Before I begin the next chapter, I would like to ask people about my A/N that I do before each chapter. I have a poll up about it, and would like to ask you guys to vote and voice your opinion on the matter. Please?

Anyways, we enter a little bit of a darker chapter for the Guardian and Maiden of the Sea. Why's that? Read on and find out. Thankfully, it ain't too dark.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything related to the series. All rights to Game Freak and Nintendo alone.

Enjoy.

Chapter 8:

Poisoned Woods

On a calm afternoon, in the presence of the setting sun, a lone sailboat coasted on the ocean waters. Wingull and Pelipper flew overhead, chirping away in song. The occupants of the little raft, Sora and his Pikachu, scanned the horizon for something that they sought. Before long, they found her, resting on a rock standing in the middle of the ocean. The mermaid who saved him, Rina.

Upon arrival, Sora docked the ship alongside Rina's perch as he sat next to her. As they watched the radiant sunset, Rina affectionately rested her head on Sora's shoulder. She could feel his muscles rise and fall with each breath he took. She felt so light, resting beside him at this place. Pikachu rested in her lap peacefully. It felt… magical to her.

But then, Sora turned his face to hers, a smile evident on his face. He slipped his fingers in-between hers, causing her heartbeat to speed up. The two began to inch their faces closer, eyes closed. And right at the moment when they were about to meet, Sora and Rina were thrown into the water by a wave summoned up in a sudden storm. Rina righted herself, and found Sora sinking to the depths. She called to him, and chased after him. She pumped her tail as hard as she could, desperate to save Sora.

As they descended, Rina saw that he began to be approaching what looked like a huge, gaping jaw at the bottom of the ocean. Huge, pearl-crusted, odontoid rocks jutted into the crevasse, a slimy tentacle wrapped around Sora's leg as it dragged him further into the abyss. Rina tried increasing her speed, but felt something grapple around her waist. She was then yanked back into a massive clam, and felt glued down by a sticky substance underneath her. The huge muscle maneuvered her body into a ball, and a hard, crust-like substance began to form around her. Rina struggled and wriggled for her life, continuing to be an observer as Sora floated closer to the maw of the depths. Fully encased, Rina could not help but watch as Sora was engulfed while the clam began to close around her too. Before it sealed its pearl away, Rina watched in horror as Sora was swallowed into the abyss.

"SORAAA!" Rina screamed as she shot awake from her nightmare. Her sudden awakening shocked her sisters awake, and eventually everyone on the ship was awake. As the crew came on deck to find the source of the cry, the mermaids hid silently in their hideaway, nerves tense that they would be discovered. Rina panted heavily, but kept herself as quiet as possible until everything passed.

After much searching above, they heard Drake conclude, "Must have been a wild Chatot that startled us. Let's head back to bed."

"If it was a Chatot, I want to give it a piece of my mind." Yolanda seethed, "I was having such a lovely dream too."

"I'll look around a little longer." Sora offered, "You guys go back to bed." Soon, the whole ship creaked as everyone but the guardian returned to their quarters. When it was all clear, Kari crawled outside as Sora came down to ask if everything was alright.

While they talked, Sarah asked her sister, "The dreams. You're having those dreams again, aren't you?" Nodding solemnly was the only response Rina gave. Why was it happening again? Was she receiving messages about Sora being in danger? From who? And why?

By the next dawn, the Aura had managed to dock on Irk Island. Though, dock wasn't entirely accurate. The entire island was vacant, filled with only a bamboo forest lining the fringe of the island, and a dense forest closer towards the middle, obscuring much of the sunlight. The group dropped anchor at the coastline, then ventured onto the mainland. Almost immediately, the group received the impression that they were being watched. Pikachu stood hunched, his cheeks sparking with electricity. Larvitar tried his best to hide behind Sora's shoulder, intimidated by what he felt around the island.

"I don't like this." Prince Pewter said grimly, "Where is everyone?"

"How are we going to find the Chieftain in a place like this?" Tidus wondered.

Sketching the sight of the woods, Sketch muttered, "This place seems like it's trying to hide something. But what?" Sora gripped his staff tightly, trying to calm his nerves. This forest was playing games with them, he could sense it. He didn't know how he knew that, but he somehow could feel the way these woods manipulated their perception. If that was the case, it would be too dangerous for the others to travel with him into this place.

"I'll go look for the Chieftain that resides here." He told them, "You guys wait here. When I find who he is, I'll send Unfezant to find you."

