Back with Ash, Hilda and Iris, the three of them were walking along, heading to a place for lunch. But as they were heading there, a pink wave would wash over them. This pink wave spread all across the city, catching the attention of many people and Pokemon. Everyone in Striation City had seen this wave pass them.
"W-What is that?" Ash questioned.
"What is that?" Hilda questioned. She was looking at her Xtransceiver, seeing a strange pink glow around her wrist. She was unable to tell what this was at first. But soon enough, the glow subsided and the pink wave was no longer in sight. "Did anyone else see that?"
"Chu!" Pikachu nodded.
"I did. And I'm not too sure what it was." Iris replied. Axew poked his head out, unsure himself. "Whatever that was, it was strange."
"Hmm..." Ash turned around, ready to run off and investigate the wave. But Hilda grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. "Hilda?"
"Remember, we're going to get something to eat." Hilda reminded him. "Now might not be the best time to check out whatever that was, if we can even find it."
"But we should check it out!" Ash argued. "What if it's a Pokemon? Man, I bet it's an awesome Unovan Pokemon! It's gotta be" Ash was ready to go, but Hilda wouldn't let go of his shoulder.
"It's not gonna hurt to grab a bite to eat, is it?" Hilda asked. "We can check it out later."
"Yeah. It looks like it's gone, anyways. We can always find it later. Let's go eat. I'm starving!" Iris suggested. Axew was in agreement with this.
"Hmm..." Ash looked at the sky, seeing the pink wave completely vanish without a trace. Pikachu looked up with him, seeing the same thing. Ash would sigh, giving up on the opportunity. "Alright. We can do that."
"Okay, good. We're just gonna grab lunch and then go from there. I'm sure that whatever that was, we'll be able to find it later. But I really think we should eat first. Besides, I'm sure you're hungry. I know I am." She rubbed her stomach, which was growling at her. She was getting hungrier by the minute and the smell of food didn't help. She just wanted to sit down and eat.
"Yeah, I could go for something to eat." Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Te!" Tepig smiled, happy to be having lunch.
"If you want something to eat, I've got you covered." Suddenly, appearing near the three of them and surprising them was Cilan, the Gym Leader of the Striaton Gym. He had his hands on his hips, smiling at them with a sparkle in his eye.
"Uh, hi. Can we help you?" Hilda asked, raising an eyebrow. She wondered what he wanted from them, especially since they had just finished their Gym Battle not too long ago. She was also a little annoyed that he snuck up on them. She was getting hungry and this wasn't helping.
"I'm guessing that you saw the same wave that we did." He spoke.
"Yeah, what of it?" Hilda asked.
"Well, I was thinking that it could be a Pokemon. A Pokemon of Dreams. And that Pokemon is called Munna, the Dream Eater Pokemon."
"Munna? Oh, the Pre-evolution of Musharna?" Hilda asked, looking it up on her Pokedex.
"So, you think it's Munna?" Iris questioned.
"I do." He nodded. "It couldn't be Musharna since it's doing fine now that Team Plasma's gone. It has to be a Munna. Here at the Striaton Gym, Doctor Fennel actually has a Munna she's been working with for a while now." Cilan revealed. "It's not an ordinary Munna either. This one seems to have a connection with the Dream World."
"Dream World?" Ash raised an eyebrow. It sounded familiar to him. He feels like he's been to one before. But it was mainly thank to a certain Darkrai.
"Hm-hm!" Cilan was glad to inform him. "The Dream World is a place where Pokemon's dreams come true, literally." Cilan explained. "It's a place of mystery, but a wonderful world that Pokemon can enjoy."
"Huh, never heard of that." Hilda said.
"Me either." Iris added.
"Well, it's not very known, but Doctor Fennel is studying it. So, why don't we go and talk to her? I'm sure she would have some answers." Cilan suggested.
"Hold on a minute, Cilan." Ash stopped him, stepping forward. "You're not coming with us, are you?"
"Yes, Ash. I am. You see, I've always wanted to go on a journey. But because my brothers and I have the Gym, we couldn't. So, I've decided to take my chance now. My brothers are fine running it themselves. Plus...I'm too interested!" His eyes suddenly lit up.
"Uh..." Ash paused for a moment.
"I mean the way you battled, Ash...It was unlike anything I had ever seen before! A unique flavor that I can't get enough of. And so I wish to join you, if you'll have me." Cilan would smile.
Ash and the others looked at him, not sure how to respond. This guy was suddenly wanting to join them on their journey. They weren't expecting this at all. But Ash would smile and nod, welcoming him to the team.
"Is that really a good reason to join?" Iris raised an eyebrow. She was only tagging along just to see Zekrom again, if the moment showed itself.
