"Hey… are we sure we're not going the wrong way? Isn't it getting darker around here…?"
Dawn trailed nervously behind Ash, her voice barely above a whisper as she glanced at the increasingly dense trees surrounding them.
"Of course it's getting darker! We're crossing through a forest, so the deeper we go, the thicker the vegetation gets…"
Ash retorted with a hint of exasperation. "By the way, Dawn, aren't you usually fine with the dark? You were okay before, so why are you so scared now?"
"I can't help it! This place is called the Bewilderment Woods, isn't it…? A name like that just gives off the vibe that something creepy might pop out."
Dawn replied.
"Creepy stuff… Even if there was something like that, it'd probably just be…"
"Ghost-type Pokémon," Brock interjected.
"Exactly, exactly~ Even if there's something creepy here, it'd only be Ghost-type Pokémon. After all, if they wanted to hide in an environment like this, normal people wouldn't be able to spot them. A lot of those spooky stories in newspapers and magazines are usually just the work of Ghost-type Pokémon."
"Pika…"
Pikachu's ears drooped, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, looking listless.
"Exactly, exactly, just Ghost-type Pokémon at most. Plus, the Bewilderment Woods is only called that because of Stantler, right? Compared to Ghost-type Pokémon, Stantler are way cuter."
Ash nodded, sounding very much in agreement.
"Really…?"
Dawn, who had been a bit worried, felt her mood lift slightly seeing how confident both Ash and Brock were. After all, this was her first time traveling, and there were still so many things she hadn't experienced. She figured that over the course of her journey, she'd gradually gain the experience to become as mature as Ash and Brock.
"OKI!"
As Ash and the others were talking, Aipom, perched in the trees, suddenly let out a loud cry, pointing repeatedly to its side, possibly having spotted a Stantler.
"If it's a Stantler, we might need to drive it off… Books say the Stantler in the Bewilderment Woods will actively attack passersby."
Brock said to Ash, squinting in the dim light. Ash nodded, understanding his meaning.
"How far is it?" Ash shouted up to Aipom.
"OKI~" Aipom shook its head in response.
"Looks like the Stantler Aipom spotted isn't far from here. Should we all go check it out?"
Ash turned to the other two.
After all, in a forest—especially a peculiar one like this—it was generally better to stick together. But the direction Aipom indicated wasn't along their intended path. Driving off the Stantler was just a precaution to avoid trouble later, so it didn't seem strictly necessary for everyone to go.
"If it's not far, we'll wait here. Staying put shouldn't cause any problems."
"Yeah, I'm good with that!"
Since Brock and Dawn both agreed, Ash figured he'd make it quick. Besides, both Dawn and Brock had Pokémon with them, and Brock was an experienced traveler. It'd be hard for anything to go wrong.
…
With the decision made, Ash began following Aipom, who swung through the trees, leading him toward the direction it had pointed out. But ten minutes passed, and Aipom showed no sign of stopping, which struck Ash as odd.
"Pika…" (Haven't we gotten there yet…?)
Pikachu also sensed something was off. Ever since they'd started following Aipom, it hadn't said a word to them, just hopping from tree to tree on its own.
"Hey! Aipom, are we there yet?!"
Out of a twinge of worry, Ash called out to Aipom, trying to snap it out of its trance.
But even after Ash shouted, Aipom didn't respond and even began to speed up. At this rate, it would soon leave Ash and Pikachu behind.
"No way…"
The corner of Ash's mouth twitched, as if realizing something. He quickly pulled out Aipom's Poké Ball, recalled it, and released it again.
"OKI?"
Upon being released from the Poké Ball, Aipom started scratching its head and looking around, as if completely clueless about what had happened.
"Stop looking around!" Ash sighed, patting its head helplessly. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye out for Stantler? Where's the Stantler?"
"OKI!?"
At Ash's words, Aipom finally remembered what it was supposed to be doing. It had indeed seen a Stantler's shadow in the trees, but the moment it leaped forward, it recalled only a flash of white light. After that, it couldn't remember a thing.
"As I thought…"
Seeing Aipom's reaction, Ash realized it had likely fallen for Stantler's trick. The Stantler must have noticed Aipom and cast an illusion on it when it jumped forward, right?
Say what you will, that Stantler was pretty clever and alert. Was it used to these situations?
"Forget it. Let's head back and regroup with Brock and the others. Staying away too long might worry them."
Since they couldn't find the Stantler, Ash decided to retrace his steps, explain the situation to Brock and Dawn, and continue their journey.
His plan was solid, but—
"Where is everyone?!"
Returning to the spot where Brock and Dawn were supposed to wait, Ash found no trace of them, only two stray leaves on the ground. They didn't seem like deliberate markers, as they conveyed no information.
Ash let out a deep sigh.
Dawn, fine, but how could Brock make such a rookie mistake? If they weren't here, they'd probably been driven off by a Stantler… He wondered how they'd fallen for its Hypnosis.
"Starly, go find… Hm?"
Just as Ash was about to send Starly to search for where Brock and Dawn had wandered off to, a rustling sound from the nearby bushes caught his attention.