"We need to find a way back to the road." Howie's voice was high and strained, coming between rapid pants. They'd been running for what felt like hours, but they were no closer to getting out. In fact, the trees were becoming thicker and taller as they progressed, and the ground was growing wild with untamed vegetation. "They're trying to push us in. They want to trap us here."

Hayley shook her head, her wet hair sticking against the sides of her face. The gash on her leg flared and burned with each step, dimmed only by the icy pounding of the rain. "How do we get out?"

"I don't know." They skidded to a stop in the mud as another line of trees cropped up seemingly from nowhere, blocking their way. Howie swung his lantern around and pointed to an opening off to the right, and they started off again. "It's like they're trying to lead us someplace."

"Then—" Could they try to fight against it, go the other way? Hayley knew the answer even before she swiveled her head to look back. The path was already closing up. Trees were falling into line, forming a thick tangle of branches and bark too tight for anyone to pass. It was happening faster now, she realized. Back at the campsite, the trees had moved sluggishly, just tossing their canopies back and forth and dragging themselves across the ground almost too slowly to be seen. But their branches were more like fingers now, trunks bending at sharper and sharper angles, and all around them was the steady thump, thump, thump of enormous bodies crossing the forest floor. As they pressed on, the roots underfoot began writhing like a nest of snakes, tripping up their steps. Hayley stumbled and nearly fell face-first into one of the giant oaks, barely managing to catch herself on the rough bark. She gasped as two glowing blood-red eyes materialized from the trunk and fixed straight on her, huge and unblinking. She fell back, and the eyes disappeared, but then a thick black mist began pouring from a crack in the trunk. Almost invisible in the darkness, it materialized into a semi-solid ribbon as long and thick as her forearm—and then the trunk opened its eyes again, letting out a cry so mournful and shrill that her whole body shivered. Then she blinked and it was gone, darting off past her and into the safety of another tree.

"We must be getting closer," Howie puffed, echoing her own thoughts. "Whatever's causing all this… They're taking us to it."

They had no choice. They had to keep going.

It wasn't much further ahead that the trees suddenly parted, and the two of them stumbled into an open grove. The rain was coming down in sheets now, and without the protection of the canopy, the droplets ran straight into Hayley's eyes, blinding her. She wiped some of the water away from her face and shielded her eyes with both hands, peering out into the dark, open space. The rain obscured everything more than a few yards away, so she couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw a massive shape looming in the center of the clearing. Behind her, the trees creaked and rustled as they moved in behind her, sealing them in like bars on a prison cell. She glanced over at Howie—his jaw was tightly clenched, his face neutral, but his lantern shook under his white-knuckled grasp. She swallowed. Cold dread had coiled in the pit of her stomach, mixing with leftover adrenaline to turn her insides to stone. The only way out was forward, she told herself, fingers brushing over Barrett's Pokéball. Whatever was ahead, they'd have to face it. But…

Roots lifted under her feet, making her stumble forward to keep her balance. She inched ahead at a snail's pace, one foot landing just barely in front of the other. The trees drew in with them, the small grove tightening into a claustrophobic hollow. She neared the shape at the center—it was a tree, she saw now, massive and gnarled, its trunk as thick around as an Onix, and its branches jutting out everywhere at twisted angles. Deep horizontal scars in its bark marked places where someone before had tried, and failed, to cut it down. The trees all around them writhed and shuddered, but this one was as still as the grave.

Howie froze, his legs locking into place. He shot her a fearful glance, but her attention was fixed on the tree. Something about it was… strange. The cracks and whorls of the bark seemed to sift slowly before her eyes, morphing into pictures just a bit too far away for her to make out. She took another step closer. The creaking of the woods around her had fallen silent, and the cold lash of rain against her skin dulled to a gentle tingle, but she hardly noticed. Another step. Her body was light now, practically moving by itself, and she didn't think to fight it as she reached out to lay one palm flat against the trunk—

CRACK! A peal of lightning and thunder split the air, lighting the grove in sharp black and white. Hayley flinched and pulled back, her focus ripped from the tree and thrown back onto the world around her. It all filtered back as her brain shook itself to life: the creaking, the rain, the fear… And one huge, glowing, crimson eye, slowly opening from within a hollow in the trunk.

