Popplio's P.O.V.
I keep on running through the swamp, passing trees and muds that were in my way until I arrived to where Litten and Brionne are. I saw them were separated far from each other and they were grabbing hold of the ground while being sucked into the mud.
Popplio: "Uh-oh..."
Brionne: "AAHH!! LET ME GO!!"
Litten: "GRRR!! GET OFF OF ME, YOU STUPID MUD!!"
Popplio: "Ummm... Uhh... Agh forget this!!" *Runs towards Litten*
Litten: "Huh?! POPPLIO!! YOU HAVE TO SAVE BRIONNE!!"
Popplio: "Once I get you out that is!"
Litten: "WHAT?! BUT SHE-"
Popplio: "Hold on!!"
I quickly grab hold of Litten's hands and I start pulling him out of the mud as hard as I can. I took notice the mud that was trying to pull Litten is trying to grab hold of me, so I quickly blast the mud away using Hydro Pump which gave me a big push to pull Litten out of the mud.
Popplio: "Alright! You're saf-"
Litten: "BRIONNE!!"
Popplio: "Huh? Oh no!"
Brionne: "HEEEELP!!!"
The two of us quickly run towards Brionne but we were too late, she got pulled very deep and she sunk down into the mud.
Litten: "NO!! BRIONNE!!"
???: "Hihihi~ Got one~"
Popplio: (That voice!)
I turned around to see where the voice coming from, it was from Zorua and Snivy and they were also turned into ghosts.
Popplio: "Not you guys too..."
Zorua: "Come on~ Join us already~"
Snivy: "It's fun to float around~"
Popplio: *Gulps* "Nope! Come on Litten!"
Litten: "NO!! I HAVE TO SAVE BRIONNE!!!"
I quickly grab Litten's hand and drag him away just in time before the mud can catch us. After we're out of their range, we stops running and pants heavily.
Popplio: "Thank goodness... That was so close..."
Litten: "..."
Popplio: "Come on, we have to-"
Litten: "WHAT GIVES, YOU IDIOT!?"
Popplio: "Excuse me?!"
Litten: "WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO HELP ME?! BRIONNE WAS IN TROUBLE AND YOU LET HER DROWN INTO THE MUD!! NOW SHE'LL BE A GHOST TOO AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"
How dare he snarl at me like that, it was very uncalled for. Out of reflex, I suddenly slaps Litten right in the face while looking pretty pissed.
Popplio: "What gives you the right to say that?! You should've thanked me for saving you! I didn't have a choice, I thought I could save you both but I couldn't! If Brionne were here, she would've hoped that I saved you instead!"
Litten: "Ngh?!"
Popplio: "This is not the end of it. Chairo is out there preparing everything we need to stop that Gourgeist's evil plan on turning us into ghosts, so you better help us or we're all doomed for sure!"
Litten: "... Grr... If this plan failed, he will kiss his ghost butt goodbye."
Popplio: *Sigh* "Let's just go. We can't stay around or the ghosts will find us."
Litten: "Fine... where are we heading?"
Popplio: "Chairo said we'll have to meet back to the same spot and wait for his signal. Come on, follow me."
The two of us quickly ran through the trees and mud, following the exact same path that I went through before we stopped on the spot where we start it.
Popplio: "We're here."
???: "Popplio! Litten!"
We saw from the distance were Dewott and Braixen and they were only managed to save Tuki.
Tuki: "Hey guys! Thank Arceus you two are safe!"
Popplio: "Huh? Where's Pikachu?"
Braixen: "We... we were too late to save him."
Litten: "Did Dewott let him sink?"
Dewott: "Hell no! He was pulled deeper than Tuki! We would've saved both but he was too hard to pull out!"
Popplio: "Did you guys found anyone else?"
Braixen: "No... But, Comfey and Fennekin... they...."
Litten: *Groans* "Great, we're outnumbered... This couldn't get any worse..."
???: "Fooound yooou~"
Dewott: "Wait... those voices..."
We all look back and to our surprise, it was Rowlet and Mimikyu and they were also got turned into ghosts.
Popplio: "You had to say it, didn't you!?"
Litten: "Shut up!"
Rowlet: "Well well~ We've been looking for you guys~"
Mimikyu: "Gourgeist will be pleased to have you guys over~ We'll be having a tea party forever~"
Dewott: *Gulps* "Now that's not convincing...."
The five of us back away for a bit but then I look back and notice there was flashing light in between the trees. It seems to be Chairo's signal.
Popplio: "Guys!! Run for it!!"
I started running towards the light while the rest of them followed me from behind. Meanwhile, Gourgeist float passed Rowlet and Mimikyu while smirking.
Gourgeist: "My~ It's not polite of you all to run from invitation~"
The mud around us starts to move on its own before it started chasing us down.
Tuki: "They're coming!!"
Braixen: "Come on!! Run faster!!"
Popplio: "We're almost there!! I can see him!!"
Litten: "Look out!!"
The mud caught us by our tail which made us tripped and fell down on the ground as the mud starts to pull us away but we manages to grab hold of the ground near us.
Dewott: "Grrr!! Not again!!"
Gourgeist: "Aww come on~ Don't you guys want to be my eternal friends~?"
Popplio: "Y-You! Let us go, you freak!"
