Hopi did some shopping for supplies, Oran berries, tiny reviver seeds and the like. Afterwards they headed to Tiny Maple Wood.
"Are you nervous, Ava?" Hannah asked.
"..is it really that obvious?"
"Well, for me yes, since one, I'm stuck to you, and two you're shaking so bad My brain is vibrating."
"Oh, sorry." Ava couldn't control how her body was reacting to the situation.
"Listen, Ava. Literally and figuratively, I've got your back, nothing will sneak up on us, ok?"
"Yeah, you're right. Thank you, Hannah, I really needed that." Hannah grinned at that, happy she was finally able to be of some use.
"We're here!" Hopi exclaims as they walk up to the entrance to the forest.
"Oh geez.." Ava whispered, seeing some Murkrow and Heracross in the distance.
"Don't worry so much, Ava! I'm here with you!" Hopi exclaimed. "I'll slap them out of the sky with my Iron Tail! They can't beat us!"
"Right, you're right, I can do this!" Ava seemed much more confident with Hopi with them.
They headed in with confidence, Ava was brave, but still ran from the Murkrow as they saw them, Ava desperate to find the entrance to the next area. Hopi meanwhile was doing as she said, Whipping the Murkrow out of the sky with her tail.
Ava somehow ended up with Heracross surrounding her and Hannah, she was unsure what to do for a moment.
"I-I've never fought before..!" Ava admitted to Hannah.
"Everything's going to be ok, just decide on a move to use and attack!" Ava nodded.
She bit down on the Heracross in front of her, but nothing happened, behind her however, she her a loud chomp sound followed by a whirring. She looked behind her in confusion to see Hannah biting the Heracross, with Psychic Fang.
"WHAT?" Ava exclaimed, Hannah looked at where she was currently biting the Heracross, she was using a Pokémon move? How is that possible? She released the injured Heracross, as it flew away in utter confusion.
"How did you do that?" Ava asked.
"I-I don't know!" She pondered for a moment, and came to the realization.
"Ava! I must have half of your moves!"
"How?" Ava asked.
"It must be because we're connected, two real brains!" Hannah theorized.
"Well you two should figure it out quick, I'm on my way but you need to focus!" Hopi yelled from across the way.
"Ok...ok, let's try confusion!" Hannah was starting to get nervous for them, they got to try things so they can get under control. Ava's rounded horns begin to glow, a wave of pink energy smashes into the Heracross in front of her.
"Ok so you have confusion, I'm also assuming you also have tackle, since I can't move"
"That must mean you have Astonish, Hannah!" Hopi exclaimed from across the way.
"Ava, can you run backwards?" Hannah asked.
"I...I can try?" Ava moved forwards, then started running backwards the best she could, and Hannah activated astonish.
"And...STOP!" Hannah directed, Ava stopped in her tracks.
The Heracross that was attacked looked freaked out, it flinched.
"It worked!" Hannah exclaimed.
"Ok good! Now that we know what we're doing, let's finish this up!" Ava got some confidence back.
After some back and forth with Confusion and Psychic Fang, the swarm either flew away, or was knocked out on the forest floor.
"Ava, you did it! You made it through your first battle!" Hopi was hopping up and down around her in excitement. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks, Hopi." Ava smiled a little embarrassed. "I couldn't have done it without you or Hannah."
"Glad we could help!" Hannah added.
"Ok we're one area away from the edge of the forest, he's got to be there somewhere!" Hopi explained.
"Have you been here before, Hopi?" Hannah asked.
"Not really, I just heavily researched every area around the guild, must be cautious in case my first mission was at one, and I was right!"
"You must be pretty serious about this rescuing thing."
"Oh yeah, I've been wanting to be one my whole life! I was rescued by Master Gogoat when she was still a rescuer! I've looked up to her ever since."
"You've never told me that story!" Ava chimed in.
"Hadn't come up, sorry about that, Ava!" She giggled nervously. If Hannah had shoulders she'd shrug.
"You can tell us the story later, we're almost to the end."
