Ch.43: Creatures of Rot and Dirt! Face the Horrors of the Supernatural!
Flint's ear twitched in his sleep as he rolled around, trying to reposition himself for a more comfortable position. His face scrunched up irritably. He tiredly grabbed his pillow and buried his head under it, but it did nothing to calm his uneasiness.
He couldn't sleep.
He couldn't explain why, but he just can't fall asleep. Not like he had a glass of warm milk on hand to solve his woes. He simply waited it out until he drifted off. That wasn't the case, unfortunately. Sure, a few times in the night, he did blank out, only to be thrown back awake.
He felt off about something. Maybe he wasn't tired at all. Maybe he was worried about tomorrow's mission. Or perhaps Ella and Tony's meddlesome teasing was getting to him again. It's not like anything was wrong. He felt off, but there was no danger around him. It was a strange feeling.
Flint rolled over onto his side and took a glance at his brother. The Umbreon was curled up, snoozing peacefully. The blankets were slightly thrown off him, likely due to the Flareon's previous tosses and turns. Flint smiled a bit, then pulled the blanket back over Wes.
Seeing no reason to go back to bed, Flint lifted himself up and yawned silently. His weary eyes looked around the darkness of the room, taking quick glances at his friends. Everyone appeared to be fast asleep…except for Gwyn.
Flint tilted his head curiously at the missing Mew. The blankets were thrown off her side of the bed and lay over Ella, who had her back turned to Flint. Flint slipped out of bed gently and scratched his head. Where is she? He tiptoed around the room, wondering if there was any trace of the Mew left.
He noticed her bag was gone, which he found odd. He scratched his cheek curiously, then his eyes wandered over to the bathroom. He blinked at the door as light peeked over from the bottom, indicating the lights were on. He quietly made his way over and lifted his ear against the door.
He made out glass clinking together and liquid being poured, followed by fizzing. He stared at the door for a moment before turning the knob and letting himself in.
He found Gwyn with her portable lab equipment set up and wearing her lab coat over her pajamas. Beakers and vials of various liquids set up as she worked diligently on one of her usual experiments. She shook a vial of green liquid and observed the color as it turned lighter. She extracted a dropped with an eye dropper and held it over a seed sitting in a Petri dish.
Once she squeezed a drop out, it landed on the seed. She bent down to eye level and examined the seed as it absorbed the liquid. She quietly squealed as the seed grew in size for a few seconds, then frowned when it cracked open with a puff a smoke. "Aww…"
Flint slipped into the bathroom and gently closed it. "Gwyn?"
The green Mew squeaked and leaped into the air, while accidentally tossing a vial that landed in the sink and poured out an acid that ate through the sides. She turned to the door, then sighed with relief. "Oh…it's just you, Flint." She walked over to the sink and turned it on, washing away the acid.
"Um…sorry," he mumbled apologetically.
The Mew heard him and smiled. "Aww, no need to apologize. Plenty more acid where that came from." She held her chin and stared at him, confused. "Wait, why are you up so late?"
Flint smirked lightly. "I could be asking you the same thing."
Gwyn held her hips and smirked back. "Oh, hardy har."
Flint chuckled, then sighed. "Well, reason I'm up is…well, I couldn't sleep."
"How come?"
He scratched the back of his head and groaned. "I…I don't know. I had this weird dream where I was…floating in the sky or something. Everything seemed normal, then I heard this strange wispy sound that kept waking me up." He pinched between his eyes. "It sounded so real…and super annoying."
Gwyn tilted her head. "Wait, a wispy sound woke you up?" He nodded. She grinned. "No way! Me too!" she exclaimed, then shut her mouth upon remembering they were the only ones awake. She giggled in embarrassment and twirled her finger in her hair. "Um…I mean, me too," she said much quieter.
Flint blinked, finding this rather baffling. "Really? The same thing woke us up? Huh…weird." He scratched his head and looked at her lab set. "Sssooo, what're you working on?"
Gwyn turned back to her equipment. "I was just working on some new Naturae Fruits. With the Spike Berry complete, I was able to use it as a model to help set the basis for the rest of the fruits." She picked out a couple seeds and dropped them in her dish. "I tried varying up the types of fruits I used. Would it be weird to make one shaped like a banana?"
Flint chuckled behind his paw and walked over. "They're your fruit. You can make them whatever way you want." He looked at her equipment. "So, what kinds are you making?"
"I'm trying to perfect the Informis Oak variant and Toxic Hunter variant."
Flint shivered at the mentioned of the Toxic Hunters, remembering the Mew's brief description of the trapping vines. "Yikes, I almost feel sorry for anyone going up against that…" He blinked, then scratched his head. "Wait, what's an Informis Oak?"
Gwyn giggled and explained, "I believe there's an expression called 'strong as an oak,' correct? Well, Informis Oak is a little different. It's a type of wood that can be shaped and molded like plastic or rubber, but still retain its impressive durability. Basically, turning myself into Informis Oak would grant me a lot of options for combat." She grinned. "It's one of the first berries I came up with on my own."
"Really?" Flint smiled at her work. "Wow, that's amazing. What gave you the idea to come up with this? Did you study the properties of the oak when the idea came to you?"
"Oh no, I, uh…" She giggled with an embarrassed blush. "I grew a lot of Informis Oak and played with it. Makes a surprisingly fun toy in your free time. You can make boomerangs, sticks, wheels, rope…" She snorted as she laughed. "My mom let me play with it whenever I got bored. Guess the idea stuck with me when I decided to continue her work."
Flint chuckled behind his paw. "Of course…still, that's really sweet."
"Yeah…" Gwyn picked up some vial and shook one. She frowned and looked down sadly. "I miss her…"
Flint patted her back. "I know the feeling." He smiled gently. "But, hey, it's not so bad now, right? You have us."
Gwyn smiled sadly. "That's true…" She set the vials down and leaned forward against her workstation, letting out a tired sigh. "I should really be heading to bed. I've been up for a half hour…" She rubbed her eyes. "Sooner or later, I'm going to accidentally drink chemicals…"
Flint held his paw out with a smile. "Come on, let's head back to bed." She blinked at him, then smiled before taking his paw in her hand. He blushed a bit from the contact, but shook it off and led her out of the bathroom, with the Mew using her tail to switch off the lights.
