Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: End of Darkness Chapter 3

Chapter 1: http://lakevalor.net...ness-chapter-1/
Chapter 2: http://lakevalor.net/forums/index.php?/topic/1927-Pokémon-mystery-dungeon-end-of-darkness-chapter-2/

Damien stayed behind at the crash site as Jess was heading home to ask Mike about forming a rescue team. He had been waiting almost half an hour; he figured she lived quite a ways out. He looked back over at Dyllan's grave, continuing to pay his respects to his deceased trainer.
A little further into the day, he started to sense around the surrounding area. When he started, he immediately noticed that someone's aura wasn't right. He got into fighting stance. He waited and waited, but saw no one. It took him a moment to realize that the estranged aura he sensed was not another Pokémon's, but his own. He felt a slight darkness within himself, though he wasn't sure why. Was it the insults Charizard threw at him? Or was something much worse going on?
His thoughts were interrupted by a young, scruff voice.
"Hey, you're that Riolu who rescued Snorunt earlier, aren't you?"
Damien saw a Growlithe standing in front of him. He had a worried expression on his face, which made Damien wonder.
"Uh, yeah. Do you need something?" Damien asked.
"Well... I kinda need your rescue team. My friend, Pachi, went into Boughbranch Woods to look for berries and apples and all that stuff. She's been gone for a few hours now, and I'm worried that she may have been attacked."
"Oh, wait," Damien started. "You need a rescue team? That wasn't my team. They just wanted to help, that's all."
"Well, it's the best thing we've got. There aren't any more rescue teams here that I know of, and no one else I know has got the guts to go in there. Please, Riolu, I need your help!"
Damien was about to say something, but stopped when Jess came to the site, looking a little disappointed. She walked past Growlithe and looked at Damien with sorry eyes. "There won't be a rescue team, Damien. Mike thinks it's too dangerous, and I think part of it is that he doesn't trust you."
"Oh, well," Growlithe frowned. "That sucks."
"It's okay, Growlithe," Damien stepped in. "I'll go and rescue her. I handled myself at the Cave of Shadows pretty well. I don't think it'll be too hard."
"Where are you going?" Jess asked.
"A place called 'Boughbranch Woods'. I'm sure Growlithe here could show me the way."
"I'll do it," Jess interrupted. "Growlithe can stay here and wait," she turned to Growlithe. "If Damien doesn't return by sundown, you can leave,"
"Sundown?" Damien stammered, looking at the position of the sun in the sky. "It's only a couple of hours away! Are you sure it won't take me longer?"
"Damien, Boughbranch Woods is waaay safer than the Cave of Shadows. It's really small, too, so it could only take you a half-hour, maybe a full one at most."
"We were only in the Cave of Shadows for about fifteen minutes total," Damien reported, half-estimating.
"Whatever," she replied. "It's this way. Growlithe, remember, stay here. Okay?"
"Alright. Don't get hurt!" he called out as they made their way to the east side of the island.
Boughbranch Woods looked like any regular forest to Damien. There were large pine trees everywhere, and there were just enough to let light filter in, even at the darkest nooks and crannies. Damien didn't feel afraid at all. In fact, he was confident that he would find Pachi before sundown. This looked like a piece of cake.
"Here we are. Remember to pick up any berries you see; they could be useful later on. See ya, bro," Jess said to Damien as he stepped in. He noticed that she looked a little envious when he walked in. He thought nothing of it and moved on.
He found a few things at first; a couple of Oran Berries and a Cheri Berry. He made the exceptionally wide scarf into a sort of makeshift carrier and continued on. It struck him a little strange that there were no enemies so far. In his few years with Dyllan, he learned that nothing is as easy as it seems. He kept his guard up, keeping a lookout and preparing for battle at every noise he heard. He finally decided to start using his aura sensing powers, closing his eyes and searching all around him at a diameter of approximately fifty feet.
He was now walking for about twenty minutes, longer than he had been in the Cave of Shadows. He kept sensing, but didn't sense anything but trees. There was one that was exceptionally small, and it took him a minute to realize that it was not a tree, but a Cacnea, waiting to ambush him from behind one. Damien stopped.
"I know where you are!" he shouted, putting the item-filled scarf down. "You might as well come out and face me like a real Pokémon!" he prepared for battle, opening his eyes to look at Cacnea, who hesitated a moment before finally exiting from behind the tree.
It was a very dark green color. It wasn't black, but was close to it. He had a large battle scar going across his left eye, leaving it a deep red color. He spoke in a puny, yet slightly menacing voice.
"Why are you here? What's your motive?"
"I'm looking for a Pokémon that may have gotten lost out here. I don't want any trouble."
"Well, you've got trouble!" the Cacnea threatened, then proceeded to attack. "Poison Sting!"
He spun around, launching tiny needles everywhere. Damien could feel one slice his arm and his cheek, leaving small, bleeding scratches.
"Your move," said the Cacnea. Damien started to use Quick Attack, but then Cacnea started to flinch.
"Ow! What is this?"
Damien was confused. He watched as Cacnea backed up, and even saw scratches appear on his face, alongside the long battle scar that identified him.
"How are you... What is this witchcraft? Ow!" Cacnea started to flail his arms around, which appeared to hit some sort of invisible entity. He heard a loud thud, then saw Jess fade into view at the foot of a nearby tree. The coat on her hood was up, and she almost disappeared again before she knocked it off.
"Aha! So it's the famed Invisibility Hood at work! Tell me where you got it!"
Jess got to her feet and just growled at him.
"Fine, have it your way. I'll just finish you off and take it for myself!"
The spikes on Cacnea's arm got bigger, and he lifted it above his head.
"Quick Attack!"
Damien slammed into Cacnea at a very high speed, knocking him several feet back. He didn't get up. Damien looked at Jess.
"What are you doing? Didn't Mike say that we weren't going to form a team?"
"Well, yeah, but...but..." Jess stammered. "This seemed like such an easy mission, and I really wanted to–"
"You need to go back, so Mike won't worry about you," Damien interrupted.
"Come on! Please let me come with you! It won't take too much longer, I swear!"
"No, you don't... let me explain: If you get hurt, and he finds out you went with me, I'll be the one to take the blame! You can't come with me, Jess, and that's that."
Jess looked at him with puppy eyes, which Damien knew were for influencing others. He fought them by turning around and ignoring them. He picked up his scarf and went on his way when Jess said, "Please! I'll be good, and I'll be great help! Just let me come with you!"
Damien turned around. He saw her eyes filled with tears, and she looked even more pitiful than ever.
"I've been wanting to help others ever since my parents died!" she sobbed. "Do you really want to destroy a poor girl's dreams?!"
"Fine!" Damien finally shouted. "But you have to tell Mike where you were."
"Okay!" Jess said, her face returning to normal. "I can't believe you fell for the whole 'depressed and pitiful' act! You're so pathetic!"