone."

"It might be bandits," Ambrosine guessed. "They must've got desperate and attacked the Oasis Zone to salvage supplies."

"It's possible," Flint grumbled. He faced Andre and ordered, "Andre, get Venus to safety, now. We'll look for Medusa and see if we can drive off the bandits."

"I'll do something about the fire," Gwyn said, pulling out a handful of potions. "Let's see, these should be the right ones…" She handed potions off to Flint and Ambrosine. "These are what I use to put out fires during potion experiments. Give them a good shake and they'll cover a wider area.

"It's the best we got. We'll have to split up and cover more ground." Everyone nodded, then broke off into the forest.

Andre picked Venus up and set her on his back. "Let's go hide out where your grandma told us to go, squirt. Hold on tight." Venus clutched his fur and lay down as Andre sped off around the hut, following the pathway to the hidden grove.

With the aid of his Celestial Guardian, Flint chucked the vials into the raging inferno after giving them a hard shake per Gwyn's instructions. The vials shattered on impact with the trees and exploded into a huge white foam that completely doused the flames, snuffing out any oxygen for them to burn.

Flint looked around at the continuous flames, then counted the remaining vials in his possession. Not enough to put out so much fire. He nodded to himself, then called on his Guardian. "Time Halt! Blow the flames apart with your punches!"

The world turned monochrome. The Guardian lunged forward and pummeled through the still flames, blowing them to pieces. Flint had the Guardian target any trees that were burning and rip off the tainted parts. He prepped the vials for the flames on the ground.

Once time resumed, chunks of flaming debris cleared from the trees and added to the burning ground. Flint chucked a couple vials, instantly dousing the flames in the white foam.

He sighed, then surveyed the area again. There was still lots of fire, but the immediate area was at least safe. "What I wouldn't give for a sudden rain shower right now." He sighed and started for the next patch of flames.

His ears twitched, picking up on a clicking sound, then tumbled back as a laser nearly grazed his nose clean off. He fell on his back, but instinctively called upon his Guardian to stand guard.

"Who's there?!" Flint yelled in the bushes. "Show yourself, now!"

"So rude, Ravenfield. So very rude."

Flint's eyes nearly popped from his skull. "Oh…Oh shit…"

The bushes parted. Reuben and Chantal stepped into the open, one grinning like a loon and the other standing by stoically. Reuben fiddled with his half mask. Its red lens glowed with heat. "Fancy seeing you again, Ravenfield. It's been forever."

"Reuben!" Flint growled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, business as usual. Collecting items for our boss and, you know, exterminating unwanted pests." Reuben fired a laser from his mask.

Flint's Guardian raised his hand and bounced the laser off its palm. Flint glared around the crystal humanoid and said, "You know, I'm not one to cause injuries that would cripple someone, but I'm willing to make an exception with you."

Reuben snickered through his growing smirk. "Oh, Zaros has told us plenty of how much he wants you dead. Sadly, he'll have to wait in line. At least he wasn't beaten to a bloody pulp in his last encounter with you."

Flint hissed. "I can bash around the other side of your face so it matches."

"Hmm, a tempting offer, but…" Reuben clicked his fingers.

Flint's eyes widened. Red eyes pierced through the vegetation, gleaming down on his still body from all sides. He heard the whirs and clicks of mechanical pieces realigning themselves, preparing some hidden weapon installed by the mad puppet master himself.

Reuben grinned at Flint's horrorstricken expression. "I'd rather return the favor. Fair's fair, right?"

Ambrosine wound up her arm and chucked the fire retardant potions into the flames, sputtering them out into harmless smoke. Well, as harmless as smoke can get compared to fire. Still, there was so much more that a single Steenee couldn't hold out against on her own. She only had so many potions provided by Gwyn, and healing magic wasn't quite as effective when dealing with active infernos.

She chewed delicately on the bottom of the vial, analyzing the flames and the rate they were spreading. "I suppose I could utilize some surgery magic to separate the burning pieces. Not exactly a live Pokémon, but it'll do for now."