They quietly stepped through the dark room until they were near their beds. They looked at each other and smiled. Gwyn rubbed her arm. "Hey, uh, Flint?" she whispered. "Do you think, after we're done chasing zombies-" She took a moment to shiver in discomfort before continuing, "-do you think you can help me with my Naturae Fruits?" She teetered on her feet with a cute smile. "I could always use an assistant and…" She giggled. "I just love hanging out with you."
Flint's cheeks darkened red. He looked away to hide the influx of heat, smiling meekly. "O-Oh, uh…of course," he whispered in response. "I like watching you work. Perhaps you can…teach me to make potions."
Gwyn beamed with joy. "Really? I would love to. I can teach you and Reuben how to make potions. It'll be so much fun."
Flint laughed lightly. "Yeah, it would be-" Flint's eyes widened. His mind shattered at the mention of the third individual. He deadpanned. "Wait…Reuben, too?"
"Oh, right, I didn't tell you." Gwyn chuckled. "Oops. Anyway, Reuben and I were talking and he seemed pretty interested in my work, too. I was thinking of giving him a crash course in potions, too. Sounds like fun, right?"
Wishing not to hurt the Mew's feelings, Flint forced a wide grin, trying his best not to show off the annoyance hiding behind it. "Y-Yeah…sounds…great."
Gwyn gave him a hug, which he returned. She parted and made her way to bed. She pulled the covers up and started to get in when her ears twitched curiously. "Hmm?" She dropped the blanket and walked over to the window. She breathed hot air on it and wiped it to get a clear view. All she could see was fog.
Flint got into bed, but looked at the Mew. "What is it?"
She turned to him and shrugged. "Oh, nothing." She took a step forward. "Heh, though I heard some-"
The window shattered to pieces as a hand flew threw and grabbed Gwyn by the shirt. She gasped as she towards the window, but grabbed hold of the edge to keep herself from being dragged out.
Flint's eyes widened in alert. "Gwyn!" He jumped over the bed, his shout and the breaking of glass arousing everyone from sleep.
Tony sat up from the couch and groaned in annoyance. "Okay, which one of you jerks is making noi-?" However, he jumped to alert upon seeing his comrade in danger. "Oh shit, Gwyn!"
The hand tried to pull Gwyn out, but she kept a tight grip. She bent her head back and glared at her attacker. "Hey, get your hands off-!" She went dead silent and stared at the attacker in horror. Her blood ran cold as she stuttered incoherently. "Z…Z…Z…Z…Z…"
The figure grabbing her was a Heatmor…with rotted flesh. It stared down at her with soulless white eyes. Its body was pale and a greenish muck color with mud and seaweed wrapped around it. Its skin peeled off in certain areas, specifically have its face to reveal the skull. And it wasn't the only one. There was a whole crowd of them marching towards the motel.
Gwyn was paralyzed with fear, unable to move her body in response. She couldn't scream, cry, and shout. It didn't help that more were grabbing onto her and trying to pull her out of the room.
Flint bit down on Gwyn's shirt and grabbed her wrists, trying to pull her back in. "Hang on, Gwyn! I got you!" His eyes widened as a Golbat zombie landed in front of his and screeched an unnatural cry, nearly making him lose his grip. It tried to bite down on him, but a pillow was thrown into its gaping mouth before Wes tackled it against the wall.
"I said I wanted to fight zombies, but not in my pajamas!" Wes shouted before punching the rotting bat into the backboard, then stuffed its throat with pillows to keep it from doing anything else.
Flint felt himself lose traction as the zombies kept pulling Gwyn out. However, Griffin leaped over Flint with two Exiled Souls in hand and one in his teeth. He spun around and performed a series of fast slashes that severed the zombies' limbs off. The sudden loss of pull caused Flint and Gwyn to fly back in the room and roll in front of Ella's bed.
Griffin landed on Wes' bed and sent the three daggers away. He glared. "Looks like we're doing this now."
The zombies attempted to climb through the window, but Ella through her sleep mask off and landed in front of them, then fired off a psychic wave that shoved them out of the window.
Ella huffed. "Why must we put up with this in the middle of the night?" She glared. "And more importantly, why are they attacking us?!"
"They're zombies, Ella!" Tony shouted as he aimed his finger. "Could be a coincidence!" He fired a Lightning Shot that pierced through five heads in a row. "Then again, VERY strong coincidence!"
Flint sat himself up and groaned. "Ugh, my head-WAH!" He nearly fell over as Gwyn hugged him, shivering with panic. "G-Gwyn?!"
"D-Don't let them come near me!" she screamed, absolutely terrified as she whimpered into his mane. Flint wrapped his forelegs around her and tried to calm her down.
Tony smirked. "Don't worrying, Green! We got this! Light Speed!" He zipped out the window and punched out a row of zombies lined up in front of him.
Wes bit down on the zombie Golbat's leg and threw him out the window. He took a second to spit the ground in disgust before grabbing his Start Amulet off the nightstand. He leaped out the window and activated it before charging at a small horde. "Take this!" He spun on his back and slid down the path, kicking with rapid speed. "Lumios Storm!" He enveloped himself in light and shot light arrows through the rotting corpses.
He jumped to his feet and laughed, then gasped as the corpses were unaffected by the strikes, even though he struck some through the brain. "What?!" He held his head. "Every horror novel I've read is a lie! Whoa!" He ducked from a swipe and struck them in the head.
Griffin blocked a punch from a zombie and kicked it through a crowd running at him, knocking them over. A Kabutops zombie grabbed him from behind and tried to stab him through the back, but Griffin ignited his aura and torched the fossil corpse into charred remains.
An Electabuzz zombie ran carelessly towards Griffin with a spear of wood in hand. It thrusted the spear at Griffin, but he sent aura through his palm and held it out. The spear splattered into splinters upon striking his palm, with no marks left behind. It through the wood away and tried to claw him, but Griffin simply walked around it while delivering a sharp uppercut without batting an eye. It fell into the water.