She screamed. The tree sprang to life, quivering violently as it pulled itself apart along the scars in its trunk. Black mist poured from inside, and Hayley realized with a jolt that the thing was hollow, dead—probably had been for years. She scrambled backwards, but the roots underneath her circled behind her legs, tripping her onto the wet ground. The tree's gnarled branches whipped down to follow her; she rolled away and flinched at the snap of wood against wood. Above her, the tree was bent almost double, pivoting at the gashes in its trunk in a gross imitation of a human spine. The thickest of the branches were cracking and breaking apart too, individual sections flailing in streams of eerie dark energy.

The creature's eye swiveled and fixed on her again, and it gave a long, low moan, somewhere between the creaking of a falling tree and the wail of an anguished spirit. It shot its branches at her again and snatched her up, rough segments of bark tightening around her arms like gripping fingers. A cry of pain escaped her as the wood tore across her skin, leaving cuts and splinters where it went. Reflexively, she grasped at the Pokéball belt on her waist, managing to smack the release button on Barrett's ball just before the branches snaked around her wrists and pulled her arms out level with the ground. There was no time to worry about the consequences now; she had to fight!

The ball popped off her belt as it expanded and hit the ground with a wet plop, triggering the release mechanism. The air filled with a welcome rush of white light, which then faded to reveal the Magby, his face scrunched up in confusion and distaste. His expression quickly darkened as raindrops splattered against his scales, sending up tiny wisps of steam into the dark night. He glanced from the muddy ground to the rain-filled sky and then finally turned to Hayley with a growl, demanding an explanation.

"Barrett!" she shouted. Her voice was almost lost in the whipping wind and the creaking of the trees. Another flash filled the sky as lightning struck somewhere nearby, sending a crack of thunder echoing across the grove. "Please, I need your help! This thing, it's—!" Her words cut off into a sharp yelp as the creature pulled her arms further apart, trying to rip her in half between the shoulders. The glowing red eye followed her lazily as she struggled, its iris constricting and swiveling impassively. Another branch shot down from its canopy, slicing into her side before it coiled around her waist. She tried to kick, but the branches had crawled down along her legs, and the movement only squeezed them tighter into her skin. She craned her neck down towards Barrett, only to see—he hadn't moved. His head was cocked slightly, and he was watching her, his eyes glittering in the darkness. "Please!" she shouted again. "Use a fire attack—something!" Her voice cracked on the last word as the branches clenched around her chest, pushing the air out of her lungs. Still, Barrett didn't make any move to attack. She fixed her eyes on his, silently pleading for him to help, to do something that would save her from this. He just stared straight back at her, his gaze unflinching.

He couldn't be—

He wasn't—

He hated her, but surely—

"Barrett," she croaked out again, her voice cut down to a whisper. Her lungs burned for air as they struggled against her constricted chest, and the corners of her vision swam and blurred. Everything was growing faint again—distant, like a dream. Only one image came through clearly: Barrett, the corners of his mouth turned down in a scowl, shaking his head almost imperceptibly as he turned and put his back to her. It struck her like a knife in the heart, lancing through her sharper than the dozens of branches tearing at her skin. He hated her. He hated her. And he was going to let her die.

A sudden pop and hiss sounded behind her, and the trunk of the tree-creature exploded with red light. The monster shrieked as a fist-sized ball of fire burrowed into its midsection, hissing and spitting and filling the air with white smoke. The branches around Hayley loosened, and her chest expanded, pulling in a desperate breath. Gasping, she twisted around, trying to wrench her limbs free. Her right arm pulled loose with a sting of pain, letting her wriggle far enough around to see what had saved her. Howie stood several paces back, his backpack and lantern on the ground, both hands clasped around a bright orange flare gun. She tried to call out to him, but just as she did, the branches tightened around her legs and chest once more. The tree yanked her forward, bringing her close enough that her nose brushed its trunk. The great gleaming eye filled her vision, its pupil dilated with hatred and pain. The flare embedded in the tree's body sparked and burned, but now that the shock was gone, it only seemed to make the monster angrier. A gap below its eye opened up with a splintering crack, fragments of jagged bark cutting across the black insides like giant teeth. She screwed her eyes shut as it pulled her closer, closer, its black mist washing over her with the cold, rotting stench of death—

