The Thing in Pewter City

Mantineus-Mostly based on another mythos writer's imagination, but it can still be a part of our pokecraft mythos since Shub-Niggurath is Mr. Lovecraft's E.T.

Disclaimer-Pokemon belong to Nintendo. Shub-Niggurath belongs to H.P. Lovecraft. Part of the ritual belongs to Ramsey Campbell. I'm not sure if I made up the ritual at the end, I doubt it, so I don't own it! And the hybrid babies belong to the mythos now.

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My eldest brother chanted by himself, his authority of once being the Pewter City gym leader brought all of Pewter to this spot in the woods. I was frightened and so were my other younger siblings-me being the oldest next to Brock-The whole city seemed to be frightened at what they were seeing.

It all started when Brock came back looking nervous and edgy from Pallet Town. From what I gathered Ash went to some town I never heard of and he took the time to come back home and check on us. But there was something in his tone that made me doubt what he said. A kind of fear I never saw before and never in a million years would I have thought my older brother would show. He always seemed so fearless until then.

From then on he seemed aloof and in deep thought. This never happened to him, Brock always seemed so level headed. At night was when it got scary. From his bedroom I heard him toss and turn screaming nonsense like "La! Shub-Niggurath!" and he would awake looking groggy and tired. I often asked what Shub-Niggurath was, but every time I brought it up, he would go silent and escape to some place in his mind where I could not reach him while his body walked off like a zombie.

This continued for a while, getting worse on the thirtieth of April. He was in hysterics around that time, never sleeping. Our parents tried to hide this from us, but I saw him. I saw him rant about some goat with a thousand young and flutes. But after the thirtieth, Brock calmed down. He smiled more and seemed like his old self again. Which frightened me more; although the rest of the family seemed relieved with this.

His night time phrases, however, did not stop. Instead, they were replaced and changed into something more horrible than before. Now, before going to bed, Brock would chant: "I love you, my goddess; La! Shub-Niggurath!"

Never before had a sentiment of love frighten nor sicken me before that. Although nothing was to get everyone on edge when a few days before the congregation of Pewter, Brock slipped out of our house and shouted in the center of Pewter City.

"I, Brock, your once great gym leader; ask that all of you whom live in Pewter City to meet me outside the city in the woods this Saturday night for something special that will change the history of Pewter City, forever!"

Everyone waited for Saturday, a nervous expectation filled them all; since everyone came by asking him what it was, but received no concrete answer on what they asked. Allowing the entire city to speculate and spread rumors on what it was Brock had planned for them.

Days past, and the day Brock spoke about was upon us. Brock led our entire family outside of the city before everyone else arrived. We did not have to wait long, for one-by-one many people started to show up until the entire city was there.

"Follow me, everyone." Brock said. "For what I'm about to do is just the start of Pewter's bright, new future."

Brock led us all inside the woods until we reached a large clearing. There everyone crowded around the outskirts of the clearing, like Brock asked, leaving a monstrous amount of space in the center where he walked around freely.

"Be patient." Brock said. "What I'm about to do will take time. I am going to receive a reward and you will, too. If she dubs you worthy some day."

From there he recited a chant in a language that was hard on my ears. At first everyone was frightened, but soon something came over them and they chanted alongside Brock. My family, the entire city chanted in a strange ritual; only I stayed sane and stood still and quiet.

It did not take long, for something burst from the ground. It was large, black, and had many tentacles, mouths, and eyes. It made a loud screeching noise, mixed with everyone else's shouts of joy, drowned out my lone scream of terror.

"La! Shub-Niggurath!" Brock and everyone else shouted, finishing their chant.

I never saw Brock look as happy and in love as I had seen him then when this monstrosity of unspeakable, maddening horror broke from the ground. Nor would I ever see it again, for one of the wiggling tentacles came down and wrapped itself around Brock's body, while everyone cheered, he smiled.

The thing lifted Brock up and flung Brock inside one of its mouths where it began to eat my big brother. But this did not phase anyone but me; and soon everyone else cheered again when the thing spat out-not my brother-but something else. Something that had parts of my brother, but was not my brother. He looked around at his admirers and smiled. He spoke in the language he and the city people chanted earlier; talking to us, though I seemed to be the only one whom did not understand him.

This, I could tell, was the future of Pewter City my brother spoke of. Although I loved my brother and city; I wanted nothing to do with this…This thing! The thing sank back below the earth and I made a mad dash for it. Although I did not get far; apparently Brock had ordered several people to run after and capture me. My captors then dragged me over towards my once brother.