Tony impaled two zombies with his electrified scalchops and sliced them up to the head. They split in half, making the Dewott laugh. "Like I'm afraid of freaks as fragile as paper." His eyes widened as the zombies, despite falling on the ground, crawled towards him relentlessly. There wasn't really much inside them that could allow an easy kill. "Oh, for the love of-!" He leaped over them and fired off Lightning Shot: Lotus Bullet, riddling the four halves with holes.
He landed and spin kicked one across the jaw, knocking it on its butt. He called over to the others. "You know, I just realized we don't have many options to put these guys down!"
Griffin dodged a zombie, then punched through its chest before boiling it into charred flesh with his spiteful aura. "Obliterating them seems to work." He grabbed the charred body by the wrist and bashed the other zombies near him with. "Just incinerate them until they stop moving!"
Wes clapped his paws together. "Fine by me! Infernius!" He exhaled a white fireball that caught a large group in his flames.
Some tried to stab him from behind, but they froze and stood at attention, unable to control their movements. They couldn't see that Ella was behind them, who was smirking. "Don't normally do this, but you freaks don't have enough muscle to fight against psychic puppetry." She twiddled her digits in amusement. "Now my ugly little freaks, dance over your friends!"
The zombies couldn't control their movements as Ella commanded them to fight the other zombies. She made one backflip over a Kirlia zombie, then kick its head off. She commanded two to perform an aggressive tango that resulted in five zombies being thrown into the water.
She laughed deviously, but ceased her merriment when an Arbok zombie wrapped around her midsection and trapped her in its coils. Her eyes widened as the rotting cobra opened its jaw, attempting to sink its fangs into her skull.
Wes noticed this and growled. "Hang on, Ella!" He formed a Warp Pad under his feet and sped over to them. He skidded behind Arbok and wrapped his forelegs around its neck, pulling it away from his friend. "Ha, got-WHOA!" The zombie threw Ella away and tried to throw Wes off, slamming him into the platforms relentlessly.
Ella picked herself up, then rolled away from a zombie dogpile. They stood up and moaned lifelessly as they limped towards the Espeon. She crouched down, then looked over her should as a large horde was aiming for their room. "Oh no!"
Flint and Gwyn backed away as the zombies crawled through the window and limped towards the two. Gwyn held onto Flint tightly as she shivered fearfully. The Flareon looked at the frightened Mew with concern, then narrowed his eyes at the walking corpses.
He stepped away from Gwyn, much to her displeasure, and pawed at the ground. "You want her? You're gonna have to get through me first!"
The zombies didn't perceive him as a threat as they continued walking forward. Flint narrowed his eyes, then flashed them with orange light. A blanket, which he tied around their ankles when he froze time, tripped them up and sent them to the floor in an uncoordinated pile.
Flint raced to the door and kicked it open. "We need to leave!" He grabbed Gwyn's hand and dragged her out. As they ran, the zombies tore through the fabric and pursued their chase after the two.
Five zombies straggled behind to keep up with the group, when they heard a whistle behind them. They turned, rather confused by the call, and spotted Fernando, who was wearing a white shirt and plaid cotton pants. He held his balisong in his hand, then flipped it open with a rapid series of movements.
He cracked his neck and narrowed his eyes on them. "Feel like I recognize a few of you." He smirked. "Oh yeah, think I sent you to the bottom of the ocean," he remembered, pointing out the Purugly zombie. "Back for round two?"
The zombies moaned and limped towards the hitman. Fernando walked towards them as well with a cool attitude. He spun his knife around skillfully as he went over the maneuvers for his attack.
That's when the zombies went into a full-on sprint and dashed at the Monferno hitman. Fernando held his knife in a reverse grip, then leaped forward. "Elusive Nail Driver!" He flicker vanished across them, with a series of stabbing motions casted in a red light pierced into the backs of the zombies. Fernando appeared behind them and spun his knife around before closing it. The zombies, with their muscles torn, collapsed.
Fernando glared at them, then pulled out a crystal ball from his pocket. He waved his hand over it until Reuben picked up on the other end. Thankfully, he was still awake. "Ah, Fernando. To what do I owe the pleasure of you calling?"
"I need you over here, now. The zombies are attacking the motel."
"Really? How fascinating! Tell me, what are they like? What kind are they?"
Fernando sweat-dropped with an annoyed expression. "Come down here and figure it out for yourself." He ended the call, then peeked into Team Ravenfield's trashed room and the fighting taking place outside their window. "Now, let's see how many knife stabs it takes to put a zombie down."
Flint and Gwyn ran to the front of the hotel, but halted their escape as zombies flooded through the entrance. They backed away, but saw the other zombies pursuing them from behind. Gwyn clutched onto Flint tightly, eyes clenched shut with fear.
"F-F-Flint…I'm scared!"
He held onto her as he glared at the corpses. His own anxiety should be hindering him, but seeing the Mew so frightened made him forget his own fears. Right now, all he cared about was getting Gwyn out of here. No undead creatures were going to terrorize his friend.
"Gwyn, I understand you're scared, but we need to work together. I can't do much on my own." He gripped her hand. "Just follow my lead and try not to think about it too much. I'll get you out of this."
She whimpered as the zombies drew closer. She gulped and closed her eyes. "O-Okay…I trust you."
Flint glared at the zombies before clapping his paws together. "Magnification Ring x3!" Three rings formed in front of him, then he fired Flamethrower at the corpses, burning them to ashes with ease. "Gwyn, round up the other zombies behind us!"
"With what?! I don't have my stuff!"
"The floors made of wood, Gwyn!"
She looked down and saw that he was, indeed, right. She smiled brightly. "Oh yeah!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out her magic glove. She pulled it on before slamming her hand down. "Life Return!" A green wave splashed over the wood before springing to life. The floors sprouted roots that wrapped around the undead, then sewed themselves into them to limit their movement.
Flint spun around and fired another enhanced Flamethrower that burned the corpses away. He sighed. "Okay, I think that's all of-" They jumped as the front entrance got torn down by a charging Aggron zombie. It roared and tackled Flint through the walls, all while he shouted, "Me and my big mouth!"
