The afternoon wore on as Olivie and her two Pokemon traversed the sprawling, murky forest, and as time went on she became more and more convinced that she was utterly, irredeemably lost.  Odd lights glittered among the underbrush, combining with the steady swish of leaves blowing in the gentle breeze and the play of sunlight through the thick canopy to create a dreamlike effect.  As she wandered, feeling oddly weary, Olivie recalled tales of fairy Pokemon that evoked less of the sunshiney, cheery, playful image typically bestowed upon them and more of the unnerving images conjured up by fairy tales.  As best she could remember, mischievousness and mystery were by far more indicative of fairies—the dancing lights that lulled people into trances and guided them into the darkest parts of the woods to never be seen again, the eerie fascination with people that became uncanny, and a delight in deception and malice under a veneer of innocence and purity.  The story of a rebellious young girl who ran away from her home into the forest, where she met a fairy that showered her with kisses and candy before luring her back to its home to eat her, sat at the forefront of her mind.

Yet, she encountered no fairies, despite the increasing weirdness of her forest.  Following right behind her Cacnea, she skirted around a tree to find that the path abruptly ended.  [color=954535]”Crap!  This place is impossible.  Knew I shoulda come in from the north insteada north-east.”[/color]  Olivie gave an exasperated sigh and turned around to retrace her steps only to freeze in her tracks.  Some ways back on the path she came, a large, square, dark shape sat, motionless.  Very distinctly, she knew that she hadn't come across any such obstacle so far.  Her Pokemon, sensing her distress, followed her gaze and immediately tensed up on spotting the thing.  Their presence emboldened Olivie, and after steeling her fighter's resolve she not only started toward it but strutted, head held high, in its direction.

When she got close, she could see that the shape appeared to be a square rock of significant size, with slashes of color across its surface that made it look as it had been carved from a badlands mesa.  Patches of dirt and grass lay on its top, with a few mushrooms interspersed among the blades.  Olivie stopped and crossed her arms, watching intently.  [color=954535]”Some kinda spook, are ya?  Let's see how you like this.”[/color]  After a few moments, she crouched and grabbed a pebble from the path, stood, and then lobbed it at the boulder.  The instant the projectile hit, the entire stone began to vibrate violently.  The brunette could not help but take an apprehensive step back.  Her Pokemon released cries of alarm as legs burst from small holes in the bottom the boulder, their pointed ends spearing the ground and lifting the entire mass up.  From an aperture on the rock's front an ugly head emerged, its surface a mottled, bumpy red and its eyes on stalks.  A hideous noise escaped from the beast's clattering mandibles as it shook.  Fists clenched, Olivie watched as it rammed its claws together, causing a shockwave to shoot out in all directions.  

From everywhere at once, stones and dust flew toward the Pokemon, coalescing into a single mass held in its great pincers.  Barely did the girl realize that this elaborate display was an attack in time, and she threw herself to the side as the Crustle slammed its head into its created boulder, launching it directly at her.  [color=954535]”The hell!?”[/color]  It sailed through the air and crashed into a tree a little ways beyond the path, noisily leveling it on one blow.  Chips of wood and shredded leaves filled the air, but Buck was already on the attack.  The Bidoof threw himself at the enemy, fangs bared.  Olivie bared her teeth as well, her face twisted into anger.  [color=954535]”Knock his block off!”[/color]  With surprising speed, however, the Crustle swiped at her partner with a big claw.  Buck took the strike head-on, and the weight of the shelled limb knocked him senseless.  Before he'd even slumped over, his Cacnea comrade charged forward, swinging its needled arms like propellers.  When it entered the Crustle's range, it lashed out with the points of its pincer twice in quick succession, making an 'X' with their trails.  The onslaught sliced a chunk of plant matter loose from the Cacnea and hurled him, shrieking,into the underbrush.  Ignorant to the failure of her friends, or perhaps dead set on avenging them, Olivie charged straight at the creature and planted her fist into the boulder shell before it could react.  

