*Risk's POV*

"There, I can see it now! That's the forest where the Guild is situated!" Rayquaza, hearing me, surveyed the area for a safe place to land, as I mused,

Gengar really did fortify the Guild as much as Blade said it did- it looks just like one of those old medieval castles I used to read about!

"There, I've located a small clearing to land, far enough away from any Pokemon to give you guys at least a few minutes before an attack. Are you prepared?"

"We have no other options now... It's do-or-die time!" Blade tried to complement our courage as Rayquaza landed near the outskirts of the forest.

"Good luck, I wish your exploration to be successful," The Pokemon bid us farewell and flew off, leaving us staring at the purple-tainted labyrinth surrounding the Guild. I started pulling apart a few branches to create a makeshift entrance and leading the team towards it, until Blade stopped me,

"Risk, wait," he said calmly.

"There's something I need to do, that I've forgotten to do for a long time..." I was uncertain of what the Absol was doing, until he removed his bandage around his last acid-wound,

"Riku... Welcome to the team!" He walked closer to the Shaymin, until he was in arm's' reach, and he finally asked Riku to heal his wound.

"You mean it?" The Shaymin's eyes glowed, enthusiastic about finally being a part of Team Crusaders. However, as he was about to touch Blade's wound, I saw a small glint of malice in Riku's smile, and I shouted,

"Stop!" as I tackled Blade, pushing him away from the Shaymin.

"Risk?..." Riku asked me,

"Why'd you do that..." His voice was cut off by a familiar cackle, followed by a furious Pokemon exiting Riku's body,

"You little miscreant of a Riolu! I was so close to finally killing Blade, and you robbed me of my chance!..."

"Mismagius... Why, you... You monster!" Blade, displeased at the witch's third attempt on his life, leapt, angrily, at the Ghost and jammed his horn straight through her crooked heart...

Gently removing his bloodsoaked horn, Blade stepped back, as Mismagius gasped for air, a demented smile on her face,

"He... He... He... For my last spell, I... I shall make your friend disappear!" As she said this, Mismagius enveloped the area in a bright light, blinding all of us, and I heard a cry for help from Riku, and Mismagius cackled and disappeared, the light vanishing with her...

I opened my eyes again, to see that the witch was, in fact, serious- Riku had disappeared, and I couldn't even sense his Aura. Desperately, I pushed past the rest of the team, and dashed into the forest, shouting Riku's name as I went...

*Corrupted Forest, 1F*

This area... It's like someone just painted the entire forest a ghastly purple color! I thought, as I sprinted through the various pieces of dead flora. Then, I looked up, and I saw Gengar's ugly smile glisten in the moonlight. Jumping back in alarm, I readied myself for battle, until the object I saw, moved, and the "Gengar" became an ordinary Pidgey.

So this is how you're going to mess with me? Hallucinations? You're going to have to do better than tha... My thoughts were interrupted by a call from behind me.

"Risk!? Help me!"

Riku!

I dashed towards the sound... and straight into an empty room. I looked around, trying to place the exact location of the plea for help, until I heard it again, a few feet to my left,

"Risk!? Help me!"

Immediately, I looked over, and saw a Chatot imitating the sound of Riku crying out for help. My blood boiled, and I forcefully grabbed the bird from off the branch it was resting on,

"Where did you learn that sound?"

"Squawk! Learn! Sound! Never!"

My gaze narrowed even further, as I squeezed the Chatot even tighter, until I knew that it was uncomfortable for it to breathe, so I asked again,

"Chatot don't learn sounds unless they are taught to repeat them! WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT SOUND?!!"

The bird made a few choking sounds, held up its wings in surrender, and disappeared into the same ash that the rest of Gengar's henchmen left behind.

I can't believe you would force a Chatot to listen to, let alone COPY, that horrible sound! Why, when I find you, I'm going to...

Before I could finish drafting my death threat to Gengar, I heard another voice, this time from Alpha,

"Risk? Are you here? We need help!"

I slowly paced towards the sound, fully expecting another Chatot to greet me. However, when I entered the room, I saw Alpha, Beta, and Blade, standing over a bleeding Tania, a large bandage around her chest,

"She's hurt pretty badly, and Beta..."

