Happy Halloween guys! (If you celebrate it. Otherwise, hi.) I am literally sitting in my chair with my Halloween costume on as I write this AN. This is my first try at a horror story so be sure to tell me what you think about it. With that out of the way, I proudly present...
Project D0-2: A Pokemon horror story
Exposition
When going into expositions, the main plot, scenery, timeline, and characters are often explained. This story, you might say, both has and hasn't have an exposition. Why, you may ask? The answer is, it's necessary.
This is not a happy get-up-and-go story. This is a grisly story to make chills run up your spine. This is a story about an upcoming disaster. This is a premonition.
This isn't a natural disaster either such as a tsunami or earthquake. Some would say it was the creature that was the fault of this event. Some blame the pokemon involved in the creation. They are wrong for no matter what they think for the fault of this tragedy is none other than man.
Regrettably, the time or setting this takes place cannot be told. If told about, one would know exactly where and when this tragedy would take place. Then, they would go to great lengths to prevent it. It's a morbid thought but it's only profitable to let it happen in the end.
There is a different reason why the characters cannot be mentioned. It's not because someone will track them down. In fact, tracking them down would be asking for your own head. Well, tracking one down at least...
One character is so gruesome, so haunting, so evil, that we cannot speak of it. We cannot introduce it right off because it'll be just another one of our human mistakes. Only the true horror of this character can be acknowledged as time goes on.
You might be asking why we're doing this. If we can't tell of the exposition straight off, then why are we doing this story? It's to inform. To prepare one for when the time comes. For the hope of them to take evasive action when the disaster strikes.
We'll just say the time is near ours. The place will be our downfall.
Narrative Hook
Leather footwear clapped on metal ground. The halls cast a dark shadow with the grime of the walls. A foggy mood was cast from years of chemical use.
An arm hung clutching the clipboard tightly. Deep eyes scanned the eerie hallways through his glasses. Only emptiness stood out. Thank goodness...
Then came the movement. Though he didn't see it, the noise was faint, coming from across the hall. The man started and clutched the clipboard tighter. His free hand reached down to his waist as he fingered the red and white capsule.
It can attack me if it must. He thought. But don't let it get the clipboard! He drew from his belt not the capsule, but a flashlight. The circle of light appeared from the machine, which the man felt was out of place to the darkened hallways. The beam darted across both metal floor and wall, searching for the noisemaker.
Another clank, dead ahead. The man's light shone in the hallway, illuminating the cast iron door ahead. The man gulped when he realized the sound was coming from inside.
"Something's gotten loose," he muttered fearfully. He pocketed the flashlight, seeing it only as a distraction to the others and an outlier to the metal environment. Slowly, he extended his left hand shakily toward the hand scanner.
He could barely keep his hand steady as the scanner did its work. He accidently slipped his hand off from his own sweat before the scan was complete. The second time didn't go as well either. The crashing noise came off once again from the room, causing the hand to jump off. Third time was the charm, but only because the right hand was used to hold the left steady.
Once the scanner turned green, the man immediately stooped down and picked up the clipboard. Idiot, he mentally scolded. You could've soiled it, or worse, someone could've taken it!
Hand once again reached for the door, still shaking. Fingers wrapped themselves on a handle which almost immediately became slippery with his nervous sweat. The man took steady intakes of breath, then pulled.
Everytime he went in this room, every time he pulled the door open, he would always wince at the sight. The room had always been unsettling to him, to everyone. The way it was isolated from the rest of the lab was foreshadowing to the other workers, but there was a reason for this separation. They were in here.
Fluorescent lights from beakers and X-Rays faintly illuminated the room. The man wished they hadn't. It allowed him to see them.
He couldn't call the things in the cages pokemon. At least, not anymore. The creatures rattled the cages, snarling viciously. Distorted claws, wings, and paws groped through the bars of the cage, struggling for freedom and revenge.
The man glanced at one of the cages. Inside lay what was once a small horse pokemon, a ponyta to be exact. However, the fiery mane, the cloven hooves, the tan fur, all the features that made a ponyta were no longer found in the creature.
The thing in the cage was a mixture of fur and fish scales, a combination of vaporeon and ponyta. The creature lifted a finned head as he looked at the man. What was it thinking? Sorrow? Pain? Revenge?
"Shun"
Rising Action
The man, Shun, spun on his heels at the sound of the voice. The clipboard was now pressed tightly against his chest with his arms wrapped over it to protect the papers. The right hand started to dart down toward his waist, but it was stopped short.