"Sure, you can join us, Cilan." Ash said. He went with it regardless. The size of the reasoning didn't even need to be all that much. Ash just enjoyed the company. "It'd be cool to have a Gym Leader on the team."
"Ah, wonderful! Thank you!"
"So, that's four of us now. Ash, Cilan, Iris and myself." Hilda pointed to each of them, making sure they were all counted. This was quite the group. A group of people who wanted to go to different places and do different things. She was curious about what they would all accomplish together. "I thought it would just be me this whole journey...this took a turn." They would soon make their way over to the lab, with Cilan leading the way.
Due to Munna's Dream Mist exploding outwards across the city, the effects it left behind were beginning to how at last. People were starting to see strange visions, as if their dreams and nightmares were manifesting into reality. As they walked along, a man wearing a hat would pass by a woman and saw her face as a Banette, startling him. He would run off screaming.
"Banette?!" The man would shout. A woman would also look at her reflection in the mirror and see herself as an Ariados.
"A-Ariados?!" She screamed in horror. The streets were filled with the screams of many people. It was like a nightmare had come to life. And that's exactly what was happening. Munna's Dream Mist was causing people's nightmares to manifest.
A man would look at his hand and see it as a crooked and cracked piece of flesh, freaking out and panicking, not knowing what to do. It was as if his worst nightmare had become a reality.
Another woman would look at her reflection in a puddle and see her face as a Grimer, the woman screaming in terror as she saw her reflection.
People were looking at one another in horror, their nightmares becoming reality. It was like a living nightmare for them. Soon, Ash and the others would arrive at the scene, seeing this nightmare unfold.
"Whoa, what's going on here?!" Hilda asked.
"Looks like something's spooking everyone!" Iris stated.
"Munna's Dream Mist must be causing this." Cilan suggested. "It probably started from Doctor Fennel's lab..."
Before they could advance towards it, someone was running their way, screeching at the top of her lungs. "Kyaaaaa!" The voice echoed with a strong intensity.
"I know that voice..." Hilda paused for a moment, looking ahead at the figure running towards her group at high speeds. "Bianca?!"
"Get away, get away, get away!" She repeated, absolutely terrified by something. So terrified that she didn't even notice the group in front of her and because of that, at full force, she crashed right into Ash, knocking him to the ground. The two of them fell over due to this. Bianca was laying on the ground while Ash was on his back. He was a bit dazed, but otherwise alright. "Ah, I'm sorry!" She apologized, quickly getting up to her feet and helping him up. "I'm so sorry..."
"Uh, it's okay. What's wrong?" Ash asked.
"Look at that!" She pointed. Everyone turned around and saw a small group of Pokemon, but they weren't ordinary Pokemon. They had the same pink glow as the wave earlier. "They're everywhere!"
"Are these Munna?" Hilda wondered.
"Those are the Patrat and Pidove of Striaton." Cilan explained. "But they look a little different."
"Chu." Pikachu looked at them. The Pokemon all had a pink glow around them. Not only that, but they were acting differently as well. It was as if they were possessed. They looked out of it, their eyes constantly glowing pink, and they were acting in a hostile manner, which was unlike them. The Pokemon normally weren't aggressive towards humans. But now, they were looking at them in a way that sent shivers down their spine. It was almost as if they were being controlled.
"They look possessed..." Hilda said.
"Pi." Pidove cooed.
"Pidove?" Ash questioned.
"Pat." Patrat spoke.
"Hey there. You okay?" Ash asked, slowly approaching them. He wasn't sure if they were friendly, but he wanted to try anyway. "Something bothering you?" He held out his hand, hoping to calm them. But it wasn't working. Instead, the Pokemon would attack him.
"Pidove!" The Tiny Pigeon Pokemon shouted as he unleashed his attack, flying right at Ash and colliding with him. He managed to hit Ash right in the stomach, knocking him back.
"Wah!" Ash grunted.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out.
"Ash!" Hilda shouted, running over to him. "You okay?!" She asked, helping him up.
"Patrat!" The Scout Pokemon cried out, unleashing his attack. The Patrat used Hyper Fang, his large front teeth glowing in white. With a powerful bite, he would latch onto Hilda's hair, yanking at it and sending her to the ground. She cried out in pain, her hair unable to move. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"
"Stop that!" Iris shouted. She had no other choice than to use force. She would stomp on the ground, catching the attention of the Pokemon and making them all look at her. She was glaring at the Patrat that was biting Hilda's hair. "Axew, Dragon Rage!" Axew was quick to pop out of her hair.
"Xew!" Axew shouted as he unleashed his attack, firing off a blue and orange flame at the Patrat, knocking him back. The Patrat was pushed back and rolled along the ground, stopping at a rock. He would stand up and glare at Axew, baring his teeth. But he was not alone. Soon, more Pokemon would join the Patrat and Pidove, and they weren't friendly. All the Pokemon were hostile, and they didn't look like they would back down. This was going to get ugly. "Xew..."