"My... My healing stomach just won't open! It's like there's a curse around this entire area that's preventing me from doing so..." The Mawile started crying and hyperventilating, so I tried to bring her back to reality,

"Hold on... What happened to Tania?" I asked quickly, and Blade responded, without hesitation,

"After you ran off into the forest, hordes and hordes of Ghost Pokemon came to attack us, probably ordered by Gengar to do so... We tried to fend them off as well as we could, but, there were just too many... We fought off all but one of them- a Sableye. With a wicked grin, it promptly pulled a large, red jewel out of the ground, and threw it at us. While it was in the air, the jewel shattered, sending the sharpened shards at us... Most of us escaped with only a few minor cuts, which we took care of, but Tania... She was struck in the chest, and the shard opened a huge hole that continued to bleed profusely, no matter what we did. After Beta tried to heal her, I simply fashioned an enormous tourniquet and hoped that the blood would eventually clot. Then, we entered the forest to find you. It seems her condition hasn't improved much... Tania," he asked,

"Are you able to stand? It isn't safe here..."

"I... I'll try!" The Flareon struggled to get up, but her legs kept buckling.

"I'm sorry... I think I'm still too weak to walk on my own..."

"I see..." Blade started, but Beta interrupted him,

"I can carry her in my horn-jaw," Beta offered,

"I just wish I could heal her..." she mumbled, despondently, as she gently snapped up Tania. The Flareon sat uncomfortably for a few minutes, until she finally found the strength to curl up into a ball and rest.

Thank goodness! She's safe, and she can't leave a trail of blood for potential enemies to follow...

"Alright, let's keep going! The stairs should be over here!" Blade commanded us, as we followed him to the next floor.

*Corrupted Forest, 2F*

After walking for a while, we heard a loud scream from inside Beta's horn-jaw, and she backed up, defensively,

"Get away! Don't touch my prey!"

"Beta?" Alpha asked, in alarm,

"What's gotten into you?!"

Wait a second... I took a closer look at the Mawile, currently trying to swallow the distraught Flareon, and I noticed one of Gengar's scarves wrapped around the Mawile's foot.

!!! That isn't Beta! I realized, at once, that the real Beta would never do this, and, as Alpha watched in horror, I slammed my Force Palm into "Beta's" face, forcing the imposter to drop Tania, covered in acid and blood, to the ground.

The Mawile grinned evilly, talking in a low, gravelly voice,

"Well, well, well! Seems my little trick didn't fool you for long, Risk! Why don't I have a little fun with you now..."

"You think this is 'fun'!?" Blade screamed in rage, grabbing the mysterious Pokemon and severing its horn-jaw from its head.

"I've had enough of your games... Where's the real Beta?!" he said, removing his newly-bloodied claws from the Mawile and instantly moving them into position around its neck,

"Tell me! Where is she?!" Blade began to close his claws around the Pokemon, and I almost felt sorry for it,

"... Choking!... Let me speak..." The Mawile could barely breathe, and, as Blade relinquished his grip and stood there, while the Pokemon gasped for air.

"Hah... Hah... ..." The Mawile rolled its head back, and it went silent, emitting a bright light that temporarily blinded us...

When I opened my eyes, the Mawile was replaced by a Ghost Pokemon I had never seen before.

"Risk!" Blade whispered to me, not taking his eyes off the Pokemon,

"That's a Misdreavus! Don't take your eyes off for a second- one mistake could be fatal..."

"Hush, you're ruining the prank!" Misdreavus' eyes bored into the Absol and paralyzed even him in fear.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, what if I told you that the Pokemon that you just killed was your beloved Beta, but brainwashed? What would you do?" The Pokemon laughed, sounding oddly like one of that witch Mismagius's cackles.

"You lie!" I readied myself for battle against the Pokemon,

"That wretch isn't Beta- its Aura is different!" I laughed, beating back my intense hatred toward the mischievous little Pokemon. In response, the Pokemon turned its innocent-looking eyes on me, and I could its gaze sapping all of my resolve to live...

