When they got Iris back in the car, Aran started it up again and headed for the forest's most open spot for entry. Their first reaction to the texture of the air and leaves was a sudden shiver, which had nothing to do with cold. Cilan decided that he wanted a sample of the leaves (being a botanist as well as a trainer-connoisseur), took out a small pocketknife that he always carried with him, and started to cut one of the enormous leaves.
"Don't! If you do that, Cilan, you will be cursed! It's as much a part of this forest as sand is part of a desert!" Aran suddenly warned.
Cilan nearly dropped his knife on Ash's leg, who was sitting right next to him, but caught it just in time, flipping it closed and replacing it in his pocket faster than you could say "Dark" (he is also a very good acrobat).
Ash didn't even realize that Cilan had the knife until it was safely in his pocket. All of a sudden, a piercing scream broke through the gloom, making everyone jump in their seats.
"It's Darkell. I can feel it." Aran whispered, just loud enough for the rest to hear.
"It sounds more like a dying animal than a shadow being to me." Ash said trivially.
"Did you have to say it that way?" whined Iris, who was afraid of anything to do with death, especially when it comes to animals, and had a very pale face at that remark.
"Sorry, Iris." Ash apologized, and then turned to Aran, "That wasn't Darkell, Aran. I've been a trainer for long enough that I can recognize a wild Dusknoir's False Tears move when I hear one."
"Oh, and what's a Dusknoir doing in Palmo, Ash?" Aran challenged.
"Okay, break it up, you two. You're starting to fight so much that you're almost like brothers." Iris said.
Then, the car suddenly ground to a halt.
"What happened?" Ash asked.
"I'll check." Aran replied, "The car ran into some loose mud. I don't think that we can get it out, though. Come see yourself." Everyone got out to see.
"You're right; we can never get it out. How are we supposed to get through this jungle now?" Iris observed.
"We'll walk. Get the supplies that we'll need from the trunk of the car. There are enough boots and clothing for everyone. We could be here awhile." Aran instructed.
"Ugh, lost in a scary forest with death screams and evil Pokémon, how are we going to get out of this one?" Iris said, exasperated.
"Uh, guys, did you just happen to see a pair of green eyes staring at us from over there?" Cilan asked, obviously scared, pointing to a patch of leaves.
"No, maybe you're just imagining it." Ash answered, slightly doubtful.
"Go Away!" a deep, yet high-pitched at the same time, said, making everyone jump into the lower branches of the trees.
"What was that? Was it Darkell?" Iris said, shaking.
"No, it was too loud and too high-pitched to be Darkell." Ash answered, remembering the voice in his dream.
"GO AWAY!"
"There it is again. Where's it coming from?" Cilan shook, the first time since the team got to Palmo.
"It's getting louder." Iris said, shaking like crazy. They heard the yell a few more times, until, a few minutes later, a small creature popped out from the undergrowth.
"Awww, it's so cute." Iris said, noticing the creature.
"Cute" was not the best word for it. It was about one foot tall, was a pale shade of green, had fairly large horns jutting out from its skull, walked on all fours, and had a sneer plastered onto its face. When it heard Iris's comment, it looked straight at them. Its eyes showed great intelligence, but also great mystery.
"Click!" came a sound. Ash pulled out his Pokédex, which had made the noise.
"Xorro, the Angel Pokemon. Xorro is believed to live in large numbers with Xyrule. No more information." It said mechanically.
"Xorro Xorro!" it said, as if answering the machine. Then, turning its head back to the newcomers in its forest, it looked at them in a way that made it impossible to look away from its green eyes.
"I am Xorro. Get away from my pack now!" it said.
"It can talk!" Cilan said, finally breaking away from the hypnotic spell.
"Xorro!" a new, even deeper voice said, "I will judge the intruders. Get back in the pack!" The new Pokémon looked up and down at the trio and Aran and then closed its eyes, after which every human there felt a sensation like being tickled in their brains.
"They are all safe," it said.
"A-are you a-a Pokémon?" Iris finally managed to say.
"My name is Xyrule. I am a Pokémon, but do not expect me to appear in your Pokédex, as I do not show on any machine. Come, I have been waiting for you." Xyrule explained, motioning to a patch of leaves that looked slightly darker than the others. When the team went through, everyone immediately noticed a change in background. The land was a grassy slope, with a bright light, of a different quality than the sun, surrounding the landscape.
"This is the home of my Xorro and I. There is only one Xyrule at a time, so there are plenty of Xorro everywhere here. We call this area Karkoul, which means "sacred land" in our ancient language." Xyrule explained.
Xyrule, you did show up on my Pokédex, see?" Ash noticed, showing Xyrule the information.
"Xyrule, the God Pokémon. Its power is unmatchable in any battles, and it has no weaknesses. It is believed to be the Creator of all dimensions and life within the collection of Universes known as the Xyrullean Complex." The Pokédex said, strangely blinking as it did so.
"How does it pick up my aura? No machine can, and I don't remember allowing it to sense me. Maybe…" Xyrule started to say.
"Maybe what?" Cilan demanded.
"Nothing."
"Are you the one that created Arceus, Xyrule?" Ash asked.
"I did, but this body didn't. It is getting dark. You may camp here if you wish. I have made beds for you to sleep on." Xyrule said cryptically,then changed the subject.
It was now midnight. Ash was lying in one of the hammocks that Xyrule had made for them, fully awake. He was staring at the full moon.
"Whoa!" came a shout all of a sudden, breaking the tranquility.
Iris had fallen off of her hammock, again. She would probably just get back on and fall asleep, just like the other five times. Ash thought to himself.
She did exactly as he thought, so he adjusted his position in his hammock and stared at the moon again.
"What are you thinking about?" came Iris's voice from beside his hammock.
"Nothing, I just can't get to sleep. You go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Ash replied, jumping up at the sudden sound.
"Okay." Iris said back, returning to her bed.
I think I'll take a walk, just to make me tired. Ash thought in silence.
So, as soon as Iris was asleep, he got up and went out in the moonlit forest next to their beds. About ten minutes later, Ash saw a strange, black-and-red thing appear next to him. He stopped to look, and when he did, he wished he hadn't. The thing was uglier and creepier than anything he had ever seen. It had glowing red eyes, a melted-looking head (with no face), and a body like a gargoyle. He then felt a strange tug in his mind, and then he felt no more.
"Dinner, Dragor." The thing said, in an evil, raspy voice. A large dragon, almost as ugly as his master, came out and began to feast. His master had no feelings about this murder, as he had emptied half of Palmo's population at this point.