Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here to wish you all a Happy Halloween!
So, a little background info on this story: I first got intrigued by the idea of ShellPWNageshipping when I wrote a Comashipping Christmas oneshot as a dare over on Serebii Forums. Of course, it was well past Christmas when I finished it, but that is not the point! :P
Anyway, near the end, I decided to toss in a little SnivyxOshawott just for fun, and when Skiyomi commented on how awesome Snivy was, I instantly started exploring the possibilities for the pairing. Months later, I see a Halloween fic under Pokemon and decide that thijust s premise works for ShellPWNage purposes.
For those of you interested in that Comashipping oneshot, it's called "The Battle Before Christmas." The topic should be locked by now, so you can't really review it. But I just might rewrite it and post it here someday.
Anyway, I talked your ears off enough, so let's get on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon: Black and White/Best Wishes, or any of the characters within.
It wasn't often that all of Ash's Unova Pokemon were gathered in one place. In fact, it almost never happened due to that cumbersome six-Pokemon limit imposed on Trainers. But Professor Juniper had approached Ash and his friends about wanting to study exactly how a Trainer's Pokemon interacted with one another, and had even brought the Pokemon she was holding for him along as well.
That was how Ash, Iris, and Cilan's Pokemon wound up spending the evening in an open field, unknowingly watched by Juniper and their Trainers. Tepig was munching on some berries, Palpitoad and Stunfisk were teasing Swadloon, who was doing his best to ignore them, Dwebble was fixing his shell, which had been damaged in a friendly match with Excadrill, who was resting, Roggenrola was playing with Axew and Scraggy, closely monitored by Pikachu and Pansage. Most notably, at least as far as our story is concerned, Emolga was flirting with Oshawott in plain view of Tranquill and Snivy, the latter of whom was trying to control her anger.
"That tramp," Snivy growled. "I ought to give her a piece of my mind."
"Easy, Snivy," said Tranquill cautiously. "She's just doing it to annoy you. But I do agree that it's not her business whether or not you like Oshawott."
Snivy shot her teammate a harsh glare. "And what makes you think I have feelings for that idiot?" she asked curtly.
"I think your reaction to Emolga's flirting with him is proof enough," said Tranquill slyly.
Snivy blushed. "I don't like him," she said adamantly. "I just don't care for the way Emolga uses Attract to always get her way, and especially not the way she uses Volt Switch to avoid battling, or for that matter, any sort of real work."
Tranquill put a wing to her chin in thought. "Yup. Definitely jealous," she declared proudly. Snivy only fumed at the Flying-type's words.
Suddenly, Oshawott shot a Water Gun towards the sky, causing everyone to gather around him.
"What's up, Oshawott?" asked Pikachu, the de facto leader of the group's Pokemon.
"I just remembered tonight is Halloween!" said Oshawott. "We should tell scary stories!"
"Scary stories…" Pansage repeated thoughtfully.
"Tongue to Keldeo, if you tell us you're a Horror Connoisseur…" warned Palpitoad.
Pansage sighed. "I'm not a carbon copy of my Trainer, okay, Palpitoad?" he said in an annoyed tone.
"Could've fooled me," said Palpitoad. "Right, Stunfisk?"
"…I really shouldn't talk that way about my Trainer…" said Stunfisk nervously.
"All right!" said Pikachu excitedly. "We're going to tell scary stories!" The Mouse Pokemon was excited. Scary stories were a sort of tradition with all the Pokemon he and Ash traveled with.
Soon, everyone had gathered into a big circle. "So who's going to go first?" asked Tepig.
"I will!" Dwebble volunteered. Pikachu saw no problems with that.
"Go for it," the Kantonian Pokemon said encouragingly. The Hermit Pokemon was only too happy to oblige.
"This happened when I was young," began Dwebble. "I was old enough to live without my mother's care, and I was carving my first home. I must've worked at least a week on it before I was satisfied. And let me tell you, good quality rock is hard to come by where I come from. I mean…"
"Get on with it!" yelled Palpitoad. Dwebble "humphed," but otherwise didn't give the Vibration Pokemon the time of day.
