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Chapter 20
"Believe in me!"
As we followed Duskull's instructions, I asked my partner to hold up my Treasure Map for me. I scanned the detailed atlas of the frontier, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of a forest labeled 'Forlorn Forest.' After several fruitless minutes of searching, I sighed and shook my head. Considering how secretive the Guildmaster and Duskull made the place sound, it really shouldn't surprise me that I couldn't find it on our map.
I pawed at the map and pulled it out of Blue's grasp. Taking care not to damage it, I rolled it up and stuffed it back inside my pack while feeling disappointed and frustrated at the same time. Not only were we being sent to a mysterious, unmarked location out in the frontier, but we weren't even given any sort of guide by the guild. Yes, I was excited to finally be able to go out on an adventure, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel worried about what sort of dangers we might end up facing.
I sneaked a peek at Blue's scarred leg. He had eaten another Pecha Berry before we set off from the signpost, so his gait wasn't as strained as before. In fact, he was walking in such a carefree way that I could barely even tell he was injured. He was even chewing a long blade of grass in his mouth.
All of a sudden, I felt a warm paw on top of my head, making me look up at him. As always, he had that same confident grin plastered over his muzzle. Smiling back at my partner, I made a silent promise to myself. No matter what happens, no matter what kind of dangers we face. I wont run away and hide.
"What are you thinking about, Fée?" Blue asked.
"It's nothing," I replied with a playful wag of my tail, "I was just wondering what kind of place Forlorn Forest is like."
Blue took his paw off my head and rubbed his chin. He closed his eyes and made a 'hmmmm'ing noise, looking like he was thinking hard about the question.
"Well... it's called the Forlorn Forest..." He said in a completely serious voice, "so... it must have a lot of trees, right?"
I gaped at him, flabbergasted. "That's... usually what a forest is, Blue."
"Oh."
"Goodness..." I slapped a paw on my face and shook my head, incredulous, "You're unbelievable sometimes, Blue."
He made a bark – like laugh and patted my head again. "Well, I hope you don't mind that your partner is an idiot!"
"Nah," I took his paw off my head and smiled at him, "I don't mind it at all." I shot him a sly look as I nibbled one of his fingers, "After all, it gives me an excuse to sit you down and drill some knowledge into that thick head of yours."
"I'm looking forward to it," Blue chuckled as he pulled his paw away from my mouth, "maybe you can teach me how to read sometime."
"Oh, I'm thinking about it." I smirked as I nudged him in the side with my paw, "Mark my words, Blue. I will make you literate before the summer ends!"
As we crested the top of a rather large hill, Blue and I decided to take a seat and rest our tired feet for a moment. While Blue was busying himself with another Pecha Berry, I took a look back at how far we've traveled.
The Great Plateau, with Treasure Town sitting on top of it, was merely a speck in the distance. The grasslands from before had shrunk into the horizon. It resembled a long string made out of gold, separating the earth below from the vast skies above.
The world was so amazing. As that one phrase went through my head, I couldn't help but nod in agreement with it. Minutes of silence passed by as I stood there in silence, just admiring the breathtaking view from atop the hill. The sky, the sun, the mountains and the trees... I wanted to take it all in and keep this view inside my memory forever.
"Hey, Fée," Blue nudged me with his paw, breaking me out of my reverie. I turned to face my friend and saw that he was pointing at something out in the distance. "look over there."
My eyes traveled along the length of his arm until I found what he was pointing at. Past a winding river and over several grassy knolls, there stood a pair of tall, craggy cliffs jutting out the side of a mountain. At first glance, it appeared to look like nothing more than a nondescript – but very pretty – cliffside. But, as I narrowed my eyes to get a better view, I noticed something strange jutting out in between the cliffs.
"Are those.. trees?"
If they were trees, then those were the largest trees I've ever seen in my entire life! Sticking out from in between the two jagged cliffs was a copse with incredibly tall and massive trees. They were so tall that they pierced into the sky like a series of gigantic, wooden spears. A layer of thick, dark green leaves canvassed the top of the forest, forming a vast and bushy roof. From a distance, it resembled a strong, stalwart castle that was built by nature itself.
I quickly turned to Blue and tugged at his paw, "Let's go get a closer look!" We shared a nod and set off toward the fortress of wood.
It didn't take long for Blue and I to descend the hill and wander our way over to the forest. We crossed the flowing river and snaked our way in between the grassy hills. Before long, the two of us found ourselves standing before the massive towers of wood. The trees looked large from a distance, but the sheer magnitude of their size really sank in when standing up close like this.
The tree trunks were thicker than any other tree I had ever seen before. Not only that, the trees grew so close to each other that they formed a natural border between the forest and the world outside. At the center of the trunk, just above the roots, there was a large, swirling knothole. I placed my paw against the bark. It felt tough and solid. For a moment, I thought I was touching a boulder instead of a tree.
Blue knocked against the tree trunk with the backside of his paw. It made a deep, echoing sound like a big drum. The sound bounced off the other trees as it traveled deeper into the forest, going bong... bong... bong.... Nervously, I wandered around the massive trunk and peered through the tiny sliver of space in between the trees.
The canopy of leaves that made up the ceiling of the forest stifled out any sort of light coming from the sky. However, several slivers of sunlight managed to eke through the leafy shield, casting a dim light into the wood in the form of tiny, golden beams. Furthermore, dotting all around the base of the trees were stubby little mushrooms that illuminated the ground with an eerie, blue glow.
Taking a deep gulp, I took another look at Duskull's letter. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the place. Everything I saw beyond the wooden ramparts matched the description he had written down... glanced at Blue, who was eying the shining mushrooms inside with an interested expression. My sight drifted down to his right leg, and then back up at his face.
A surge of confidence rushed up inside my body. I sat up straight and puffed out my chest. Remembering what Sunflora and Loudred did the day before, I placed my right paw over my ruff and stared directly at the forest ahead. After taking a deep breath, I gave myself a quick nod.