In front of Shun stood a woman dressed in a white lab coat that was stained from mud and chemicals. Over the snarls and rattles, Shun saw the woman hold out a demanding hand. "Do you have the data?" She said sternly.
Shun gulped, then immediately nodded as he pried the clipboard from his chest. The scientist immediately snatched up the document and poured over its contents.
Relief washed over Shun as the pain in his chest subsided. Shun knew that the clipboard had surely left an imprint on his skin. He had been holding it so tightly after all, as if it would also protect him from the creature in the room.
The creature.
"Miss?" Shun said. The woman glanced at him, her hand in the middle of a page turn. "Miss, I heard some noises in here earlier. I must ask...did a creature get loose?"
The woman shook her head, making Shun sigh in relief. The relief was then cut short at the realization. "Then what was it?"
Shun noticed her hesitate, the way she had the slightest of glances at the clipboard. Ages, eternities would pass before she would speak. He saw her mouth contorted into a half snarl and knew the subject had somehow angered her, possibly because he knew too much. Then, she spoke, her voice a cheery reassuring tone. "Nothing! Must have been a...vibration from the surface! It probably sent some flasks off the shelves."
He knew she was lying somehow. That cheery tone she was what she used before the pokemon were mutated.
Shun gave a slight nod. "Okay... I'll be going now...".
Shun glanced around the room nervously, seeing the cages, the creatures with their hunger for vengeance. He shivered at the sight of their mutated bodies. The young scientist took a deep breath, trying to calm himself but soon realized it was a terrible mistake. The room reeked of chemicals and dried blood.
Shun pulled the collar of his shirt over his mouth and rushed past the woman. Before he closed the door behind him, he caught sight of her, skimming the papers with a hungry look on her face.
They were in the lounge, talking over cups of coffee, sharing jokes, the lot. The sounds of laughter and gossip filled the air around Shun. He grimaced at the noises, tapping the pokeball on his belt.
That vapornyta he had seen in the cage was the only thing on his mind. Deep gray eyes stared at the machines located around the room. Many of the ones found here were minor because on the surface, there were machines much more complex. There were machines that allowed the smallest piece of dough to become a pizza for a whole family. Machines that tracked one's emotional states and gave advice. Machines that created medicines that could cure almost any disease.
There were some machines that didn't seem necessary, at least nowadays. Such were the technology that created the creatures, that caused pokemon to combine into all new species, the animals of the future.
Shun leaned back in the recliner. At first, when he started working here, he thought that the "New World Pokemon" project was plausible. After all, with advances in humankind, why doesn't the same go for pokemon? The problem was that they were too slow to develop compared to the rate of technology. That was where NWP came in, combining traits of different pokemon through genetics.
Now, Shun didn't know what to think anymore. After working as a data collector with the genetics lab for months, he felt that there was a reason why the facility was underground. Maybe some people didn't approve of NWP.
The scientist tapped the pokeball again. No. He could never let his partner go through what the NWPs go through. It was too inhumane to betray a pokemon.
Banette. A pokemon created from an abandoned doll. Sighing, Shun held the pokeball at eye level. I promise partner, I will never abandon you...
It was the second week since the clipboard incident. The thumping noises Shun heard had become more and more common. Clipboard after clipboard was passed to the hands of multiple scientists. Shrieks of pokemon and chemical scents haunted the man throughout his job. Even worse, the sounds he'd heard that one day were still present.
He didn't know when he discovered it, but he somehow did learn the truth. The way the scientists urged him out the room so quickly, the way they stared hungrily at the papers, the way they cringed when the distant thumps reached their ears. It became obvious that the scientists were working on something big. The question was what?
"Thank you, Shun. You can run along now,". The scientist gathered the papers and turned his back. One of the cages shook and Shun saw an Eevee-Lilipup cry out. The scientist turned and kicked it. Shun saw blood. Enraged, Shun slammed into him, knocking the scientist down.
"Tell me what you're doing!" Shun demanded, his hand clutching the scientist's shirt collar. His hostage stared up at Shun. "What the hell are you talking about!?" Shun gripped harder, his face in a furious glare.
"Don't lie! I know there's something big going on! I heard the distant thumps, the data I handed you, the way you always seem excited for something!" He exclaimed, then leaned in closer to his captor. "I know there's something big going on! A huge project for NWP, so TELL ME WHAT IT IS!"
He saw the man shaking, his eyes wide in fear. "I-I That's none of your business!" He shrieked. Shun saw his hostage grab a nearby pipe.
The first strike came, then the second. Pain throbbed through the young man's head as he saw the madman start toward him.
Run Shun, RUN!
