Author's Note: A much longer dream chapter this time around... I'd thought that having two humans around would, at the very least, give them more of an idea of what to expect, plus make them go after Munna much earlier than the protagonist did. So, lots of prep work and discussion here.

Chapter Eight: Clarification

"Hannah… hear me? …need your help!"

She'd passed out almost instantly after getting back to Post Town; the trip to Stompstump Peak had worn her out more than she'd expected. Not to mention, Hannah's mind was still racing from what Mia had revealed to her. Honestly, she was surprised she'd managed to scarf down some dinner—another bowl of Cheri stew—before heading upstairs and passing out.

Hannah's eyes squeezed shut more tightly as she rolled over. She was…dreaming again, wasn't she? Somehow, the voice—Munna's voice—sounded clearer this time. Was it because she knew what to expect now, or was Munna just getting better at reaching her? Hannah wasn't sure, nor did she know whether or not it really mattered.

"Hannah! You can hear me, right?"

"Y-yeah…I think so. You're…Munna, right?"

And, just like that, she flickered into view. Her form had been vaguely visible at first this time, though she'd been little more than a pink blob. Now, though, she came into focus. Hannah's eyes widened; this was, in fact, one of the same Pokémon she'd seen in her first dream.

"Oh, I'm so happy!" Munna sighed in relief. "It's so good that you can finally talk to me."

"Yeah, I have a lot to ask you." Hannah frowned. "What do you need help with? Why are you asking me? And…why have you been talking to Mia, too?"

Munna sighed again, this time a little more melancholy in tone. She bobbed back and forth in an awkward (and slightly silly-looking, if Hannah was honest) version of a head-shake.

"I guess I should start with the easy part first," she replied. "You saw the Pokémon chasing me, right? That's Hydreigon. He's been after me for a long time now…"

"But why?"

Munna's voice dropped to a nervous whisper. "Because, you see…my friends and I…we found out that he's got a plan. He's been causing chaos all over the place, and if we can't stop him, who knows how far he'll go! He might even ruin the entire world if we can't stop him."

Hannah's frown deepened. There was something…off about the explanation, she thought. It was hard to put her finger on what it was, though.

Still…it was true that she'd seen him chasing Munna… It was probably true that he was causing trouble for Munna and her friends, at least. That definitely needed to be stopped, right? And at least Hannah had some explanation for what was going on now.

"All right," she said slowly. "I guess I can try to help you with that. That's why you called me, right?"

"Yes, yes, exactly!" Munna nodded. "And that's why I called your friend Mia, too. I thought maybe…if I could find several people…then it'd be more likely I could stop Hydreigon."

Well, that made sense… If he was really this scary, she could see why Munna wanted all the help she could get.

"Okay… How can I find you, though?"

"Oh, right! Of course." Munna nodded again. "Right now, I'm hiding out in Inflora Forest. I'm safe for now, but…I'm still worried. What if Hydreigon finds me soon?"

"Inflora Forest…" Hannah repeated. "Okay. I'll see if I can find out where that is. I'll catch up with you soon, Munna!"

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, Hannah! Please, hurry!"

And, with that, the vision flickered out, and Hannah was left squeezing herself into a tight ball and shivering in her sleep.

Hannah woke up early the next morning. Squinting, she rolled over and looked out the window. There was still a faint amount of pink in the sky, though it'd probably fade soon.

On the next bed, Heath was still asleep. That was the real indicator here; he usually got up before she and Mia did. And, speaking of her…Hannah could hear Mia stirring on her other side.

Hannah sat up and looked over at Mia. She shook her head before fully waking up, and she glanced over at Hannah with an almost wary look on her face. After a few seconds, she finally managed to get out a greeting.

"Morning, Hannah," she rasped. "Did you…"

"…have a dream last night?" Hannah finished hesitantly. At the nod, she went on, "Yeah. I guess this means you did, too?"

"Mm." Mia yawned and stretched. "Did Munna show up for you?"

Hannah nodded. "She…said she was waiting for me in Inflora Forest. Do you know where that is?"

"No, but…Heath probably does." Mia frowned as she glanced over at the still-sleeping dragon. "She told me that, too. That she's in Inflora Forest, I mean. Do you think we should go?"

Hannah frowned as well, idly rubbing her arm as she thought it over. They knew where she was, at least for now. And they knew what she wanted (at least, Hannah assumed Munna had given the same speech to Mia, too). So, if they were going to help her…now would be a good time, right?

Still…Hannah couldn't shake the feeling that something had been weird about the whole thing. She still wasn't sure what it was, though… But maybe they could get a better explanation for what was going on if they found Munna, too.

"I think we should," Hannah finally replied. "Do you think we should wake up Heath?"

Before Mia could reply, though, Heath yawned and sat up on his own. He stretched his stubby little arms and shook his head, vision apparently focusing a second later. Blinking, he looked over at the two girls before reaching for his bag.

"You two are up early," he commented. "Something going on here?"

"Yeah, uh…we were just…talking about where we should go today," Hannah replied, awkwardly sharing a look with Mia.

"Yeah—do you know where Inflora Forest is, Heath?" Mia went on. "We, ah…heard some Pokémon talking about it when we got back yesterday, so we were curious to check it out."

(It had been on the way back to the inn; Hannah vaguely remembered hearing a group of Pokémon mention the place in Post Town's square. The still-dozing Espeon and Umbreon had been among them, if she recalled correctly. Heath had been distracted with Kecleon, so she wasn't sure if he'd heard…but the explanation made for a good cover either way.)

Heath blinked. "Really? Inflora Forest? Not much out there, but I guess we can go if you're curious about it. Let's get ready and head out soon."

He hopped out of bed, and Hannah and Mia shared another look before following him. Hannah felt like they should give him a fuller explanation, but…for now, it was probably best to just go. They could fill him in on the way.

Hannah felt her heart pounding as they went down the stairs. Whatever was about to happen would give them some answers, one way or another.