"Uh, maybe we should just go..." Hilda suggested, grabbing Ash and dragging him along. Iris would follow suit, but the Pokemon weren't going to let them go. The Pokemon would unleash a flurry of attacks at them. The group had to run for their lives as they were chased by the Pokemon. "Ah!"
"Ah, ah!" Bianca gasped. "What's going on?! This is crazy! I was just walking and suddenly I got attacked by Pokemon!" The blonde was in a panic. She had no idea why they attacked her. It was a shock to her. She had never expected to be attacked like this. The group had run all the way to the lab, but they could see that the Pokemon were following after them.
It was an absolute frenzy across Striaton City. Since they were all experienced nightmare, most were reacting by fleeing or attacking. Munna's Dream Mist was causing an absolute frenzy. People were scared and didn't know what was happening. And this was all due to a single Pokemon.
Back in Fennel's lab, the scientists were in a panic. They had no idea what was going on. All they knew was that Munna was the cause of this. The Dream Mist was spreading and they had no idea why. And not only that, but Munna was still having a vision, one that she couldn't wake up from.
"Mun...Mun..." Munna was groaning, floating in the air as she was trapped in her own vision. Whatever it was, she couldn't break free from it. It was terrifying and she couldn't escape.
"Doctor Fennel, what's happening to Munna?" Aurielle asked. She had never seen this before. None of them had. They had no idea what to do or how to help her.
"I don't know, but we have to do something. This is not normal at all." Fennel stated, trying to think. "I don't understand what's happening." She said as she watched Munna float in the air, the pink glow of her Dream Mist still covering the entire lab and the city. "This isn't supposed to happen. Her Dream Mist is only supposed to show a person's dream. Only Musharna can pull off Nightmares. So why is Munna causing people to see nightmares?"
"Doctor, whatever it is, we need to do something!" Aurielle shouted. "The city's in a frenzy right now because of this. We need to do something!"
"I know, but how?!" She questioned. "I don't know what to do. I'm just a researcher, not a Pokemon Trainer."
"Uh, Doctor Fennel?" Suddenly, a voice called out. The two looked and saw Ash, Hilda, Iris, Cilan and Bianca. They were all here. "We came as soon as we could."
"You kids are Trainers, right?" Fennel asked, turning to them. She seemed desperate, her eyes wide with worry. "Please, help me!"
"Help you? With what?" Hilda asked, tilting her head to the side. She wasn't sure what she was asking of them.
"It's Munna. She's the one causing this." Fennel explained. "But I don't know what to do. Munna's the source of all of this. Her Dream Mist is causing all this. I've never seen anything like this before."
"Doctor Fennel, we'll take care of this. You can count on us." Ash promised.
"Please, please do. Munna needs your help." Fennel begged.
"Can you tell us what happened before all of this?" Iris asked.
"Well, Munna was here with me and I was doing research on the Dream World, like usual. But suddenly, her Dream Mist started to spew out and then she started acting strangely." She explained. "It was like she was in a trance or something. She wouldn't respond to me. Then, I got reports that people were seeing things that weren't there. And I know it had to be the Dream Mist, because the same thing happened with Musharna."
"Uh..." Ash had no idea what to make of this. He had no idea what any of this meant or how it related to what was going on. "What should we do?" Ash asked. "How do we stop this?"
"Munna's the key. You need to get through to her. But I don't know how." Fennel said. "This is all new to me."
"Well, we gotta try something! Maybe it'll wake up if we give it a good shake!" Bianca suggested, approaching the Pokemon.
"B-Bianca, don't get too close! You don't know what you're doing!" Hilda warned, but it was too late. Munna suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Bianca, her eyes glowing red.
"M-Mun!" Munna cried out, using her Psychic power to lift Bianca into the air.
"Kyaaa!" She screamed. "Help me!" She begged, but there was nothing they could do. Bianca was now being levitated in the air by a Psychic Pokemon who wasn't in control of herself. This was bad news.
"Bianca!" Ash shouted. He tried to get close to Munna, but she was keeping him away with Psychic, making a barrier. No matter what he did, he couldn't get through it. Munna was now angry and upset. "Come on! We gotta help her!"
"Right!" Hilda shouted. "Oshawott, go!" Oshawott would pop out, ready to save the day. But Munna's eyes would glow. Using her Psychic power, she would create a blast of pink energy, blasting Oshawott right to the wall.
"O-Osha!" Oshawott was pinned against the wall, unable to move or even think straight. The power that was pinning him in place was strong, holding him in a tight grip.
