*Risk's POV*

After being lost in the forest for a few hours, I started to become restless, like the woods itself were unnerving me,

"Are you sure that we are going the right way?" I asked nervously, with Riku echoing my sentiments.

"It should not be much farther... Look, I can see the entrance now!" cried the Absol, both excited and agonized. Seconds after he said this, a large split appeared in the nearby trees, revealing a mass of shrubbery that seemed to form a cave entrance, the moon only making it appear more ominous.

"This is the entrance to Mystifying Forest. One of my old friends lives deep inside this dungeon, and I believe that she can help us retake the Guild." Directing the others, he motioned to the new area,

"Hurry, we have no time to lose!"

I can feel their auras... Gengar's cronies are gaining ground on us- if we don't find a solution in this forest, we are dead! My mind wrestled with the many possibilities of our doom, as I followed the others inside.

*Mystifying Forest, 1F*

"This forest seems to be completely empty... Not even a hostile Pokemon in sight." Paul mused, as we walked, only to be silenced by Blade seconds later.

"Keep your guard up- we don't know what surprises are lurking here!" Turning to me, the Absol asked,

"Risk, do you sense anyone's presence?"

I waited for a few seconds, concentrating, until I could clearly make out a blue-tinted image of a Pokemon, sleeping in the middle of a forest clearing, in my mind. Opening my eyes again, I reported my findings to the group,

"I can see a Flareon deeper in the forest. Is that your friend?"

Blade seemed to be pleased,

"Yes, and, if we're lucky, she will be expecting us. She always told me to find her in times of trouble, and I think this classifies as one..."

"Hold on a moment- I see something else!" I stopped him, as the image's color shifted from a blue to a dark red. The Flareon, who was still sleeping, awoke with her eyes wide, as she shrieked in terror. In response, a shadowy figure emerged from one of the bushes next to her and engulfed her. After a few seconds, the figure was gone, and the Flareon was left, heavily damaged, on the forest floor." Instantly, my eyes opened in terror, as I tried to describe what I saw.

"What!?... That figure, do you think it was Gengar?" Blade's gaze lowered, as he shouted,

"You will not have her! I refuse to allow it!" and dashed off into the forest.

"Blade!!" I called after him, but the Absol did not turn around. Paul became worried, talking to himself and brandishing his claws incessantly as we continued to explore the dungeon...

*Mystifying Forest, 4F*

A few floors later, the forest started to adopt a darker tint, and the pools of water that dotted the landscape became fewer and fewer. I knew something had happened to corrupt this place, and my thoughts shifted to Blade's well-being.

The last time he ran off... I remembered the Nidoqueen in the World Abyss and concentrated, trying to feel Blade's aura.

"Well?" Paul tapped me on the shoulder after a few seconds,

"Is Blade OK?"

"His aura is still strong, but he is much farther into this forest than we are. We must hurry, if we want to catch up to him before he tries to fight whatever hurt that Flareon!"

"There, I see the stairs. Let's go!"

*Mystifying Forest, 5F*

What on earth happened to this forest?! Looking around, I could see that the forest had died around us, the color resembling a mix between a dark shade of black and Riku's fur.

"That color..." The Shaymin, who had been quiet the rest of the trek, finally said.

"I noticed, too. It's almost the same color as your fur, which means..."

"That the shadowy figure must be Gengar! We must press on, before both Blade and his friend are killed! I'll try to use my Psychic powers to point us to the stairs, but the effort will end up exhausting me- please don't leave me behind..." The innocence in the Shaymin's eyes was replaced by that familiar blue glow, and the path began to shine the same blue color, all the way to the stairs!

Impressive! I thought, as we followed the radiant trail through countless floors...

*Mystifying Forest, 14F*

"I... I can't do it anymore..." The Shaymin collapsed, and, with him, the blue light faded as well. Paul carefully picked up Riku and placed him on his shoulder.

"According to what I heard from Blade before he ran off, we are almost at the deepest part of the forest..." As if to further cement my claim, the color of the flora had all become jet-black in color, as if the entire forest was painted by tar.

"I can't believe that Gengar would do this! Why, when I get a hold of that diabolical Ghost, I'm going to...!"

"Risk, relax... We need to find Blade, and seek help from his friend, before we can focus on attacking Gengar."

Pondering what the Zangoose said for a few minutes, I finally decided to heed his advice, and, with my mind less clouded, we found the stairs in record time. Ascending them revealed the clearing that I had previously seen, but there was no sign of Blade or his Flareon friend.

"... Are we too late?"

"Oh, don't worry about them!" An all-too-familiar voice cackled,

"They'll be 'properly' taken care of. But first, I'll be taking that Shaymin from you!" Immediately, Gengar stepped out of the shadows and fired an orange blast of energy straight at Paul, hitting him squarely in the chest. As the blow knocked the wind out of him, Riku was tossed off his shoulder, landing at Gengar's feet.