The zombie threw Flint off before grabbing by the ankle midflight and slamming him into the floor. It lifted him up and roared in his face, then pulled its mangled claws back. Flint flailed around in its grasp with his eyes closed. Come on, I need your help! Come out! COME OUT!
The zombie threw its claws, but the floorboards sprung roots out and wrapped around its arm, catching it before it could hurt Flint. It turned to Gwyn, who shivered fearfully, but possessed an angry glare. "Leave him ALONE!" She swung her hand up, commanding the floor to rise and pummel the iron zombie against the ceiling.
Roots wrapped around Flint and brought him over to Gwyn, who instantly grabbed his paw and dragged him out the motel. They stopped and gasped as more zombies stepped out of the mist, groaning lifelessly.
They stared in shock, then flinched as explosions went off just around the corner with zombie corpses flying into the water. Griffin backflipped from a couple fast zombies and struck them with hard punches that knocked their limbs off. He glared at Flint and Gwyn. "Quit standing around and help!" He rolled back with one in his grasp and flung them into the water.
Flint narrowed his eyes and dragged Gwyn over to the others. At least with more friends around, they'll have a better chance at protecting themselves. Plus, since they were fighting near their room, Gwyn could at least dive through the window and retrieve her stuff.
Wes and Tony backed away from some zombies that surrounded them until they were back to back. The zombies sustained lethal injuries that should have killed them, but they were operating just fine with half a body or even as a severed limb.
Tony raised his scalchops. "Any suggestions?"
Wes looked around quickly, then smirked. "Combination spell?"
"Tempting. What do you have in mind?"
"Grab my ankles and spin me around with your Light Speed! Mystic Burst!" Wes covered himself in his cloak of magic.
Tony sheathed his scalchops and grabbed the Umbreon's forelegs. "If you say so!" He spun the Umbreon around on his heel. "Light Speed!" Tony lit up with electricity as he spun. With the rapid spinning, the excess electricity absorbed into Mystic Burst until it fully mixed with his purple cloak, blazing with blue electricity.
Tony slammed his foot down and threw Wes straight at the zombies. At the speed Wes flew, he left behind mini sonic booms that tore through the platforms. He charged through rows of zombies effortlessly, then used Warp Pad to ricochet himself around. A tackle from him burned through the zombies. Either they fell over from the attack and burning wound or they perished on the spot.
Wes landed in front of Tony and deactivated Mystic Burst, panting lightly. "Phew, need to work on that…"
Tony grinned. "You kidding? That was awesome! How'd you do that?"
Wes smiled. "The Mystic spell series utilizes the purest form of magic when in use. Mystic Beam draws from my magical aura at its finest while Mystic Burst empowers me while also drawing from active magic. I can basically use other magic to boost my power."
Tony smirked. "Dude, we are SO coming up with new combos for this! How about one for me? Maybe my Lightning Shot with your Lumios Storm could-!"
"Hey dorks!" Ella shouted as she pinned a zombie to the floor. "Save the chitchat for later! Zombies killing first!" She bashed its head down hard until it broke apart.
The two smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Ella!" They glared at the zombies with energetic smirks before diving back into battle.
Ella sighed and shook her head with a light smile. "Boys…" A zombie tried to grab her from behind, but she flicked her digits up and blasted the zombie into the sky.
Fernando has little trouble dodging the zombies. Some with well-preserved muscle structure were able to fair better than the ones that were clearly in the ground for centuries. He was able to snake around them and slash up their muscles until they couldn't move as well.
He jumped back and landed on a dock post. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as he studied the zombies. "This can't be a simple infection spreading around. I haven't heard reports of anyone turning and I've seen people get scratched and bitten."
Griffin was practically bullying one of the zombies as he had a Minccino zombie by the tail and held it out of reach as it tried to claw at him. "So, we can rule zombie virus off the list. That's all well and good, but what's making them act up the way they are?"
"Nothing I can think of."
Griffin glared at the flailing Minccino zombie, then tossed it up before grabbed it by the throat. He focused intensely on the creature, trying to find irregularities. It didn't have a soul, so there was no magic aura, yet something was able to breathe life into it. Was it something beyond the realm of magic or was it something he couldn't see?
Back with Flint and Gwyn, the two kept their distance from the zombies as Flint pushed them back with a Flamethrower. He looked to Gwyn and shouted, "Go get your stuff from our room!"
She gripped her wrist nervously. "O-O-Okay, but please be careful!" She scrambled away and made a break for the window.
However, as she ran past the others, the zombies turned their sights on her and lost interest in the others, running after the fleeing Mew instead. Gwyn immediately noticed this and screamed in panic as she sped up her legs.
Ella glared. "What the heck? Why are they going after Gwyn?!"
Flint's eyes widened. "They're what?!" Now he was ignoring the zombies he was pushing away and ran after Gwyn. "Hang on, Gwyn!"
Gwyn tried to leap through the window, but a zombie grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her into its arms. It pinned her arms to her sides and restrained her from moving. She flailed around hysterically as she desperately tried to escape.
"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" she screeched.
"Hang on, Gwyn!" Flint shouted as his orange aura started lighting up. "I'll save-WAH!" However, someone, quite rudely, used his head as a springboard and leaped to the Mew's rescue, all while knocking the Flareon to the floor face first.
The zombie glanced its side and received a broadside kick to the skull. It flew away while dropping Gwyn, who was caught in the arms of Reuben. She blinked and looked up at him. He winked. "Hello, my dear~! Sorry for my late arrival~!"
Flint stared at the Alolan Sandshrew in utter horror. His eye twitched as steam practically exploded from his ears like a train whistle. Are. You. SERIOUS?!
Gwyn, once again oblivious to his attempted flirting, smiled. "Wow! Thanks Reuben!"
"Anytime~!"
Flint stood up and marched over to the Alolan Sandshrew with rage in his eyes, wanting to give the shrew a piece of his mind for jumping off him like that (and probably to vent that he wasn't the one who rescued Gwyn). He raised his paw and inhaled sharply when Fernando interjected. "Reuben, there you are!" Flint exhaled his frustration with an exhausted look. The Monferno ran over. "You got here quicker than I thought. I thought you lived farther away from the motel."