I can't accept this! I won't die like this! I thought, planting my feet and staring down the Pokemon.

After a few silent minutes of torturous stare-offs, Misdreavus finally gave up,

"Ugh! You've seen through all of my tricks! I can't even stop you with my Mean Look!" The Pokemon turned to the darkness, calling,

"Sister! I need help stopping these intruders!" Misdreavus said, giving us a final, begrudging,

"I'll be back- just you wait!" before disappearing, with an eerie wail, into the forest...

As soon as I knew that we were safe, for now, I ran over to Tania, trying to help her rid herself of the acid as best that I could.

"I... I don't think I'll make it, at this rate... But, I'm not giving up! Not now!" she stared at the sky, defiantly, and forced her legs to cooperate with her spirit.

"Let's move!" she said, still shaking off some acid, but she told me that she was as "ready as she's ever been."

With renewed courage, we blazed through the forest, only stopping to interrogate the numerous Chatot "pranks" that Misdreavus had left for us...

*Corrupted Forest, 7F*

"Beta!" Alpha spotted his sister tied to a petrified tree, as soon as we entered the room.

"Alpha? Is that really you?" Beta asked, obviously paranoid of other hostile Pokemon.

"Wait! There's something here! Something... ancient..." She was interrupted by Alpha running towards her, and, with a war cry, he easily chewed through and swallowed her bonds. However, when he tried to run back to the rest of us with her, he was punched across the room by a seemingly-invisible fist. As Beta screamed in horror, Alpha's assailant became visible, and I cringed, knowing that we would have to fight the massive blue golem that had just appeared...

"I AM GOLURK! GUARDIAN OF THESE WOODS. SPEAK YOUR NAME AND PURPOSE HERE, IMMEDIATELY!" However, instead of demanding an answer, the Pokemon noticed Tania, walked a few feet toward her, and picked her limp body in its massive fist.

I tried to stop the Pokemon, shouting,

"No! You won't hurt her!" but it only swatted me away like I was an annoying bug.

"THIS POKEMON... SHE IS HURT BADLY!... PAIN... IS NOT IN MY PROGRAMMING... MASTER GENGAR, FORGIVE ME- I MUST FIX THIS!" Golurk's eyes seemed to flash in sympathy, as it nonchalantly uprooted a tree and shook a few berries loose...

Lum Berries... I watched silently, in admiration, as Golurk worked on Tania, rebandaging her eroded casts, and using the juice of the Lum Berries to cleanse the wounds. Even though I was scared stiff for Tania, every time she winced in pain, I couldn't help but be amazed at how dextrous Golurk was with its meaty hands...

Eventually, Golurk had finished coating Tania in bandages, as well as somehow managing to form a few clots to reduce her overall blood loss, in the process. When the golem was finished, Tania wrapped her tail around Golurk's fist, thanking it, before limping back over to us, as Alpha rejoined us, groaning from his recently-obtained headache. I stood up and walked, tentatively, towards the Pokemon.

"LITTLE RIOLU, WOULD YOU HELP ME?"

I nodded my head, extremely grateful for its help with Tania,

"WOULD YOU PLEASE... RID THIS FOREST OF THAT HORRIBLE MONSTER? I HAVE BEEN GENGAR'S SLAVE FOR THIRTY YEARS NOW... ALL IT CAUSES IS PAIN AND SUFFERING..." Golurk revealed the massive dent in its back to us,

"PLEASE, FOR ME! YOU MUST SUCCEED! AND, TELL YOUR MAWILE FRIENDS THAT I AM SORRY... I HAD NO INTENTION OF HURTING ANY OF THEM. NOW, GO, AND, GOOD LUCK, CRUSADERS! HERE, I SHALL LEAD YOU TO THE EXIT OF THIS PLACE!" Golurk started to walk, its legs generating shockwaves as it moved. We followed the Pokemon, until we could see the stairs. With a final wave to the golem, we bid Golurk,

"Farewell!" and ascended the stairs...