"Now, it's your turn! What shall I do to you, hmm? I know, I'll give you a front-row seat to Riku's death! Kekekek!" As he was talking, I simply stared at the monster defiantly,

"You will not take Riku from me! He was my responsibility, and he still is! If you want him, you will have to pry him from my cold, dead, hands!"

Gengar's eyes seemed to widen upon hearing this, and he laughed,

"You would be willing to die? Well, if you are so eager to throw your life away, I'll happily oblige! But... Instead of cold, dead hands, how about razed, corrupted hands!!" Turning to the darkness behind itself, Gengar beckoned,

"Chandelure! I have a Pokemon to torture!" Laughing, he focused on me again,

"Now, where was I... Oh, yes, YOUR DEATH!" Focusing all of its evil energy on me, Gengar continued to taunt me while pelting me with a repeated Shadow Ball.

"What can you do to stop me, little hero?" BAM! Another Shadow Ball slammed into me...

"I might just die laughing here, you're as worthless and pathetic as your father!"

BAM! His next attack targeted my neck area, and, as it struck, it forcefully closed my throat cavity.

I lay there, gasping for air, as Gengar laughed again,

"Kekekek! You're finished! Pleasant dreams, Risk!"

A few seconds later, I passed out, my last thought being,

Riku...

*Riku's POV*

If waking up in front of Gengar didn't already give me a heart attack, what he did next certainly did- as I lay there, paralyzed in fear, as he assaulted Risk with his Shadow Ball to the point of internal damage. Finally, after a serious blow to Risk's neck, the Emanation Pokemon stopped breathing and collapsed, right in front of my eyes. Then, Gengar took notice of me,

"Oh good, you're awake. Now you can experience just 'how horrible I can truly be!'... Chandelure!!" The Luring Pokemon appeared out of the darkness, and, as it drew closer, I could feel my fur being singed by its ethereal flames. The closer the Pokemon drew to me, the more it hurt, until I couldn't stand it anymore, letting out a heart-wrenching scream that pierced even my own ears.

"Riku!" Blade's courageous, but damage voice cut through the darkness, as the Disaster Pokemon stepped into view, badly bruised, with a Flareon following closely behind him.

"That Pokemon... It burns away both soul and body! Riku... This is for you!" The blood on the Absol's horn changed to a black color, and he attacked the Chandelure with an ominous Night Slash, with as much strength as the damaged Pokemon could muster before being forced to retreat from the intense heat. However, Blade's desperate attacks seemed to work, and I was released from the otherworldly flame, while the Chandelure disintegrated into a pile of ghostly ash.

"Kekekek!" Gengar laughed,

"Not bad, for a group of beginners! I would kill you all now, but I think I'll spare you today. After all, it has been fun watching you all scrabble around like panicked Rattata! Next time, I will not restrain myself! See you later, Kekekek!" Gengar disappeared, with a final laugh, into the shadows once more, and I focused on tending wounds as best that I could, my body still trying to cool itself down from the Chandelure's overwhelming fire.

*Risk's POV*

"Phew! I didn't think that I would survive that encounter..." the Flareon turned to Blade,

"And, although it was a little hasty, you were very brave to attempt to fend off Gengar..." I rolled my eyes as the Flareon continued to embellish the Absol.

I have a feeling that those two are more than friends...

"Oh, I am dearly sorry- I forgot to introduce myself! I am Tania..." She seemed lost in thought when she looked at me, but continued talking, quickly hiding her odd smile.

"And you are...?"

"I'm Risk, The Zangoose over there is Paul, and the Shaymin helping him is Riku, and I assume you already know Blade..." I stopped when the Flareon's fur stood on end, and she began to pace nervously.

"Riku... Riku... Riku..." She mumbled the name to herself over and over, until Tania lunged at the Shaymin, fangs bared. Quickly, I slammed into her, directing the attack into a nearby tree instead of my friend's neck.

"Tania, what's gotten into you?!" Blade asked, greatly concerned.

Still standing between Tania and Riku, I remembered Gengar's attack on her,

Wait a minute... Gengar enveloped her, didn't he? I'll bet that he left a portion of himself inside her that caused her to lash out at Riku!

Without thinking, I shared my opinions with the group, while Tania tried to dislodge her teeth from the tree.

"Quickly, Riku! You need to act quickly!" I warned him, as he stood up from healing Paul's wounds,

"Try to heal Tania- I think Gengar has corrupted her, and I fear that she will not stop attacking until the part of Gengar left inside her is destroyed..."

"Alright!" the Shaymin replied, optimistically,

"I'll see what I can do!" he said, placing his paws on the struggling Tania's shoulder for a few seconds before stepping back in alarm and collapsing.

"Riku! What happened!" I tried to rouse him, but the Gratitude Pokemon had already fainted from shock.

Meanwhile, Blade started trying to talk to Tania, but her behavior became increasingly violent, until we were forced to tie her to the tree that she had just freed herself from.

"Tania..." Blade could not seem to comprehend the situation, shocked by her sudden impulsive attacks.

"Let me go! He needs to die, before anything else happens!" Tania shrieked, fighting her bonds, as I discussed a plan of action with Blade.