"Ahem!" I cleared my throat loudly, startling my partner and drawing his attention. I closed my eyes and said in a commanding voice, "Inside there somewhere is the legendary Panacea! On my honor as a member of Wigglytuff's Guild, I vow to retrieve it and use it to heal my friend!"
"What was that about?" Blue asked as I opened my eyes. I got back onto my feet and turned to face the forest with a smile on my face.
"I'll let you figure out that one on your own," I said with a teasing tone. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Blue tilting his head in confusion. I shook my own head as I stifled a giggle that was threatening to escape my lips.
I looked back at the forest that loomed high above us. With the outer trees growing so close to each other like an impenetrable wall, trying to squeeze in between the tree trunks was an impossibility. I scanned around the sides of the trees, hoping to find a space that was wide enough for Blue and I to pass through.
"Maybe I can bash a hole in this tree with my fists."
I turned around and saw my partner holding his fist against the bark on one of the trees. Sighing, I trotted over to him and pushed his paw down to his side.
"The trees are tougher than stones," I told him, "you'll probably break your bones if you tried."
"Geh... that would be bad."
I shook my head again, "Of course it would! I already told you, I don't want to see you getting hurt anymore while you're with me!"
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry," Blue scratched the back of his head and shrugged, "but it still doesn't really solve our problem of actually entering the forest though."
"Yeah..." I had to agree with him. Even though we were here, we still couldn't find a way inside! What a horrible joke!
"There has to be a way in," Blue said as he folded his arms, "if Duskull and Chatot both directed us here, then that means they've definitely been in there before."
He had a point. Looking up at how high the trees were in the sky, I doubted that even a flying Pokémon like Chatot could just soar up into the air and down into the forest. Duskull, on the other hand, looked like he might be able to squeeze in through the gaps with ease. All of a sudden, an image of a flattened Duskull floated into my mind. I quickly slapped my paws over my mouth to stop an oncoming rush of giggles.
"Do you think Duskull's letter might have a hint or something?" Blue said, "Maybe there's a secret entrance that only he knows about."
"Let me take a look," I coughed and pulled out the letter from my pack. I pored over the loopy handwriting, going over every line and looking for any hints I might've missed.
The first few sentences detailed how to get to here from the crossroads, and the next few talked about what we should be keeping our eyes out for while we were traveling. Then, in the last section, he wrote about what would be inside the forest once we got there, and the directions toward the Panacea.
I narrowed my eyes and focused on the sentences between the second and last sections. There was a gap between his directions. My eyes were a blur as I read over the same lines over and over again in a rapid pace. It reminded me of trying to finish reading a book before Mr. Mime had to close his library. The words on the letter appeared to fly off and leap into my head as my eyes passed over them.
Then, as I went over the last sentence for the tenth time, I found something odd. Right there, in the place where he wrote the name of the forest, there were a few faint lines added next to the word 'Forlorn.' At first, I had thought that it was just a quirk of his fancy handwriting, but the markings were much too clear and distinct to be just a fancy embellishing.
As I held the letter up to the sun, the markings became clearer. A few lines appeared to bleed into view on the left side of the letter F in 'Forlorn.' Slowly, the letter F transformed into an H, while the letter W materialized to its left.
"W...whorlorn?" I muttered, confused. It wasn't a word I recognized. In fact, it didn't seem like a word to me at all. I rotated the letter left and right, hoping that I might find something that will explain it to me.
"What did you find out?" Blue said as he placed a paw on the letter. I shook my head and rotated the letter again.
Scriip!
A ghastly noise rang out as I turned the page. My eyes widened as I saw a huge chunk of words just vanish from the letter. Horrified, I pulled the letter away and stared through the hole. The remaining paper scrap was held within Blue's paw, flapping feebly in the wind while he stared at it with an astonished look on his face.
"B – B – Blue!" I gasped, "W – what did you do?!"
"I didn't know you were going to turn the letter!" Blue shot back, waving the scrap around in the air, "It wasn't my fault!"
Shaking my head, I glared at him and shouted, "You shouldn't have grabbed onto it so tightly! Now what are we going to do?"
"It's only a small piece," Blue said as he shoved the piece of paper at me, "just stick it back and we can still read it!"
"Alright, give it here then."
I motioned for him to give me the scrap. But as he was moving his paw over to me, a sudden breeze soared in between us. I let out a yelp of surprise as I saw the paper chunk fly out of Blue's paw.
"No!" I shouted in horror, "Hurry, catch it before it gets carried away!"
Blue and I rushed after the scrap, which was fast approaching the wall of trees that made up the forest. My partner let out a snarl as he leapt forward with his paw outstretched. Unfortunately, right as his paw neared the floating piece of paper, another gust of wind blew by and made the paper scrap dance away from his grasp. It circled around in the air, almost as if it was taunting us, before it slipped into the forest through the tight gaps between the trees.
"Gah!" Blue growled as he tried to chase after the scrap, but the gap was too tight for him to fit his arm through. Disappointed and frustrated, he slammed his fist against the tree, dislodging a few leaves and making them fall from the canopy above.
Sighing, I shook my head and sat down. I held up what was left of Duskull's letter and stared at it with a sad look. A whole third of the letter had just vanished from sight, and with it, a large portion of his directions. I stared at the bottom of the letter, where he had written down the name of the forest. More than half of the name was gone, and all that was left was the word 'Whorl.'
Wait.
'Whorl?'
I felt something click inside my mind. My eyes snapped over to the large knothole present on the tree trunk. I quickly stood back up and rushed over to the tree. My heart was racing now. If the word meant what I think it does... then that means...!
"Aha!" I gave a happy shout as I examined the knothole. There were spiral markings all around the sides of the hole, giving it the appearance of a large, wooden whirlpool. I stood up on my hind legs and gazed into the dark, wooden aperture. To my surprise, it was pretty roomy inside of it. There was just enough space for me to reach a paw inside.
As I groped around inside of the knothole, I felt several old, dried up leaves crunch underneath my prying paw. There must've been an immense amount of debris left inside here, I thought. I wasn't going to get anywhere unless I cleaned it out.
