In the Leaflands just outside Cropdale, Castti and the Shining Hope Squad made their way to the campside, hoping to check on the Dourdour they treated along the way. It was on this journey that they ended up crossing paths with Ochette and the Dimensional Heroes, who just finished defending Toto'haha from the Scarlet Moon. However, as they arrived…
"No! This is…the worst thing to ever happen." Luffy said as they saw the meat stall that was there was now gone.
"Guess she went outta business." Yang said.
"Well that stuff was disgusting anyway." Ochette said.
"Well that's fine. We didn't come here to eat anyway." Adora said. "Everyone will be finishing up soon and going to the campsite. We gotta get there ahead and prep it up for their return."
"She's right. But first…we should check on our old patient." Castti said.
"Yeah…wonder how the old boar is doing?" Jexi said.
"Probably a lot better after we treated it back then." Scorpia said.
The groups then headed off.
"Yeah. Hope he's doing all right and…" Yang said.
"Hasn't gotten bored?" Blake added as the two laughed.
"Oooh! I knew you two were getting close lately!" Perfuma said.
"Getting close? What's that all about?" Hope asked.
"Oh right. Guess I didn't mention it. The two of them actually started dating after the whole cyber incident." Jexi said.
"No foolin…" Hope said, smiling. "I kinda always thought Blake and Yang had a thing for each other."
"Yeah. They even had some…late night shenanigans when they were looking into the Elite in London." Jexi said.
"Shenanigans? Whatre you…?" Frosta started.
"Please…don't make me say it." Jexi said blushing.
"Besides Frosta, you're way too young to hear about that sort of thing." Sakura said.
"But I wanted to know. We've been walking in the dark for so long." Frosta said.
"Dark…" Alear said as they looked around to see how dark the forest had gotten. "When did it get dark? Wasn't it just daylight a couple minutes ago?"
"Somethings….not right." Ochette said as she listened. "No animals talking, no birds singing or bugs chirping."
"Yes, it appears the forest has gone completly silent." Gundham said. "I believe there is something amiss in this darkness."
"You don't think this is what Doursy was afraid of, do you?" Gemini asked.
"Uh…no…but…its probably those things!" Mineta cried out as hundreds of dark claw like hands were emerging from the shadows.
"What the hell?" Bakugo said as the group fired at them to no effect.
"They're…are they from the Shadow world like those monsters from the Scarlet Moon?" Lan said.
"Whatever they are, theyre creepy as heck." Catra said, looking around. "Wait… wheres Castti?"
"I dunno, she was here just a second ago." Scorpia said.
"Over here!" Castti called out as they followed her to see the same Dourdour the group had encountered before. "He's experiencing symptoms like those who were touched by Troussou's rain." she said as she was treating him.
Chopper went and checked on him too. "These wounds…I see. You were trying to protect the other animals but got all banged up." Chopper said.
The dourdour after being treated then rose back up and headed deeper into the woods.
"Hey, come back!" Chopper said as they all went after it.
"I'm not so sure its a good idea to be going after him when its still dark out…" Vashyron said.
"Stay close, everyone! We can't get separated in a place like this." Ichiro said.
They continued to go deeper in the darkness until they could all feel it, the darkness trying to grab ahold of the group and drag them away to who knows where.
"O travelers…" a voice came.
"What the heck…?" Kaibara asked.
"Okay, freaky disembodied voice. Guess this darkness has everything." Mermista said.
"There is nothing for you here." the voice came again.
"Don't listen to it. Its just trying to drag us all into the darkness." Erza said.
"This way of corrupting…to bring down those who know loss as well as those who carry sorrow and doubt. So…you're the one Connor mentioned on the boat ride. So nice of us to finally meet…Vide the Wicked." Jexi said.
"What…is this?" the voice said as it failed to grip Jexi, Hope, Ochette and some of the others. "I cannot…sense darkness in their hearts."
"You think this is the first time weve dealt with Darkness? We've long since gotten over insecurities and fears." Hope said. "So if you're trying to drag us into the shadows, think again. You can try all you want, but our hearts are too full of light for you to ever take hold of us!"
"Who are all of you? Stop it! You all shine too brightly! Where is it? Why do i see no darkness in your hearts?!" the voice asked.
"You already said that." Jexi said as he lunged at the the mass of darkness, forcing it to shy away. "Well, that makes sense. You're weak against light."
"Then we'll give these gloomy hands all it can handle!" Glimmer said. More hands lasshed out, but Glimmer rapidly launched her magic infused Destructo Discs that hit all the hands that were attacking. "Thats my Brightmoon Destructo Disc Barrage! Too much for you to handle?"
"Rar!" the voice cried out as it raged towards Glimmer.
"Don't you dare!" Hope and Jexi called out as they slashed the hands away with light.
"You okay, Glimmer?" Hope asked.
"Yeah, thanks Hope! You too, Jexi!" Glimmer said.
"Rarr….enjoy the light now. My reckoning will soon come." the voice said as the hands started to fade as daylight returned to the forest.
"Looks like taking those hands out brought the forest back into the daytime." Adora said.
"How were you all able to resist that… thing's, temptation?" Castti asked.
"We've had our fair experiences with darkness and the like." Hope said. "Me more than others, I've had a lot of times where I've doubted myself. But I've never given up. After all those experiences, I've never lost my way again."
"Still…what was that place? It felt…like the life was being drained from me." Castti said.
"Yeah. It was like when Trousseou summoned that rain." Frosta said looking at a moon necklace in her hands.
"Where…where did you get that?" Dorothea asked.
"I…I found it on the guy we beat. Why?" Frosta said as the heroes looked at one another.
"There was a dark hunter who was involved with our incident…We didn't find a body but there was blood…and this." Jexi said holding the same necklace.
"So the hunter and Trousseau were working together in the same group. Could it be this Moonshade Order Connor and his group were looking into with Temenos?" Ichiro asked.
"Probably so." Aelita said. "But…the hunter could have confronted us and easily take on the jackal…so…why did they choose to do nothing and surrender?"
"Questions best saved for another time. We'll figure it all out later." Jexi said cheering up as they saw the animals emerging from their hiding spots. "For now…let's get to the campsite and set up. The others will be looking to relax after their own tales."
"For sure. Can't wait to hear about the adventures they've been on." Hope said.
"Yeah." Jexi said. "(Everyone else is probably on edge after what they all went through…its best to ease them into a state of comfort…least until we can better ascertain the order's plans.)" he thought as they departed to the campsite.