"Oh, no! Osha-" Hilda's words were soon halted as she too was caught in the Psychic grip of Munna, and the same would happen to Tepig. "W-what's going on?!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu would leap off his shoulder and unleash an attack of electricity, but it wouldn't work. In fact, Munna would send it right back at them. It exploded and everyone was knocked to the ground, everyone but Doctor Fennel.
"No! Stop this!" Fennel shouted. Munna ignored her plea and continued, using Psychic to throw things around the room. Anything it could pick up, it threw. Munna's eyes were glowing red as she did this, and she was throwing things everywhere. She threw beakers, chairs, tables, computers, everything in the room was being thrown at them. And since this room was huge, there was tons of stuff for her to use, which was bad.
"We can't take this kind of heat forever!" Hilda shouted. "We gotta find a way to stop her! There has to be a way!"
"There is." Cilan said. "Doctor Fennel, you said you've been studying the Dream World, yes?"
"Yes, yes. Why?" Fennel asked, confused.
"How would you go about accessing the Dream World?" Cilan asked.
"Through the Dream Energy that comes from Munna, one can access it." Fennel replied. "But I've never done it. No one in here has. It's one of the few things about Munna I've seen studying, but it's mainly been the Dream Mist that all my research has gone into.
Cilan thought for a moment, before speaking again. "If we can get inside the Dream World, then maybe we can communicate with her that way, instead of fighting." He suggested. "Then we might be able to convince her to come back to us and calm her down. We have to try. Doctor Fennel, is there a way?" Fennel thought for a moment.
"Perhaps..." Fennel spoke. "The energy from Munna allows people to go into the Dream World, correct? If that's the case, then the Dream Mist could be our ticket in!" She gasped. "Of course! That's it! When someone's dreaming, they're asleep. If we all fall asleep, the Dream Mist should transport us to Munna's Dream. It makes perfect sense! There's no other explanation for it!"
"That sounds like a good idea!" Hilda stated, still being lifted in the air. "So, how do we do that?!"
"Oh, right. I forgot the best part..." Fennel sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Sleep Powder! If there's at least one Pokemon that can pull it off for us...we'd be able to access Munna's dream! We'd be able to enter the Dream World!"
Alas, no one here had a Pokemon that could pull it off. So, they had to rely on the next option. Forcing themselves to sleep via being knocked out cold. Either way, they needed to access her dreams. They all closed their eyes, letting their bodies relax. Soon enough, all five of them were knocked unconscious, leaving them in a deep slumber. The first to do so was Bianca, who was the furthest away from the center of the room. After that, Cilan was next. His body fell to the floor with a thud.
With Iris knocked out, it was just Ash and Hilda. With Hilda closer to Munna than anyone else, she was easily targeted. Being lifted up higher, the Dream Eater Pokemon would slam her against the wall and knock her out cold.
"H-Hilda!" Ash cried out, running to her aide. But before he could reach her, his vision suddenly turned dark, causing him to collapse and lose consciousness. And with that, everyone was asleep.
Munna's vision returned to normal, but now she felt guilty for what she had just done. All these innocent people, hurt because of her. And to make matters worse, they were all unconscious. "Munna..."
When Ash woke up, he found himself in a completely different world than the one he was originally in. The world was colorful and vibrant, yet hazy and mysterious. He didn't recognize this place, but it was like he had entered into another dimension. He stood up, looking around him. He could see tall buildings reaching towards the sky. He saw clouds passing by slowly overhead. There were even stars twinkling in broad daylight!
But what really caught his attention were all of the different colored balloons floating around everywhere. There were hundreds upon thousands of them all floating about randomly throughout space. Some had faces drawn onto their surfaces while others simply had shapes painted onto theirs.
"Ugh, man...Guess it worked...But what's up with all of this?" He asked aloud.
"Pi-Pikachu?" The Electric Mouse Pokemon poked his head out of his Trainer's hat, looking just as bewildered as Ash. He jumped down from atop his head, landing gently next to him.
"You see it too, buddy?" Ash asked him, picking him up and cradling him in his arms. "Where do you think we are? I've never seen anything like this before. What is this place?"
Before long, they were joined by Hilda and Cilan who appeared behind them shortly afterwards. Both looked equally confused when seeing where they ended up being sent to. As for the others...They were elsewhere, probably not far behind either.
"This is...?" Hilda trailed off, staring at her surroundings. "What's going on? Where are we? How'd I get here? Why are there so many balloons around?" Her eyes went wide upon noticing how large this world really was compared to normal ones. And then she noticed Pikachu and Ash standing next to her, causing her jaw to drop even wider.
"What is all this? Are those stars floating in front of us?!" Cilan gasped loudly. He looked up towards the ceiling which seemed endless, filled with countless twinkling lights shining down brightly on everything below.