They got to the end of the final clearing, no one is there, and it's pretty small. Then Ava hears ruffling of leaves as a green leafy goat attempts to cover themselves in autumn leaves to blend in.
"There he is!" Hopi exclaimed as she bounded over to him, scaring him half to death.
"Ah! Wh-Who are you?" The Goat, presumably Skiddo asked.
"Oh forgive me! I'm Hopi, and this is Ava. You're Aunt requested for us to find you."
"Oh, thank goodness, not going to lie I've been a little lost." The Skiddo replied sheepishly.
"Not to worry, we'll take you back." Ava added. "We'll bring you back safe."
"Thank you both."
The group began it's journey back to the exit, Hannah was eyeing Skiddo closely, something felt...off to her. But she couldn't quite place it. Then the Skiddo leering at the back of Ava's head, Hannah couldn't move, she couldn't scream, she was staring at Skiddo's eyes, unwavering. Then she felt a jolt of pain, something unwanted moving through her veins like a diglett underground. Hannah and Ava screamed louder than ever before, at the same time. Hopi went into panic mode just from hearing it.
"Whoa what's going on?! Are you two ok?!" She looked to Ava and Hannah frantically, they were unable to speak, and have been brought to their knees, behind them was Skiddo, smirking away.
"Skiddo! What did you do?!"
"...Run Hopi!" Hannah breathed out with all her strength.
"I'm not leaving you here!" Hopi ran forward as fast as she could and rammed into Skiddo with a Tackle, Skiddo's disguise poofing away, to reveal a small grey and red fox-like Pokémon in it's place.
"Zorua, so it was you!" Hopi roared.
"What are you going to do about it?" Zorua challenged.
"We'll go back to the guild and-" Hopi was cut off by laughter.
"If you go back now you'll never be a rescuer!" The Zorua mocked. "Soon that Skiddo will be one of us, and you will have failed your one and only mission. Disappointing your idol in the worst possible way!" Zorua laughs again as she throws a Smoke Ball and vanishes.
After a second to huff, she turns to Ava and Hannah in a panic.
"Are you two ok?!"
"No...but, but we will...be if you stay calm..." Hannah replied, Ava had to focus on her breathing to avoid passing out.
"Ok...ok ok, what do I need to do?" Hannah took several deep breaths, trying to lessen the voice cut offs.
"If you bought a Pecha Berry, things would be a lot easier...if not, you'll have to search for one." Hannah explained.
"Ah I knew I missed something..!" Hopi said in frustration.
"Don't beat yourself up, you knew there weren't any poison types in this forest...You couldn't have known this'd happen. Now, you'll have to go searching a bit, Ava and I won't be able to stand, but don't worry, with half of her moves I'll keep her safe."
With a deep breath, Hopi nods.
"Stay safe." She adds as she runs off.
"You too.." Hannah replies quietly.
"If you faint, will I still be awake? Suffering this same pain we're feeling? If you died would I be stuck awake like this forever? I can imagine the feeling, stuck in one place for all eternity...would we become a skeleton or just your half."
"You think...too much..!" Ava breathed out. Which made Hannah laugh a little, at least she was still herself.
Hopi has been running around the forest for quite some time, frantically looking for a Pecha Berry.
"Come on you little berry! Ava's in deep trouble..!" Suddenly she stops in her tracks and stares at a Heracross across the clearing, grabbing a Pecha Berry from a bush nearby.
"Hey! I need that!" Hopi yells to the Heracross, which looks her direction, and charges at her.
"I wouldn't do that!" Hopi turns around as she makes her tail turn into iron, which she then whacks the Heracross with it, making it fling backwards, dropping the berry.
Hopi picks it up and bows her head, and rolls over an Oran Berry.
"Thank you! Here's an Oran Berry for the trouble!" Then she runs off.
Hannah looks up from slouching to see Hopi bounding over.
"Hopi..! Just in time. Ava's on her last leg." Hopi turns to Ava's head and places the Pecha Berry in front of her.