"I had fallen asleep from exhaustion a few hours before, and awoke to find my house floating in midair, an ominous glow around it," Dwebble continued, using his spookiest voice. Axew and Scraggy huddled close together in fear, their young minds easily enraptured by the story.
"Let me guess, it was a Woobat practicing Confusion or something," said Emolga haughtily.
"How did you know?" asked Dwebble. Everyone was groaning and booing at Emolga for ruining the story for everyone.
"Dwebble," said Snivy. "As much as I hate to agree with Emolga, it was kind of obvious how the story would end."
"I totally saw it coming," Swadloon chimed in.
"Of course, my big brave Oshawott wasn't scared, were you, Osha-dear?" said Emolga flirtatiously, rubbing her cheek up against Oshawott's belly.
"N-no way! I'm not scared of Woobats!" said Oshawott. Of course, Dwebble's story did unnerve him a little, but he wouldn't let the other Pokemon know that.
"Oh? And I suppose you could do better?" asked Snivy with so much venom, you'd think she was a Poison-type.
"Watch me!" said Emolga boldly. "Once upon a time, there was an ugly Snivy. She was so ugly that everybody died. The end."
"Uh, Swadloon? You may want to use String Shot to stop Snivy from doing anything… crazy," said Tranquill. Swadloon nodded and prepared the move just in case.
"That wasn't a real story!" Axew complained, unknowingly diffusing the tension between the female Pokemon.
"Yeah!" Scraggy agreed. "Tell us something about ax murderers and escaped asylum patients and a zombie apocalypse!" Everyone looked at the group's youngest Pokemon, wondering where the hell that came from.
"What? I'm a Dark-type. Horror is ingrained into our minds," said Scraggy. Swadloon and Stunfisk inched away from him ever so slightly.
Suddenly, Excadrill gave a low, dark chuckle that was completely out of character for him. "You call those stories scary?" he asked. "Well, I happen to know a tale from my days as a wild Drilbur."
"What, the Tale of the Excadrill That Drowned?" asked Palpitoad mockingly.
"Heh-heh. Good one, Palpitoad," said Stunfisk.
"Not even remotely funny," Swadloon deadpanned.
"Fret not, Palpitoad," said Excadrill. "What you lack in humor, I'll make up for in horror." He said the last word with the obvious intent to cause chills.
Pikachu was intrigued. "Tell us, Excadrill," he said.
"Yeah!" agreed Pansage. "Let's hear it!"
"I don't know," said Excadrill, putting his claw to his chin. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Yeah! What kind of scardey-cats do you think we are?" asked Oshawott fiercely.
"Are you really sure? It is pretty damn scary," warned Excadrill.
"He's never met Croagunk," Pikachu thought to himself.
"I'm certain it's not as scary as you make it out to be," said Snivy confidently.
"All right," said Excadrill with a sigh. "But only if you're absolutely, positively, one hundred and ten percent sure-"
"JUST TELL US THE STORY!" Everyone yelled at the Subterrene Pokemon.
"Fine!" said Excadrill. "But you all asked for it!" He cleared his throat. "This is the tale… of the Sandstorm Slasher!"
"Oooh! Sounds scary!" said Tepig.
"Just the way I like it," replied Pikachu. Excadrill began the narrative.
"Once, there was a Trainer and his Excadrill. The two were a formidable pair, and it was rare to see them lose. One day, their travels led them to a harsh desert. Now the Trainer was physically healthy, but he had a condition that made travel in the desert unadvisable… what was it, now? It began with an A, I believe… Atkins? Aflack? Aztec?"
"Asthma?" supplied Pansage.
"Bingo! There's the word!" said Excadrill. "The Trainer had asthma!
"This condition made travel in the desert unadvisable. But with Excadrill as his guide, the boy was confident. Sadly, this confidence wouldn't last too long. On the bright side… it lasted for the rest of his life."
Quite a few Pokemon gulped at this. Fortunately, no one noticed Snivy swallowing a deep gulp of air. Excadrill didn't know it, but this story was hitting a little too close to home for her.
