Misty Forest

Alina looked perfectly calm. "Probably just your imagination, or the wind rustling the leaves."

"It's nothing. Probably just your imagination, or the wind rustling the leaves."

A familiar voice came from the darkness.

Both of them froze. It was Alina's voice.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Two people with eerie expressions stepped out of the darkness, accompanied by an Eevee wearing the same unsettling grin. They were Alina, the blond young man, and Eevee themselves.

"Isn't that right, Alina?"

The Alina in the darkness smiled. Her neck stretched at an unnatural angle, then her head shot forward until her face was right in front of them. "Isn't it?" she said darkly.

"Ah..."

Alina's eyes widened. Her mouth slowly fell open, and she fainted on the spot.

"Aaaah!"

The blond young man screamed and ran without a moment's hesitation. Beside him, Eevee fled in just as much panic.

Poor Alina was left lying on the ground alone.

"Mmm..."

Alina slowly came to. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a cheerful-looking blond boy keeping watch beside her.

She immediately felt for the Poké Balls at her waist and relaxed when she found they were still there.

"Thank you for saving me. I'm Alina."

"Look behind you."

The low voice drifted over.

Alina had just started brushing off her clothes when she went rigid. She stole a glance at the boy and noticed something that made her skin crawl.

The blond boy's body had not moved once since she woke up. Even his expression had not changed.

Suddenly, he gave her a strange smile.

"Aaaah!"

Alina screamed, gathered up her skirt, and ran to the side—only for the blond boy to appear ahead of her again.

She shrieked once more, changed direction, and soon vanished into the distance.

Alina's mind was blank. All she knew was that she had to keep running. Then a flash of gold bounded toward her. "Rongrong!"

She scooped up her Eevee and burst into tears of relief.

"Hoot."

A Hoothoot stood on one foot and tilted its head at her.

"Alina! Thank goodness you're all right!"

The blond young man sighed in relief. "I ran into that terrifying old woman earlier and borrowed a Hoothoot from her."

"Those things just now were probably pranks played by the Pokémon here."

He went on, "There should only be two people in Misty Forest right now: us."

"Only two people?!"

Alina repeated the words.

"Yeah. That's what the old woman said, so it should be right."

The blond young man gave her a puzzled look. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Only two people?!"

Alina murmured to herself as the blond boy's face surfaced in her mind.

She shook her head hard. "No, no. An illusion. It was an illusion."

Still, a deep chill settled over her heart.

"Hoot."

Hoothoot hopped up and headed into the distance.

The blond young man and the still-shaken Alina hurried after it.

"Eevee?"

Eevee looked back in confusion, then bounded after its Trainer.

Before long, the group disappeared into the mist.

"An Eevee that can sense danger."

A blond boy stepped out of the shadows. "Misdreavus, that's enough. Drop the illusion."

"Misdreavus!"

Misdreavus emerged from the darkness with a happy cry. The red beads beneath her neck glowed so vividly they seemed ready to drip, almost mesmerizing to behold.

Dian felt the pouch at his waist, which was growing pleasantly full. "You don't get rich without a windfall—or fatten a horse without feeding it at night. No, wait. I kindly showed them the way out and taught them a valuable life lesson. Charging a little tuition is perfectly fair. Yes, that's it."

He stroked Misdreavus beside him. "Well done!"

Apart from that last sentence, everything they had heard had been an illusion created by Misdreavus.

"Misdreavus!"

Misdreavus smiled happily. Then she glanced to the side. A dark shadow immediately engulfed her and Dian, hiding them within the thick fog.

"That damned little sneak stealing a bite of my profits!"

A hunched old woman with a deeply wrinkled face came out, followed by a remarkably lively Hoothoot.

She looked around. "Hoothoot, Foresight!"

"Hoooot—"

A brilliant red light shone from Hoothoot's eyes and swept across their surroundings.

"Nothing. Hmph. Crafty little brat."

Lingjin's narrow, triangular eyes followed the beam. "Hoothoot, why are you shining that at me?!"

The beam had completed its sweep and landed on Lingjin's face. She raised an eyebrow.

"Hoothoot!!!"

Hoothoot took one look at her and bolted forward as though it had seen a ghost.

Thud!

"Hoot..."

It clutched its head, its eyes spinning.

"Hmph!"

Lingjin snorted and turned toward the depths of the fog. "Hurry up, you stupid Hoothoot."

"Hoot."

Hoothoot gave an aggrieved cry and followed her.

Soon, the two of them vanished into the thick fog. Silence settled over the area, as though no one had ever been there.

After a while, Lingjin came back out with a grim expression. "Strange. He really isn't here."

She thought for a moment, shook her head, and walked away.

A full half hour later, Dian emerged from the shadows. "No wonder they call her the most beautiful woman in Misty Forest. She can catch a Hoothoot with her face alone. Don't tell me the Gastly and Haunter here fell for her looks too."

Remembering Hoothoot's reaction, Dian unconsciously touched his own handsome face. He doubted he would ever reach her level.

"Misdreavus."

Misdreavus nodded in agreement.

"Forget it."

Dian thought it over. If he stayed, Lingjin would catch him sooner or later. Better to retreat for now, wait for things to quiet down, then come back for another haul.

"Alas... Forgive your life coach for leaving ahead of you. But don't worry. I'll be back."

He gave this treasure trove one last regretful look, then headed for the exit.

Dian had decided to leave Misty Forest partly because Misdreavus would not need any more Fear Energy for a while. His Kakuna was also showing signs of evolving again, so he needed to find somewhere safer.

Most Pokémon Trainers who could afford to travel really were loaded. They carried plenty of equipment, and even their Pokéblocks were expensive, high-quality ones. Dian's once-flat backpack was bulging again.

Well, the fact that his backpack was full was another reason to leave.

The people who made the most money here, though, were the sisters Lingjin and Jinling. They had run Misty Forest for years and raised many excellent Hoothoot, even Noctowl.

At the same time, they kept the forest's Ghost-type Pokémon in check so they would not run out and cause trouble. That did the surrounding area some good, so charging a little money was fair enough.

Dian's only complaint was that the sisters feasted while refusing to let anyone else have so much as a sip of broth. They had no professional courtesy.

Soon, he reached the edge of Misty Forest. After carefully avoiding Lingjin's twin sister, Jinling, he slipped out with ease.

After all, he had spent a full month in this forest. By now, he knew it like the back of his hand.