Reuben set Gwyn down and held his hips. "I had to come when you told me about the zombies. Possibly rare specimens!" He winked at Gwyn. "Plus, couldn't leave a sweetheart like her in danger."
Gwyn waved it off. "Hehehe, you're so nice." Flint grinded his teeth together. Any harder and they would be generating sparks. Gwyn then gasped in realization. "Oh right, I need my stuff!" She leaped back through the window and went to get her supplies.
Reuben rubbed his hands together. "So, what do we got?" They ducked as Wes kicked a Bewear zombie through the motel.
Fernando rubbed his chin. "Still not sure. They're pretty hard to kill, too. Beheading doesn't seem to kill them one hundred percent of the time."
"How odd. Something's definitely controlling them. Perhaps an external force. Something that's giving them life."
Ella lifted a group and smashed them down. "They also seem to be interested in Gwyn! They completely ditched us when they saw her!" She fired a psychic beam at another group.
Reuben scratched his chin with narrowed eyes. "I have no explanation for that. Guess even the undead have good taste."
You are getting on my LAST NERVE! Flint raged in his mind. He pulled down on his ears and bit his tongue. What the hell is wrong with me?! Why am I getting so angry at him?!
Griffin continued to look at the Minccino zombies curiously as it relentlessly tried to claw his face off. Fed up with it, Griffin grabbed its wrists and snapped them without batting an eye and not taking his eyes off his work. He rubbed his chin. "Something controlling them, huh?" He dropped the Minccino.
It attempted to scurry after Gwyn, but Griffin stabbed all six Exiled Souls into its wrists, ankles, neck, and stomach. He cracked his knuckles and glared at the zombies.
"Hey, Sparky!"
Tony flipped a zombie over his head and glared at him. "Really? That's the nickname we're going with?!"
"You have a fine eye for detail." He walked towards a larger horde of zombies and pulled out One For All. "Care to perform a dissection on that Minccino and see if there's anything off with it?"
Tony rolled his eyes, still annoyed by the nickname, but obliged. "If I must." He raised his hands. "Dragon Thunderclap!" He clapped and blasted the zombies out of his way before running to the pinned Minccino zombie.
Griffin raised his multiplication sword when he heard footsteps aiming towards him from behind. He glanced over his shoulder, then spun on his heel to block a sword strike from a Tangrowth zombie. Griffin was surprised by how swift and graceful its movements were as it managed to block his strikes with great skill.
Wes kicked two zombies away when he noticed Griffin fighting the Tangrowth. "That zombie looks like it was buried recently!"
Griffin glared. He was right. This Tangrowth, aside from being covered in dirt, didn't seem to succumb to the effects of decomposition like the rest. It looked fairly elderly from what he could tell. A bunch of the others, meanwhile, were practically at the stage of being full-blown skeletons.
"Fernando, have you seen this Tangrowth around?" Griffin asked as he deflected the zombie vine creature's sword strike and fired off a barrage of light swords that impaled through the body.
Fernando slashed more muscle off the zombies and shook his head. "No one I've conversed with!"
"So this guy must have been recently added to the cemetery." He glared. "Meaning it must be acting off the muscle memory of the Tangrowth when it was still alive." The zombie used its vines to break the light swords out of its body. "This isn't some random virus, I take it."
Tony carefully cut through the flesh the Minccino zombie as it screeched and groaned at the Dewott angrily, wishing to claw his eyes out. Tony narrowed his eyes. "Pipe down or I'll dip you in a vat of holy water." He tore the chest up and peeked inside. He grew sick at the sight of the rotting insides. "Yuck…" He blinked and looked deeper inside.
Something appeared stitched into the zombie. A symbol that didn't give off any magic he was familiar with. It was a circular symbol depicting an 'X' shaped with a wire pattern between the ends of the 'X'.
Tony glared. "Yo, Hothead! Take a look at this!"
"Kind of busy!" Griffin shouted as he traded out One For All for Pride of Leones. "And did you seriously call me that out of spite?"
"Regardless, I found a symbol weaved in the zombie! Some symbol X-shape with lines coming from the ends! Anyone familiar with that?!"
Griffin narrowed his eyes. "X-shape symbol with…" His eyes widened. "That symbol…" He clenched his teeth furiously as the rage inside him began to bubble. "These aren't zombies…"
Flint blinked. "What?"
Griffin threw Pride of Leones against the Tangrowth's head, stunning it, before grabbing his shield and bashing it down on its skull. "They're puppets!" He grabbed the Tangrowth and ignited his aura to set the zombie ablaze.
Flint narrowed his eyes. "Puppets?" Gwyn finally got her stuff and stepped over from the motel.
Griffin leaped off the zombie and punched it so hard that its head blew apart. "They're corpses being controlled by witches!"
At the mention of witches, Gwyn's eyes widened in horror. "Wi…Wi…WITCHES?!" She backed against the motel exterior and hugged herself in panic. She slid to the ground and shivered traumatically. Flashes of evil laughter echoed through her mind as she was reminded of that horrible Ariados from years ago.
Flint was both shocked at the mention and worried for Gwyn as she hyperventilated at the prospect of witches being in the same town as them. It didn't help those exact same creatures were chasing her and trying to get their hands on her, which is probably flaring her nerves even more.
Flint growled and stood in front of Gwyn. If these creatures were actually being controlled by witches, he couldn't let them get any closer to Gwyn. If they were after her, he'll keep her safe. "Gwyn, I know you're scared, but I'll protect you! Just stay behind me!"
Reuben smirked and rubbed his chin. "Fighting for the young lady, too?"
Flint glared at him with an irritated expression. "I'll torch you if you don't shut up and help!"
He shrugged and assumed a sloppy looking fighting position. "If you say so." He ran at the puppets with a careless form, shocking Flint.
"Are you insane?! You're going to get yourself-!" However, Flint was once again shocked when Reuben took out a row of Puppets with single punches. They practically fell apart through the contact of his fists. "-killed?"
Wes grinned as he landed on top of a puppet's shoulder. "Sweet! More zombie crushing help!" He flipped back and kicked the corpse into a group, then charged up his magic. "Mystic BEAM!" He fired the powerful beam and incinerated the puppets. He then narrowed his eyes seriously. "How do we stop them from swarming us?!"