Giving myself a quick nod, I dropped down onto my feet and began to fill my lungs with air. Once I had collected a good amount of air, I reached up and shoved my puffed – up face into the knothole. Then, I exhaled as powerfully as I could.
Leaves, gunk and wood chippings swirled around my face as they tried to escape from the knothole. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the small whirlwind I had created to die down.
"Fée?!" I heard Blue's incredulous voice somewhere to my left. I held back the desire to grin at him. I must've looked like I went crazy, sticking my head into holes in trees.
Taking my time to catch my breath, I brushed a few stubborn leaves and chippings off my face. Then, I looked back inside the hole. It was much cleaner now that there weren't quite as many leaves and junk filling up the insides. I took my paw and stuffed it inside the hole again, hoping to find something inside.
My eyes lit up when my paw collided with something hard at the bottom of the knothole. Feeling around it, it seemed to be something small and circular, like a button. Excitement bubbling up inside of me, I patted around inside the hole. To my frustration, my paw just barely fell short of reaching the button. Not to be deterred, I placed my hind legs against the tree's rough bark and tried to scrabble up in a desperate attempt to climb up and give myself more leverage.
All of a sudden, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my midsection. One second later, I was lifted up in to the air, my legs kicking at the wind. I spun my head around with my eyes open wide.
"This should make it easier on you," Blue said with a grin on his face. He adjusted his grip on my belly, making me shiver a little. Blushing furiously, I turned my eyes away from him and went back to my original task. Now that my friend was helping me up into the air, reaching inside the knothole was an easy task. With a triumphant air, I stuck my paw inside the hole and slammed it down on the button.
At first, nothing seemed to happen. We just stood there with eager, awaiting looks on our faces, which quickly transformed into bewilderment. I looked around, wondering if I had done something wrong. Then, right as I thought that, a loud rumbling noise rang out from the tree in front of me.
"Eep!" I yelped as the tree began to shake up and down as if it was about to fall over. Blue tightened his grasp on me and backed us away from the rumbling tower of wood. Leaves began to fall down from the sky in a deluge of green.
Then, the most unbelievable thing happened. Blue and I could only gape in absolute incredulity as the tree began to uproot itself. It rose into the air by it's own power, inch by inch. The tree's thickset roots popped out the ground with incredible force, uplifting the grass around it and sending dirt splattering all over the place. I clung tightly to Blue's shoulders, afraid as to what was going to happen next.
With a loud groan, the tree halted its ascent and froze. It was now hovering a foot above the earth, supported by its powerful roots. Blue continued to carry me as he cautiously walked over to the now – floating tower of wood. Taking a closer look at the base of the tree, I noticed that there was now a sizable tunnel that went underneath the tree's stump. It was just large enough to fit Blue and I, assuming we were crawling.
"You did it, Fée!" Blue said in a cheerful voice, "You found the entrance!"
"E...eh?" I stuttered back. I was still reeling from the incredible event that just happened, but a sudden tightening around my waist snapped me out of my reverie. My face burned up again as I realized that my partner still had his arms wrapped around me. Panicking out of sheer embarrassment, I I wriggled and struggled within his grasp.
"H – hey, careful!" Blue said as I kicked out with my legs. For some reason, he continued to hold me tighter instead of letting go, which only made my cheeks burn even hotter. I let out a little yelp as leaned my upper body forward, intent on slipping out that way.
"Woah!"
"Eek!"
Unfortunately, it didn't work as I had hoped. Instead, Blue lost his balance and sent the two of us toppling forward. I tumbled and rolled like a little furry ball before skidding to a halt in front of the entrance. Groaning, I shook my head and staggered my way back onto my feet.
"Jeez... what was that all about?" I heard Blue groan. I tilted my head around, watching my partner pick himself off the ground out of the corner of my eye. He caught my gaze and shot me a questioning look.
"It's... it's nothing, okay?" I said, turning my red face away from him. Determined to keep my face out of sight, I angled my head down and pointed at the tree, "C – come on, the way is clear. Let's get moving!"
"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked in a worried voice. I shook my head and pointed my tail up in the air.
"I'm fine, completely fine! So let's go!" I shouted back in a voice more forceful than I had intended.
"Well, alright then." Was his reply. He didn't sound all the way convinced, but he shrugged anyway.
Shaking my head for the third time, I strutted up to the base of the tree and peered into the newly – formed tunnel. It was mushy and a little dirty, but I slid through it regardless. To my surprise, when I reached the bottom of the tunnel, I found that it was much roomier than I had imagined. In fact, the tunnel was deep enough for me to stand up fully.
"Geh... it's a little cramped," Blue grumbled as he slid down into the tunnel after me. Glancing back at him, I saw him try to stand up, only to quickly duck back down as his head smacked against the wooden ceiling.
Giggling, I bent my body low and said to him, "Why don't you try crawling? You'll have less of a headache that way."
"I suppose I don't really have a choice..."
Blue let loose a reluctant sigh and dropped down onto his arms. Feeling my prior embarrassment fade, I stifled my giggles and continued my way through the earthy passage with my friend crawling after me. At the other side of the tunnel, I could see a faint, blue glow illuminating the exit.
Excitement was tingling throughout my body as we entered the cool, shady forest. We found ourselves standing within a beautiful wonderland. Trees of all shapes and sizes stretched up around us like great pillars of wood. Long, spindly branches protruded from the sides of the trees, forming complex arches over our heads.
As Blue and I walked through the wood together, I bent down and poked one of the glowing mushrooms beside us. To my delight, the little thing swelled up and released a cloud of shining specks of light into the air. I watched in awe as sparkles danced around in the air, casting a wondrous blue glow around us.
"Incredible...!"
Smiling, I reached up and pawed at one of the sparkles. It stuck onto my fur with ease. I withdrew my paw and held it up to my face, where it continued to glow. It was like I had a bright, shining star within my grasp. I looked over to my right and saw Blue also trying to catch one of the specks. He swept his arms through the air at a high speed, trying to catch as many as he could. Unfortunately, all he managed to accomplish was create a small whirlwind of light around him.