"Here, Ava!" Ava struggled, but managed to eat the berry in time, Hannah perked up instantly.
"Ah, that's much better! I feel wide awake again!" She looks down at Ava. "But it seems she needs a little more time to recover from the poison.
"That's fine with me." Hopi chimed in and looks down at Ava. "Take your time, Ava, we need you at your best if we're going to save Skiddo!" Ava nods silently as she goes to sleep.
"Are you going to nap too?" Hannah asked Hopi.
"Can't. You can't protect both of us with your lack of movement, besides, don't think I could manage it even if I wanted to." Hopi explained in a serious tone.
"Are...are you ok? You seem...different." Hannah pointed out.
"I'm worried about Ava, believe it or not I'm always worried about Ava." Hopi replied.
"Why's that?"
"She's always been skittish, hated even watching a battle between Pokémon. With that view she's been alone most of the time, no one to talk to...I tried a lot to be her friend in the past but..she didn't seem to want anything to do with me." Hopi sighed.
Hannah wasn't sure what to say, the opposite was true with that last remark, Hannah could tell Hopi meant a lot to Ava, but was it her place to say so?
"Anyway!" Hopi chimed in, back to her usual chipper tone. "What's it like being a human?" Hannah was a little shocked by the sudden tone change, but decided to just go along with it.
"Oh um, for me specifically it wasn't the best, but walking and sleeping were pretty nice." Hopi tilted her head.
"Oh um, my parents were...pretty strict, I guess is the best way to put it. You could say I lived in the closet."
"Closet?"
"Ah must be a human-only term, never mind." She laughed nervously. Hopi changed the topic.
"How come you know about Pokémon and don't at the same time?" Hopi asked.
"Oh that's an easy one, for about a year now, I was researching to become a Pokémon trainer, but since I'm doing it secretly, I'm still in the early stages, which is why I don't know many Pokémon aside from the most popular ones." Hannah responded embarrassed.
"Popular ones?" Hopi questioned confused.
"Oh! Yeah that wouldn't make sense would it? The most well known ones are Pikachu and Charizard and such. In my world Pokémon are like a popularity contest." Hopi nodded in slight understanding.
A few minutes later Ava woke up, looking refreshed.
"Ok, are we ready to find Skiddo?" Hannah asked.
"Where do we even start looking?" Ava added, voice raspy from sleep. Hopi pondered for a moment, then looked around, saw something, then bounded over to it.
"I found a cave!" Hopi exclaimed. Ava walked over to her, and looked at the relatively small hole.
"It...looks pretty small." Ava commented.
"True...we'd have to dig it up more before any of us could fit." Hopi agreed.
"Well, guess you guys should get started, who knows how hungry and scared Skiddo must be." Hannah added. "Not to mention she's trying to convert him to her side."
With nods in agreement the duo begun to dig at the hole, after a little while they made it just big enough to squeeze through.
It smelled horrible, it was very damp to boot, but luckily for them, it was relatively short travel distance, and they reached the other side. However Hopi stopped in her tracks before Ava could get out.
"What's wrong?" Ava whispered. "I can't see past you."
"Naturally Zorua wasn't alone in this operation." Hopi whispered back before staying silent, watching her lackeys chat.
"What's taking her so long?" The demon dog asked the ghostly figure.
"I've got no idea man, but she should be back soon." The ghost replied. They both looked in a certain direction, Hopi followed their gaze and saw Skiddo, the real one this time, that she was certain of.
"Yep, Skiddo's here." Hopi whispered to Ava as she watched, Ava nodded silently.
Skiddo was laying in the grass, looking mighty afraid of the two Pokémon before him, they gave him a good stare down before speaking.
"Aren't you honored for the boss to choose you over anyone else?" The ghost asked, Skiddo glared at him.
"She just wants me to get to the guild!" Skiddo replied as a matter of factly.
"That is untrue, Kid." The demon dog chimed in, voice calm and collected. "She's trying to save you. You're in your Aunt's shadow, are you not?" Skiddo looked at the ground.
"Oh no..." Hopi whispered.