He dashed off, stumbling over cages and uneven floor. The madman was right on his tail, ready to bring the pipe down on him. The image of the kicked creature returned, making Shun turn, grab the madman's shirt, and pushed him away.
The scientist stumbled back against a cage and dropped the pipe. Shun stared in horror at what he had done. It had been an act of self-defense, but instead he had sent the scientist to possible grave.
The scientist didn't realize it until clawed hands thrust out of the cage, grabbing and tearing him. Realizing the danger, the man screeched and struggled against the attackers, writhing as they tore into him and attempting to drag him inside their prison.
The second Shun saw the blood drop, he ran. Running from the horror of the creatures, from the gore, from the facility, from the wicked people, he couldn't stop. He had no idea where he was going, all he wanted to do was run, escape the terror.
He came upon a door labeled, Testing Enclosures. Shun heard the agonizing screams of the scientist as he was mauled. Shun shuddered, then thrust the door open.
Climax
Shun saw more scientists on the other side of the door. They were gathered around something, a creature. Based on the number of scientists and the excited murmuring, Shun could only guess that it was his answer. It was the thing that was making the noises throughout the days, the big project.
The question was, did he want to know what it was?
Yes.
One of the scientists, the woman he met before noticed him and turned. "Well, well, well, look what we have here. Just in time to see our big experiment!"
Shun stood his ground, growling at the woman. "Cut that crap right now! Tell me this "huge project" of yours!" He exclaimed.
The woman stood her ground, unthreatened. Instead, a greedy smile crept off her lips. "Why yes, how would I explain? You see, recently we began to notice a large death rate in our NWP creations. That vapornyta you saw the other day, let's say it was a little example of our predicament."
Something cold came from inside Shun. The creature, dead? Why was he feeling sorrow for the creature? He had barely known it.
The woman noticed Shun's sudden lack of words and laughed.
"Yes, an unfortunate incident indeed. That was why we thought, and thought, until we reached a solution. All along, we have been mixing pokemon of different types, meaning that the two types were countering each other out, causing incompatibilitys. That's why we decided to combine pokemon of the same type, and not just two or three. Our first attempt at it was immediately a success. We call it D0-2..." the woman explained. She held out a hand.
"The ultimate ghost-type pokemon!"
The scientists stepped away, revealing the horror to Shun. The thing was sitting in a glass cylinder with multiple tubes and wires puncturing into the beast. Shun saw the woman smile as she put a hand on the glass.
"Yes, we had to work out a lot of different problems, such as balancing out its system so it wouldn't die instantly. It took a long time but it worked! Once these nutrients are pumped into its body, it'll become one of the most powerful pokemon in the world!" The woman laughed maniacally as Shun stared in horror.
"How in the-" he started. "What's in that thing?"
The woman turned toward the young scientist. "Mostly every ghost-type known to man. We had trouble with the base pokemon, considering that a lot were incompatible with each other, but we finally found our D0-2!" She answered. Then, she leaned in close, the light of the tubes illuminating her. "The base pokemon is a Banette."
At first, Shun stood there confused, then the truth sank in. He gasped as his hand reached toward his waist. Everything went numb as he realized the pokeball was gone.
"You took Banette! You took my partner!" He shrieked.
To his horror, the woman laughed. "Yes, we sure had one hell of a time trying to steal it from you! Consider yourself lucky that your pokemon was part of mankind's greatest breakthrough!"
Shun gritted his teeth. "YOU BI-"
He never finished. Instead, the cylinder behind the woman exploded, causing himself to fly backwards. Groaning, the man got up, then gasped. D0-2, was complete, and was floating above the woman scientist.
Shun had never seen a creature more horrifying, more gruesome. The thing had the gray color of his Banette and had similar head decorations. However, the horns were more solid and curved. On D0-2's forehead, Shun saw a marking which resembled a bloodstain. Two hands, Haunter hands, were connected to the torso by a dark black mist. The thing had no legs, and just floated by two wings that throbbed ominously.
"It worked!" The woman exclaimed, starting toward the creature. Shun stared at the thing, and saw it staring down at the woman with dead white eyes. The pupils were just tiny dots. Those pupils had a hungry look, the same hungry look the scientists had when a new NWP was created. Oh no...
"D0-2! I am Shira! As your master I command you to-"
"STOP! DON'T GET NEAR IT!"
The warning came too late. Shun saw as D0-2 thrust its hand down into Shira's chest. Then came the shriek, the long wailing shriek. Shun saw the hand retreat, stared in horror at the pulsing object in its grasp, and screamed as the creature ate it. Shira fell to the ground.
