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A talking Snubbul with a crown and scepter? A castle fit to burst with unfamiliar faces? How was all of this connected to his dreams? How was it connected to Bastard? [break][break]

Everything about this was unfamiliar to him. The games, the Shadow Pokemon -- everything. He’d never played a video game in his life. He’d only heard about Shadow Pokemon in passing. Was that just a Hoenn thing? Moss wasn’t entirely sure. He didn’t think Sinnoh had that, but then again, it’d been a long time since he’d been to Sinnoh. The Snubbul gave him some sort of pink pokeball. It was dangerous to go alone. Moss would accept it and test its weight curiously. Was he supposed to catch Pangoro in it? It would seem so. It wasn’t long before the kingly pokemon would set them all off into that dark and angry forest with their gift and the bestowal of a unique ability… [break][break]

“LIKE LICHEN - Moss [break]
Nickname: Lichen[break]
You can stick to surfaces …BUT must remain perfectly motionless while doing so.”[break][break]

“Wow, that’s… useful? I think?” Moss wasn’t entirely sure if he’d need to use an ability like that, ever. Maybe if the floor temporarily turned into lava. But whatever boon was granted by the gracious ruler of Sylvis Castle mattered little when taking into consideration Moss’ purpose there: to get Bastard back to normal. A timer began ticking in the air above. There was something particularly foreboding about a clock without explanation. [break][break]

He set out into the forest on his own. Moss wasn’t entirely sure if the others there were really people or not. Plus, he just wanted to get Bastard back. The Pangoro had been infected by a malicious shadow and it made him aggressive. Not that he’d not always been aggressive; but there was now a certain undertone of malintent that hadn’t been there previously. Moss set his jaw, and with a determined heart, plunged headfirst into that harsh and obscure scenery. [break][break]

The landscape was glitchy. Erratic. Like TV static. Moss walked cautiously through these unstable vistas while the cries and roars of loose Shadow Pokemon echoed from the forest’s endarkened recesses. A screeching pokemon came whoosing overhead unleashing a blast of energy that tore through the forest floor and uprooted trees in its wake. Moss yelped and leapt aside, clutching a tree where he hung suspended like his ability had said, and then he hopped off and hurried deeper into the forest. He needed to find Pangoro, fast. [break][break]

And he eventually found him in a twisted clearing, splintering trees with punches that could obliterate buildings with ease. A dark and malignant aura emanated from him in waves, and as Moss approached, his Pangoro turned to face him with eyes that were host to a devilish sort of red gleam. “Hey! Hey! Settle down, Bastard!” But if the Pangoro could hear him, he didn’t show it. He launched himself forward with thunderous steps, crashing down at Moss’ location with a shadowy blow that cratered the earth itself. Moss had leapt away just in the nick of time, shouting profanities as he did. He retrieved the Dream Ball from his inventory. Gripped it in one hand. Bastard recovered and sort of lurched forward, his fist enveloped in a shadowy energy. But he was slower this time. Moss took that as his opportunity to catch him for the second time…[break][break]

And time stood still. [break][break]

Moss was faced with a choice. To purify his pokemon’s heart, or to keep his strength. And he clicked on both, unsure, and read the warning that came with each. And he just wasn’t sure. What would Bastard want? To be strong? Moss just wasn’t sure. Even though Pangoro was notoriously difficult to raise, he had always been there for him. He had always protected them, and Moss couldn’t help but feel as though there was something corrupting that important part of him. Moss grit his teeth. The idea of making Bastard stronger was tempting, and Moss was sure that was something that probably appealed to the pokemon himself -- but Moss wasn’t sure that he’d be able to bear that guilt.

[break][break]And so he chose to purify Pangoro.

[break][break]Time moved forward, and briefly enveloped in a flash of light, Moss found himself in a familiar dark fur cape, and a bamboo leaf stuck between his teeth. His avatar was now dressed like a Pangoro. Moss took a moment to take this in, and then set to leave.

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