"Well...Looks like it worked. Now let's just hope everyone else got through okay." Ash muttered under his breath. They'd better not have ended up separated again. Last thing any of them needed right now was more trouble trying to track eachother down in such an enormous realm. Though given the circumstances it might actually end up being quite difficult to do. Afterall there must've been millions of balloons surrounding them right now, each representing another person somewhere in reality.
Soon, the rest of their group had finally appeared. Everyone else was already present and accounted for, all standing close together. Bianca appeared last. Her eyes widened as she glanced about at everything around her. Then her gaze landed upon Ash and the others who greeted her warmly. "Bianca! You made it." Iris grinned cheerfully. "I'm so happy you're here."
"Iris, Axew!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, this isn't so bad. This is pretty nice, isn't it?" Aurielle asked excitedly as well.
"Axew." Axew nodded his agreement. "Ax axew xew." He said before climbing atop Iris' head once again.
"So, everyone's alright. That's great. Now, how to stop Munna...?" Hilda wondered.
"By finding out why she's so scared of. Really, Munna isn't that afraid of much. Even nightmares don't usually bother her." Fennel explained. "She's pretty tough when it comes to most things, but whatever scared her so much must be something big. We'll need to find her in here."
"Yeah, but first, we have to figure out what exactly happened. Why did this happen to her? And what was it she saw? If we know what scared her so much we might be able to help calm her down enough for her to wake up. That way we won't risk hurting anyone else by accident while trying to get through to her."
"Right," Ash agreed. "But how are we supposed to do that? She seemed really upset earlier." He frowned worriedly. It had seemed like she didn't even realize what was going on outside anymore after seeing whatever horrible visions were haunting her dreams.
"Well, if only there was some kind of way we could contact her directly... Maybe ask questions or something? Like a dream diary," Hilda mused thoughtfully.
"Oh! Like this one! Here we go!" Cilan said, pointing upwards.
Above them all, several feet away, was a large bubble containing Munna's memories within. This bubble was floating above everything else in the entire Dream World. "Oh wow! So these are her memories! Incredible!" Cilan exclaimed excitedly.
"Munna, we'll help you." Ash reassured her. He reached out to touch the bubble. As he touched it, images flashed before his eyes, revealing scenes from her past life.
"Mun..." She murmured, but the memories that were being shown were mainly positive. It showed how Fennel first Munna, wanting to research her Dream Mist. It even went further back than that, showing Munna's time in the Dreamyard, where she knew that same Musharna that lives there now.
So many positive memories were shown to them all. "I'm confused...what's causing the Nightmares? Everything looks fine here." Iris pointed out, scratching her head in confusion. Axew tilted he head to the side curiously as well.
"Axew, axew ax ax axew?" He asked quizzically. Suddenly, something caught Axew's attention and he turned towards the direction it came from. There was something approaching fast. Something very large and very dangerous-looking.
"A-A-Axew! Axew axew axew axew ax ax ax ax!" It shouted frantically, pointing urgently towards where it had seen something moving rapidly through the clouds of colorful bubbles surrounding them all. A dark cloud appeared suddenly in front of them and everyone turned to face it.
"Axew? What are you talking about?" Iris asked nervously.
"Pi-ka chu pika pikachu!" Pikachu shouted anxiously.
"What is that thing!?" Hilda cried out in surprise.
"It looks scary..." Aurielle murmured fearfully.
As everyone else stared up at the dark mass approaching quickly, Ash noticed that it had stopped moving forward. Instead of continuing its approach towards the group however, the black blob seemed content just to remain stationary high above them. The blob seemed almost alive almost as if it were breathing or maybe even thinking about something important.
"Is it watching us?" Hilda wondered aloud. Her question went unanswered though as no one answered her query.
"Maybe..." Ash muttered quietly under his breath.
"Mun..." Munna said nothing further and simply floated silently next to her Trainer who looked equally nervous and frightened. That's when the blob started taking shape. The shape of a human to be exact. Everyone watched as the shape that the blob assumed looked rather familiar and was the cause of Munna's fear.
The shape seemed to resemble that of Ghetsis.
"Hey...that looks like that Ghetsis guy!" Hilda exclaimed. She recognized his face from somewhere before, but couldn't quite remember where exactly. Perhaps it was from another memory Munna had shown her earlier?
"Yes! I've seen him too! That's the same man who took control over Team Plasma!" Fennel added excitedly.
"That's him? He's the leader of Team Plasma?!" Aurielle gasped. "But what is he doing here?" Bianca wondered, confused by everything going on around them right now. Ghetsis then began speaking in a strange language none of them could understand, but his voice sounded like a mix between a deep, low-pitched rumble and an angry roar. His words were barely audible due to the volume of his speech being so loud, however, and they were completely incomprehensible.
