Friday, June 16
	"Mew, how much longer until we get there?"  Ellis whined as we traveled deeper into the 
forest.
	"Oh, quit whining, Ellis."  Mew said, "If Ben here hadn't set Carman in such a confusing 
area, we'd have been there a long time ago!"
	"Confusing...?"  The three of us said, "Where did I put Carman at?"
	"Well, you won't believe me when I tell you, and you wouldn't believe me if I didn't tell 
you anyway...  You sent her to the Isle of Mann off the coast of Great Britain!"
	"Great Britain!?"  I yelled.
	Mew winced herself again, "Wow... that sucker of yours sure is loud!  Care to tone it 
down a bit?"  I blushed at her comment when she continued again, "So yeah- off on the coast of 
Great Britain.  She's been living at the cliffs of somethin' around Great Britain after she took off 
from her pokéball."
	"Then what are we doing here if she's all the way over there?"  Penny asked.
	"I can't navigate these forests very well, and I seem to lack the psychic strength to 
teleport."  Mew giggled, "I guess you could say that I forgot!" 
	"Well I could sure help."  Penny said, stopping.  "You only had to ask me the way out!  
You can remember on our way back!  It can't be that hard- the nearest exit's like, half a mile back 
that way!"  Penny nodded off towards a patch of darkened woods to our left.
	Mew shuddered at the sight of it, "You know, Penny, for once you're right, and I don't 
want to agree with you... I have an eerie feeling about over there..."
	"What?  What's wrong with the Swamps of Houndstooth?  It isn't like there's anything 
dangerous in there..."
	Ellis hid behind my tail, peeping out from behind me, "For some reason, Penny, I agree 
with Mew... It looks pretty scary in there..."
	"But you've got Ben, right?"  Penny winked at me, "Ben's always there to help you, and 
he's brave!  He'll help you through if you need assistance."
	"Assis...?"  Ellis gasped, covering her mouth with a shocked expression. 
	"What's wrong, Ellis?"  Penny asked.
	Ellis's ears dropped, and she began to move away from me, tail between her legs and 
whimpering along the way.  She hid behind Penny, and began to shiver, "Me and you said a bad 
word, and now Ben's going to spank me..."
	Penny blinked for a moment, trying to recall what 'bad words' Ellis had spoken within the 
last few moments, then shook her head, "I didn't hear you say any bad words, Ellis.  What did 
you say?"
	Ellis whined and shook her head, "I can't say them- Ben'll spank me even more!"
	"He'll spank you if you don't tell him anyway!"  Mew winked at Ellis.  "What's wrong, 
babe?  Cat got your tongue?  Heeheehee..."
	"I said assis...tance..."  Ellis blushed, covering her mouth.
	The whole group began to laugh at Ellis's misinterputation of the word, and shook their 
heads.  I smiled, patting Ellis on the head, "Oh Ellis...  Assistance is not a bad word!  It's a way of 
saying 'help,' or to 'give help.'"
	Ellis seemed to be confused, so I continued, "Okay, Ellis.  Watch this."  I straightened 
myself out, looking stern and bold, "Assistance!  Penny will help me out if I ask for her 
assistance!"  
	I then nodded off to Mew, who added to it, "Assistance!"
	Penny then joined in, "Assistance!"
	"Asssssissssstancccccce!"
	We all nodded our heads, not realizing the gigantic Dunsparce that was looming overhead.  
Mew's eyes widened, and she gave a shout, "Ben!  Watch out!"
	"What...?"  I said, turning to face the Dunsparce.  I gasped, and grabbed Ellis, jumping 
back with Penny at the sudden realization of the giant Dunsparce. "What the...!?  Who the heck 
are you!?"
	The thing smiled, nodding, "Assssssisssssssstanccccce...  That issssssssssss a good thing 
to be doing- assssssssissssssstanccccce...  Like I could give you sssssssome assssssisssstanccccce 
if you manage to help me..."
	"Who are you?"  Penny asked.
	The giant Dunsparce nodded its unblinking horizontal eyes, smiling, "I am called 
Dussssssssscahn....  Pleassssssssssse to meet you..."
	"Well, I'm Ben, and this is Penny, Mew, and Ellis."  I replied, introducing the group of us.
	"Yessssssssssssssss, I already know the lot of you... You were talking to each other when 
I was sssssssssssssslithering towardssss you..."
	"Well, what seems to be the problem, Duscahn?"  Penny asked.
	"Can we help you?"  Mew added.
	"Ah yesssss... So you will help me... Good creaturesssss... Good creaturessss..."  Duscahn 
hissed, slithering towards the center of our group with his cone-shaped tail.  "Pardon me, but 
have either of you creaturessssss sssseen any of those delicioussssss brown crunch ballsssssss the 
whole foresssst is talking about?"