Tony slammed Ventusphere against a puppet and rocketed into a row of puppets before exploding into a massive windstorm. "I don't know, how does this witch stuff work?!"
Griffin punched two puppets' heads off and kicked their bodies away before they could retaliate. "They can be controlled by the one who placed those command seals on them! They're running on orders! Either their controller is letting them roam free with commands or they're nearby giving orders!"
Reuben slid to the right to dodge a stumbling swipe, then chopped the puppet in the back of the neck. "How so?" Two zombies tried to claw him, but he slid back and flicked them in the back of the heads, knocking them down on the spot.
"They're linked to whoever controls them! A simple whisper would be enough to command them!" He looked around in the mist. "Using this mist as cover would play to their advantage."
Ella and Fernando kicked a group of puppets out of the way, then backed away as they started to surround them. Ella took a fighting stance, smirking. "Gee, do they think we're easy prey or something?"
Fernando raised his knife in a reverse grip. "Now is not the time for quips, Ms. Cipher." He pulled out three smoke bombs and threw them all around them, shielding them in a cloud of smoke. The puppets walked through and limped around aimless, clawing at the air.
Suddenly, they were thrown off the ground by a psychic force and slammed into each other while a sharp blade slashed at their muscles, completely nullifying their movement. Once the smoke cleared, a pile of corpses surrounded the two, non-magical Pokémon.
The puppets' numbers dwindled rapidly as they tore through waves of the rotting corpses. Flint blasted Flamethrowers at them, continuously burning them and pushing them into the water.
However, not all the puppets were incinerated when they fell into the water. Some swam under the platforms of the town before being directly under Flint. Their hands smashed through the platform and grabbed Flint by the ankles. He gasped as he was pulled through and submerged in the water.
Gwyn's eyes widened. "Flint!" Her racing heart quickened as all her nerves disappeared at once. She dashed towards the hole and leaped down it. She swam down after the drowning Flareon, who flailed and kicked the corpses.
One wrapped its arm around his neck and attempted to choke him out of his air. He struggled to keep the arm from closing in around his throat.
Seeing how much Flint was struggling, Gwyn's eyes snapped into a vicious glare. She pulled out her whip and channeled her magic through it before throwing it down. It wrapped around Flint's ankle and pulled him forcibly out of the puppet's hold. She grabbed him, then attempted to swim up. However, the puppets chased after them.
Flint and Gwyn glanced at each other before coming up with an idea silently. Gwyn pulled out the seed for the flash freeze flower and absorbed it into her glove while clapped his paws together, forming Magnification Rings x2. Gwyn fired off Scorching Winter at the puppets and encased them in a block of steaming ice. The propulsion force of Scorching Winter rocketed them upwards and smashed through the platforms.
Flint landed on his back while Gwyn landed on him. They gasped for air, then sighed in relief. Flint narrowed his eyes thankfully at the Mew. "Gwyn…you saved me…"
She panted lightly, then smiled. "I'm scared…but I would never put your life in danger…" Flint smiled back with a bright blush on his cheeks.
Corpses continued to drop until Wes landed the finishing blow on the last one, destroying its head in a single kick, then incinerating the rest with Infernius. He, along with everyone else, panted heavily and, except for Reuben, collapsed on the docks.
Tony groaned, then looked at the fallen corpses with a disgusted look. "Think we should clean these up before the town sees them?"
Griffin sighed and sat up. "That's…not our problem." He glared around, checking the rooftops that were partially visible for any signs of someone watching them. No one was in sight. "Huh…"
Ella stood up and glared at Griffin. "So, mind refreshing us on what the HELL this was about?! What was that about puppets and witches?"
Griffin dusted his shoulders off, then glared back. "The seal Sparky found-"
"You really are asking for a right hook!" the Dewott yelled.
"-was used to breathe life into these corpses. Something like this can only be performed by a witch, specifically one trained to be a Puppet Master."
Flint and Gwyn got up and looked at the Grovyle. Flint patted Gwyn's shoulder as she got uncomfortable. "Specific witch types, I'm presuming?"
"Mack told me all about their trade secrets. He actually snuck into a coven and disrupted their meeting." He shook his head. "Stupidest thing he's ever done, though it did give the three of us some pretty useful knowledge on the witch covens." He crossed his arms. "First things first, we need to speak with the mayor about this. If someone's graverobbing cemeteries for their dead bodies, he needs to know about this."
Reuben shrugged with a carefree grin. "Trust me, you're not going to get much out of him."
"We'll see about that." He walked ahead. "Ella, come with me. I could use your help with this."
She groaned and followed him behind. "I want to go back to bed…"
"The rest of you? Dump the bodies back into the cemetery. Don't bother putting them in the right graves." Griffin and Ella disappeared into the mist.
Gwyn tapped her fingers together as she looked at the corpses. "Do I…have to?" she asked worriedly.
Flint rubbed her shoulder. "You've been through enough, Gwyn." He glared as Reuben got close to her.
"Worry not, my dear! Should any more of those dreadful puppets come back for you, I'll be here to protect you!"
Flint stepped between Reuben and Gwyn and pointed at him. "Look, as thoughtful as that is, I'm more than capable of keeping an eye on her."
Reuben smirked and held his chin. "Really? All you've been doing was using Flamethrower on them. Was that really all you had to defend yourself? Imagine if a zombie with fireproof skin came at you?"
Flint's eye twitched angrily. "I can still protect her! She's my friend! I don't need you bothering her!"
Gwyn grabbed Flint's shoulder. "Flint, he's only trying to help…"
He clenched his eyes shut. "I know, but…"
"Flint," Wes said as he walked over. "It might be best if you and Reuben keep an eye on Gwyn." He pulled him to the side for a moment, then whispered in his ear. "We don't have an exact answer as to why they went for Gwyn when they did, but…we need to assume the worst."
"What?" Flint asked.
Wes shook his head. "Doesn't this seem a little…coincidental? If what Griffin says is true, there's a coven of witches with their eyes set on Gwyn. I don't know about you, but that sounds awfully familiar to a certain witch who wanted to capture a young Mew for her own purposes." He narrowed his eyes. "Either Mew are considered high bounty prizes for witches or the witch who was after Gwyn is here. Maybe both."