He grumbled as he withdrew his paw. Every sparkle he tried to snag ended up dodging his paw, leaving him speckless. I giggled as he tried again, this time spinning both of his arms like a frantic windmill. After a few seconds of crazed spinning, Blue dropped his paws to his knees, panting. Not a single speck was present on his fur at all.
"Here, Blue," I offered him my little shining dot, "you can have mine."
"Heh..." Blue shook his head as he pushed me away, "you hang on to that. You can light the way with that."
"I have a better idea," I said with a mischievous giggle. I reached up and stuck the speck on his muzzle, making him look like he had a shining nose. "there. Now we have a walking lamp post!"
Blue tweaked his nose, making the little sparkle jitter, "Well, at least you have an easy way to find me if we ever get separated."
After sharing a happy laugh, we decided to leave the sparkling clearing behind and continue our trip deeper into the forest.
Deep within the forest, a solitary figure peeked out from behind one of the colossal trees. Standing on two black – furred legs, the Pokémon slipped out of her cover and gazed into the forest as she stood in the middle of a clearing. A few minutes had passed since that terrifying rumbling noise had stopped. She clutched the hem of her yellow, skirt – like fur and bit her trembling lip.
She knew the meaning behind that noise. It meant that the great barrier that protected her safe haven had been breached. Fear raced through her body as she realized that foreigners were probably walking around the forest as of this instant.
The Pokémon wandered up to one of the trees around the clearing and wrapped her white arms around it. She closed her eyes and hugged it tight as panicked questions swam through her terrified mind: Who were they? Why did they come here? Are they enemies? What should she do?
"My dear child, what are you doing?"
A sudden gust of wind blew through the clearing, carrying with it an elderly, tired – sounding voice. When she heard the voice speak, the Pokémon dislodged herself from the tree and turned around, a smile forming on her face. There, floating in the center of the forest clearing, was a swirling mass of purple. With tears of relief welling up in her eyes, the Pokémon ran up to the ethereal whirlpool and held her arms out wide.
"Please, dry your eyes. I am here, my little Braixen, there is no need for you to fret."
The purple swirl slowly coalesced into the shape of a tall, wispy – looking specter. A wide brimmed 'hat' adorned the top of the specter's head. While everything below the specter's face was shrouded in a translucent, purple cloak. A trio of red gems gleamed brightly above the cloak, casting a dull, scarlet light around the Pokémon.
The Braixen let out a cry of joy as she rushed up to the specter. She threw her arms around it, pulling the cloaked Pokémon into a happy embrace. The specter returned the gesture by wrapping her cloak around the Braixen's body.
"There, there," the specter said, holding her dear child close, "let it all out. You can tell your old Mismagius everything once you're feeling better."
The Braixen hiccuped and pulled away from her grandmother, wiping her tears away with her white arms. She gazed up at the Mismagius' crooked smile and felt a sense of relief wash over her. With a nod, she held her hands over her chest and closed her eyes. She dredged up her memories from earlier.
The yellow – furred Pokémon was sitting in the middle of the clearing, searching for more fallen leaves to add to her little collection back at home. When all of a sudden, the ground began to tremble while a horrible roar erupted from somewhere within the forest. Terrified, the Braixen could only cower and huddle against a tree until the noise and quake stopped.
"I see..." Mismagius stated with a small shake of her head, "that was a dreadful noise, wasn't it, my dear?"
The Braixen nodded and clasped her hands together over her chest, trembling.
"It's been quite some time since we've had visitors in the forest. I was just as surprised as you were when I felt the barrier lift."
Mismagius floated a few inches up into the air and narrowed her eyes. Not many Pokémon in this world know of this forest in which they called their home, and even less know of the secret to bypassing the natural barricade that protected them from the outside. Only three individuals came to Mismagius' mind as to who could be the culprit. If it was one of the three, why would they return now? Or perhaps... could it be someone other than them?
As she was mulling over the identity of the intruders, she felt a sudden tug at the hem of her cloak. Looking down, she saw her dear child staring up at her with a scared look in her eyes. With a smile, Mismagius floated down and embraced the Braixen to comfort her.
"Be still, my dear Brin..." She whispered into her daughter's ear, "There is nothing for you to fear. For as long as I am still with you, I will not allow anybody to harm you ever again."
As she hugged her precious charge, Mismagius glanced over to the trees behind Brin, her soft, caring expression hardening. In her mind, she sent a single command into the woods.
'Oro, you know what to do.'
A rustle of leaves returned as a reply. With a nod, Mismagius took her cloak and swept it over Brin and herself. One moment later, the two of them had vanished into the shadows.
As we traveled farther into the forest's depths, it became evident that the trip wasn't going to be a relaxing jaunt. The ground was uneven and rugged. Oftentimes, we found ourselves climbing over fallen logs or ducking under overgrown roots. Not only that, the ground itself proved to be quite difficult to walk on as well. I had to keep my eyes trained on the floor as we walked, I didn't want us to have our feet get caught by stray roots or slip on a patch of moss.
Every few minutes, I couldn't help but sneak a glance back at my partner. While we started our trip walking side – by – side, he ended up lagging behind due to his weakened leg. Whenever I turned around though, Blue would quickly hide his exhausted expression with a grin. Despite that, he couldn't hide how drenched with sweat his brow was, or how ragged his breathing was becoming.
"Blue... let's take a rest." I said.
"Hm? Are you tired, Fée?"
I shook my head, "No, but you..."
"Then let's keep going." He replied with a dismissive wave of his paw.
This exchange repeated several times as we trekked through the forest. Blue was so stubborn. No matter what I said or how I tried to convince him to rest, he would just shake his head and soldier on.
The wall of trees that lined the side of the road appeared to be widening as we continued down this road. I narrowed my eyes as I gazed ahead. There was an unmistakable glint of gold shining in the distance. It must be a beam of sunlight, I assumed. If it was, then it might be a nice place to try and convince Blue to take a rest.