For the second time today, Shun ran. Behind him, he heard the shrieks of other people. Some screamed like Shira as their hearts were also ripped out. Some only screamed in horror. No matter what the scream, Shun knew they would all meet the same fate. Everyone in that room was at Death's door.
Get the hell out of here! Shun mentally shrieked. He ran through the lab of caged creatures and heard the last few shrieks of scientists before they died. Shun knew that if he didn't hurry up, he would be next. The door of the testing enclosure burst open, causing Shun to fall to his feet. The young man scrambled up once again and made a desperate dash.
Desperate to reach the exit, to escape D0-2, Shun stumbled forward. He realized with a shock that the snarls and wails of the mutated pokemon, were gone. He nearly froze at this realization. A pokemon feared above all else? He had never seen anything like that!
Shun heard D0-2's shriek, then made a full sprint. The exit was in sight, he was going to make it.
10 feet... He heard the experiment advance.
7 feet... His body started becoming cold by D0-2's presence.
4 feet... Shun could feel the thing's breath.
2 feet... It was so close.
1 foot... But it didn't matter! He was gonna get out! Yes, Yes, YES!
Shun's hands grasped the handle of the door. He braced himself as he pushed with all his might. The door swung open revealing the darkened hallways. The sight was so welcoming, his salvation was here. Shun started to rush out.
Something knocked him down, the icy tentacles of D0-2's wings wrapped around the man's limbs. No, No, NO! Shun stared in horror as the monster rose over him, its hands twitching in anticipation. A tentacle wrapped around his throat. Slowly, in a raspy voice, Shun squeaked out, "...Banette?"
If Shun had thought the thing's appearance was horrible, that its hunger for human hearts was gruesome, it was nothing compared to what it did next.
It smiled.
The hand reached down, and darkness engulfed him.
Falling Action
After the massacre, D0-2 managed to make its way to the surface. At first, nobody knew of its true horror. After all, it looked like a normal ghost-type pokemon, causing many innocent trainers to be eager to catch it. They ignored the cowardice of their pokemon when they were sent out. They ignored the evil slits of D0-2's eyes and only when they were writhing in pain did they realize their mistake.
D0-2 soon became largely known throughout the world. The monster was known to many as the "One Who Stopped Hearts," but would soon be known as, "Humanity's Downfall" and "The Next Great Extinction."
Fatalities rose, civilizations crumbled, it was then that man knew action had to be taken. It was on that fateful day that not what people hoped would be the monster's end, but the reality of its terror.
Army men and Champion trainers lined the field, both guns and pokeballs at the ready. Night fell, the fighters stood their ground waiting for the creature. Waiting for their fates.
Along the horizon, one of the soldiers saw it, floating across the field ominously. That was when the guns shouted, that was when amounts of pokemon attacks reluctantly pummeled the creature. That was when the dust cleared and they saw D0-2 finally fall, pierced by both bullets and pokemon attacks. That was when all cheered, thankful that this era of darkness was over and a new hope was finally shining. That was when one soldier screamed. The scream one made when their heart was taken.
Everyone turned to see D0-2, who was letting its latest victim slide from its grasp.
What was seen next could only be described as chaos. Gun shots everywhere, screams of people as they were taken. The battle field had turned into a war, and it was useless.
When everyone looked in horror at the monster during the battle, it was then they realized the truth. D0-2 kept dying, only to get up and kill once more. Everyone saw its body punctured, deep cuts running down it when they realized it. D0-2 couldn't die. It was invincible.
Resolution
Everyone died on the field that day, and people took their only option, fleeing. Barely a single person was seen on the streets those days. Though they were in hiding, D0-2 somehow found most of them.
This is now where the story ends. We'll only say some final notes. The people who read this will be part of this era of killing. When the first warnings start, don't ignore them like everyone else did. Instead, start running just as Shun did, only get to the exit this time. Do whatever it takes to escape D0-2, for the sake of humankind.
When the time comes when D0-2 falls, emerge from hiding. When the aura guardian and his pikachu defeat the monster, it'll be safe to wander. Once the monster's spirit is sealed in the keystone tower, only then will humankind be safe.
A new world will be created, one where people and pokemon will prosper. The first civilization will be called Pallet, because we're starting over with a fresh canvas.
Some readers will make it, some won't. It's disappointing really, but in the end, only one species is truly safe.
D0-2 will never harm a pokemon during its entire reign.
Yes! Finished this! You do not know how long it took to type this!
*Holds up bandaged fingers*
They hurt so much... ;-;
Be sure to leave a fav and a review. Also, try and find out which pokemon D0-2 really is. I really hope I didn't ruin your love of pokemon and/or scar you for life. :)