"It's not as bad as it could be," Snivy told herself. "It's definitely nothing like that." These thoughts served as a small comfort as Excadrill continued.
"The pair was lost. The desert heat was getting to the Trainer, and night was about to fall. But the Trainer, the poor fool, would not admit defeat that easily. Excadrill was growing wary, for a human lacks the sense of danger that Pokemon all have inherently. He knew that trouble was afoot. And then, as the sun finally set, disaster struck! A wild Krookodile had assaulted the pair!
"Now, as we all know, a Krookodile never allows its prey to escape, and Excadrill and his Trainer, having ignorantly trespassed on its territory, were no exceptions. The pair fled into the night, putting a good deal of distance between them and their pursuer. Soon, a sandstorm brewed, causing the boy's asthma to set in, rendering him unable to react. Excadrill tried to protect his master, but in vain. Krookodile brushed him aside with its powerful tail! And then… Krookodile sank its fangs into the boy's side, killing him instantly, while Excadrill could only watch in horror as his master, his partner, his best friend, was cruelly taken from him before his very eyes!"
The group of Pokemon screamed in terror as Excadrill described the Trainer's death. Only Snivy remained silent, stock still by the memories the story evoked.
"Wow, Snivy! You're really brave!" said Oshawott in admiration, who was sitting next to the Grass-type. Barely registering her comrade's words, Snivy only nodded.
"Anger and sadness overtook Excadrill, and in an instant of blind fury, empowered by the sandstorm, he slew his Trainer's murderer with just as little, if not less regard for its life as it had for his beloved master." Turning his gaze to Roggenrola, he said, "And now, Roggenrola, if you'll indulge me with a Sandstorm?" Roggenrola obliged, curious as to what he had planned next. Without delay, the whole circle of Pokemon was engulfed in a vicious sandstorm.
Roggenrola went all out, Excadrill noted.
"No one knows what became of Excadrill," said Excadrill as he hid in the sandstorm. "However, there are many theories. Some say he was possessed with the vengeful spirit of his Trainer, giving rise to an unquenchable bloodlust. Others say he is merely trying to protect his master's grave, and mercilessly slays any and all who trespass there. Still others say that he lives with the guilt of his Trainer's death, and has resigned himself to a life of killing. Whatever the reason may be, it is advisable to cross the desert before nightfall, lest you meet your end at the claws of… The Sandstorm Slasher!" He lunged at Snivy, his claw freezing mere inches away from her face.
Then, something happened that no one saw coming. Snivy broke down sobbing, causing everyone to panic, Excadrill to stare in confusion, and Oshawott to step between the former two Pokemon, Razor Shell at the ready, eyes burning with anger.
"Excadrill!" the Water-type growled as he lunged for Excadrill. Still shell-shocked from Snivy's reaction, the Ground-type could only take the attack.
At this point, the Trainers decided to step in. "Oshawott!/Excadrill!" Ash and Iris yelled simultaneously. Both Pokemon froze at the sound of their Trainers calling them. They started making noises, defending their cases to their Trainers, even knowing the language barrier between them.
It was then that Ash noticed the crying Snivy. "SNIVY!" he exclaimed in worry, cradling the Grass-type in his arms. "What happened?" he asked angrily.
"As far as I can tell, Excadrill made Snivy cry somehow," said Cilan seriously.
"Is this true, Excadrill?" Iris asked her first Pokemon angrily. Excadrill opened his mouth to defend himself, but faltered under his Trainer's gaze. The mole-like Pokemon hung his head and gave a weak "Drill."
"I think it's best if we put everyone back in their balls," said Cilan.
"Good idea," agreed Ash. One by one, he and the others recalled their Pokemon, Juniper recalling those that weren't currently in his party. When he got to Snivy, he hesitated. He didn't know what the inside of a Poke Ball was like, but it couldn't possibly do Snivy any good in her current state. "Hey, Snivy. Would you like to sleep with me tonight?" he asked gently. Snivy gave a sniffle and a muffled cry that Ash assumed to mean yes.
"Then get some sleep. I'll join you soon," said Ash, setting Snivy down. He pulled out Oshawott's ball with the intent to recall him as well. "Oshawott, return."
