Showdown Arc: Found

"Do you hear anything?" Gardevoir wanted to know.
"No, not a thing. My hearing isn't even close to what it normally is..." Absol replied. "And it's really annoying...",
"Hm." Gardevoir continued walking unperturbed. "If you see someone, just punch them in the face like you normally do.",
"Yeah... I will. Now stop bossing me around!",
"It's funny though.",
"It's absolutely not!",
"Keep your voice down!"
Absol contorted his face. "..."

"I don't like the silence," Mari commented as they continued walking through the fog. "Well... I'll take it and be glad", Jacky replied, sniffing the air. "That means nothing is around. Oh dear, I feel so stupid...",
"I just imagine Absol running around in your body all the time," Mari admitted. "I could really laugh non-stop at that!"
Jacky gave her a look. "I think that idea is kind of weird. There's a male inside my body! Ewwww..."
Mari laughed. "Hahahah...",
"Shhht!" Jacky hissed in alarm. Mari winced. "Sorry."

They continued to walk, or float, until Mari suddenly stopped. "Did you... see that?", "What?",
"Something just flickered."
Jacky looked around and narrowed her eyes. "...You're right... Yes, there is someone here. No, lots of someones. We..." She gulped as they found themselves in the middle of a circle of shadows. "...are surrounded!"

The shadows stepped out of the mist and Jacky's eyes snapped open. "W-what... Mom?!" One of the people in the mist had blonde hair pinned up and pale gray eyes. "By Arceus, what kind of mind game is this?"
Mari looked around. She recognized the figures of Yuna, Soleil, and Kattlea, as well as that of gym leader Elesa. And... Laslow. The boy stood in front of them with his arms crossed. "These are illusions", she said. When Jacky spotted Laslow, her breath got stuck in her throat. "Did he... get captured by Hypno, too?",
"What? Him? Nah, I don't think so... he seems too smart to me for that.",
"Long time no see", he said quietly. His voice had lost all warmth and his eyes were almost glowing. Next to him appeared the shadow of his Houndoom. "But the game ends here." Jacky stared at him. "Las...low...",
"What? Did you swallow your tongue? Admittedly, seeing you in the body of a Pokémon is very amusing.",
"He would never talk like that...",
"Oh, our last meeting seems so far in the past already!" Soleil said. "All the more wonderful to see you! With bleeding heart, lost in the eternal darkness; in the eternal dream! The poison of this place will contaminate your heart and drive you mad!",
"Enough of the welcoming speeches." Laslow waved it off. Elesa stepped forward. "You are not strong enough to fight your way through. You'll be trapped in this nightmare forever.", "We'll see about that when the time comes," Mari replied. Laslow just laughed, "Playing tough won't do you any good either..." He stroked the fur of his Houndoom. "Houndoom... You have new toys to play with."
The hellhound growled and attacked. Jacky narrowed her eyes. "Those are just illusions... They're just illusions..." She jumped forward and her sickle suddenly lit up brightly. She jumped up and wrenched her blade across the illusion, which instantly dissipated. "You're not real!" Jacky threw her head around and let blades shoot into the crowd. Mari raised her arms and sent a Shadow Ball at Laslow, whose illusion dissipated. "Oh... Shadow Ball is easier to do than Focus Blast, apparently."

They struggled through and the illusions disappeared. "Hah... hah... Well... I'd say... Hypno won't get us that way." Mari stated with satisfaction.
"Hmhm." Jacky nodded. "Using Laslow against me... how mean!"
Mari laughed out. "Yes, indeed. I wonder what will happen when you see the original again. Will you faint?",
"This really isn't the time for this, Mari!",
"Pity..." Mari waved it off. "I was just trying to lighten the mood." Then she paused. "...",
"What's wrong?",
"Do you feel it too?",
"What?",
"That energy. The energy of a... keystone. I'm sure that's what it is... If it is... maybe Gardevoir and Absol are nearby!",
"True... Now that you mention it... if so, we'll have to fight our way through!",
"On it." Mari nodded. The two sprinted, or rather floated,off.

Soon, they almost ran into someone. "Whoa!" Mari slowed down before crashing into herself, or rather, Gardevoir. "We found you guys! Thank Arceus!"
Gardevoir smiled. "Looks like it, yeah.",
"Where's Absol?" Jacky wanted to know.
"He went ahead. He's embarrassed by your body."
Jacky had to laugh. "Uh...",
"Come on, let's go see him." Gardevoir waved at them and then led them both to Absol. When he saw them coming, he smiled. "You're all right, thank Arceus.",
"So it seems." Mari nodded. "Uh... Do any of you have any idea how we can switch our bodies again?",
"No, no idea." Absol shook his head. "What are we supposed to do now? Were you guys attacked?",
"Yes, by ghosts that looked like people we know. But they're gone again, don't worry.",
"Now that we're together again, it'll be much better anyway," Gardevoir thought. "We have to find our way out of here."

Absol looked at Jacky. "Ican't believe it, when did I get so good looking?"
Jacky laughed and nudged him with her paw. "And since when did you get so smug?",
"I'm not smug at all. I just want to be me again... nothing against your body, but I'm not used to two-legged walking or clothes on my body. Or holding hands with others," he glanced briefly at Gardevoir, who gave him an indignant look, "...though maybe that's what I'd least want to give up..."
Gardevoir shook her head. "At least we can talk to our trainers that way. Or rather, you can. I've always been able to do that, after all.",
"For me, this is the first time her and I have spoken the same language." Absol tilted his head. "But in a way... we've always understood each other."
Gardevoir eyed the keystone on her arm. "Hm..." Then she tapped it. It shimmered slightly. "I like that. That's nice. Do you want to touch it, Mari?" she then asked. Mari nodded and touched the keystone as Gardevoir held out her arm. "Oh, it's warm. And... HUH?!" Suddenly, light enveloped the two. When it faded, they had exchanged bodies. Mari looked down at herself excitedly. "Yay, I'm me again!"
Jacky looked at her, befuddled. "...That... was kind of easy...",
"And pure coincidence." Mari laughed. "Thank keystone! You guys should probably do that too! Not that Absol ends up sinking into the ground from embarrassment."
Absol nodded and tapped the keystone of his mega bracelet before Jacky did the same and they exchanged bodies as well. Jacky breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew... That feels so good..." Mari laughed. "Yeah, that's right! That would solve the problem! Then, we should hurry up and get out of here..." She paused and looked in a certain direction. "...Forget what I said."
Jacky looked in the same direction and recognized Hypno's silhouette in the mist. "Well, well, well... We've reached our destination."