Author's note: Because of finals and the holidays I won't be writing the next chapter during December.
Wayward Woods F5
As the light faded I was ecstatic to find me and Jules in a room full of various items. TMs, cloths, and other items were scattered across the opening as well as a single pathway out of it.
"Look like we hit a jackpot Jules!" I said but when I turned to Jules I saw them with water tail ready to be used.
"Alex we aren't alone!" Jules yelled. I turned back around and saw several Pokemon dropping from the trees and landing across the opening, six by my count.
"We're in a monster house, we're going to have to fight our way out." They said as they rushed to strike a Pidgey with their tail. An Eevee was near me and it decided to charge at me. As it got near me I pounced at it and bit into it. I sunk my teeth into it deep, enough that it felt like my fangs punctured it. I saw another Pidgey flying towards me and decided to throw the Eevee at it. I missed, but the Pidgey lost its aim and flew away from me. The Eevee I threw seamed to be knocked out so I focus onto the Pidgey that flew away and saw it going to strike Jules instead.
"Jules Look o-!" I yelled before I got tackled to the ground by an Azumarill. As I was on the ground it struck me with a powerful spray of water. As I worked on getting back up I saw it going to strike me again, before a storm of leafs struck it first. I saw it get knocked back into a corner of the opening and didn't get back up. I looked around and saw Jules coming to me, while another Eevee and a Pokemon I don't recognize run away down an opening. Uh, I feel sore.
"Alex, eat this." Jules said as they handed me an oran berry with their tail. I take it and eat it, but for the moment I still feel sore from the Azumarill's attacks.
"Come on, let's collect the loot here and move on." They said.
As I followed them to help out the various items into the satchel I started to feel much better, the oran berry must be working now. As we get the items into the satchel I think to myself what I need to work on for later missions. The first thing that came to me was that I need to work on paying attention to my surroundings. I should've heard the Azumarill coming at me. Other than that I should consider what move to replace when I get the chance. Once we finish collecting the items we head down the pathway to search for the stairs.
"You did well back there Alex." Jules said. "I wasn't expecting a monster house back there, they're rare in this dungeon."
"What's a monster house, exactly?" I asked.
"Several Pokemon set up a trap with valuable items to lure other Pokemon into a room and attack all at once to steal anything from the Pokemon that fell for it." Jules explained as we kept moving down the pathway. "However due to the nature of mystery dungeons it's been known that there's a chance you can appear appear in the middle of one when going to the next level of a dungeon, or for the stairs to the next level to be in a monster house. But if you know what you're doing or have the right items you can knock out all the Pokemon in it and take the items for yourself."
"Such as what we just did." I said as I flashed a grin at Jules.
"Mhm! We'll have to look at exactly what we got back at the guild, but we I'm sure several of the items will be something you'll find useful." Jules said more cheerful than normal tone.
As we exit the pathway and into another opening we see the last stairs of the dungeon and with it came relief that I'm going to pass this. I did have some nervousness as we approached it, like when you see something that is too convenient and fear it might be a trap. But I was relieved that no Pokemon came into the opening as we reached the stairs. I place a paw onto them and a flash of light obscures my vision.
Deep Wayward Woods
When the flash of light went away I found myself in a massive meadow with a massive tree in the center of it. It was as massive as a Redwood tree but the bark and leaves it had made it look like an Oak tree. Surrounding it was several exposed stones that didn't appear to form a patter of any kind. I found myself memorized by my surroundings. It's like a holy site that nature made for itself, something that man could only wish to make. I feel like I could be here for hours and not notice time moving by.
"Alex over here!" Jules yelled. "The stone is over here!"
When Jules called out my name I felt like I was broken out of from a daydream in the middle of class. But after realized what they said I went over to them by one of the exposed stones. On it was a stone about the size of a grape with a noticeable shine to it.
"Let's get it into the satchel then." I said. "Uh, by the way. Do we have to go back through the mystery dungeon to get out?" It just occurred to me that this was a question I should've asked at some point before we entered it.
"We don't." Jules said as their tail worked to open the satchel. "When we exit this area we appear back from where we entered."
I nod my head in response as I scoot the stone closer to Jules. "Okay."
Jules used their tail to grab it and put it into the satchel and once they closed it. I gave my surrounding one more look before I followed them to a gap in the trees surrounding us. I keep my eyes to the sky as we walk under an archway of branches and after a few seconds I saw the sky turn back to a clear and sunny sky. When I looked in front of me I saw the road we took to get here, and when I turned back I saw the same way I entered from. I still find it kind of unsettling how the environment can change instantly without a sound.