"That's who she's afraid of?! But why?!" Iris didn't understand. Sure, Team Plasma were a bit wild in their approach to liberating Pokemon and Ghetsis did seem rather mysterious, but he wasn't anything to fear. He didn't seem dangerous. He looked like he was just an old guy with weird hair and an even weirder outfit. Still, something about his presence made everyone uneasy and they all began backing away slowly as the figure continued to speak.
Ghetsis then reached down, his hand growing larger in the process and grabbed hold of Munna. Munna was lifted up and she screamed, terrified by this man. The rest of them watched helplessly as he lifted Munna up into the sky above them and began crushing her. "Ah, Munna! Leave her alone!" Hilda cried out.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded his partner. Pikachu fired off his electric attack at the blob-like being, but it had no effect on him whatsoever. Instead, Ghetsis merely laughed evilly and continued squeezing tighter and tighter until finally he released his grip on Munna and she fell towards the ground. She crashed into one of the nearby balloons and bounced off it harmlessly before falling again.
"Pi-kaaa!" Pikachu cried angrily as he fired another blast at him. This time, Ghetsis blocked the attack with some kind of barrier, but it didn't matter anyway since the second bolt went right through the barrier without damaging it at all.
The shadow of Ghetsis cackled once more, waving his arms in a menacing manner, causing some wind to kick up. Pikachu would be launched into the air, Ash having no choice but to catch him in his arms. The Electric Mouse Pokemon would be safely secured within Ash's arms. "Pikachu! Are you okay, buddy?!" He cried under his breath. He turned back around to see what was going on behind them.
"Mun!" Munna cried as her Dream Mist started to grow uncontrollably. Everyone covered themselves, trying to avoid being hit by the blast of Dream Mist, but they weren't quick enough to react in time to protect themselves completely. Aurielle screamed as she tried desperately to cover herself up as much as possible, while everyone else was simply stunned by how powerful this attack truly was. This caused the Dream Mist to grow even further outwards.
"Why would she be afraid of him?!" Hilda held onto her hat.
"There's only one reason for it...during one of my research on the Dream Mist, I found out that Munna's Dreams are sometimes indicators for the future." She explained.
"The future?" Iris asked.
"That's right." Fennel nodded. "It was an old story I read, but it said that a long time ago, Munna would show people the future in their dreams. This was mainly done as a way to keep the Munna safe. So, Munna's showing the future...but why is she afraid of him?"
"So she's afraid of what he might do?" Ash wondered. "But what could he be doing?"
"Whatever it is, it must be awful." Iris said. She looked worried about whatever it might be. "But from him..."
"Well, largely, Team Plasma don't seem to be too much of a threat." said Hilda. "But I did feel something strange from Ghetsis back at the Dreamyard...There was something scary about him. Maybe that's why she's so scared of him..."
Hilda pondered about it for a moment. She could see why Munna would be worried. She did seem to be a rather rattled Pokemon. At least, right now, anyways. But right now, Team Plasma, in Hilda's eyes, were closer to a nuisance more than anything.
"We have to let her know not to stress too much over it. She doesn't have to be afraid." Hilda would try approaching her, but she was stopped. Munna wasn't in her right mind and would lash out at anyone that got close to her. She'd blast Dream Mist at her, Hilda dodging. "Woah!"
"Hold on! Don't go up to her! You'll only agitate her further!" Fennel would say.
"Let me try!" But Hilda wanted to get to Munna. If she didn't calm down, she wouldn't calm down in the real world and she wouldn't be able to wake up from this dream. She needed to do this, not only to help Munna, but to help everyone in Striaton City.
"Hey, Munna! I don't know why you're afraid, but it's gonna be okay! You don't need to worry!" She said, trying to get to the Pokemon. Munna was scared. She was scared for her life and she couldn't stop shaking. Hilda would soon be blasted back by the force of Munna's fears, crashing onto the ground.
At least, she would've.
Until, a soft pillow the size of a Snorlax materialized beneath her. It was so welcoming and soft, causing Hilda to blink in confusion. She had Ash to thank for that, looking back at him. "Ash...?"
"We're in the Dream World, aren't we? So we should be able to do anything we want!" Ash smiled. "If we just focus our minds and try to believe it's true, we can make it happen! Just believe and anything can be done!" He said, standing next to a gigantic pillow the size of a Wailord. Ash and Hilda both grinned at each other, a plan soon forming in their minds. With both of their minds focused on making something happen, they would try their hardest to create whatever their imagination could come up with.
"You think so, Ash?!" She asked. Ash nodded, giving her a thumbs-up and a wide smile.
"Absolutely! Just believe in yourself and you'll do it!" The boy assured her. They both then turned back to face Munna who continued to scream and cry out in fear, sending out blasts of Dream Mist every which direction.