But just then, the air seemed to still. The rustling of the trees fell silent, and a mournful howl cut across the grove, high-pitched and anguished like the cry of a grieving mother. An unbearable pang of sadness struck at Hayley's heart, and new tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. And then, everything went black. Even the glow of the red eye was swallowed up as an ephemeral wave of darkness washed over them. Hayley only felt an intense rushing pressure, like being caught under the surf in the ocean, but the tree in front of her bucked and screamed, writhing like it was being torn apart. The branches holding her jerked and lashed, tearing anew into her skin, but then one by one, they slackened and fell away. Hayley wasn't aware of falling until she hit the ground, a new, dull pain blooming across her right shoulder. The entire forest was screaming now; trees cracked and snapped, Zigzagoon and Poochyena wailed into the void, and the wind moaned like a dying man. They cried out as one, the cacophony pushing into her ears as it grew louder and louder—

And then suddenly it was gone. The forest was still, and the only sound came from the peals of thunder and the rush of driving rain. Hayley was lying on her back on the ground, mud soaking into her shirt and angry red scratches burning along her arms and legs. Ahead of her was a tree, old and dead, split apart like it had been struck by lightning; behind her, there was the quick splatter of frantic footsteps.

"Hayley! Arceus, are you all right?" Howie's voice was thin and strained as he crouched beside her. Too exhausted to sit up, Hayley lolled her head backwards, getting a view of him upside-down. His cheeks were a blotchy red and his glasses were streaked completely with rain. Slowly, she rolled over to her stomach and used her trembling arms to push herself to her knees. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, useless and silent, until she finally found the words to answer his question.

"I guess." Her words were barely audible over the lashing rain. Her body quivered, and her limbs tingled with pins and needles that stabbed her as she tried to move. Howie offered her a hand, and she clasped it weakly, letting him pull her back up to a standing position. She rocked dangerously back and forth before finding her center, holding onto his arm for support. She felt odd and detached, like her mind was somewhere else, watching this all happen from far above the forest. Blinking rapidly, she tried to drag it back down to the present.

Howie was coping in his own way, words tumbling disjointedly out of his mouth as he struggled to explain what had happened. "…not really native to Hoenn," she heard him say as she tuned in and out through the ringing in her head. "Some of the rangers have seen them… Usually not in this part of the forest, but… Habitat displacement? Maybe it was moved…" It felt like meaningless gibberish to her ears. She shook her head again, trying to clear it, and turned towards the sole spot of red still lingering in her field of vision. Barrett was there, still unmoved from where she'd released him, hunched against the rain with a snarl decorating his face. He met her gaze unashamed as she stared at him, trying to find a way to ask him why. Had she been that bad to him? Was he that desperate to get away from her? Just because they'd gotten off to a rocky start, was he so eager to see her disappear? To see her die?

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

In the end, silence won out. She trudged wordlessly over to his Pokéball and picked it up, recalling him with a slow, listless motion. The ball shrank, and she clasped it back to her belt, letting her hand linger there before finally falling limp at her side.

Howie had stopped rambling. She turned back to him, but kept her eyes stubbornly fixed on the ground. She didn't want to see the look on his face, whether it was pity, or disgust, or something worse. He didn't know what it felt like, to have his own Pokémon abandon him like this. He wouldn't understand.

Another scream split the air—human, and not hers, this time. Hayley snapped her head up, swiveling towards the direction it had come from. Miriam.

The night wasn't over yet.