She put the vials away and clasped her hands together, concentrating on summoning the medical tendrils to cut out the infections around her. Of course, once she did cut everything, it would become a matter of disposing of the flaming debris somewhere less flammable. Perhaps a ditch in the ground.

Right as the spell began to manifest, Ambrosine spotted something from the corner of her eye. They shrank to the size of pinpricks as a magenta ball of flame came hurling towards her, torching the grass beneath it. Ambrosine jumped back and closed her eyes as the fireball grazed off her sleeves. It slammed into a tree, which cried out in pain. A black mark filled with magenta heat singed into the side.

Ambrosine caught her breath, checked her heart to make sure it was still functionally properly, then turned to her assaulter as they appeared from the bushes.

Ambrosine's eyes widened, instantly recognizing the Ambipom with the wooden staff and robes. "You!"

Isidore slammed her staff down and grinned. "Ms. Lifeblood, what a pleasant surprise. Decided to ditch your pirate friends, I see. A fine choice."

Ambrosine stepped back, instinctively reaching for her knife case. "What are you doing here? Come to kill us off for good?"

"Believe it or not, that's just the bonus." Isidore pointed her staff at the quivering Steenee. "But no, we're here for something a bit more…necessary for our conquest. We put in a lot of work running this region into the ground. Friends and neighbors turning on each other, abandoning dignity for survival. Such beautiful chaos, don't you agree?"

Ambrosine found her snarky side coming out, if only to quell the turmoil in her quaking legs. "C-Chaos is right. How are you fools coming along? Last I recall, you're missing a few of your top dogs. And wasn't your precious king turned into a jigsaw puzzle last time? Y-Yeah, you're definitely running everything into the ground, including yourselves."

Isidore's eyes narrowed into something venomous. "You've got some cheek there." She reached inside her sleeve. "I should be searching for that cursed berry, but what's a few minutes of slaughter to pass the time?"

She tossed pellets onto the ground, which exploded in a burst of magic. Appearing from the smoke was Isidore's monkey-like, stone flunkies, hollering and hooting as they inched toward a fearful Ambrosine.

"If you want some advice, my medical friend," Isidore taunted, standing tall on her handy tails. "You should've stayed dead with your brother."

While Flint and Ambrosine only had the vials to work with, Gwyn had the entire oasis to help save itself. She conjured fat roots from the ground packed tightly with water from the nearby streams, and used them to snuff out the flames in what could only be described as snake-like hugs. They constricted around the trees and smothered the flames into submission. In the stroke of one move, Gwyn wiped out the flames of the entire area around her and then some.

Gwyn glared further ahead to the growing flames coming from the oasis perimeter. "Hopefully Flint and Ambrosine are fairing better on their own." She swiped her hand and sent out more vines to the faraway trees.

Suddenly, whips of black energy sprung from around a tree and instantly lacerated the vines to ribbons. Gwyn gasped as the black tendrils flailed speedily through the trees, reducing them into splinters in mere seconds. One tendril dart straight at her, but she conjured some vines in time to catch it. It did little to hold it in place, however, as the flailing tendril easily shredded the snare to shreds.

Gwyn jumped back right as the tendril broke free. "Shadows?!"

The tendril retracted, where its owner stepped out into the light. A short humanoid figure cladded with silver armor limb bracers, chest plate, and helmet with red plumage swaying on top. Her entire body was coated in a layer of darkness with her piercing red eyes focused on Gwyn.

The warrior flexed her claws, which shifted impatiently into various sharp, dangerous forms, each more bloodthirsty than the last. "Target acquired," she mumbled. "Gwyn Belladonna. Priority of target: capture."

Gwyn grabbed her thorn whip, not taking her eyes off the gladiator. "Who…are you?"

"I am War. I am the unending conflict and violence. I am bloodlust incarnate." The gladiator shaped her claws into a shadow blade. "I am the inevitable of Pokémon."

Gwyn smiled nervously. "Riiiiight. Well, you don't look that terrifying. I've dealt with plenty of shadows and their fancy armaments."

War narrowed her eyes. With a flick of her arm, the blade ignited with scarlet flame. Cracks of heat crisscrossed through her shadowy skin, like molten lava brimming through volcanic rock.

