Always prepare your items before getting down to business

Once the strange old woman vanished completely into the dense forest, silence settled over the surroundings again.

There were very few other species of Pokémon in this forest. Even ordinarily common Caterpie and Weedle were almost impossible to find. It truly was a forest occupied by Stantler.

Dian silently glanced in the direction she had gone, a realization dawning on him.

Whether by coincidence or not, she had headed in almost exactly the same direction as the pair from earlier.

Now that was interesting. The mountains were Stantler territory, not somewhere just anyone could enter. Almost everyone who ventured inside would attract the Stantler's attention, then get a thorough taste of their illusions.

Dian's eyes flickered, and he smiled. Wasn't this perfect? Another reason he had lingered here was that he hoped to find a way to lure the Stantler herd away, then thoroughly scour the mountains for valuables.

The Stantler herd hadn't gone to such lengths in the mountains just to protect their territory.

The remains of their dead companions, especially their antlers, were valuable materials too.

The round orbs at the bases of their antlers could be ground into powder to make a sleep-inducing substance. Perhaps it could encourage Hoppip to secrete sleep powder and thus learn Sleep Powder.

The illusion-producing power of the antlers as a whole could also further enhance Misdreavus's abilities.

And with no one having set foot in this forest for so long, there were probably plenty of valuable herbs inside. Those would be perfect for strengthening Hoppip and Beedrill. Three birds with one stone.

That was why Dian had been surveying the terrain and familiarizing himself with the routes ever since arriving in the forest, laying the groundwork for his plan.

At this very moment, not only were those two heading deeper into the forest, but most of Antler Town's residents were heading there too. It seemed to have something to do with one of their festivals.

Dian shook his head and stopped dwelling on those irrelevant matters. Right now, his priority was to hurry to the forbidden zone deep in the mountains.

He had prepared quite a few things for today, after all.

He took out a pink bead that radiated a chill and slipped it into his mouth. A cool sensation immediately spread through him from head to toe, leaving him thoroughly refreshed.

This was a Healing Crystal, a mind-clearing medicine that offered some protection against illusions and hypnosis.

Healing Crystals were a product of researchers' studies into Pokémon with the Healer ability. They could provide some protection against abnormal influences such as confusion, illusions, and hypnosis. To account for the human body's tolerance, however, the Healing Crystals actually sold to the public were inferior versions with reduced potency, so their effects weren't particularly strong.

Since Chansey and Bellossom with the Healer ability secreted healing powder at regular intervals, the crystals weren't especially expensive.

As for medicines specifically targeting conditions such as hypnosis, confusion, and poisoning, they were expensive for one thing, and for another, they simply weren't sold in Antler Town.

Fortunately, incidents involving Stantler running out of the mountains and causing trouble were frequent enough that Healing Crystals were sold here. Otherwise, even those probably wouldn't have been available at the local pharmacy.

"Come on out, Hoppip."

Dian took out a Poké Ball and released Hoppip. When it came to finding herbs, there was no better choice.

"Na-na."

The moment Hoppip came out, it began sniffing around, seemingly very curious about the place.

That made sense. Unlike Hoppip, the young lady Misdreavus considered anywhere with fun things to do and tasty things to eat a good place.

As for Beedrill, anywhere would do as long as there was somewhere to train.

By comparison, Hoppip preferred wooded mountains. It was a Grass-type Pokémon, after all.

Dian picked Hoppip up. "I'll be counting on you in a bit."

He gently stroked Hoppip's leaves.

"Na-na!"

Hoppip happily waved its two long leaves, then greeted the slightly bored Misdreavus and the cool, aloof Beedrill beside them.

Beedrill nodded and continued keeping watch over their surroundings.

"Mis!"

Misdreavus floated over and tugged at Dian's hair, even more impatient than he was.

"We're leaving right now."

Dian gave a wry smile, then fed Beedrill and Hoppip a Healing Crystal each.

Misdreavus didn't need one. She already had an extremely strong resistance to illusions, so taking a Healing Crystal would have no effect.

"Beedrill."

Dian closed his eyes and thought things over calmly. Once he was sure there were no holes in his plan, he had Beedrill lead the way.

Here in this forest, it was time for Swarm to prove its worth.

Misdreavus immediately used Shadow Sneak to envelop Dian and Hoppip protectively, then used her illusions to conceal them.

Ailan headed deeper into the forest, both nervous and excited, paying no attention to Dark as he struggled desperately in the vines.

"Carn..."

Carnivine, by contrast, was rather unhappy.

Every piece of prey it had bound with its vines before had behaved obediently. This one had no awareness whatsoever of his place as prey.

It stole a glance at its Trainer. Seeing that she was completely absorbed in anticipation of meeting a ghost, it immediately gave Dark a little something extra as he hung in its vines.

A faint dusting of powder gradually settled over Dark. His movements slowed until his entire body finally went rigid.

Only when its prey stopped moving did Carnivine nod in satisfaction. That was more like it.

Then it continued following its Trainer as though nothing had happened.

"What kind of esteemed ghost will it be?"

Ailan bit her lip, suppressing her excitement, but her legs couldn't help trembling a little.

When she noticed, rather than feeling afraid, she nodded. This was precisely the allure of ghosts: they inspired fear, yet drew people helplessly under their spell.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the bushes ahead, perfectly matching her definition of a ghost. No, perhaps an evil spirit!

"May I ask if you're the esteemed ghost?"

Ailan's voice trembled as she asked.

Behind her, Carnivine poked its head out for a puzzled look. "Carn!"

It was so frightened that it actually stumbled several steps backward. It swore that in all its life as a Carnivine, it had never seen anyone so terrifying-looking. That face was even scarier than Arbok's Scary Face!

As fear gripped it, its vines abruptly loosened.

Thud!

Dark had finally escaped its clutches, but he still couldn't move. He could only stare at Ailan in grief and outrage.

He had hoped this companion of his was merely trying to scare him. He hadn't expected her to actually sacrifice him to an evil spirit.

And if it had been a prettier ghost, he might have put up a token struggle before giving in. But the thing in front of him couldn't even count as a ghost anymore!

This was an evil spirit!

Whether from the shock of his own despair or because his self-preservation instincts kicked in, Dark passed out.