----------------------------------------

It was easier to move now without branches and roots grabbing at her, but the trees were still clustered erratically, groups of six or ten pushed unnaturally close to form walls and dead ends. Hayley's legs felt like they were strapped down with lead; her strides were sloppy and uneven as she pushed herself forward. Howie was a few paces ahead, his lantern seeking out a path between the barricades of trees and bushes, and she strained to keep up with him. Her burning chest and legs begged her to tell him to slow down, but another scream in the distance clamped her mouth firmly shut. The thought of Miriam and Gavin lying dead and torn apart on the forest floor was enough to flood out the pain and force her to eke just a little more life out of her battered body. She had to keep going. Just a little further. Just a few more steps…

With a final push, she burst into another clearing. There! Gavin was standing near the far edge, huddled and trembling in his poncho. Miriam was behind him, backed flat against a tree like she was trying to meld into it. At a glance, neither of them looked hurt, aside from the panic and mud. It was what they were backing away from that made Hayley's stomach plummet.

Even hunched over, it stood nearly up to her chest. It was apelike in form and covered in coarse white fur that stuck out everywhere, matted with rain and mud and dried bits of gore. It swiveled to face her as she entered. Bulging, manic eyes sought her out from beneath a prominent red crest, seeming to twitch to and fro even as they locked on to her. Rows of thick, corded muscle bulged from underneath its fur, and its broad arms and legs ended in vicious, red-stained claws, each one as long as her finger and wide as a steak knife. Its chest moved rapidly in and out as it sized her up, stared her down. Then it lifted its head high, pounded its chest, and gave a long, ear-splitting shriek.

Howie reacted first. Before she could even blink, he'd drawn his Pokéball and tossed it into the space between them. Ramona's blue eyes narrowed as she took in the Vigoroth, huge and angry and probably more deadly than anything she'd faced so far. She was clearly outmatched, but she didn't show any fear; she only planted her legs into the muddy ground and raised her head with a mighty bellow.

"Mona, defend! Basil, seed it!" Hayley had only a moment to wonder who the second command was for before Gavin's Shroomish hopped into sight, shaking his frills with a signature scowl. The Vigoroth howled again and charged forward, closing in on the Aron with a single bound. It pinwheeled one arm forward and slammed its forearm into her faceplate, landing the blow with a resounding clang. The impact drove Ramona several inches back in the mud, and Howie and Hayley both flinched. But rather than press the attack, the Vigoroth dropped back, shrieking with pain and fury. The arm it had used for the attack hung feebly at its side, twisted at an odd angle. Ramona growled defiantly, but her eyes were unfocused, and she swayed slightly as she pushed herself back upright. She couldn't take a hit like that again.

Meanwhile, Basil was lazily eyeing the Vigoroth, offering the oversized ape the unconcerned stare one might give a begging Skitty. Slowly, he tipped forward, a seed beginning to sprout from the opening on top of his bulbous head. The Shroomish puffed, and the seed shot forward in a gentle arc, hitting its mark in the Vigoroth's back. The Vigoroth screeched, more out of anger than pain, as the seed cracked open, sprouting tendrils that crawled along the ape's fur. There was a soft green glow as the plant siphoned the Vigoroth's energy away, carrying it on gossamer threads back to the Shroomish. Basil churred quietly as the light flowed into him, filling him with renewed vigor.

But it didn't last. The Vigoroth reached around with its uninjured arm and seized the implanted seed between its claws, tearing it out and severing the connection. It wheeled around and half-hooted, half-shrieked as it saw the smug Shroomish dipping his head for another attack. It lunged forward, stumbling slightly as it landed on its injured arm, and barreled into Basil with a swipe of its deadly claws. Basil tried to hop to the side, but the attack was too broad, and the Vigoroth's claws caught him right across the face. The force of the blow sent him tumbling backwards, his rounded body rolling until he smacked against a tree and stopped, falling totally still. The Vigoroth leapt in, claws splayed and ready for the kill. Gavin suddenly burst to life, screaming Basil's name and diving forward to grab him out of the way. But he couldn't move fast enough, and they both reached the motionless Shroomish at the same time. The Vigoroth struck just as Gavin wrapped his arms around his fallen Pokémon, and there was another scream and a sickening crack of bone as the blow snapped Gavin's arm.

