my pokemon player.

Darkness, endless darkness.

Kalina felt like a sinking ship, falling into the cold and turbid deep sea, her consciousness floating up and down in the sticky darkness.

Finally, she was swept by a powerful vortex to the Blood Hell Island buried deep in her memory.

Suddenly, she was no longer a priestess of the Shadow Church, but became an ordinary trial participant.

Karina looked around. The towering ancient trees were twisted like ghost claws, tearing the already sparse light into pieces and casting strange shadows.

The air was so humid that water could be wrung out of it, and she seemed to be able to smell the odor of rotting branches and leaves, mixed with the stench of rust and blood, which was disgusting.

There were slippery moss and tangled tree roots under her feet, and every step was full of traps.

In the distance, the roars of monsters and the screams of dying humans came one after another, as if playing the final song of hell.

“It’s this dream again”

Karina looked at the blood moon hanging in the night sky and muttered to herself.

Ever since she walked out of this Blood Prison Island, she always had this nightmare and relive the despair she felt back then.

Therefore, sleep was not a rest for her, but a cruel torture, which was also the main reason why she gradually became violent.

Over the years, she has tried many methods but has never been able to get rid of this dream. It seems that her soul has been trapped on this island and will never be freed.

This time she still couldn't break the dream. In the dream, she was just a bystander. She could change her perspective freely but could not control her body.

Simply put, she couldn't change anything and could only watch herself in her dreams step by step towards the abyss.

And in this process, her consciousness will slowly sink. At the beginning, she will know that she is dreaming, but later she will forget everything and fall into the dream completely.

If it was the Karina of the past, she would have given up struggling long ago, but she is different now. She can't let go of Li Xiang who is in danger, and she is even more unwilling to experience the pain of loss again.

So Karina tried every way to break the dream, but her efforts were in vain. She could only watch herself in the dream walk into the depths of the jungle and start a new cycle.

Under Karina's gaze, the self in the dream was soon spotted by other trial participants and could only flee in embarrassment, and then was chased by the other party like a cat playing with a mouse, until.
Karina turned her head and looked at the familiar figure with complicated eyes. He was like the sunshine breaking through the clouds. Even though she had seen him countless times, he still touched her heart deeply.

"Hey, what's the big deal about bullying a girl? If you want to fight, come at me!"

The man's voice came to her ears again. It sounded a little childish now, but at that time it was like a thunderclap, instantly tearing apart the shadow shrouding her heart.

In her dream, she raised her head in shock, her eyes involuntarily attracted by that figure.

In the backlight, a young man stood in front of her. He was not particularly tall and had a cynical smile on his face.

But those eyes were incredibly bright, like a burning flame, dispelling the fear in her heart and lighting up her world.

"Boy, why are you trying to show off here? This is Blood Prison Island. Every trial participant is an enemy, regardless of gender."

"So what? I won't let you bully the weak anyway!"

"Tsk, what an idiot, then you can die here with her!

"Giant Beedrill, kill them for me!"

"Rocket Sparrow, quick victory!"

After a seemingly fierce, but in fact overwhelming, battle, the trial participant retreated in panic, and before escaping, he did not forget to utter a harsh word:
"Damn bastard! You'll die at the hands of this woman sooner or later!"

The young man curled his lips and didn't take the other person's words to heart. Instead, he turned to look at the frightened girl and greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, beautiful lady, are you okay? Don't be so nervous. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to do it."

"Who are you? Why do you want to save me?"

"My name is Ike. As for why I saved you, I don't know. Maybe it's because I can't stand him bullying the weak, or maybe it's because you're pretty~"

"."

The following conversation was the same as in the previous dream. Ike used the bait during the escape as an excuse to invite her to form a team.

In her dream, she already had a crush on Ike, so she naturally wouldn't refuse, so they became teammates.

"Then please take good care of me in the future, my bait lady~"

"Humph, I'm not slow in running away, and I don't know who the bait is!"

Looking at this familiar scene and the raised corners of her mouth in the dream, Karina only felt sadness and despair.