"What? What?" Ava asked.
"They hit the most vulnerable spot in his psyche, living in the shadow of his Aunt." Hopi whispered back.
"Shouldn't we charge in there before they say more damage?" Hannah asked.
"I was hoping to wait for Zorua to come back, but that might be a better plan." Hopi agreed. "Let's get in there, but quietly, I want to try a sneak attack." Hopi scuttled out of the hole as silently as possible and snuck behind a tree, Ava mimicking her just as quietly.
The trio got closer and closer, no one has yet to see them, Hannah was honestly surprised. Hopi is gigantically pink and fluffy, but she wasn't going to question it too much, as they're sneaking was working.
When Hopi got close enough, she activated Iron Tail, and slapped the dog across the face. The demon dog went flying a few feet away, he fell to the ground, the ghostly figure hovered over to him.
"Are you ok?" The Demon dog slowly got up after a bit of a huff.
"...Looks like we aren't alone anymore." His voice was gruff and sour he looked around frantically before landing his eyes on the giant pink mareep.
"It's you!" The ghost exclaimed before the dog could. Hopi stood up straight and firm.
"Give Skiddo back!" She yelled at them, Skiddo looked her over.
"You're from the guild? I've-I've never seen you before..!" Hopi gave him a soft smile.
"We're brand new Skiddo, and we would like to take you back!" Hopi exclaimed with enthusiasm. While she was distracted, The ghost tried to sneak attack her.
Ava had to act fast, but she was frozen in place.
"Ava..! We need to use Psychic Fang, it's the best we can do..!" Hannah whisper shouted, Ava quickly nodded and ran over to the ghost, turned around, and jumped backwards into him, Hannah's teeth biting down on him. The Ghost recoiled about three feet, then Hopi noticed and nodded gratefully. Ava ran over to Skiddo and helped him up.
"We need to get you out of here." Skiddo was hesitant.
"What about her?" He looked over to Hopi
"She's ok, she's way stronger than she looks." Ava smiled reassuringly, Skiddo looked down at the ground.
"They're right...I'm stuck in my Aunt's shadow..."
"And you think joining these freaks and doing terrible deeds is going to get you out of it?!" Hanna snapped from behind Ava, Ava flinched, and Skiddo looked up at her a little shocked.
"Wha-?" Ava continued for Hannah, flustered.
"Wh-What I meant was...um, wouldn't you rather be remembered by doing something good..? Joining these three would only get you into trouble with your Aunt, let alone the law, would you want to be remembered that way?" Skiddo looked at her, reflecting on her words.
"No but..I'm not much of a fighter. I just grow flowers..." Skiddo looked down, a little embarrassed, Hannah smiles from behind Ava.
"I'm certain she's proud of you. You're being yourself, she wants you to surpass her, either by becoming the next master, or following your dreams, dreams she herself probably sacrificed to help others in need." Hannah explained.
Ava was impressed, she wouldn't have thought of that, the fact two voices are talking to Skiddo is going to get him suspicious soon if they're not careful though, which made Ava anxious.
"Wow...you sure know a lot about this kind of thing, huh?" Skiddo asked, a smile now on his face, Ava smiled back.
"I know a thing or two-" Just then a demon dog flew past their vision and hit the wall near the exit.
"Come on guys! We got to go!" Hopi exclaimed as she hit the ghost with her tail once again. Ava had no objections, she quickly escorted Skiddo to the hole they made, Skiddo went right up, before Ava followed she whipped her head around.
"Hannah..! You have to keep quiet." Ava snapped, Hannah glared at her.
"I was just trying to help..! I could feel how anxious you were getting! If I didn't say something he might've stayed here..!" Hannah hissed through her teeth as she whisper shouted. Ava's glare fell, she let out a shaky sigh as she started up the tunnel.
"You're right...I'm sorry." Ava apologized, before Hannah could reply, they caught up with Skiddo.
They could hear a few more scuffling before Hopi popped out of the tunnel, and they all made a run for it, heading towards the exit, for real this time.
Chapter 3 End