Gwyn's eyes shrank. "Oh…wow, you really know how to make first impressions, don't you?"

Andre finally caught his breath once he reached the secret grove. He dropped Venus off on the pentagram-shaped earth, then collapsed onto his stomach. He hadn't run that fast or urgently in his life. He wanted to get Venus to safety as quickly as possible, so he pushed himself harder than necessary.

"Okay, as long as the others keep the threat detained by the perimeter, we should be fine here," Andre reasoned. He sat up and shook his head. "All this crazy…how does Flint put up with this in an afternoon?"

He turned to Venus, who stared out over the horizon of the trees, frowning at the orange glow illuminating in the distance. Andre frowned, then gently wrapped his tail around her.

"Don't worry, kid, everything will be alright."

"I'm worried about Granny," she murmured.

Andre smirked. "She's a tough old lady. I'm sure she can handle herself, despite how batshit crazy she looks."

Venus gulped, staring worriedly at her feet. "I sense dark forces encroaching on this land. This…This is what Granny was sensing."

Andre patted her head. "Hey, bandits are pretty rough fellows, but I wouldn't call them members of the dark forces or any—"

"No, these aren't bandits," she muttered. Her eyes widened in fear. "This is something…tainted. Something vile and malnourished. Starved of light and hope. Polluted by sin."

"Uh, what?"

"Witches."

"But…you're a witch," Andre pointed out.

"No. Those witches. The false witches."

Andre narrowed his eyes. "The ones that…tainted witchcraft? Wait, are you saying they're—"

SNAP!

"Someone's here!" Venus cried.

Though the Espurr's sixth sense greatly surpassed anything Andre could do, his reflexes were sharper. He pushed Venus and himself to the ground and narrowly avoided the knife whizzing over their heads. It embedded itself into a tree.

Andre stood up, gawked at the knife for a second, then turned to the attacker as he stepped out from behind the bushes. A Lombre dressed in dark robes, clutching a handful of knives in his claws.

"Well, this is disappointing. My cohorts are probably off fighting actual threats while I'm stuck with the baby and the normie." Barrett flipped a knife into the air and caught it in his teeth, holding it like a toothpick. "I was hoping to kill the witch who guards this place, not a couple of pedestrians."

Andre pushed Venus behind himself and stood guard. He put on a brave face and said, "Buddy, I've got more muscle in my tail than you have on that string bean body of yours. Turn around now or I'll show you how we make chakrams with those twig arms of yours."

Barrett smirked. "How utterly dull. Do you think I'll waste my time duking it out with a meathead like you? All you brawny types are the same." He flashed his knives, showing off the blood symbols glowing in an ominous purple light. "I prefer the more artful methods of combat."

Before Andre could retort, he felt Venus quivering helplessly onto his hindleg. He hesitantly looked over his shoulder, mostly because he didn't want to take his eyes of the psychotic witch, then gasped.

The tree that was struck with Barrett's knife shriveled up and rotted into a putrid mess before collapsing into a pile of deathly decay. It was a strange, uncomfortable mix of dust and disgusting slush that looked too similar to rotten flesh. Even the smell burned his nostrils. He wrapped his tail around Venus' face, both to hide the sight and to cover her nose from the offending aroma.

"The Curse of Rot," Barrett explained, regaining the Thievul's attention. "No matter what it is, it'll deform into something like that. Oh, you should've seen the bodies I've experimented on with that particular curse." His cruel grin stretched into something more psychotic. "Men, women, children, artificial Pokémon, aquatic, you name it. And I have plenty more to show off."

Venus had tears in her eyes. She clutched tightly to Andre's fur while he tried his hardest not to break down into tears of his own. As much as he wanted to panic, he had to stay strong for Venus and keep her safe at all costs.

"You know something," Barrett brought up, "maybe this won't be so boring after all."

Venus shivered as he felt those cruel eyes falling onto her. That grin would haunt her nightmares for years.

"You're no elder witch, but you'll have to do for now." He flashed his knives, chuckling excitedly. "So, let's make some corpses, friends~!"