Hayley's breathing was shallow; her head was swimming. It was like she was being suffocated all over again. This wasn't happening… She wasn't here, stuck in the forest two days into her journey and about to get torn apart by a wild Pokémon. She hugged her arms across her chest, nails digging into the skin above her elbows. There had to be a way to get out, make it all go away; if she tried, she could wake up…

She was dimly aware of Howie shouting more orders, of Ramona stumbling forward and clumsily ramming into the Vigoroth. Howie ran around the Gavin, pulling him to his feet and returning the unconscious Shroomish to its ball. Claws scraped against steel as the Vigoroth launched another frenzied assault, pushing Ramona back with each blow. Howie's glance turned to Hayley, his eyes almost as wild as the Vigoroth's, and she knew then that there was nothing more he could do. Howie, the tireless planner with an answer to every problem, was out of ideas. Basil was down, Gavin was in tears and cradling his broken arm, Ramona was about to collapse, and Miriam was too scared to move.

And Barrett…

A metallic squeal cut through her fugue as Ramona finally crumpled under the Vigoroth's onslaught. Howie had his Pokéball out in a flash, returning her just before the Vigoroth could land a final blow. He took a resigned step back, reaching for his knife—but the Vigoroth had other ideas. It swiveled around and changed course again, this time lunging straight at Miriam.

Miriam snapped out of her paralysis and shrieked, scrambling back for the cover of the trees. But she'd only made it a few steps when she fell forwards with a crash, tumbling out of sight.

Dammit! Something clicked in Hayley. Miriam was her partner. She couldn't just let her die.

She dashed around the clearing to reach her, cutting a wide path around the Vigoroth. Swinging her flashlight wildly, she saw that the hill had given way in the rain, and Miriam had fallen down to the muddy ground at the bottom. Hayley slid down a mostly-intact part of the slope in a hurried shuffle and landed next to her. "Hey—Miriam. Can you get up?"

Miriam just shook her head, curling her legs into her chest with a choked sort of whimper. "I didn't even want to do this," she croaked. Lightning flashed, and the silhouette of the Vigoroth appeared at the top of the hill. Miriam's eyes tracked it, wide and glassy with fear. "I didn't want to do any of this, and now I'm going to die, all because of some stupid, stupid ape. It's not fair." She went silent and hugged her knees tighter as the Vigoroth howled again. There was another burst of lightning, and Hayley caught sight of something glinting in the mud. Something red and white—a Pokéball. It must have been Miriam's.

Hayley glanced back at Miriam, who was still balled up and muttering and cursing softly to herself, and she made a split-second decision. As the Vigoroth leapt, she grabbed the ball and threw it, praying to whatever gods that it would be something that could get them out of this. The ball exploded with artificial light that momentarily blinded all of them. From it came the form of something round, almost pill-shaped, with pendulous arms and tiny legs and a pair of vertical horns on its head. Its yellow fur seemed to glow in the darkness of the woods, and it crackled and popped with tiny sparks as the raindrops hit it. It swung itself around, confused, as it took in the forest, the rain, and finally its trainer lying on the ground.

"Elekid!" Hayley shouted reflexively, and it glanced at her for an instant before a swipe from the Vigoroth knocked it off its feet. It rolled a few times on the sloped ground, but then caught itself with one oversized arm and pushed itself back up. Blue sparks snapped between its horns as it turned to face down its opponent. It froze upon seeing the giant Vigoroth that stared it down. Beady eyes widening, it took an uncertain step back.

Crap. How did Elekid work again? This one looked pretty green; it probably hadn't ever been in a battle before. The Vigoroth lurched towards it again, and the Elekid just stood there. "Dodge!" Hayley called. Miraculously, the Elekid sprang to life at her order, dropping to its side and barely rolling out of the way. It understood her, then. "Elekid, you need to hit it with a big shock! Can you do that?"