Hilda focused on the pillow, imagining it being even larger than the one she already had under her. She would soon feel herself floating upwards as the pillow expanded in size, growing larger than her own body. The girl smiled brightly, looking up towards the ceiling of their world once again, imagining what else could possibly happen next.
Hilda would then imagine another object materializing into reality: a massive, fluffy blanket to cover Munna with. The girl closed her eyes tightly, concentrating on imagining this item coming into existence. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself sitting atop of an enormous, pink blanket that stretched across her entire body. The sight caused the girl to gasp in amazement.
"Anything I want? In that case..." Iris would speak up, closing her eyes. She too imagined something, but hers wasn't nearly as extravagant. All Iris wanted was a small, green dragon to ride upon, one that would take her high into the sky so that she might see the entire world from up there. The young girl felt her body lifting upwards as the small dragon flew into view.
It was exactly how Iris imagined it would look, only much more colorful than before. Its skin had changed to match the colors of her outfit and it even wore a tiny little crown on top of its head. She laughed happily as she flew through the sky above the others, enjoying every second of it. Axew, on the other hand, was slightly confused about the sudden change in his environment. He didn't quite know where they were, but he was having fun all the same. Cilan, on the other hand, was rather surprised by his friends' abilities to conjure things like these out of thin air. He was impressed with what he saw, though, and it brought him joy to watch everyone having such a wonderful experience together.
Soon, they advanced towards Munna, trying to get in close and comfort her. The fake Ghetsis would try and stop them, but it would be halted by a blast from Pikachu. Ash's Pikachu would unleash a powerful attack that caused the shadow of the man to stumble backwards. Ash would look at the Pokemon and give him an encouraging smile.
"Pikachu, I believe in you! Keep going!" Ash shouted, cheering him on. Pikachu grinned and nodded, feeling inspired by Ash's words. The two would then proceed to work alongside each other, Pikachu continuing to fire bolts of lightning at Ghetsis while Ash used the large blanket to shield them from his attacks.
Assisting Pikachu would be Iris and Axew, both riding upon a Dragonite and attacking from the skies. Cilan was on the ground, using his own imagination to create something else to help them out. He thought about how nice it'd be if there was something like a big fan or wind machine that they could use to blow the Ghetsis shadow away. It didn't take long before he managed to manifest such a device, and soon enough, a massive gust of air began to blow against the shadowy figure of Ghetsis. This caused it to lose its balance and fall backwards.
It wasn't enough, though. Despite being blown back, it managed to regain its footing quickly. The shadow then turned and glared at the group of humans and Pokemon below it.
"Ngh...!" Hilda grit her teeth, pouring her all into trying to push through the Ghetsis shadow, who was holding them back from Munna. It wouldn't stop them, but it would certainly slow them down, which was the last thing they needed right now. Ash, on the other hand, tried his best to encourage Hilda to continue fighting.
"At this rate...we could end up gaining nightmares within the Dream World itself!" Fennel exclaimed. She knew this wasn't good news. If that happened...they would end up trapped in their own nightmare world.
"I..don't think so!" Hilda refused to let that happen. "I still have a lot I want to experience! I want to see all of Unova! Not just on my own...but with my friends! And no Team Plasma or anything is going to ruin it for me!" She desired it to happen. And with that desire, she began pushing through, getting closer and closer to Munna, but Ghetsis would continue to get in her way. He wouldn't give in. But Hilda wasn't about to do that, either.
Right as Ghetsis was about to grab her, Pikachu intercepted with a Thunderbolt, shocking the hand and causing it to retract. This interruption allowed Hilda just the right amount of time she needed to reach Munna at last.
"I've always been scared of some stuff...but I still wanted to be a Trainer!" Hilda continued, climbing to the top of the blanket, which now floated above the world like a giant cloud, Munna on it. She would slowly walk over to her, trying not to startle the Pokemon. "But...I wanted to face those things! So you can do the same too, Munna!"
Finally, she had reached Munna. She would crouch down and wrap her arms around the Pokemon, holding it close to herself as if to comfort it. And upon hugging Munna, all that Dream Mist that was frantically spewing out of her had stopped, as if she was now in control of it.
Munna was now being hugged by Hilda, calming down and no longer afraid. The shadow of Ghetsis would be no more, the cloud that made up the figure of Ghetsis was now completely gone and there was no sign of him anywhere. Munna looked up at her, tears still running down its face.
"Hey...you okay?" Hilda asked.
"Mun..." Munna's vision returned to normal. The chaos that made up this dream would fade away. And the same can be said for what was happening outside in Striaton City, the Pokemon calming down and people able to get some rest from those terrible nightmares. The people of the city were waking up and the Pokemon that had been possessed by Munna's Dream Mist were finally returning to their senses. Everything was starting to go back to normal.
And all the people that were once stuck in their dreams would slowly start coming back into reality.
"Hey...you okay?"
