"Aw man, a cliff?" Leo slumped down and groaned, staring at the rock wall that blocked thier path to Eterna Forest.
"ELIMINATE OBSTACLE." Tech raised his cannon.
"NO, TECH." The others shouted. The cybrog lowered his weapons.
"SORRY."
"Guess we'll have to scale it." Lian said, looking at the cliff.
"No problem!" Leo smirked and began whirling his tail around. He leaped into the air...
And fell back on the ground.
"Ha, Leo, you're too fat for that trick." Nina stuck her tounge at the very irritated sea weasel.
Hank walked up to the obstacle and dug his claws into the side. He slowly began walking up the cliff, Sapphire following close behind.
The others were about to follow when a rock Hank was holding on to came loose and hit Sapphire on the head. She lost focus and fell on top of Lian, Hank later coming in to join the pile.
"PILE ON LIAN!" Leo shouted, leaping onto the top of the pile.
Nina dragged him off.
The sky darkened as clouds gathered, a drizzle falling on to the group.
"Great, now it's too slippery." Sapphire groaned.
"NO PROBLEM." Tech said.
He wheeled over to the wall, latching onto with with his hands.
"GET ON."
Lian blinked and walked over to the Lickitung machine, grabbing hold of his back.
Tech readied himself, then pratically flew up the side of the cliff, Lian in tow.
The others stared, mouth open.
"Rock Climb, I guess." Hank explained.
Minutes later, the last pokemon was up on the cliff.
Sapphire shook the water off her fur, looking at the forest below them.
"Eterna Forest is right below." She told the group. "We should be in Eterna City soo-"
"OH MY GROUDON WE COULD HAVE WALKED AROUND THE CLIFF." Leo cried, pointing.
Next to the cliff was a bit of forest, eventually merging with Eterna Forest.
The group groaned except for Tech.
"COME ON. LET'S MOVE." He ordered, wheeling down the cliffside.
The others groaned again, following his lead.
"Lyal, baby. Dinner." A sweet voice called.
A Honchkrow that was perched on a dead tree turned toward the direction of the voice.
He sighed, flapping his wings and flying towards it. "Coming."
The bird entered what appeared to be a mansion.
A shadowy figure watched it.
It turned, floating away.
"So, even that bird has someone..." It sighed to itself, looking at the stormy skies.
"It's nights like these that reminds me of my death... I could go for a cookie right now."
Lightning flashed and the rain fell harder down on Eterna Forest's inhabitants.
The figure disappeared along with the lightning without a trace.
"OH MY GROUDON DID YOU SEE THAT?" Leo yelled, grabbing hold of Sapphire and quivering.
Sapphire rolled her eyes and pushed Leo off her. "Yes. Now let's find shelter before Techno boy here short circuits."
"BEEP. ERROR. ERROR. INSERT QUARTER BEEEEEEPPPP."
Leo blinked, twisting his head around. His eyes lit up and he pointed at an old mansion.
"SHELTER STRAIGHT AHEAD."
He ran towards it, the others following it without thinking twice about it.
They were almost at the door when a scythe blocked their path.
"Stop!"
"Wuzzuh?" Leo mumbled.
A cloaked figure emerged, withdrawing his scythe behind his back.
"Don't enter that place. It's inhabited by the King and Queen of this forest." It said. "If you need to find shelter, then-"
"OH MY GROUDON A GHOST. FLEE." Leo screamed and ran around in circles until Sapphire tripped him. The Floatzel fell flat on his face.
"Who are you?" Lian demanded.
"I'm… uh. Well. Most people call me the Phantom. Or Phantom, if you please." Phantom replied.
"What are you, more like it." Hank asked.
"I'm a ghost, simply. A deceased Xatu. I died many years ago. Now I help lost souls rest in pea-" He paused, staring at the pokemon, except Tech, who had started to scream and run around in circles.
"Stop it!" Phantom growled. The group stopped in their tracks.
"I'm tired of people doing that." The ghost groaned.
The others huddled behind a tree, shivering from the cold and Phantom.
"… So what's so bad about the King and Queen?" Hank asked when he finally regained the ability to speak.
"We live in a forest without laws, why should we need a ruler?"
"... Good point." Hank murmered.
"I SAY WE OVERTHROW THEM." Leo yelled.
"ARE YOU CRAZY." Phantomed cried. "The king's a Honchkrow with at least 50 Murkrow soldiers and the queen's a Mismagius or something. They're a dirty pair."
"... Did you say Honckrow with 50 Murkrow?" Lian narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah..."
"We've dealt with him, and by Arceus, we can deal with him again." Lian stood up, the others following.
"TOO THE CREEPY OLD MANSION THINGY!" Leo yelled.
"OLD CHATEAU." Tech corrected.
"Whatever." Leo stuck his tounge out at the cyborg as they entered the mansion.
"So this place is haunted." Nina asked, looking around at the old mansion.
"Yep. But most of the ghosts aren't here since I helped them out. The ghost pokemon don't come out since the King and Queen started to rule." Phantom replied.
"GHOST POKEMON. AAGH." Leo screamed, hugging Nina.
"... Leo, Nina is a ghost pokemon." Sapphire said.
"Yeah, but she's hot." Leo declared.
Nina slapped him.
"Well, where would we find the King and Queen." Hank asked Phantom.
"OVER. THERE." Tech said, pointing at a Honchkrow that was perched on a railing, looking down at the group.
"YOU." Leo yelled.
"You?" The Honchkrow asked. He flew down, landing in front of the group.
"You might want to leave," he advised, "my wife hates intruders."
"... Don't you?" Hank mewed.
Honchkrow sighed. "Let me start from the beginning. After you guys defeated me and my Murkrow, I left the mountains. I changed my name to Lyal to forget my old ways. After some travelling, my flock and I landed in Eterna Forest. Then I met her. Mismagius. The most beatiful thing I've ever s- HEY."
He cut his story short to see the group fast asleep.
"WAKE UP YOU MORONS."
They leaped up.
"As I was saying... Oh nevermind. My wife just wants to take over the forest, that's all."
"WHHHAAT?" The group cried.
Lightning flashed outside, another figure appeared. "Is that so, Lyal?"
"AGH. GHOST." Leo yelled.
Sure enough, Mismagius appeared.
"GAH. MISMAGIUS." Lyal flew over to his wife. "Uh. I was jus-"
"ENOUGH."
"Yes ma'am."
Nina smiled at her teammates. "You should treat me better."
Sapphire nodded.
The others growled, standing up.
"I guess they'll be a battle?" Lian asked.
"I'm out of here." Lyal declared, flying up the halls.
Phantom crossed his wings. "I need to depart. I sense a disturbance somewhere that I have to attend to." The ghost vanished in a second.
"... Wimps." Leo mumbled.
The remaining pokemon had no time to think before a giant black blob was hurled at them, throwing the group outside and into the rain.
Mismagius floated over to them, accompanied by a dozen Gastly, Haunter and Gengar.
"I thought I should even out the odds." Mismagius explained.
"Oh poo." Hank groaned.