Wayward Woods' Entrance
"Tell me I'm not the only one who's unnerved that the environment around mystery dungeons changes that quickly." I said.
"You're not." Jules said. "Many humans feel the same way at first, but they get used to it after some time. But anyways, lets go back to the guild. You must be hungry by now."
Jules were right, I could use something to eat besides apples. I followed behind them as we left Wayward Woods behind us. As we walked I kept thinking to myself as to what I'll be seeing and doing in this world. The sight back in the heart of Wayward Woods was awe inspiring, and I wonder what other places here can reproduce the same feeling.
The walk back to the guild seamed different, I noticed more bird Pokemon flying in the sky and the wind was beginning to strengthen. However this feeling, it's one of fear and anticipation. The anticipation was something I was already feeling for the last half hour or so, that this world will be much more calm than mine after it went through multiple Weltkriegs in the last seventy years. But this extra feeling of fear was nagging in the back of my mind and I couldn't figure out why. Nothing seamed wrong, no signs of me and Jules being stalked, just nothing out of the ordinary from the looks of it. This feeling kept following me as we get closer to the guild.
Then the headache came back again. It started off light before suddenly making me feel like my head was being crushed. It kept getting worse, it turned into the feeling of my head being drilled into. I let out a yelp and next thing I knew I was on the ground with my front paws on my forehead in a pointless attempt to try to stop the pain. When Jules yelled at me I couldn't respond. I could move my mouth but it was like I had no vocal cords, nothing came out, not even a scream or yelp.
"It will be over soon."
That voice, it's the same one that I heard on the way to here. When I looked around to see the source I saw Jules and something behind them moving into view, and that's the last thing I can remember. I blacked out, I think? I can't recall anything else between that point and when I found myself waking up inside a building. In front of me I saw Orei and June watching over me when I began to regain awareness of my surroundings.
"What happened?" I asked to them. I almost had to force out the last word because of the lingering headache.
"Jules dragged you back here after what happened with you." June said. "It seams that your case of Void's Call was stronger than most Absols have."
"Void's wha-" I was bewildered from what June was talking about, but before I could finish my question I saw something else come into a view. It was another Absol, but it looked like a shadow and had glowing red eyes.
"Stop talking to them." They said, but for some reason no one else seamed to notice them.
"I am sure someone explained to you about what dark types can do, but not how they can do things like block out physics from reading your mind." Orei said as she approached me. "The mind of dark types have two consciousnesses, yours which controls your body and another independent and malevolent entity that can speak only to you and only you can see which gives you your dark type abilities."
"If they ask questions don't answer them." The entity demanded.
"It can't harm you now that you can see it, but it will be an annoyance until you learn to control it." Orei explained. "Has it made any demands from you yet?" She asked.
"Yes, it has. It doesn't want me t-"
"I said to not answer their questions!" The enraged entity yelled at me as they approached me with a glare in their eyes.
"I will assume that it yelled at you or did something else to get you to stop." Orei said. "I have a few things I wish for you to try and practice on to help with controlling it."
"Don't believe them, any of them! They know nothing about what I can do to help!" The entity said loudly. Hopefully Orei is right and whatever it is she wants me to do can get this entity to stop talking at the least.
"There is a meditation method that can help you control it." Orei said. "We can start with that and see if you need anything else."
"I'm part of you, I know what's best for you. Their advice is worthless." The entity said.
"Is there a way for me to talk to it?" I asked Orei, I want to try telling it to stop talking.
"There are two ways." Orei explained. "One is to talk normally, but seeing you seemingly talking to yourself is viewed as strange. The other way is to talk to it by thinking at it so only it can hear you."
"Thank you Orei." I said. "Now listen, whatever you are. Stop telling me what to do." I thought at the entity to see if it would respond.
"You're making a mistake. They offer little besides food and shelter, which you can get on your own easily." It said.
"They have more than that. I don't know what you want from me, but I'm not going to let you get it." I hope I don't have to do anything too strange to get it to stop.
"This isn't over. Expect me again." It said before it faded out of view.
"Whenever you are ready Alex, follow me and I can teach you the meditation method." Orei said.
I got up from where I was laying down and followed Orei. "What was the headaches about?" I asked. "I kept getting them before it showed itself."
"That was it connecting itself to your mind so it can manifest itself into your view and to communicate with you." Orei explained. "It is something all dark types go through, but not all try to control it once it's able to talk with you. Some coexist with it, but those who do often become a bandit."
"What will I be doing with this meditation method?" I asked.
"You will be building a mental wall to prevent it from interacting with you." She explained. "You will need to spend at least an hour per day doing it, preferably longer."
We near a doorway into another room that's behind a curtain.
"Enter, and we can start it." Orei said.