"Blue, I see something shining up ahead," I announced back to him, "it looks like sunlight."
"Really?" Replied Blue, "Do you see anything else?"
"No, just the light."
"Hm... alright."
"Do you want me to go ahead and scout it out?"
Blue shook his head, "No, let's go together. It'll be safer that way."
I nodded at him and stood still, waiting for him to catch up to me. Once he was beside me again, I crawled underneath his right arm and held up his body.
"You don't have t–"
I covered his mouth with my paw and shot him a stern glare. "I might not have to, but I want to. So stuff it and let's go."
Blue let out a muffled sigh and drooped his shoulders down in defeat. He gave me a sideways grin as he shook his head.
"Mmph." He mumbled as he pointed at his mouth, "Mmph mph, mpph."
"Oops..." A little red in the face, I pulled my paw off his mouth. He took a deep breath and sighed.
"Alright," he said again, this time in a much more understandable tone, "let's go, Fée."
Without any more objections from my stubborn partner, we set off toward the shining light ahead. I couldn't help but make a little victorious huffing sound as I helped ease the weight off his injured leg. If only he was this easy to convince all the time!
"What's the matter?" He said, craning his head to give me a curious look.
"Oh... nothing," I replied in a sing – songy voice. The edges of my lips were curling up into a sly smile as I started to hum a little ditty. Blue still had a suspicious look on his face, but he didn't say anything, so I just continued to act as his little singing crutch.
After a few minutes of six – legged walking, we finally reached the place where I saw the shining light. As I expected, the beam of light came from an opening in the canopy above. The wall of trees that had surrounded us before had parted away to form a large, circular clearing around the ray of sunlight.
As we entered the clearing, the first thing I had noticed was that the sunbeam was shining on something odd. In the center of the room stood a single tree, all alone and separated from its brethren. A small circle of made out of rocks surrounded its base like a protective wall.
Despite that it was just a tree, I couldn't help but feel that it looked sad and lonely. Its bark was all torn up and wrinkled, while dark, jagged cracks circled its trunk. There were only two branches worthy of note on the tree, and even then, the branches were gnarled and crooked. It looked as though they would be blown off by a stiff breeze.
"It looks like it'll be pretty warm over there," Blue observed as he pointed at the wizened tree, "we can lean against that tree and take a rest."
While I did hold a few reservations about sitting down next to such a creepy looking thing, I had to admit that the warm sunlight looked really inviting. After our long trek through the cold and dark forest path, I could use a little bit of warming up in the sun.
"Sure thing," I said, "but you're not allowed to go to sleep."
"Eh?" Blue said as we began to walk toward the tree, "Why not?"
"Because," I replied with a shake of my head, "there's no water around here. I haven't figured out a way to rouse you without water yet."
"...am I really that heavy of a sleeper?"
"Yes. Yes you are."
Blue let out a chuckle as he patted me on the head. I responded with a grumble and whapping him in the side with my ears.
As we entered the golden beam of light, I felt myself being enveloped in a wonderful feeling of warmth. I felt a sense of happiness and contentment wash over me as I laid down in the soft grass. I let the sunlight embrace me as I let it slowly thaw out my chilled fur. Blue was wandering around the decrepit tree, eying it with interest. He picked up one of the rocks on the ground and knocked it against its crusty bark.
Thok, thok...
It made a dull, echoing noise. It sounded unlike the noise that the other tree made earlier. I glanced up at the tree's flaky exterior, my curiosity was piqued. I wondered, was it a hollow tree? My eyes drifted over to the gnarled branches protruding from the trunk. There were a few leaves remaining on the wood.
If that's the case, then the tree must be alive, right?
Confusion was growing inside of me as I continued to puzzle over the strange tree. Blue walked over to my side and sat down. He threw his rock away into the distance. He must've gotten bored of playing with it. My partner yawned and dropped down to his side, resting his head against this paw. Feeling a little tired as well, I closed my eyes and shoved my curious musings about the tree out of my mind.
Thok, thok...
One of my ears flew up in response to that sound. Was Blue knocking against the tree again? Well, it didn't matter if he was still a little curious. I ignored it and let my ear droop down again. The sunlight felt so nice... it made me want to take a little nap...
Thok, thok...
Once again, I was jarred out of my reverie by that annoying noise. One of my eyes shot open in frustration. My mouth opened to send Blue an angry retort, but I stopped halfway when I noticed that Blue hadn't moved a single inch since he lied down. One of his paws was underneath his head, and his other was lying at his side. There was no way he would've been able to reach over to knock against the tree.
So then, what was making that noise?
Thok, thok, thok...
"Blue..." I whispered, "that's... that's not you... is it?"
My partner didn't respond. Instead, he pushed himself off the ground with his head turned toward the tree. His expression was steely, and his paws were clenched into fist.
"Fée... get behind me, now."
His voice sounded so intense and fierce that I felt a chill run down my spine. I didn't want to disobey such a direct command, so I scrambled back onto my feet and tiptoed behind my friend. He gave me a short nod, but he never deviated his sight from the tree.
"What's going on?" I whispered to him, "Did you sense something bad?"
"Yeah," Blue said with a low growl, "we're not alone."
I gulped. I flashed back to when we were running away from the Kabuto swarm back at the beach cave. Blue had said something similar then as well. I took a nervous step back, keeping my eyes peeled for anything dangerous that might spring out from the forest.
Thok, thok, THOK...!
Both Blue and I jumped at the sudden noise. It was the same echoing noise, but that last one... it was much louder than before!
"Blue...!" I began to say, but his paw shot across my face and interrupted me. He began to back away from the tree, taking me with him. His lips curled upward, revealing a set of fangs as he growled at the tree. My fur bristled when I saw him wearing such a scary expression. Nervously, I moved my gaze away from him and toward the sunbeam.
Grrooooaaaa...