"Beh!" The Elekid pushed itself back to its feet and shouted in affirmation. It began swinging its arms back and forth, then around in circles like a pitcher at the plate. The spark between its horns grew larger and brighter until it finally leapt free, arcing by the Vigoroth as it came by for a third pass—but the shot went wide, missing the Vigoroth completely, and the Elekid barely managed to hop out of the way of the vicious claws. Hayley clenched her fists and briefly cast her glance up at the sky, every cell in her body screaming in desperation. "Please! You have to hit it!" It was unfair, pinning all their hope for survival on this one little Elekid, forcing it to face off against a deadly opponent in a battle it had no business fighting, but—

Lightning struck again, closer this time. The Elekid's damp fur sparked and sizzled, and it turned again to peer at Miriam and Hayley. Howie had appeared at the top of the hill, clinging to the trunk of a tree as he stared down at them. The Elekid looked at them all in turn, and then narrowed its eyes. It swung its arms again, faster now, and cried out to the battered Vigoroth as it moved in for the kill. This time, the Elekid didn't jump out of the way. It planted its feet and lowered its head, and just as the Vigoroth swung, it plunged its sparking horns against the ape's heaving chest.

The effect was instantaneous. The Vigoroth, soaked from the rainfall, shrieked in pain as electric arcs leapt around its body, sending it into jerking spasms. The force of the collision knocked the Elekid backwards, where it went rolling into a tree and fell still. But its job was done. With a final, shuddering scream, the Vigoroth collapsed onto the ground. They all watched it with bated breath, but it stayed down, motionless aside from the twitching of its limbs and the slowing rise and fall of its chest.

"You did it." Howie had slid down next to her to her and was surveying the scene, eyes wide. His voice was soft, like he still couldn't quite believe what had happened. "Miriam, is that your Pokémon? Why didn't you let it out before?"

"I didn't… Didn't think…" Miriam was still collecting herself, sitting up slowly and brushing her soaked, muddy hair away from her face. Her voice was quavering, but even as Hayley watched, she set her jaw and narrowed her eyes, struggling to put back a mask of annoyed indifference. "It shouldn't—what are you doing?" Howie had pulled a blue-and-white Great Ball from a side pocket of his backpack. As they watched, he stepped over to the Vigoroth, dropping the ball onto its unconscious form. There was a pop and a flash as the Vigoroth dematerialized into red light and was sucked inside. The ball snapped shut and shook one, two, three times, before the capture lock took and the ball fell still with a ping. For a moment, they all stared at it in silence.

Hayley spoke first. "You're not… actually keeping that, are you?" She'd thought Barrett was bad, but if Howie tried to give that Vigoroth orders, it would literally tear his face off. Thankfully, Howie shook his head.

"No. But we can't leave it here." He retrieved the ball from the ground, wiping some mud off of it with his thumb. "It's too strong to be in this part of the forest—if it stays, it'll keep going after new trainers. I'll contact the rangers when we get out of here and hand it over to them."

Thank Arceus for the rangers. Though, come to think of it—what had they been doing? Wasn't their job to keep this sort of thing from happening? She shook her head, and suddenly realized she was still holding the Elekid's Pokéball. Slowly, she walked over to the fallen Pokémon, praying that it hadn't been too badly hurt. She laid a hand on its head, and it stirred slightly at her touch. Good—it was alive, at least. "You did really well," Hayley said, giving it the widest smile she could muster after everything that had happened that night. "Thank you so much." She clicked the button to recall it, and the Elekid's form vanished inside. As the ball clicked shut, she held it close and whispered to the Pokémon sleeping inside. "I promise I'll make Miriam take good care of you."

With the battle done, the three of them stumbled back up the ledge. The rain was falling slower now, and in the grove, Gavin was waiting. His eyes widened as he caught sight of them, disbelief temporarily washing away the pain on his face. Howie nodded to him silently, then pulled out his Pokégear, studied the screen, and pointed off in an unknown direction. Without a word, they went forth, filing back into the clusters of trees and brush.

And then, finally, all was silent within Petalburg Woods.