Treasure Town ~ Woodland Outskirts

[Namohysip]

It depends, sometimes. This species... I do not know.

And before they could make an attempt at it, the rustling of bushes caught Staraptor's attention. Keen eyes focused on the movement, which was reckless, all things considered. Why would potential prey move so obviously?

It emerged seconds later--a Rattata, its purple fur and cream underbelly matted and filthy. Its mouth was covered with berries and its entire body was plump with gluttony. It staggered and wobbled forward, growling and hissing at nothing.

Staraptor looked ready to swoop down. It didn't notice the plumes of black mist that gently rose from Rattata's form, occasionally dripping out of its mouth like ink.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste tensed up, cautious of the unknown threat. “Shh, don’t move”

Rattata were usually prey animals. Their eyes were made to pick up the movements of their predators. Even if it was hostile, the Staraptor should be the most attention-grabbing sight... So long as Brisa remained calm and still, too.

The way it was acting, it was probably afflicted with some disease. It was probably looking to infect others.

“If it comes towards us, we run. It’s already overstuffed, it won’t be much in a chase.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa said nothing, and remained perfectly still.

This was... a disturbing sight, but an opportunity to learn more about the afflictions of this world. Her whole body remained tense, ready to lunge for the paras or flee in a flash if need be.

 

[Namohysip]

Even the wind stopped. The trees stood still; the grass froze in place. Only the tremors reminded them that time was still passing, and the occasional wobble and chirp from the gluttonous Rattata, which was now digging its fangs into the ground, pulling out a root. It swallowed it, dirt and all, and then grunted and snarled, glaring at the Staraptor.

Such a perfectly plump and stupid snack was too good to pass up. Staraptor placed the Paras down, flashing a 'don't you try' glare at Celeste and Brisa when it did so, and then swooped for the Rattata.

It jerked its head up, maw still half-full with dirt, and screeched. A ray of black energy shot out of its mouth and directly into Staraptor's chest. Staraptor let out a shrill cry and flew back, narrowly dodging a second ray of darkness. Instead, it struck the branch Staraptor had been perched on, splintering part of it. Staraptor grabbed the Paras carcass and flew away.

Rattata wasn't done. It gave chase, leaping far higher than it should have, but still missed. Instead, it landed on the tree trunk, where its legs extended with that same inky blackness, clenching around the tree and digging into the bark. Its teeth sank into the tree where it angrily tore entire chunks of wood, downing even more into its gullet.

But then it stopped midway.

Crrrrack!

It turned its head around 180 degrees and stared at Brisa and Celeste, blackened wood dribbling to the grass below.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Run!" hissed Brisa, turning tail to sprint away from this monstrosity.

There was nothing in her mind besides the thought of swift and expeditious retreat. She wasted no breath on shouts and cries. She only ran.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Well then...”

Celeste turned to flee. He refused to fall prey to a Rattata, no matter how eerily powerful it may be.

“Try to keep something between yourself and it. If we let it get line of sight, it can fire those beams.”

Oh, how he wished he had a disaster sense.

“Hopefully it doesn’t follow us too far.

 

[Namohysip]

Another loud screech battered their eardrums. A stray blast of darkness punched a hole through an innocent Oran bush, scorching the ground with inky darkness. Another one grazed over Celeste's head before evaporating.

I was about to tell you to run, but I'm glad you're being proactive. No, I do not know what is happening.

It was thankfully slow after its initial burst of speed, and its second screech was much softer due to distance. Eventually, it must have stopped giving chase.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa glanced back to see Celeste still fleeing and unharmed. There was no sight or sound of the rattata.

She slowed to a pace, but kept going.

"Don't let up, and break into a run if there's any sign of that thing," she snarled. "It's not safe to hunt here."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste’s stomach gurgled.

“Well, in a few more hours, we’ll either have enough fish for countless feasts... or we’ll be quite humiliatingly dead. I only hope this hunger isn’t enough to turn the former into the latter. Haha. Ha.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Never skipped a meal before?" Brisa growled, her body flooded with adrenaline and irritated at the idea that the hunger of one pokémon in 30 could be enough to tip the balance of the fight out of their favour.

It occurred to her Celeste had been joking.

"Uh, keep an eye out for prey, just in case. Otherwise, I hear those... 'gummis' are edible for us. Apparently."

Brisa paced out of the woods, intent on snatching a gummi and joining the party for battle.

 

[Namohysip]

It doesn't appear to be coming after you. It's eating more of the trees... Worrisome. Strange. But it's not pursuing...

It seemed that everything was back to normal, but the tremors had scared off most of the weak, sane wild Pokemon. Hunting, it seemed, would have to wait for another time.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

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[Disco]

Mellow ran out of energy by the time she reached the little patch of woods, and all it took was tripping over an unseen root to bring her to a complete stop. She felt too exhausted to even cry. All she felt was numb, and she curled up to hold herself, while trying very hard to keep her eyes open...

 

[Namohysip]

"Charmander!" called the loud voice of Truffle. Seconds later, his great shadow loomed over her, swooped over the prone creature, and swept her off the ground. "Why are you fleeing from your own victory?" Truffle asked, tilting his head. He was very soft, like he spent a lot of time preening in his spare time...

 

[Disco]

She squeaked in alarm when she was suddenly swooped away, but she couldn't do anything but go limp. At least he was someone she could trust...

"...I've never seen someone die before. ...I wanted to help, but this is too much!"

 

[Namohysip]

"...Die?" Truffle said. "My fine hero, nobody died in that fight! I do not know what world you are from, but we are much hardier than you give us credit for! Sashimi is certainly badly hurt, but a few days of rest will bring her back to her old self, I'm certain! Sushi as well, though she was more worried for her sister... What a thrill it must be to evolve!"

 

[Disco]

She blinked.

"...Nobody died...? ....Are you sure?"

...That was a relief. Though, while she would normally be very happy for Sashimi, she couldn't help but feel rather angry that she caused so much destruction. Both before she evolved and after. Mellow sighed and looked up towards the Decidueye with a frown.

"I'm sorry I ran off like that. I hope I didn't worry anyone... What are we going to do next?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Rest," Truffle said with a confident nod. "After a fight like that, you all deserve to recover. I shall spearhead the efforts to tend to your needs in the coming days!"

Truffle made a motion to set Mellow down, but stopped midway when he noticed how limp and exhausted she had already been. "Would you care for me to bring you there?" he instead offered.

 

[Disco]

"...Yes. I'd appreciate it if you did...", she mumbled as her eyes started to droop. "I've never been in a real battle before. Especially one like that..."

 

[Namohysip]

"Goodness," Truffle said. "To go from a life of peace to that... I can certainly understand your shock. Very good, then, Charmander. You were very strong, and I can only see you becoming stronger."

He walked down the forest path as the afternoon sun shined above them.

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