As much as it pained me to leave the gentle giant, I knew that I had another reason to stop that tyrannical Pokemon now- to free the Ghosts doomed to serve him...

For Golurk! For everyone! And for you, Dad! We're going to stop Gengar!

...

We exited the forest to be greeted by Gengar's despicable masterpiece- the dark fortress that it had turned the Guild into. Each castle spire, dripping with blood, seemed to smile as we approached a drawbridge that lowered for us to cross. I could see many spirits taunting us from overhead, but I steeled my nerves and asked,

"Are you ready, team?! This is it- Gengar's final defense!"

"I'm ready!" a revitalized Tania replied.

"Let's do this! I have a bone to pick with him!" Alpha crowed.

A cry of "We're ready!" echoed from Beta, and Blade simply nodded in recognition, signaling us to walk over the drawbridge, which closed behind us.

"Well, the only way out is to kill that underhanded..." Blade was interrupted by another scream for help.

Riku!

"There's no time to lose! Let's go!" I shouted, as our team broke down the old, rotting door, and we entered into our worst nightmare...

*Gengar's Fortress, 1F

"This place... Where's the light?..." Tania was cut off by the broken door reappearing behind us and slamming. Frantically, she tried the lock, but to no avail- we were trapped in a twisted mansion with a madman!...

I felt around until I found the wall, and splintered the side with a few good punches, pulling some old wood off of it.

"Here, Tania, can you make a torch with this?" I tapped her on the shoulder with the object, making her jump considerably, but, as she calmed down, she lit the wood on fire and illuminated the building. The place was decorated in a regal purple- carpets, walls, and even a few armor stands were colored. I There were some stained-glass windows, all depicting Gengar, but no light was streaming through them. However, what I saw next, amid a few of the purple banisters hanging on the wall, horrified me- eerie portraits of Pokemon that had previously died at Gengar's hands lined the walls.

Paul... I thought, as we followed the line of portraits until I came to the end...

Dad?!

My blood ran cold as the images began to shift. The green scenery depicted slowly died and changed color, and the Pokemon began to breathe, like they were actually alive. Then, each Pokemon's assailant appeared next to them, and I was forced to watch the horrid way each and every one of them died all over again...

It was too much to bear- I needed to avert my gaze. However, as I closed my eyes, some spectral hands grabbed me from behind.

"Hmmm, not going to admire my paintings? Tsk... Tsk... And I worked so hard on them!" the Pokemon, still invisible, whispered to me. The team looked around, searching for the source of the voice, until a blue Haunter materialized, revealing its shadowy grip on me, and began uttering some kind of strange curse. However, before it could finish, Blade sprang at the Ghost, tearing it into three pieces, as it promptly released me, shrieked, and turned to ash, being scattered by a mysterious wind that chilled me to the bone...

Luckily, no other Ghosts attacked us, and I was able to locate the stairs to the next floor, advancing into a darker and crueler part of the castle...

*Gengar's Fortress, 2F*

"Could you relight the torch again? It's pitch-black here, too?" I asked. As Tania relit our rotting piece of wood, she screamed,

"What IS that!" as a puddle of purple liquid began to accumulate around her... I tried to pull her out of the unknown fluid, but it was like trying to pull her out of concrete- she was stuck!

"Risk! Anyone! He..." She was cut off by the liquid covering her completely, as an enormous Muk formed around Tania, enveloping her.

"Haw haw haw! Now, it's my turn to have a meal! This Flareon will do nicely!" the Muk said, its speech impeded by all the sludge it was producing. I could see Tania swimming inside the Pokemon, as it spoke, struggling against the current of sludge that probably represented its stomach. Our entire team tried to batter the Pokemon, but it simply launched more sludge at us that glued us to the ground. I could only watch, helplessly, as the Muk worked on digesting the Flareon.

...

"No! Enough with eating people! Nobody on our team is becoming food for anyone else! Ever!" a sharp, yet courageous voice boomed from the darkness, and I instantly recognized the sound,

Wait a minute... Isn't that...? My thoughts were finished automatically by the Shaymin's sudden appearance in the room, eyes glowing bright blue.