The leaves on the tree began to shudder as a low, droning noise emanated from the trunk. A jolt of fear ran through my spine, sending a tingling sensation through my legs when I heard it. It didn't sound like a natural sound. In fact, it actually sounded like a voice...!
"Who's there?!" Blue demanded, holding up his fist toward the tree.
Groaaaaaaaar...
"S – show yourself...!" I stammered.
Groaaaaaaaar!
A loud, bestial roaring noise suddenly exploded out from the tree, forcing the two of us to clutch our ears in pain. My eyes widened as the old, ancient – looking tree had somehow uprooted itself out of the ground, and was now standing on its exposed roots. The rocks that had surrounded the base of the tree earlier were sent rolling away by its roots. A loud snapping noise rang out as two jagged lines appeared on the bark. The entire thing then began to tremble and growl.
"Get back, Fée!" Blue shouted at me. Seeing no reason to disagree, we both began to back away from the shuddering tree until we were a fair distance away.
The jagged lines on the tree's bark suddenly expanded into large cracks, separating the trunk into three sizable parts. Black, bubbling shadows filled in the space in between the cracks, while the long, gnarled branches at its side began to grow outward at a ridiculous speed.
"W – what is that thing?!" I shouted, horrified.
The tree bent low and raised up its stump. The many spindly roots that covered its bottom began to entangle and coil around each other, fusing themselves until there were only six, thick leg – like roots left. As it stood on its newly – formed legs, the tree's branches began to expand in size and girth. The bushel of leaves that tipped both branches began to shake as something large began to protrude out from underneath it.
Groooooooaaar!
Another ferocious roar exploded out from the tree, sending the leaves flying off its branches. I shielded myself as a wave of green pelted my face. When I opened my eyes again, I let out a shocked gasp. Two, massive pincer – like claws had replaced the bushel of dried leaves!
Another snapping noise rang out, and with it, a long crack appeared on the top section of the tree. Bark and wood chippings fell onto the dirt as the crack spread across in a crescent moon – like shape. Once the last piece fell off, the blackness underneath the tree's bark ebbed away to show a single, glowing red eye.
'Intruders of the forest...'
Blue and I jumped up out of surprise. An eerie, almost feminine – like voice had floated into the clearing. We both scanned around the area with our eyes and ears, trying to find the source of the voice.
'...there is nothing for you here... leave now, and never return...!'
"W – wait!" I ran up and shouted up into the air, "We can't leave, we need to find something important here!"
'...there is nothing for you here...!' A sudden gust of wind came blowing through the forest, making me flinch from the chilly air. Blue replied with an angry snarl as he ran up and threw his arms around me, sheltering me from the cold.
"P – please, listen to me!" I shouted through the raging wind, "We're not invaders, we're explorers! We're just here to find the PanaceaaAAAH!"
The wind intensified as soon as I mentioned the Panacea. I could hardly keep my footing in such a powerful gale. Even with Blue holding onto my body, it took all I had just to remain standing.
'Where did you hear that word...?!' The voice said in a furious tone, whipping up yet another gust of wind. 'There is nothing like that here! Forget your delusions of grandeur and begone! Oro, get rid of them!'
Groaaaaaar! The frightening tree reared back and released a ferocious roar. Its single eye rolled around within the bark before finally coming to a stop on us. It stretched out its long, wooden arms to its side and began to extend and contract its claws.
Blue growled as he let go of my body. He put himself in between me and the beast, holding out his fists and bending low into a fighting pose.
'So... you wont retreat...' The voice spoke again, its tone icy and dripping with disgust, 'Then so be it. Your greed shall spell your end!'
In that instant, the tree launched itself toward us, scuttling at us at a ridiculous speed with its root – like legs. Its middle section rotated as it raised up its right arm, readying itself to attack us with its claw...!
"Too slow!" Blue shouted as he leapt forward and intercepted the claw with his right fist. A loud crashing noise, followed by a series of disturbing cracking sounds exploded out from the impact.
Groaaaar! The tree cried out in shock, or maybe in pain, as Blue's fist pierced right through the center of its claw. With a deft flick of his wrist, Blue pulled his arm out and jumped away. He shook a few stray splinters and leaves off his fur while the tree continued to scream out in agony.
"You're not so tough," Blue said in a cocky tone as he got back into his fighting stance, "now come on. I'll show you just how strong this 'intruder' is!"
The beast howled in fury as it heard Blue's boast. Twitching, It held out its punctured arm to the side, giving me a good look at just how large of a hole Blue had made. All of a sudden, it halted its trembling and became still.
"What is it doing...?" I whispered to Blue.
He didn't even need to answer, as a loud crackling noise did the job for him. I watched in shock as large chunks of wood began to slide into place inside the hole, repairing the damage that Blue had caused.
My partner let out a low growl of discontent as we watched the tree heal itself. "That's a dirty trick," Blue grumbled, "but it doesn't matter." He bent down low and launched himself forward as soon as he finished speaking, "I'll just have to outpace your healing!"
He stamped the ground hard in front of the tree, kicking up several inches of dirt as he landed. Then, with the remaining momentum from his leap, he hurled his fist forward. I watched in anticipation for his heavy blow to connect and to send the tree flying.
…
...but, nothing happened.
There was no crash, no cracking noise or flying trees. Rather, there was only the sound of the wind being cut by Blue's powerful strike.
"Wha...?!" Both Blue and I had the same shocked expressions on our faces as the strange situation began to unfold.
The tree continued to stand tall, unharmed by Blue's punch. My partner stood there with his fist pointed at the ground, a stunned look on his face as he gaped at his arm. Did he miss? Or did the tree somehow managed to dodge his blow? What happened?!
Groaaaar!
Another loud roar snapped us out of our confusion. Right as Blue was beginning to recover from his failed attack, a wooden claw came barreling toward him.
"Blue!"
His head turned around just in time to see the tree's arm in front of him, just mere inches away from his muzzle.
"Gaaah!" Blue howled in pain as the tree slammed his claw into Blue's face. I watched, horrified, as my partner was sent sailing through the air like a rag doll.