If she could interfere with dreams, she would definitely not accept Ike's invitation, even if the price was death on this island.

However, she couldn't do it at all, and could only continue to watch herself and Ike in her dreams team up and support each other.

Unconsciously, she regarded Ike as her only support and light, and trusted him completely.

And Ike did not let her down. This young man with a sunny smile on his face could always find hope in desperate situations and infect himself in his dreams with his seemingly inexhaustible optimism.

He taught her to identify edible wild fruits and poisonous mushrooms, and how to leave subtle traces in the mud to mislead trackers.

When Karina cried out of fear and exhaustion, he offered clumsy comfort and amused her with his lame jokes.

When she was shivering in the cold night, he would take off his tattered coat and put it on her, while he himself took a nap against a tree, alert to any movement around him.

This period of time could be said to be the happiest days in Karina's life, but she did not feel a bit happy at all, but became more and more desperate.

Because she knew clearly that it was these unforgettable days that made her feel such heart-wrenching pain after losing Ike.

The happier she laughed in the dream, the more completely she would collapse in the end.

Karina, who already knew the ending, couldn't bear to watch any longer, but in her dream she couldn't even close her eyes, and her consciousness was gradually sinking.

"Strange, I seem to have forgotten something important. I always feel that I must wake up as soon as possible, otherwise I will definitely regret it."

Karina thought about it. She tried desperately to recall this crucial thing, but she just couldn't remember it. Her only thought was to wake up from the dream as soon as possible.

The problem is that she can't wake up!

Not only that, as time passed quickly in the dream, her consciousness gradually became blurred, she began to forget that she was dreaming, and was completely immersed in the dream.

“Hiss~ It hurts! Miss Bait, can’t you be gentler?”

Ike's cry of pain interrupted Karina's thoughts, and she apologized subconsciously:

"Sorry, sorry, I just got distracted."

"You can even be distracted at a time like this. It seems that you have become much braver. This is really cause for celebration."

Ike said with a smile, but he pulled the wound on his body and grimaced in pain the next second. Seeing this, Karina quickly bandaged his wound and blamed him:

"Don't move! Even with all these wounds on your body, you can't shut up!"

"It's clearly a battle between monsters, why are you going there to mess things up?"

Ike said in a relaxed tone: "It can't be helped. It's our bad luck that we encountered a larger group of trial participants."

"If I don't kill one of them first, we won't even have a chance to escape. I will just die, and you, my beautiful lady, will be in trouble. I can't bear that."

Before she finished speaking, Karina suddenly raised her head and said in a trembling voice:

"Why would you be so reluctant? I was your bait!"

"Didn't we agree at the beginning that if we encounter a strong enemy, we will each run away, and whoever runs slower will be the bait? Why did you stay and save me?"

"You say I'm Miss Bait, but you always stand in front of me in every fight. If I hadn't been a burden this time, you could have escaped calmly and wouldn't have suffered so many injuries."

Looking at Karina biting her lips tightly and tears falling like raindrops, Ike panicked and hurriedly wiped the tears from her face with his bloody fingers:
"Why are you crying? I won't die from this minor injury!"

"Besides, do you really think I'm stupid? I took you with me because I knew we could escape. Otherwise, I would have abandoned you long ago."

"A bait as precious as you should be used in life-threatening situations. How can I throw you out when I encounter danger? I would be at a huge loss!"

Karina reached out and wiped the tears from her face, and said with a choked voice:

"I won't believe your lies. You just know how to lie to me. Anyway, next time I'm in danger, I'll kill myself instead of getting you into trouble!"

"No, didn't we agree to leave this Blood Prison Island together and see the outside world? Are you going to break the contract?" Ike said with dissatisfaction.

Kalina shook her head: "I don't want to break the contract, but you should also be aware of the current situation. Those trial participants are still chasing us."

"Your Rocket Sparrow and my Night Thief Salamander are both seriously injured. We can't be their opponents. If we want to escape from their pursuit, we can only flee separately and let one person lead them away. Otherwise, no one can escape."