"Begone, you filthy... Thing!" Riku shouted, before tearing the Muk to shreds with Psychic, sending its sludge all over the place, where it seeped into whatever surface it came into contact with. Our "bonds" also disappeared along with the Muk, so I ran over to the Shaymin, wrapping my arms around him, almost bowling him over.

"Riku!!" I exclaimed, tears in my eyes,

"You're alive... But how?"

The Shaymin blushed a little, as he told me, matter-of-factly,

"It's a long story... But to make it short: when Mismagius abducted me, she chained me to a burning stake on the top floor. The pain was intolerable, and I figured that I was dead! Then, a Misdreavus entered the room, complaining about some Riolu thwarting her pranks (I assume that was you), and the two left to go find the intruders. Now in privacy, I worked quickly to break my bonds and escape. Then, I simply wandered this mansion, looking for the exit, until I found you guys. I couldn't just sit back while Tania got killed, after all, so I figured, why not have some fun?!"

When he was finished, I started,

"... That's... Quite a story..." I said, trying to take it all in,

"In any case, it's good to have you back, Riku!"

"Glad to be back! It's worlds better than being burned, that's for sure!" he said, displaying his seared right paw to us.

"I was able to heal most of my wounds, but these ones remained, and I couldn't seem to get rid of them... Anyway, I'll survive... Let's take the stairs and get out of here- they're right over the..."

"Hehehe!" Riku was interrupted by a shrill cackle, and the group turned to face Mismagius, floating next to Misdreavus and Froslass.

"Silly Shaymin! That's because I used Flames of Houndoom for your trap! Those kinds of burns don't just heal- you're going to feel that pain forever!" Pausing for a moment, Mismagius assessed the situation,

"Well, now that you're all here... Why don't I finish you all, right now! Misdreavus, Froslass..."

"We're ready, Sis!" The two mischievous Ghosts said, as Froslass shot ice across the room that froze us in place.

Grrr... What do you want with us?!

"I'm offended, Risk... I thought you were smarter than that! The only thing I want IS YOU DEAD! NOW, LISTEN TO THE SONG OF YOUR DEATH, AND FALL AS THAT USELESS ZANGOOSE DID!" her voice changed, as she began chanting the words to her Perish Song...

But we're trapped in ice... There's no way that we can block our ears from hearing it this time... I looked at the rest of my half-frozen team, and knew that this would be our last few moments together...

Father, forgive me... I've failed you!... I thought, hanging my head and listening to the hypnotic chant, until, suddenly, the wall behind Mismagius shattered, and the massive Golurk stood in the wreckage. The witch turned around, looking for what could have disturbed her Perish Song, when an enormous fist clenched her by the neck, squeezing tightly enough to allow her to live, but only barely.

"I AM GOLURK! LISTEN TO ME- YOU ARE IMPEDING THE PROGRESS OF THE PLAN, 'STOP THE TYRANT,' AND HURTING THOSE THAT I CARE ABOUT. THEREFORE, YOU MUST BE ELIMINATED!" Golurk's fist tightened around Mismagius's neck, until I heard a small popping sound, and the Pokemon screamed, before evaporating into thin air.

Golurk stared at the other two Ghost Pokemon, fists at the ready.

"WILL YOU TWO INTERFERE AS WELL? GOLURK DOES NOT LIKE INTERFERENCES IN PLANS- IT DOES NOT COMPUTE WITH PROGRAMMING!"

Instead of argue with the titan, the other two sisters simply vanished into the shadows without a word, and Golurk looked back at us expectantly,

"THERE YOU GO! THE PATH IS CLEAR FOR YOU! I WISH YOU LUCK IN YOUR BATTLE AGAINST GENGAR! I WILL STAND GUARD HERE AND PREVENT MORE HOSTILE POKEMON FROM FOLLOWING YOU! NOW, GO, AND SAVE OUR WORLD!" Golurk said, as it bestowed an odd psychic power to us, before turning around, facing away from the stairs, ready to defend us,

"Well..." Riku started,

"Let's finish this!"

"Right!" we all agreed, storming up the stairway to face the tyrant once and for all...