Flint narrowed his eyes, then glanced over at Gwyn. He looked back at his brother with an unsure look. "You think so?"
"There's no other way to explain what happened. Look, Reuben should be able to help protect her. I mean, he took out those zombies fairly easily." He scratched his head. "Then again, his form was a little sloppy. Those punches didn't even look like they did any actual damage."
Flint shook his head. "I…fine, we'll both protect Gwyn." He glared to the side. "I won't like it, though."
Wes patted his back. "Hey, at least you have a reason to stay by Gwyn's side!" He stepped away and walked towards Gwyn. "Gwyn, can you make us a sled so we can collect the corpses in them? After that, you can go back to bed. I think you had enough for run night."
She smiled gratefully and hugged the Umbreon. "Thank you, Wes…" She pulled back, then aimed her hand at the platform to mold the wood into a large sled.
Flint walked up to Reuben's side, then glared sideways at the Alolan Sandshrew. At least with them both protecting Gwyn, he can make sure the flirting shrew doesn't try anything while he was around.
"What do you mean you don't care?!"
Griffin practically invited himself into the mayor's office, much to the irritation of the secretary. She called some guards to remove them, but Griffin removed them from the building because he had enough fighting for one night. He marched up to the Skuntank, who wore a suit and, oddly enough, a pair of sunglasses. Griffin demanded for Mayor Reaves to get guards on the puppet problem, but his response utterly infuriated the Grovyle.
"I do not care for this zombie business, young man," Mayor Reaves stated clearly as he crossed his forelegs. "They haven't proved to be a threat to my town."
Ella narrowed her eyes. "Eh, are you blind or something? Those things have been hurting people and causing collateral damage. They attacked my friends and me not too long ago."
"Then perhaps you should leave town if they're such a problem for you," the stubborn mayor stated.
Griffin slammed his fists down on his desk. "Are you an idiot? These aren't regular zombies! There's a coven of witches here, too!"
"So?"
"Witchcraft is illegal, you moron! They should be ran out of town!"
"Their practices aren't harming anyone."
"We just explained how they attacked us!" Ella shouted. "How on EARTH is that not harming anyone?!"
Griffin jabbed the skunk's chest. "Everyone in this town in afraid to go outside because of those things! If they weren't a threat, like you say, they wouldn't be hiding in their homes!"
"That's their own choice, not mine."
Griffin growled furiously at the mayor and grabbed him by the suit. "If you don't fix this, I'll personally snap each of your body parts, leaving the neck for last!"
Reaves was unfazed by his threats. "I do not see a problem. Perhaps you should leave."
Griffin growled, then threw him back in his chair. "We're leaving," he told Ella as he marched out of the office. Ella glanced back at the unfazed mayor, then followed Griffin out of the building.
Once the corpses were disposed, everyone rejoined in Team Ravenfield's room, sitting on the floor in a circle to discuss the events that happened. Gwyn went back to bed supposedly, having had enough frights for one night.
Griffin sat with his arms and legs crossed, looking quite annoyed after returning from the mayor's office. Flint narrowed his eyes at him. "I…take it your talk with the mayor didn't go over well?"
"There's clear signs of danger in this town and that idiot doesn't seem to bat an eye at it." Griffin groaned. "This is unbelievable. I have half a mind to march back into his office and beat some sense into him."
Ella raised her paw. "You and me both, but it wouldn't solve anything." She crossed her forelegs. "We have other matters to discuss."
Reuben held his chin thoughtfully. "So…you're telling me that the zombies aren't actual zombies? But they're puppets?"
Griffin sighed, then relaxed his arms into his lap. "Yes…there's no doubt about it."
"How so?" Tony asked.
Griffin closed his eyes. "You all know how witches have a bad reputation, but their misdeeds carry back hundreds of years ago. Magic existed in our world, but it wasn't fully utilized until the Grand Imperium Age. However, there was a form of magic that could be used by anyone, whether they'd be blessed with a magic aura or not: witchcraft.
"Witchcraft can be used by any power-hungry bastard, or perhaps someone genuinely interested in the craft. However, even though it's accessible for everyone, there's a catch. To become a witch, you have to make a pact with the underworld."
Fernando nodded. "Yes. Witchcraft heavily relies on using magic from the dark realms of our world. You must pledge your allegiance to the Underworld and make a pact with the Darkstone Circle, a group of demons who make pacts with mortals and give them access to unique abilites."
"Witch covens are heavily reliant on working together. Each other their abilities grants strengths that can cover the other classes." Griffin leaned back. "For instance, one of the more important classes is the Dark Medium. They're the information gathers, able to see the minds of their targets. They're the ones who set up meetings with the demons for new members of the coven."
Fernando raised his hand. "The Dark Medium is the least threatening of them, but only in terms of conflict. There's the Puppet Master that's troubling."
Wes narrowed his eyes. "So, a witch created all those zombies?"
"From the looks of it, yes. They can stitch seals into a body without a soul and manipulate it. It follows its commands without fail because there's no soul to fight back. It's a dead vessel being controlled."
"However, they're not limited to decomposed corpses," Griffin pointed out. "The Ritualist specializes in soul extraction. They work closely the Spirit Summoners. The Ritualist has the power to remove souls under special conditions, then give them to either the demon they're working with themselves or give them to the Spirit Summoner so they can sign a contract with the demon. Specific demons want specific sacrifices. If their demands are met, the Spirit Summoner can bridge the gap between the Underworld and our realm. Their power can be utilized against their enemies. Different demons, different summons."
Tony crossed his arms. "And this business involving the Puppet Master?"
"Well, with a fresh dead body still in prime condition, a Puppet Master can add some extra seals. A seal of preservation keeps the body from rotting, basically making it immortal until the seal is destroyed. Puppet Masters thrive on controlling the bodies of warriors, as they retain their combat skill. Their original magic aura, however, would be gone without the soul." He sighed. "However…Puppet Masters have a history of working in the black market. If they have a puppet they don't need, they can sell it to the highest bidder as a servant or slave, giving all control over to the bidder."