	"Brown crunch balls?"  Penny asked, "What do you mean?"
	
"Yessssss... Brown crunch ballsssss... They taste delicious, and a human wasssss carrying a few 
of them a while ago... I was wondering if you managed to come acrosssss any that he may have 
dropped, assssss my sssssssssssister-in-law had disssssscovered some..."
	"Ben!  I think he's referring to the Reeses Puffs that you gave Ellis yesterday!"  Mew 
whispered.
	I nodded, "I think I still got a few left in my pocket... But I can only get them in human 
form!  What am I going to do!?"
	"Shhhhh... I'll figure something out..." Mew added.
	Duscahn flicked his tongue in and out as he examined our group, "It sssseems that the 
whole foressssssst is alive with thessssssssse thingsssss.  If you happen to come acrosssss any of 
them, be sure to bring them here.  I'd love to have some..."
	"Oh!  We got some!"  Ellis smiled, not realizing the danger of our situation with revealing 
my identity as a polymorph.  "Ben here can give you some if you want!"
	"Ellis!"  Mew whispered.
	"Oh...?  Ssssso you do have sssssssome..."  Duscahn slithered over towards me, "Mind 
passssssing a few of them to me?"
	"Um... Well, I do have some with me, but I don't have them right here."  I said, trying to 
think of something.  "I could get some for you if you gave me some time to find them...  How's 
that?"
	Duscahn paused, staring into my eyes for a moment, his pricks on his lip moving left and 
right as he made a decision.  "Hmmmm....  Well, I guessssssss it is alright... But don't take to 
long- I'm hungry, and would like a little sssssnack, unlessss one of you four are feeling a bit... 
tired, shall we say?"
	"Mmmmm, not me!"  Penny shook her head quickly, smiling, "Why, I'm as find and 
dandy as a flower in the morning breeze!"
	"Ah... Just the way I like them..." Duscahn replied, tasting Penny's paw with his tongue.  
Penny shivered, hiding behind me with Ellis, "Well, that's really great!  Although you see, I also 
have this cold!  Achoo!  Cough!  Cough!"  
	Duscahn licked his lips again, "Oh, stop that... You're teasing me, really... How did you 
know that lively and ill were my two favorites?"
	"Oh man..." Penny winced.
	"I'll be right back..." I said, nodding off to Mew, "I'll be right back with the Reeses.  Just 
keep him entertained until I get back.  I'll fix things then."
	With a nod and a wink, I took off into the woods behind us, finding a tree to transform 
behind.  Opening my knapsack, I pulled out the baggie that contained the Reeses, and dropped it 
at my feet, transforming back into a Meowth, and carried the plastic baggie back towards the 
Dunsparce.
	Duscahn was tickled to see the Reeses and wiggled to and fro in an excited manner at the 
sight of them, "Oohoohoo... You do have some!  You DO have sssome...!  Bring them here!"
	I quickly dispatched the baggie at his feet, and stood back with the others to watch as he 
investigated the baggie filled with the Reeses Puffs.  He gave unsure sounds, but continued to 
slither his tongue over the bag to catch a scent, and eventually found his way into the bag's 
contents, testing one of the puffballs.  He grabbed it with incredible speed; swallowing it in such 
a manner that nothing was left of the puffball except a bulge in his throat as it went down.  He 
gave a smile, commenting on its texture, "Mmmmm... Delicious and smooth... It went down a lot 
easier than I expected!  ...You are indeed generous, and need to be rewarded..."
	He wrapped his tail around the baggie and ushered us behind him, "You ssssaid that you 
needed to get through the sssssswampsssss... Follow me, and I will be your guide."  He slithered 
further away from us, "However, be cautioned, asssssss there issss danger that lurkssssss within.  
Thosssssssse who get lossssssst aren't usually found, excccccept for their bonesssssssssssssss."
	Ellis shook visibly next to me, and whined, "Ben... I don't like this guy... He scares me!"
	"Yeah- he seems pretty suspicious to me..." Penny added, "And did you see the way he 
gulped that Reeses puff?  A true monster!"
	"Well, ssssssssome of us can't help a little sssssssnack every once in a while..."  Duscahn 
replied out of nowhere, now behind us.
	Penny eeped, and gave a silly grin, "So sorry!  We were just amazed at your skill to eat 
that thing!  It takes me a few minutes, but you did it in a few seconds!"
	This did not seem to impress him, but he did smile after a while, replying in his hoarse 
voice, "Hmm-hmm... I know..."
	Passing us again, he began to slither into the sticky swamp when he turned back to us, 
"Come with me, if you ssssseek passage out of here in a hurry..."
	Following him, we disappeared into the murkiness of the Houndstooth Swamp...