"But Sora, what if it's a trap?" Yolanda worried, "What if this is the wrong island?"

"Don't worry. I'll be able to handle whatever is here. I am a guardian after all." With a smile, Sora ventured forward and entered the bamboo forest.

Prince Pewter felt uneasy about letting Sora go off on his own. Not only was the forest making him anxious, but everything about Sora's recent behavior made him edgy too. He glanced to his side to find Violet next to him, and directed her with a nod to follow him. Violet leaped without even a whisper, going unnoticed by the others and tailing Sora once more.

The crew weren't the only ones with the jitters about Irk Island. The mermaids also felt uneasy about it too. But to them, it felt like the forest was enhancing their hidden fears of being discovered. They felt vulnerable, and exposed.

"Maybe this is one battle we'll want to sit out on." Sarah squeaked meekly.

"Yeah. Let's stay here, where Drake can protect us." Kari tittered. But Rina did not feel like hiding. Sora was out there, in the forest, with only his Pokémon for company. If Sora fell into danger, who was going to protect him? Fearful or not, she was not going to sit here and worry over Sora.

"Rina, no." Sarah pleaded, seeing her determined expression. But Rina did not register the plea, and swam into a nearby channel to find Sora. She would not have him be in danger from anyone. She will protect Sora.

Pikachu led onward as Sora meandered his way through the bamboo shoots. They then reached the inner limit of the grove, and made it into another forest of conifer trees. Tall, proud conifers stood towering over Sora, casting shadows through their densely packed leaves. Larvitar stayed on Sora's shoulder, trying to hide from the fearful sight. The young guardian was on high alert, his senses on overtime to detect potential dangers. But the island was devoid of any form of life, human or Pokémon. This bothered Sora quite a bit. He should have at least seen Pokémon throughout the place. It all felt too off to be just his nerves.

Deciding to gather his bearings, Sora sat against a tree near a river. Larvitar hopped off his shoulder, and he and Pikachu began talking about the island and its eerie emptiness. Sora picked up a leaf on the ground, and evaluated it for a specific purpose. Satisfied with his find, Sora pressed it against his lips, and began to play it like a whistle. He had learned this trick from some Nuzleaf he had encountered in his earlier travels, and recalled what he had learned to play a calm, tranquil tune (Author's note: think of Oraceon, the song from "The Rise of Darkrai"). Immediately, all the tension he and his Pokémon had felt since their arrival was lifted while he played. And even the forest seemed to respond, becoming filled with light to push back against the shadows. As Sora finished the song, he sighed out the last of his own apprehension.

Rina had managed to hear Sora play the leaf whistle, and found him resting near the bank of the river. She had never felt so captivated before, but she believed it was because of Sora's playing that attracted her. It made sense too, since mermaids loved to sing and listen to music. The song made her anxiety melt away into the flowing river, and caused her to reflect on Sora's characteristics.

It surprised her about how much she had discovered about this human. He loved Pokémon more than fame or title, he valued his friends, he battled with passion and intuition, and he was the first to respond to trouble. She liked all those things about him. Was that even the right word: like?

Rina was about to surprise Sora by singing when something erupted from the water behind her. A huge Tentacruel towered over Rina, its tentacles spread out to scare away intruders. But Rina wasn't scared of it. On the contrary, she loved Tentacool and Tentacruel more than most other Water-types. She was star-struck that one happened to appear behind her. The Tentacruel wormed its tentacles around Rina in a strange showing of affection, eyeing her as it began to wrap her in its tentacles. Rina didn't resist, for she thought of how wonderful it would be for Tentacruel to carry her away.

But then, she heard Sora call out, "Rina , get away!" It came too late, however, as Tentacruel jabbed her with poison from three of its tentacles. Letting her go, Tentacruel spotted its second victim standing near the water's edge.

Sora thrusted his staff upward, and called out, "Noctowl! I choose you!" Out of his staff shined a brighter light than normal. It transformed into an owl with a horn on its forehead like super-large eyebrows, and glittering red feathers on its wings. Its body was a bright yellow color. As it appeared, light sparkled around it.

"Noctowl, use Hypnosis!" Releasing a low pitched trill, Noctowl's eyes glowed a translucent red. Tentacruel looked into its gaze, and saw not a Noctowl and human. Instead, it was frightened to see two a horde of Carvahna rushing after it. Terrified, Tentacruel beat a hasty retreat to escape the imaginary threat.