In a flash of red light, Oshawott was sucked into the ball, only to burst out and run toward Snivy, holding her protectively.
"Oshawott," said Ash, ready to scold the Sea Otter Pokemon, but Cilan stopped him.
"I think Oshawott wants to sleep outside with Snivy," said the Pokemon Connoisseur.
"Okay, but why?" asked Ash.
"Don't be such a kid, Ash!" said Iris. "Oshawott wants to make sure Snivy stays safe during the night. Kind of like a knight and his princess. How romantic!" Ash was still confused, but he didn't see the harm.
"Well, I don't know what romance has to do with anything, but okay." Bending down to look at Oshawott, he patted him on the head and said, "Oshawott, I'm counting on you to protect Snivy, all right?"
"Oshawott!" said Oshawott with confidence.
Despite the tears in her eyes, Snivy couldn't help but let a smile grace her face. She felt safer already, knowing Oshawott was nearby.
Later that night, Snivy woke up to see Oshawott standing guard over her, ready to attack anything that he perceived as a threat.
"You know, Oshawott, just because Ash asked you to protect me doesn't mean you can't fall asleep yourself," said the grass snake.
"No way!" exclaimed Oshawott. "If I fall asleep, the Sandstorm Slasher will get you!"
Snivy sighed. "Look, Oshawott. First of all, we're not in the middle of a desert," she said. "Second of all, it was just a story. Nothing's going to happen to us, okay?"
Oshawott frowned. "Doesn't sound like you believe that yourself," he said.
"Well… it's not the story that scared me… but the memories it brought back." Snivy had no idea why she was telling Oshawott this, but at that moment, she would trust him unquestioningly. She sighed and said two words: "Team Plasma…"
Oshawott gaped at the implication Snivy made by naming Team Plasma. "Team Plasma? Those Pokemon Liberation guys we fought?"
"Yes," said Snivy seriously. "Amongst their ranks are dangerous extremists, willing to do anything and everything to separate humans from Pokemon." She started to tear up again, but blinked them back. "My old Trainer was one of their victims."
Oshawott was at a loss for what to do next. "I want to ask what happened, but if it's too painful, I'm happy with not knowing." But Snivy would not let this thing weigh her down any longer.
"We had just come off a victory at the Striaton City Gym. I was feeling strong, especially after having defeated a Fire-type. We had barely made it out of town when we were assaulted by a Team Plasma member. He started ranting and raving about how he would do whatever he had to in order to ensure unworthy Trainers didn't own Pokemon. From there, I was sent out to battle… his Krookodile."
This time Oshawott was totally silent. Suddenly, Snivy's reaction to Excadrill's story made sense. Basically, the Team Plasma member ordered his Krookodile to kill Snivy's Trainer. "I'm sorry," he said.
"It's all right, Oshawott," said Snivy gently. Neither one said anything for a while, content to gaze at the night sky. After a while, Oshawott decided to speak.
"Hey Snivy."
"Yeah?"
"You know I'll always be there to protect you, right?"
Snivy laughed at this. "I'm stronger than you, idiot," she said. "And besides, you don't have to protect me from anything."
"I know," said Oshawott. He then gave a big smile. "But no one ever said I had to, either." The blush gracing the grass snake's cheeks could rival Pikachu's at that point.
"We've stayed up long enough," said Snivy. "We need our strength for tomorrow." Glancing at the sea otter, she saw that he was already fast asleep. She gave a heavy sigh.
Of all Pokemon, why did she have to fall in love with this idiot?
Yeah... can you tell I'm not very good with ensemble casts?
I saved this in OpenOffice to see if it being a .odt file would preserve simultaneous question and exclamation marks. After re-reading this here, I can conclude that that experiment failed. Oh well, I think I'll still use it, since its grammar check is way more lenient than Word's.
So anyway, that's my little Halloween special. Sorry it's not NatsuxErza (or even Fairy Tail for that matter), but hey, it's something I've been meaning to try. So until tomorrow, which is when the new Lucky Star goes up, peace and love from Nightlingbolt. Happy Halloween, y'all.