"No!" Screaming out in horror, I chased after his flying body as fast as I could. Right before his head hit the ground, I leapt up and caught him with my paws. Cradling his crumpled form as we fell together, I shielded him from the fall and slammed into the ground.
"Urgh!" My back cried out in pain as we landed into the dirt. I quickly dismissed their screams of pain and let go of my friend. Blue coughed and rolled out of my grasp, holding onto his head with his paw.
"Are... are you alright, Blue?" I asked, patting him gingerly on the shoulder. He shook his head and coughed again. I let out a quiet yelp of shock as he left a small red stain on the grass.
"I'm... I'm alright," he replied, wiping the remaining red off his mouth. His eyes turned toward the tree as he bared his fangs, "but more importantly... did you see what happened?
"Y – yeah..." I averted my gaze from the grass and nodded hesitantly. At first, I couldn't believe my own eyes, but there was no fooling what I had seen. "Your... your fist just slid right through that thing's body...!"
"Guh..." Blue let out a frustrated growl as he struggled to push himself off the ground, "I didn't want to believe it..." He shook his head and slammed his fists into the ground, using the force from the blow to jump back onto his feet. As soon as he stabilized himself, he began to walk toward the tree again.
"W – wait, where are you going?!" I scrambled back onto my own feet, ignoring the screaming pain in my side, "You can't be thinking of fighting after what it did to you! You can't even hit it!"
He shook his head and lifted his paw. He pointed a finger at the tree's right claw, the claw where he had managed to punch a hole in before.
"It's not completely invincible," he said as he clenched his pointing paw into a fist, "if I managed to strike it once before, then I can do it again!"
"B – Blue, wait!"
My cry of caution was lost in the wind as Blue kicked off the ground, charging toward the enemy once more with his fists ready at his side. The tree released a furious roar in response and rotated its body around, its arms outstretched and its claws extended as if it was about to swat Blue away like a bug.
"Haaah!" Once more, Blue stopped himself at the base of the tree, swinging his fist forward at an insane speed. But, just like before, his fist only cut through the air as it passed through the tree's body as if it wasn't even there.
Groooaaar! The tree didn't waste any time in throwing its counterattack at my partner. The heavy claw came swooping down at him like a hammer aimed directly at his head. However, Blue was more prepared this time. As soon as the claw neared his face, he flattened himself against the ground, allowing the hammer – like blow to sail over him.
Goaah?! The tree sounded stunned as it was thrown off balance by whiffing its force – filled attack. Blue, on the other hand, sprung up from his lowered position with his fists drawn. With his left arm, he snagged onto the tree's hanging arm and with his right.
"Gotcha!" A smirk appeared on my partner's face. He lifted his other paw and sent it flying straight down.
Craaaack!
I cheered as the tree's heavy claw flew off its arm. It spun around in the air for a few seconds before striking the ground and embedding itself into the dirt. Blue quickly leapt off the branch and backed away from the stunned tree.
"So, your invincibility only extends to your body!" Blue shouted at it with a smirk on his face, "That's perfect. I just have to aim at everything around you then!"
The beast stared at its now – declawed arm for a moment. Its single eye had shrunken out of complete and utter surprise. Then, it began to shudder and tremble as its eye started to glow an ominous red color. It reared back its body and unleashed a horrifying, furious screech into the air.
Gyeeeeeeeeeeeeee–!
The sound was so loud, so frightening that It felt as thought my ears were going to explode if I continued to listen to it! I ducked down and covered my ears with my paws, trying to my hardest to block out the painful screech. Even Blue was forced to kneel and clutch the sides of his head with his paws.
–eeeeeeeeeygh!
Then, right as the scream ended, the tree's body straightened out and it held out its stumped arm. With a single shake of its arm, it began to reform its claw. Blue noticed this and quickly pushed himself off the ground.
"Oh no you don't!" He snarled as he rushed forward, intent on interrupting the tree's regrowth!
He drew his fist back and jumped at the tree's outstretched arm. With a yell of triumph, he struck his paw down in a chopping motion.
Crack! The half – formed claw fell off again, courtesy of Blue's powerful blow. The tree reeled back, its eye spazzing about inside of its crescent – shaped hole. Blue took this opportunity to continue the attack, this time his target was the other arm!
"Haaah!" He struck out with his right arm, slamming it right into the tree's other claw. A huge chunk of wood flew into the air as Blue's blow made its mark, sending splinters and wood chippings scattering all around him. A cry of anguish emanated out of the tree as it lost its other arm to my partner.
Not to be done yet, Blue pulled his arm out of the tree and took a step back. He drew back both of his fists, readying himself for one big, two handed blow!
"Take this!" Blue shouted as he unleashed his final attack. Two powerful fists rocketed toward the tree's vulnerable arm. A nasty crackling noise exploded out from the impact as another massive chunk of wood was sent spiraling away into the air.
Groa..rr... groaaaa...! The tree let out a few weak growls of pain as it stumbled away on its root – like legs. Its branches looked like nothing more than little stubs now. It tripped over one of its own roots, falling onto its back and hitting the dirt, hard. As it laid on the ground, it wriggled its stubby arms in a feeble manner, desperate to try and get back up.
"Had enough?" Blue held up his fist as he walked toward the tree. The tree gave him a furious scream in response, making me flinch and cover my ears again. Blue, however, wasn't deterred by the noise and instead broke out into a run.
"Kuh..!?"
But, he didn't even get to take a single step. All of a sudden, his right leg gave out and he went sent tumbling onto the dirt. His face slammed into the grass as he slid across the clearing.
"Gaaaah!" Blue roared out in pain as he rolled over, clutching his right leg. His face contorted as he curled up on the grass, screaming in sheer agony.
"B – Blue!" I charged right on over, throwing myself onto the grass next to him. Without even needing to look, I knew for a fact that he had overextended himself too much this time! Crimson red was beginning to stain the fur on his right leg. His wounds must've opened up from all the running and jumping he was doing earlier!