Munna looked up at her, eyes shining brightly and she nodded. She then nuzzled against Hilda's cheek affectionately, smiling at the human who had saved her from her own fears. "Munna!"
Hilda woke up from the dream she was having, seeing that she was back in Fennel's laboratory. Everyone gasped upon waking up, seeing that they were back in the lab.
"Huh?! We're back?!" Bianca said, looking around the room. "That was the weirdest dream I've ever had!" Aurielle looked over at Fennel and Munna who were both standing nearby.
"Doctor Fennel...what just happened? What was going on with Munna?" One of the doctors ran in, confused as to what had occurred.
"Well, apparently it's something to do with Ghetsis. That man..." She muttered, shaking her head. "We don't know why, though. All we know is that she saw a vision of him in her dreams and he seemed to scare her so badly she went into a frenzy." Hilda looked down at the floor.
"Is Munna okay?" Hilda asked. Fennel looked down at her, seeing how worried the young woman was for Munna. She nodded and smiled slightly.
"Yeah, I think so. She seems fine to me. She's just tired. I'm going to take care of her, alright?" Fennel said.
"Hey, Hilda, I know you may be worried, but don't worry, okay? It'll all work out." Iris told her. She was worried about her friend's well-being after witnessing that nightmare.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Cilan asked.
Hilda nodded. "Yeah...yeah...I'll be alright." She replied. "I hope." She then turned to face Munna and spoke to her.
"Munna...are you feeling better now?"
"Mun!" Munna answered. Hilda smiled a bit and petted the pink Pokémon gently.
"That's great. Good job. Thank you so much for helping me get here." She said. Munna nodded happily and nuzzled her hand.
Everyone else in Striaton City would be free of this chaos, especially the Pokemon that were influenced by the nightmares that Munna was seeing.
This caused them all to return to their senses, and the city went back to its normal state. The nightmare had passed, and now things were back to normal, with everyone feeling relieved.
But still, no one knew why Munna was so afraid of Ghetsis, or what he might have done in the dream that made her so terrified. There was nothing they could do to figure out why this happened. But for now, everyone had to move on, knowing that the worst part of their ordeal is behind them. It's time to continue with the journey.
"Thank you all so much! I don't know what I would've done without your help!" Fennel would thank the group for all their efforts. If they hadn't intervened and stepped up, she didn't want to imagine what would've happened.
"It's no trouble. We're just happy that everything worked out in the end. But man...I need a good stretch after that." Ash stretched his arms along with Pikachu.
"Pika...!"
"Munna," Hilda knelt down to meet the Dream Eater Pokémon at eye level, her voice soft and warm. "You've gotta be really strong, you know that? You collect dreams, so you gotta make those dreams just as strong. That's why my mom used to tell me when I was a kid. It even inspired me to go on my journey when the day finally came. She told me, if I could dream it, then I can live it."
"Pi-Pikachu."
"Mun!" Munna cooed a small, happy trill, floating closer and nuzzling against Hilda's cheek.
Fennel, stepping closer, smiled at them both. "Hilda, I think Munna has grown quite fond of you. That Interaction went the distance, I'd say. If you'd like, I'd be happy to entrust her to you."
"R-Really?!" Hilda's eyes widened in surprise, looking back at the floating Pokémon. "But… are you sure? Munna's been through so much here, hasn't she? She might still need you."
"Eh. She's not really my Pokemon. No Poke Ball for her either. I think she's already made her choice," Fennel chuckled, nodding toward Munna, who circled around Hilda gleefully. "Besides, I've got a good feeling she'll be much safer and happier traveling with you. Your bond helped her overcome her fear today. That's not something easily forgotten. Just saying."
Hilda looked at the Pokémon, considering it a moment. Finally, she turned back to the scientist and nodded. "Okay! We're gonna take care of each other!" She grinned, holding Munna to her side. Munna purred in approval, rubbing her cheek against the trainer.
Fennel nodded in agreement, patting Munna gently. "Well, that's that then. Take care of her, and you both will go far."
"You can count on me!" Hilda beamed. She then took out an empty Poké Ball, holding it out with a confident grin. "Welcome to the team, Munna!"
With a gentle nudge, Munna tapped the Poké Ball with her snout, and in a flash of light, she was inside. The ball shook once, twice, and then clicked shut. "Alright!" Hilda exclaimed, lifting the ball triumphantly. "We're gonna make a great team!"
Ash definitely cheered for her, loving Hilda's accomplishment. "Sweet! Way to go, Hilda!" Iris would clap, just as thrilled for the girl as Ash. Axew would clap along, though his claps sounded less enthusiastic than hers. Cilan, on the other hand, just smiled, clapping politely as he watched the scene unfold.
He had a good feeling he made the right choice wanting to stick around and see more from this group, especially, Ash.