"Nice work Noctowl." Sora thanked his clever friend.

"What was that about?" Rina chastised, "That Tentacruel was just being friendly."

"That Tentacruel was being hostile." Sora scorned, "It was clearly agitated when you followed me into its territory. I can't believe you didn't notice that."

"People always seem to think that Tentacool and Tentacruel are only bad Pokémon. Even my sisters think so."

"Rina, that Tentacruel was bad! It attacked you after all."

"You just startled it! That's why it did what it did!" Sora just gave up trying to convince Rina about the truth of the situation after that.

Setting it aside, he asked, "Why did you follow me anyway?"

"I want to make sure you don't get hurt." Rina replied, "So that you don't fall into danger."

Taken aback, Sora wondered, "Why?" Without knowing a what to say, Rina flicked her tail as she tried to think of a reason.

Why did she feel so concerned for Sora? She figured part of it was the dream she had of him the other night, but she couldn't tell him that. Half the time, she never understood these premonitions herself. She had only had them twice before, and they helped her protect her sisters from danger. She couldn't tell Sora that though. Who knows what he would do if she told him. It was too risky.

So instead, she answered, "I'm just worried for you, as a friend." But Sora gained a "sense" about Rina's response. Somehow, she was keeping the real reason hidden from him.

"What's the real reason?" he pressed.

"I told you! I'm concerned for…" Rina began to trail off as she grew light-headed and began to swoon. In an instant, she fainted into Sora's lap.

"Pika?!" "Lar?!" Sora's companions cried out in concern. Then, Sora noticed the injection points from the Tentacruel on her shoulder, hip, and middle of her tail. He took off one of his gloves and checked her forehead. It felt burning hot, like Charizard's tail flame.

"That Tentacruel had to have poisoned her with Poison Jab." Sora mumbled. He quickly sifted through his medical pouch, and applied a purple paste to Rina's injection wounds. He then looked for an Antidote potion Cancer had concocted.

"There isn't enough Antidote for her." He grunted, seeing merely a drop in the bottle. He couldn't abandon Rina here in the woods with the condition she was in. But he needed to look around for berries that could counter the poison. So he carried Rina to a nearby tree, and rested her at its base. Then he grabbed his staff and instructed, "Pikachu, Larvitar, stay here and watch over Rina. Noctowl and I are gonna look around for Pecha Berries. Make sure you do everything you can to keep her fever down."

"Pika!" Pikachu saluted.

"Come on Noctowl." Sora called. And the duo forged further into the woods, leaving Pikachu and Larvitar to watch over Rina.

Violet had been in a nearby tree, observing everything that had happened. She wasn't sure what to think about the mermaid's situation, but she could definitely say she didn't like it. Sora gave her too much attention, more than Yolanda even. It was possible that she could threaten the betrothal between Sora and the princess. She couldn't allow that.

But rather than take immediate action, Violet watched Sora's Pokémon as they tended to the mermaid. They had used leaves like a blanket to shelter her from wind, and worked together to carry water for her to drink using a much larger leaf. Both Pikachu and Larvitar looked genuinely concerned for her. It was quite astonishing, especially for a rock Pokémon like Larvitar.

After several minutes of observation, Violet decided that enough was enough. She was not going to allow this mermaid to poison Sora's mind anymore.

Drawing a short sword from behind her, she whispered, "Forgive me Sora. But this is for your own good." Dropping from her perch, Violet dashed over to where Rina lay. Pikachu immediately sensed her approach, and quickly knocked the blade out of Violet's hand using Iron Tail.

"Pika Pikachu?! Pika!" Pikachu challenged.

"Out of the way Pikachu!" Violet returned.

"Pika! Pi Pika Pi! Pikachu Pi! Pika!"

"I don't need to tell you again! If you won't move, I'll make you!"

"Pi!"

Bringing out her Pokéstone, Violet summoned, "Excadrill, let's go!" A light shot out from the stone, and formed a huge mole Pokémon with metal claws.

"Excadrill!" it roared out. But Pikachu didn't have the option of backing down. It was going to protect Rina, for Sora and for its friendship with her.

Further in the woods, Sora and Noctowl were desperately searching for Pecha Berries. They searched the various trees and shrubs for them, but they were not having any luck in their search. Sora began to worry that he wouldn't find them in time to save Rina. That paste he used would delay the poison, but it wouldn't work for long. But he shook off his concern, knowing it would only hinder his chances at saving her. Following Noctowl, he forged on to save Rina.