For a moment, she stood still, but she could not contain her gasp of pain any longer than that.  [color=954535]”Ahh!”[/color] she snarled.  The thing was, quite appropriately, rock-hard.  Pulling, back, she attempted to escape, but the huge bug had already clamped down on her ankles.  A violent tug  caused her to fall hard on her butt, though her rage dulled the hurt.  Spittle flew as she faced the Crustle down and yelled, [color=954535]”You want some?!  Huh?!  I'll give it to ya!”[/color]  It released her with one claw and held it up, in which stones began to coalesce into another boulder.  Adrenaline surged through Olivie's body, galvanizing her to kick the giant bug in the head.  While it withdrew its stalk eyes to prevent harm to them, it did not seem deterred.  Fear brought from her a wordless bellow as she attempted to wrench free, but her enemy would not let go.

Her voice died down as the projectile swelled up, but another voice suddenly replaced it.  [color=3EB489]”Painkiller!”[/color]

From behind the Crustle, another form rose up, and from its upheld arm protruded a brilliantly shining blade.  Olivie watched, stunned, as the gleaming razor sliced through the Stone Home Pokemon's shell vertically.  Like butter the solid rock parted, and the guillotine did not pause when it reached the Crustle's body. Yellow goo splattered the shocked girl as the blade bit into the bug, instantly killing it.  Its boulder fell apart into harmless chunks.  Olivie's eyes lay fixed on the being that launched the one-hit death blow: a tall, dark warrior, black and red with curved metal edges all over.  As she looked on, it delivered a stiff bow to her and stepped back, allowing its trainer to approach.

[color=3EB489]”Ugh.  I'm so sorry.  I was sure we'd meet again, but in such an unpleasant situation...you must feel awful.”[/color]  Before her stood a slender guy with wavy blonde hair, primarily green clothing, glasses, and a beanie.  Disbelief crept over her face as she not only recognized him but also realized that the terrifying warrior was [i]his[/i] Pokemon.

[color=954535]”...Barnie?”[/color] she finally managed.  Her instincts told her to get the bug gunk off her face, but she stopped herself from moving at the last moment.  She wasn't some sissy girl who couldn't stand getting down and dirty in battle, after all.  [color=954535]”You better not think this is some kinda favor I need to repay!  I was...just about to kick its ass when you came along!”[/color]  Of course, this was blustering, but she quickly squirmed out of the dead bug's claw and stood up, hands on her hips.  The boy gave a short laugh.  His Pokemon, meanwhile, folded its arms behind its head in a relaxed manner totally at odds with its fearsome appearance.  Bernard made to speak, but Olivie cut him off.  Looking over the ex-Crustle, she whistled.  [color=954535]”Your Pokemon sure killed it, huh?  Damn monster deserved it, though.  I thought all Pokemon battles were nonlethal?”[/color]

Bernard shook his head gravely.  [color=3EB489]”All battles between trainers, and most battles in the wild, end with fainting.  But sometimes, really nasty customers won't quit.  That's a matter of survival.  This Crustle was a real piece of work to begin with, but according to the townsfolk it became really vicious after the recent Nincada awakening deprived it of its food.  All of a sudden, people's Pokemon were on the menu.  Two Glameow and a Herdier disappeared.  That's why they put up a mission for someone like me to do.  I've been hunting for it all day.”[/color]  He glanced at the corpse.  [color=3EB489]”In all the wrong places, looks like.  I never imagined it would be so close to town after the attack last night.”[/color]

Olivie, who'd returned her unconscious Bidoof to his Pokeball and was checking the condition of her irritable Cacnea -who'd only just tottered woozily out of the underbrush- froze.  [color=954535]”We're near Feyhollow Town?  I've been wandering around the woods for ages!”[/color]

Scratching the back of his head, Bernard replied, [color=3EB489]“Uh, heh, well, the edge of the town's only about a minute that way.”[/color]  He pointed down the right path in the the nearby junction.  [color=3EB489]“By...by any chance, what do you do when you come to forks in the trail?”[/color]

A shrug greeted his question.  [color=954535]”Same thing I do for mazes: always follow the left wall.”[/color]

The two began to walk, with the Cacnea grumpily plodding along right behind Olivie.  Bernard's Bisharp, affectionately called 'Painkiller' brought up the rear, its lackadaisical manner masking its sharp eye for danger.  Immediately after the foursome embarked upon the right path, the trees began to clear.  Judging by the orange light of a setting sun, the day was just about done.  Bernard was clearly happy that Olivie wasn't being as callous to him as last time.  [color=3EB489]”You can get your Pokemon healed up in town, and i-if you don't mind, we can tell the mayor about the Crustle.  Well, in that case, you...you might have been walking in circles.”[/color]

[color=954535]”...What!?!”[/color]