Ella grimaced at the thought. "Yikes…"
Griffin shook his head. "Those are just a few reasons why witchcraft is outlawed. The concept itself defies nature." He rubbed his head. "Don't get me started on Hex Casters or Curse Weavers…"
Wes crossed his forelegs. "So…Ritualists seek out certain Pokémon to complete sacrifices, right?" He narrowed his eyes. "Is there a specific sacrifice that requires a Mew?"
Griffin glanced over his shoulder to check on Gwyn. The Mew had her back turned to them and seemed to be sleeping. He turned back to the group. "I'm not sure, but…if those puppets were really after Gwyn, it means trouble. If there's a demon out there whose power demands the sacrifice of a Mew, then that draws up a whole list of bad things to come."
Flint narrowed his eyes. "So, the witches have their eyes set on Gwyn?"
"Most likely…"
The Flareon frowned deeply and looked to the sleeping Mew with worried eyes. "I…she's been through enough trouble in her life. She could barely keep herself together when they were just zombies. Now add witches and…she couldn't do anything to stop her fears."
Tony patted his shoulder. "Hey, she'll be fine. Sure, she froze up back there, but she'll be back in the action before you know it."
"But will she?" Flint questioned. "I don't want Gwyn fighting creatures or a group she has past trauma with. She'd just be…just be…"
"A liability," Griffin stated bluntly.
Flint glared. "Hey!"
"It's true. If she can't get over her fears of the witches, she's a danger to us and herself." He narrowed his eyes. "If you're serious about protecting her, then make good on your word. There's already too much at stake for us and I'm not letting a coven of witches gain access to more power than needed. Spirit Summoners are potentially the most dangerous class. If they are looking for a Mew to complete a contract, then the demon in demand is one of the strongest." He glared at the Flareon. "Regardless of what I say, if Gwyn can't work up the nerve to defend herself, she'll put everyone in danger if her soul is taken. I know she can fight, but not when she's scared." He jabbed Flint in the chest. "If you're concerned about her, then help her."
Flint looked down and pushed his finger off. He sighed and narrowed his eyes. "I'll…do all I can to protect her. I won't let the witches get their hands on her."
"See to it," Griffin said.
There was a brief pause silence between them before Wes clapped his paws together. "Right, well…I think we all know what's on tomorrow's agenda: find those witches and drive them out of town."
"Still, there's one thing I don't understand," Tony pondered as he tapped his chin. "Why is a witch coven making a massive army of puppets? What's the purpose, to scare the town?" He shrugged. "They obviously didn't know about Gwyn until we got here, so there must be some other purpose to creating them."
Griffin rubbed his chin. "Hmm…good question. Puppet Masters are never this careless unless it serves a greater goal. I propose we look more into this in the morning."
Ella nodded. "Sounds good."
Reuben closed his eyes and smiled proudly. "I'll see if I can find any material regarding witches and how to combat them. Every little bit helps."
Wes nodded. "Good. And remember, our main priority now is keeping them away from Gwyn. We need to get rid of them before they cause any more trouble."
As the group conversed about tomorrow, they were left unaware that Gwyn was awake the whole time. She narrowed her eyes sadly, ashamed for freezing up the way she did. All she managed was saving Flint from drowning, but she couldn't work up the nerve to fight the puppets when she realized they were made by…witches.
She buried her face in the pillow and sighed internally. I don't want to look weak in front of everyone…I don't want to be useless. She closed her eyes. I don't want to be scared.
On the outskirts of Ghost Cove Town lied a crumbling church, connected to the town via a bridge. The church had been abandoned for years due to flooding. It was condemned from public access. A perfect hiding spot for a group of witches.
Within the broken down church were the cloaked figures, roaming around and minding their own business. One sat off to the side, chanting quietly to photo of a family they planned to curse. Another was reading through a book. The third meditated on a fallen pillar.
One of the witches crawled along the church ceiling and walls. She slowly grew annoyed with the waiting. She lowered herself down with white, silky thread and hung upside down. "He's late. What is taking him?"
"Patience, coven leader," the meditating witch advised. "He comes as we speak."
"Finally." She severed her web and landed on her feet. She glared at the entrance as the fifth cloaked figure entered the church. "Well? What was our progress?"
"It would seem these band of travelers were more than enough to handle the puppets." He held his hips. "Though, if you gave me more time, I could have added more seals to boost their strength or something. You've been working me down to the bone lately."
"I don't care." She walked towards him. "I want to know if we have the Mew."
"We don't. However, she didn't fight back all too much. She seems to be afraid of us."
"She is?" The coven leader clicked her mandibles together and laughed darkly. "All these years and my influence still haunts her." She pulled her hood back, revealing herself to be an Ariados, then glanced at the Puppet Master. "She should be an easy catch then."
"Not quite, my leader," the meditating witch interjected. "I read her mind when they slept. She has a strong connection with the Flareon. I read his mind and…he possesses strong feelings for her." She glanced at her coven leader. "He'll be by her side at all times."
The Ariados sneered. "Well, that's a disappointment."
"I wouldn't worry too much," the Puppet Master reassured. "He's no fighter. I saw it myself. He's a support based wizard. He doesn't appear to have a strong enough arsenal of spells that will prove to be trouble."
The coven leader glanced at the meditator, who replied, "He speaks the truth. Almost no offensive spells."
"Almost?"
"Only one, but I wouldn't worry too much over it. He has no control over it."
"Heh, fine by me." The coven leader glared at the Puppet Master. "Well, you've managed to work your way into their circle of trust. I'm sure you'll figure something out."
"I wouldn't be too sure. The Flareon doesn't trust me all that much. I think he sees me as a threat to Ms. Belladonna."
The Ariados sneered. "Then either gain his trust or dispose of him. I can't deal with this nonsense. I need the soul of a Mew to complete my ritual. I need to fulfill my end of the deal with the creation demon. With his power, I'll be unstoppable." She turned her back to the witch. "So, do not fail me, Reuben. Either get me that Mew or destroy her pathetic friends."
The witch pulled his hood back a bit and smirked at his coven leader. "At once, Callista."