While Sora searched for an Antidote to the poison, Pikachu was fending off Excadrill and Violet. Excadrill had several major advantages over Pikachu, one of which was it being a Ground-type. But Pikachu had faced worse odds before. This was no different.

"Excadrill, Metal Claw!" Violet commanded. The steels claws hardened as Excadrill slashed down at the tiny mouse Pokémon. But Pikachu stood its ground, using Iron Tail to block the attack. Then, it shifted into Quick Attack and forced Excadrill back. Pikachu did not have much of an option to dodge attacks this time around. If it moved, Excadrill would go after Rina. It had to stand firm, and hold its attacker back.

But Violet wasn't going to be held back by the little lightning mouse. So she ordered, "Bypass it with Dig!" Excadrill combined its metal claws with its head, forming a drill shape, and barreled into the ground. Pikachu used both its ears and sensed where Excadrill would appear next. Then, he jumped over to the spot, and slammed down hard with Iron Tail. Excadrill leaped out, using the shock to propel him.

"Now, Focus Blast!" Excadrill built up an orb of energy, and volleyed it at rocket speed towards Pikachu. In response, Pikachu released a Thunderbolt and destroyed the attack.

"Drill Run!" Through the resulting cloud, Excadrill's drill form shot straight into Pikachu, causing major damage and knocking it into a tree. Beaten but not defeated, Pikachu struggled to stand. There was too much at stake for it to lose this fight.

Watching next to the ailing mermaid, Larvitar began to grow afraid. This new human with the Excadrill scared him quite a bit. What was even more scary was that they were hurting Pikachu, just to get to Rina. Before Excadrill could prepare another attack, Larvitar used Screech.

Sora had finally managed to locate where the Pecha Berries were, thanks to Noctowl. The owl Pokémon had grabbed a handful from the tree, and dropped them into Sora's bag.

"Great Noctowl. This ought to be just enough to help Rina." Sora commended. Then, he heard a loud cry sound out from where he left Rina. He recognized it as Larvitar's Screech attack, and immediately knew something was wrong. With haste, Sora and Noctowl rushed back to their friends.

Larvitar's Screech caused Violet, Pikachu, and Excadrill to cover their ears and halt the battle. Violet hated that Larvitar was using Screech at a time like this, when she was so close to dealing judgment to the mermaid. She needed to do something about that incessant Screeching.

With a growl, she commanded, "Excadrill, use Dig!" Excadrill quickly burrowed underground, and came back up underneath Larvitar and Rina, sending them both flying. "Now, Metal Claw that mermaid!" But as Excadrill tried to approach, the now-stopped-Screeching Larvitar used Hidden Power, and knocked it back with tremendous force. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, conducting its attack through Excadrill's steel parts. It didn't hurt it, but Excadrill became stunned from the shock on its steel claws.

Rina and Larvitar landed safely on a pile of leaves after some air time, and Pikachu limped over to check on them. Larvitar assured him that it was fine, but Rina was another story. Her breathing was becoming shallower and labored, and she began to grimace in pain.

"Sora, no. Sora!" she would mutter, as if having a nightmare.

Seething under her mask, Violet shouted, "Enough is enough! Excadrill, Drill Run!" Excadrill charged towards them, supercharged with anger. Larvitar cringed back, expecting the blow. And Pikachu put itself in front of Excadrill's attack. It looked to be the end.

Until, "Noctowl, Sky Attack!" A light-filled streak of red and yellow tackled Excadrill off course, causing it to hit the ground instead. As it got up, Sora instructed, "Hypnosis." Channeling its Psychic energy, Noctowl met Excadrill's gaze as it gained influence over the digger Pokémon. The attack did its job, and lulled Excadrill to sleep. Surprised, Violet turned to see a very strict looking Sora trodding over to Rina.

"Do I need to ask what you are trying to do?" Sora spoke sternly to the ninja.

"You think just because you're a guardian that you can go behind the prince's back?" Violet retorted, "What a little kid! For your information, I was doing you and that freak a favor."

"And trying to kill her is a favor?!"

"She's poisoning your mind, Sora. If you don't sever ties now, you will regret it."

As she returned Excadrill to her Pokéstone, Sora grunted, "I don't abandon my friends. If someone is in trouble, I will do everything I can to help them."

