Too Slow

You placed your paw on the wide surface, just moments away from pressing the switch just as you heard Rachael cried out.

"Rai, the platform-" You heard her voice cut off before a scream followed when you turned around and saw that Rachael was falling down into the dark abyss.

"Rachael!" you cried out, feebly reaching out your hand. Your eyes widened in horror as you heard her screams fading from the distance increasing between you two. You stare down with widened eyes just as you felt the platform you were on shaking before you felt it quickly fall as well with you following through. As you cry out as well you heard a voice within your head.

"... And you were doing so well too..."

"Rachael!" Your eyes opened wide and you cried out her name and you saw that she was right next to you as you both look at each other. You suddenly embaraced her. "Oh thank Arceus, I thought I lost you."

"Rai... it was an illusion. We weren't in any danger." She reminded you patting your back nervously to calm you.

You take a sigh of relief as you look around. You found yourself within a burned village. You saw that everyone were with you and they stared at you.

"What happened? One moment we were in a cave and the next moment, we're standing out here." Neku asked, looking just as confused as you were.

"I... I think we failed her test." You spoke downhearted. You felt something in your paw and you look and saw that it was a rolled up piece of paper. You opened it and saw that it was a note:

Rai, by having this message, you must be aware that you've failed my test. Unfortunately, that means that I can't tell you how to use Mega-Evolution. It takes focus, cooperation and control, something that you lack. I don't give out second chances. I'll meet you at the camp you came from, I hope you make it.

You sigh from the words.

"That's kinda unfair, giving you only one chance and then just leaving if you fail." Felix shakes his head at the news.

"Well it can't be helped now. We'll just gonna have to work harder to compensate for this." Vargus stated patting your shoulder, "Don't worry about it."

"Well we should be heading back to camp. Maybe during our travel to it, we may find out a clue about this infection in the first place." Neku stated, getting his gear.

You smile at Vargus's words of encouragement, though you were still rather skeptical about being able to stop this infection even with Felicity's words of encouragement, especially considering that you lost the chance to use Mega-Evolution.

"Hey, we've found a way to use it before." Kate stated, smiling up at you. "Maybe we'll learn how to use it again without this help."

You couldn't help but smile at her positivity. She does have a point though, they did managed to use it earlier, maybe they can do it again, or maybe find another who does know about it. You adjust your bag and looked at everyone. "Alright then, lets get going." With that, you all left the village and on the pathway.

You were looking through the map you had with you as everyone was walking along the dirt path. A bit in front of them leads towards the Church that Melanie told about you. You could go and check it out. You thought about her words when she was talking to you a couple days ago. You don't know why, but it felt that she was warning you to not come there. Why? What reason would she want to keep others away.

Before you could decide what to do, you heard a twig snapping as your group stopped as well, having heard it as well. You looked through the trees to try to see who's there. Other than the occasional glance of violet eyes catching your view, you can't identify who do they belong to. Suddenly you saw a bundle of pins shooting out towards your sister. You quickly shielded her, but you took a few on your shoulder and a couple on your knee.

"Are you alright?" Kate asked sounding scared and concern.

"I'm alright, are you hurt?" you asked and the Pachirisu shakes her head.

You quickly took out the pins from your areas as you started to hear a commotion and saw that attacks were being launched from within the forest with your group either attacking the projectiles or dodging them. You look and saw vines launching towards you and you use thunderbolt in order to block it before getting yourself up. "Everyone run!"

Hearing your order, everyone started to run through the forest in an effort to get away from the barrage of attacks. Vargus and Neku keeps themselves in between Kate so that none of the potential attacks could hit her. You and everyone else try to keep moving and deflecting attacks launched to them as they move forward. As you were nearing the exit of the path, you noticed a long vine stretching out towards you. You quickly dive down in order to dodge the attack and for a moment, you felt nothing hitting you as you prepare to dash once more.

Just as you took your first step, you fell to the ground once more. You were confused at the trip until you look back and saw that your ankle was caught in one of the vines. You were about to gather electricity before you felt another wrapped around your other one, then felt yourself being dragged into the forest with your group unaware of your peril.

You were dragged along the ground at a brisk pace. Being dragged along the dirt, branches, rocks and exposed roots in the process. When you finally felt yourself stopped, you groaned in pain from crashing into things as your body was pretty bruised up. You tried to gather yourself before you suddenly felt vines wrapped around your arms and soon felt your whole body being hoisted up off the ground. You tried to see what's going on until you saw a figure in the tree and it was revealed to be a Victreebel sitting on a thick branch of a tree. You see underneath the bulb was a cluster of vines acting as limbs for the pitcher plant to walk around with more ease.

You struggle to break free from the grip as you stare at the violet eyes right below the opening of the Victreebel. Your gritted your teeth and started to gather electricity within your body and then release it. Due to being trapped in its vines, your electricity surged through them to the grass type as it hissed in pain, making your ascent stall. You were about to do it again before it send some vines towards you, smacking them along your head, belly limbs and back. The pain was too much as your vision was blurry due to the blows to the head.

Seeing as you were daze, the Victreebel continued to pull you upward until you were close to it. You managed to get your vision back as you can see...

The excess of saliva dripping from its mouth

The numerous vines dripping of sap