Gourgeist: "Oh no no no~ Entering my swamp means you decide to be my friend~ So you better obey and be my forever ghost friends~"
Popplio: "Grr!! Not like this!! Aaaah!!"
???: "That's enough."
Everyone: "Huh?"
Chairo walked over as he look straight at Gourgeist eyes with a smile on his face and his back has some blue glowing strings that leads somewhere behind him, thank goodness he's here, I thought we were goners.
Popplio: "Chairo!"
Gourgeist: "Well well~ It seems like someone is submitting himself to be my friend~"
Chairo: "...Yeah, I'm here to submit myself."
Litten: "What the?! Are you out of your mind!?"
Gourgeist: "Well~ I guess you'll be the first to have the honor~"
Popplio: "Ch-Chairo..."
The mud was slowly approaching him while the mud that pulled us stopped only to let us see him devour by the mud. But just when the mud grabbed his legs, he started giggling while smirking. Is he... planning on something?
Chairo: "Hehe... You're taking this a bit too quick, aren't you?"
Gourgeist: "Hmm~? What do you mean~?"
Chairo: "You can take me, but with a big cost."
Gourgeist: *Tilts her head* "A cost~?"
Chairo: "You see these strings behind me? They are connected to physical objects like my body. And if you turn my body into transparent like a ghost, it means you're snapping away the strings from me which triggers something."
Popplio: "T-Triggers something?"
Gourgeist: "Huh~? What did you do exactly~?"
Chairo: "These strings... are connected to the paper bombs that I've planted all over the swamp."
Everyone: "PAPER BOMBS!?"
Chairo: "Yeah. I've been planting some paper bombs around the swamp while my friends are buying me some time by distracting your ghosts. Of course, if you snap the strings behind me by turning me into a ghost or peeling the paper bombs using your ghost friends or your mud, you'll just trigger a big explosion that will sure destroy the entire swamp."
Gourgeist: "Y-You..."
Chairo: "Now let's bargain, shall we? Turn my friends back into their original self and let us go peacefully, or... losing your home?"
I looked over at Gourgeist and I was surprised to see her expression from evil to a complete desperate and afraid with sweats pouring all over her face.
Gourgeist: "H-Hehe... Y-You're desperate, aren't you...? U-Using a cowardly move like this to s-save your friends... Y-You're a coward!"
Chairo: "I don't see the reason of this being a cowardly move." *Pulls out a kunai and bring it close to the string* "More like a checkmate."
Gourgeist: "NO!! DON'T DO IT!! O-Or... uhh.... y-your friends will be caught in the explosion!!"
Chairo: "They are fully aware that I can summon a portal, so I can simply summon a moving portal to teleport them to safety."
Gourgeist: "Grr! Wh-Why you little..."
Chairo: "You better choose, because the clock is ticking."
We were all looking at Gourgeist who was now trembling in fear while sweating, she never realized how cornered she was until now.
Gourgeist: *Gulps* "I... I..."
Chairo: "Well?"
Gourgeist: ".... Fine, I'll free them."
Popplio: *Gasp* "Y-You will!?"
Chairo: "Heh, I knew you would be wise to choose this."
Gourgeist closes her eyes before she put her hands together and a bright glow starts forming before the black mud vanishes and our friends that got turned into ghosts appeared near us and they were no longer ghosts anymore.
Litten: *Gasp* "Brionne!!" *Runs towards her and hugged her* "You're back!! I'm so glad you're okay!"
Brionne: *Blushes and hugs back* "Oh Litten, I'm happy to see you again!"
Hyde: *Groans* "Huh? Where? What?"
Just out of nowhere, he can feel someone was glaring at him. He trembles and turned around for a bit to see half of the group were glaring at him while cracking their knuckles.
Dewott: "We got some bones picking with you, Hyde!"
Rowlet: "You really are a troublesome, aren't you?"
Snivy: "Putting us up into that dangerous situation, very uncalled for!"
Hyde: "G-Guys!! I can explain!"
Braixen: "No!! Time for you to suffer!!"
Hyde: "GYAAAH!!!"
I could only sigh while seeing Hyde get beaten up repeatedly. I then looked over at Chairo who has finished cancelling the paper bomb triggers before he approaches Gourgeist who was sitting near the tree, all gloomy so I decide to follow him.
Gourgeist: "Hrnnhh..."
Chairo: "Heh, you weren't expecting me to come up with a tactic like that, huh?"
Gourgeist: "Yeah... It seems like I underestimate you guys to have a smart Chespin like you..."
Popplio: "You're so eager to have friends, aren't you?"
Gourgeist: "Of course I am. I'm really eager to have friends, but I just don't know how..."
Chairo: "Well, you can always start off slowly by just talking to them nicely and do some nice stuff."
Gourgeist: "Really? You think that would work?"
Chairo: "Yeah. I'm sure that sooner or later, you will find a great friend for you. You'll just have to start slow, that's all."
Gourgeist: "...Alright, I'll try."
Popplio: "Good! And I hope you don't turn them into ghosts next time."
Chairo: "Hey, the sun is rising. We better head back home."
Popplio: "Oh yeah, you're right. Well, see you later Gourgeist!"
Gourgeist: *Smiles*"Bye bye."
Chairo opens up a portal before we all jump right through it, we then went back to our respective home before we sleep peacefully with our costume on. Luckily it was weekend so we can sleep as much as we want.
To be continued