"Even if it means betraying everyone else? Open your eyes!" That set off the last trip wire. Without even so much as a warning, Sora had Violet pinned against a tree, his arm pressed hard against her throat. Pikachu tried calming him down, sensing the anger growing inside of him.

"You listen here Violet!" Sora growled threateningly, "I do not betray anyone that I have ties to. I am not like Ragnar. I don't care whether someone is human, Pokémon, mermaid, or whoever. They are all my friends."

"Sora, you're not thinking right." Violet strained to speak, "That deceiver is blinding you. If you keep her close, she'll—"

"ENOUGH!" Sora shouted, pressing his arm further against Violet's throat, "I don't want to hear anymore. If you try to ever attempt to kill her again, don't expect me to be merciful to you that time. Understood?" Pikachu was now trying harder to stop Sora from crossing the line, yelling at him with sparks coming out of its cheeks. Violet was gasping for air, struggling against Sora's force.

But, she eventually groaned, "Hai, Sora." With that, Sora let Violet go. And as he went over to Rina, Violet was left retching and coughing from being choked, frightened by this new side of Sora she had never seen before. A darker side.

Sora immediately went to work, grinding some of the Pecha Berries he had into a mashed mixture. His anger from earlier had dissipated, but the stern gaze he had before was still there. Pikachu felt very worried. His master almost never lost his temper to the point where he would threaten someone. He hoped, as Larvitar did, that they would never have to see that side of him again.

Looking back, Sora noticed Violet curled up against a tree. He deeply regretted letting his anger get out of control like that, and felt guilty about what he had said to her. It was like another person had taken over, a side he never believed he had. But he shook it off, focusing his concern on Rina.

Having finished mashing the berries, Sora told Noctowl, "Keep Violet company, please Noctowl. I don't want her to think I view her or the prince as enemies." Noctowl chirped in reply, and flew over to Violet. Then Sora lifted Rina up a bit, and whispered softly, "Here Rina, eat this. They're Pecha Berries. They should help relieve the poison." He managed to feed the mashed berries to Rina, then removed the paste he used to seal her injection wounds. He then replaced the paste with bandages, and set her back down on the bed of leaves.

But then, Rina began to mutter, "Sora, no. Disaster. My fault." Her muttering startled him. What did she mean by disaster? How could it be her fault? Sora was quite puzzled. He figured that the poison wasn't the only thing affecting her. But what?

Walking up to him after some time, Violet requested, "Master Sora. Please forgive me for my actions. I-I didn't know what came over me."

"I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness." Sora responded, "My actions towards you were unjust and without proper cause. Forgive me."

"Forgiven. It must be these woods causing us to act on our negative emotions."

"You might be right." Then Sora picked up a leaf and continued, "It's times like these where this comes in handy." Then, he began to play the calming melody he had played before. Almost immediately, the effect of the darkening woods began to brighten, and Violet felt a calming feeling come over her. It felt rejuvenating, uplifting, and compassionate.

When Sora finished, Violet whispered, "Beautiful. So wonderful a sound."

"Thanks." Sora replied, "I play it whenever I feel down, angry, or nervous. It's like this song brings light to my problems."

"I think so too." Violet agreed, then she warned, "I think there's a reason these woods have been messing with us. We're being watched."

"I had the same feeling. Noctowl, Foresight!" Determined, Noctowl flew up into the air and scanned the woods with beams of light shining from its eyes. As it went over the immediate area, several Ghastly and Haunter began to appear. They had them surrounded.

"I should've known." Violet grunted, "They were using Confuse Ray on us."

"That was why we acted the way we did." Sora figured. Out of nowhere, Sora, Violet, and Sora's Pokémon were hit with darts covered with a green substance. Immediately, they began to feel sleepy, and collapsed onto the ground. Sora was the last to fall, resisting the urge as much as he could. He needed to protect Rina from whoever was after them. As he began to fall victim to sleep, he reached out and grabbed Rina's hand.

Landing beside him stood a tall man in a deep-blue ninja's tunic. He had a fierce gaze, almost piercing even. A blood-red scarf was tied around his neck as he examined his victims.

"Guardian Sora." he spoke, "Your challenge has begun."

Sora: Who are you?! What have you done with Rina?!

Kuro: I am Sensei Kuro. The Chieftain of this island.

Sora: I see. Then I suppose I have to win to save my friends?

Kuro: *chuckle* If you can withstand me. Begin!

Next time,

Shadows and Light