"H – hang in there, I'll take care of you!" My paws were trembling as I fumbled with the clasp on my Explorer's Pack. He needed medical attention, now! But, as I finally managed to tear open the top of my pack, an earsplitting roar exploded from behind us.
Gyeeeeeeaaaagh!
The tree had recovered. I could only watch in horror as it began to encroach upon us, its arms regrown and its claws pointed right at my face.
"F – Fée..." Blue gasped out as he grasped my leg. He looked at me with a pained expression on his face. "R – run...! Run away...!"
He was telling me to abandon him, to leave him behind and save myself?! No! I wont! I can't!
"Shut up!" I screamed back at him. I threw my pack on the ground and shoved an Oran Berry into his paws, "I wont leave you behind!"
"Fé...Fée!"
Turning away from his stunned and angry face, I stood up and faced the angry tree beast. I curled up my lips and revealed to it my teeth. My fangs may not be as sharp as my partner's, but even then...! Even then...!
"I wont let you hurt my frieeeeeend!" I let out a bestial howl as I charged forward. As expected, my head and my body slipped right through the trunk as if there wasn't anything there at all. I skidded to a stop as I flew through to the other side. The tree rotated its three sections, turning its eye and arms around to face me.
"Like Blue said... your center is invincible," I muttered as I stared down my enemy, "but why...? Why are you invincible there...?"
My mind worked at a frantic pace, trying to figure out the reason behind the tree's invulnerability. A memory resurfaced within my head.
Thok... thok...
I remembered Blue knocking against the tree's trunk earlier... how did he do it? My eyes darted around the clearing, and my gaze fell upon one of the small rocks that had surrounded the tree earlier. He had rapped against the tree with the rock in his paw... does that mean the tree can be touched with the rock?
"Fée...! It's coming...!"
At Blue's warning, I snapped out of my thoughts just in time to see the tree swinging its claws at me. I ducked just like Blue did before, allowing the heavy claw to swipe at the air above my head. Taking this chance, I crawled away from the tree while it was recovering and scrambled over to one of the rocks.
It was just a simple, nondescript stone. Having been under the sun for so long, the surface of the rock had been bleached a shiny white. In a hurry, I opened my mouth and bit down on it. A sense of disgust rose up within my gut as my tongue tasted the dirt under the rock.
"What... what are you doing?!" I heard Blue gasp out in the distance. Ignoring him, I turned around and faced the tree with my teeth clenched down tight on the rock.
The tree was scuttling toward me with its rooty legs, its claws drawn back and ready to swipe at me. My jaw felt sore and pained as I held the heavy thing up in my mouth, but I couldn't let it distract me now! Steeling my resolve, I leaned my head back and spun around on the spot. Right as I faced the tree again, I released the rock and hurled it toward the charging beast.
Thunk!
It was a direct hit! The rock struck the tree right in its midsection, stopping its advance and making it double over from the blow. It released a shocked and hurt cry as its claws clutched its body. Its eye was spinning like mad. I pawed at my mouth, trying to brush away the dirt and soothe the aching feeling from biting down on the rock for so long. I felt the edges of my lips curl up into a smile.
This thing wasn't invincible at all! Even if we can't touch it with our paws or fists, we could still hurt it! Confidence and enthusiasm was beginning to build up inside of me as I ran over to the next rock on the ground. Picking it up, I turned my gaze back to the tree.
Groaaaar! It released another furious roar and rushed at me, its claws swiping at the air. As I held on to the second rock, I waited for a moment this time before lobbing it. I took my time to aim my next attack, to get the rock through his claws and hit his body. I watched the movement of his arms and his claws, scanning and observing for the precise moment to unleash my attack...!
There! I spun around again and used the momentum to hurl the rock at the tree. The white stone spun as it sailed through the air. The tree noticed my missile and tried to knock it away with his claws, but I had thrown it higher than it expected. The stone went over his guard and collided squarely onto his top section, or more specifically, right in his glowing eye!
Gyeeeeeeeegh!
A loud, injured screech rang out as it doubled back. It stumbled around the clearing, swiping at the air with one of its claws while the other claws was held over its face. The rock had embedded itself within the opening on its 'face,' blinding it and hopefully hurting it at the same time.
Taking this chance, I rushed over to my partner, who was still lying on the ground trying to catch his breath. As I reached his body, I noticed that he had tried to take a bite out of the Oran Berry I left him earlier, but it didn't work. A chunk of berry was lying at his side, uneaten and covered in dirt. I took a quick glance at the tree. It was still rampaging around at the other side of the clearing, and still distracted.
Nodding, I took the Oran Berry out of Blue's paws and held it over his mouth. "Open up your mouth, I'll feed it to you."
He gave me a small nod and opened his mouth obediently. With a grunt of exertion, I squeezed the berry and let the juice dribble down my paw and into his open maw. He coughed and spluttered as he tried to down the healing salve, sending some of the blue – colored liquid splattering onto my face. Once the Oran Berry was drained, I threw it away and cradled the back of his head, helping him swallow the rest of the juice that was still in his mouth.
"Fée... are... are you alright...?" He struggled to say in between heavy gasps.
"That's something I should be asking!" I shot back at him, giving his head a hug. He was such a stubborn idiot! "You should be worried about yourself!"
"He...heh..." He let out a strained chuckle as he shook his head, brushing his muzzle against my ruff, "I... I'm fine... heh..."
"Idiot..." I couldn't help but grin at his how obstinate he was. Even though he was in so much pain, he was still trying to say these things...
Groaaaar!
I quickly turned my head away from my partner. The tree had managed to dislodge the rock from its eye socket and was now glaring at me with fury burning in its single eye. I gently let go of Blue and laid him onto the grass.
"Fée... don't... get hurt..."
I gave my partner a nod and faced the tree with a look of confidence on my face. I patted the ribbon on my right ear and took a deep breath. A white hot flame was burning within my chest. I felt courage course throughout my body like wildfire, making me feel stronger than ever.
"Believe in me!" I told Blue as I took a step forward, "I'm your partner... and I'll protect you!"