"So why don't we change the agreement? If one of us can survive the trial, then we can let the other one take a good look at the outside world."

Ike looked at Kalina, whose face was full of determination, and knew that if he did not agree to this stubborn girl, she might rush out of her hiding place and lead away the trial participants.

So he could only smile and nod: "Since you want to be my bait so much, then I will fulfill your wish. When I walk out of this Blood Prison Island alive, I will definitely come back to see you often."

Karina snorted coldly: "How many times have I told you that it's still uncertain who will be the bait!"

Ike looked at Karina deeply, a hint of reluctance flashed in his eyes, then he forced a smile and changed the subject:

"By the way, what were you thinking about just now? Were you thinking about how to use me as bait?"

Karina rolled her eyes at Ike and said, "That's right, I plan to replace the herbs with poison and make you faint first!"

"Really? Have you forgotten that I was the one who taught you how to identify herbs? You can only fool yourself with this." Ike joked with a smile.

Karina blushed and said, "Stop talking nonsense!"

"Okay, enough joking, what are you thinking about?" Ike said seriously.

"It's nothing, actually. I just feel that all this is too unreal, like a dream." Karina's eyes were full of confusion.

"Are you dreaming?" Ike whispered, then raised his head and said to Karina seriously, "If this is really a dream, then don't let me sink into the dream."

Karina was stunned for a moment, and then said in a disgusted tone: "You are still so narcissistic!"

Ike lowered his eyes, hiding the regret in his eyes, then raised the corners of his mouth and teased Karina:

"What do you mean by narcissism? Do you dare to say that you haven't dreamed of me during this period? When I was on guard, I heard you calling my name in your sleep!"

"I was scolding you!" Karina said with a red face.

"It's true or false, I don't believe it!"

"I don't care whether you believe it or not!"

Just as Ike and Kalina were arguing, a red figure flew over and hummed twice at them.

Seeing this, Ike stopped smiling and said seriously:
"The Rocket Sparrow has sounded the alarm. Sure enough, those bastards are chasing us again. If we don't get rid of the coyote dogs in their team, it will be difficult for us to get rid of them."

Karina pursed her lips and said, "But they also know this and have been protecting the coyote dog. Our monster is seriously injured and it is unlikely to break through their defenses."

Ike shrugged and said casually, "Then there's nothing we can do. We can only escape on our own. Whoever runs slower will be the bait."

"Dear Miss Bait, are you ready?"

Facing Ike's playful gaze, Karina did not feel angry or afraid, but instead a sense of joy.

Of course, she still said stubbornly, "You should ask yourself first. With so many wounds on your body, the coyote dog will definitely be able to smell the blood on you."

Ike said noncommittally, "Yeah, I smell so much blood, I'm perfect for bait, so."

Having said this, Ike paused for a moment, then blinked at Karina:

"Leave the bait mission to me this time. I will lead them away."

Karina's eyes widened instantly when she heard this: "Are you kidding me? You are so badly injured. Going to lead them away by yourself is simply courting death!"

Ike raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like you're not committing suicide by being the bait."

"But I am just your bait! You saved my life, and now I should return it to you!" Karina said resolutely.

"I said that even if I committed suicide, I would not implicate you. You don't think I dare to do that!"

Ike raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and reached out to ruffle Karina's hair:
"Don't I know you? You would do something like this, so I've prepared for it in advance."

"What do you mean by that? Wait! My body!"

Karina suddenly felt all her strength drained away, and she collapsed to the ground.

At this moment, she suddenly reacted and asked Ike in disbelief:

"You...you are not going to poison me?"

Ike smiled and snapped his fingers: "Correct answer, but unfortunately there is no reward."

"When did you poison me? Why didn't I notice?" Karina asked puzzled.

Ike raised his head proudly. "Didn't I tell you that I taught you how to identify herbs? As a master, how could I, your apprentice, discover the poison I had applied?"

After that, he looked down at Karina again and said in a gentle voice:
"Have a good sleep, my bait lady." (End of this chapter)