"What's the matter, brother?" He asked me. The voice sounded as if it had never spoken such a language before; strained and alien with a hint of Brock.

That made me angry. Whatever drove him to this madness I cursed it for taking Brock and the rest of our family away from me. Why would anyone or anything do such a horrible thing?

"Well?" It asked me.

I said nothing, pure hatred and contempt filled my face. All of it was directed at the thing I was forced to look at. It growled at me and said something to the people that had captured me. They dragged me towards the prison, the inside was empty, meaning I might have been standing next to a convict in that circle.

One of my captors stood by the door, while the other walked over to the wall on a hook where Officer Jenny keeps the keys and handed them to the one by the door. He locked it and gave them back to his companion and they both left. I ran towards the bars, grabbing them like my life depended on it. I looked towards the door as best I could.

Terrifying thoughts raced around in my head. Would they forget about me and let me rot in this prison? What happened to the whole city? My family? And thoughts of revenge against that thing posing as my brother.

It seems that I am not forgotten, for I am fed three times a day, all by different people, too. But I am-apparently-not allowed to see my family, for they never showed up.

Five days passed and I hear the stomping of Pokemon. I looked out of my window and I see every single Pokemon in Pewter and the surrounding woods storm off. Why they were leaving I could understand, even where they were going was not a mystery; they were going away. Far away.

Countless days passed and that thing dressed as my brother walked in and stood before my cell, a grin plastered on his face, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Why do you fight it?" He spoke, his voice sounding like it did not belong, sort of like a foreigner trying to speak the native language.

I spit at his feet. He growls and rushes at the bars, shaking them with his hands, forcing me backwards in fright. He chuckles in a deep, dry tone. It annoyed me greatly since it was coming from what once was my brother.

"La!" He screamed. "La! La! Shub-niggurath! La!"

I stayed silent as he raved on, repeating that chant before slipping into something different. The sad part was it sounded natural coming from him. He calmed down finally when a loud screech sounded from outside.

"La!" He shouted and bounded for the door.

I slid down to the floor, my elbows on my knees as my hands crossed. I convulsed slightly before I lowered my head on my arms and cried. I had lost everything; my brother, my family, my home, my freedom, and my town.

What I could perceive as a month flew by within that cell; although I can assume more because there is nothing to tell any sort of time except the sun and moon. My mundane existence drove me into fits of wild ravings and paranoia. I no longer found myself seeking hope and comfort, but instead, wallowed in self pity. But that was about to change. Torches were moving towards me, the sound of chanting could be heard as the entire town descended towards my solitary world.

The thing dressed as my brother broke the door down and several people burst into the prison, heading towards my cell. They wore weird clothing and black face paint. They stared down at me, awaiting their master. He walked over towards me and broke the cell door down. The people flooded my cell, two of them held me still while another tied my hands together. Those that held me then forced me outside. I struggled and screamed, not wanting to leave my cell where everything made sense and where I lost nothing. But they did not falter, I was outside and screamed as I saw everyone look like my captors; wearing strange clothing and black face paint.

"La!" They shouted as one.

What once was my brother shouted something to them in a language I did not understand and they all shouted La back. Soon we were lead to the woods. Brock stopped and I could see black trees, their branches swaying in the breeze; only there was no breeze and branches could not do what they were doing.

Soon the torches were set down, allowing everyone to see them clearly. Most were black tree like things with many mouths and eyes. But I screamed when I saw what the unholy union conceived; coming towards us was a lighter shade of black thing with many mouths and tentacle branches on its head, but the scariest part were the eyes. They were slanted like Brock's!

I looked around me, no one else had the look of disgust or horror on their faces like myself. But I looked over at the writhing grove of these things and a few more of Brock's babies walked towards us. There were five of them and Brock cooed something to each of them and then turned to face his people and myself.

Brock spoke something to which everything responded except me. The sound of drums was heard and then flutes. I could hear everyone chant something as the tree things wiggled their tentacles in a rhythmic way. From the sound of stomping behind me I surmised that they might be dancing, too.

Brock shouted something and I was pushed towards him. Brock's babies screeched loudly; one would think hungrily.

"Your nieces and nephews are hungry." He said, a huge grin on his face. "This will be their first human."

He removed the rope that bound my hands together and I screamed as he shoved me towards them. Tentacles from each of them. All of them began to pull me towards them, but my form never reached any of them. My body felt like it was going to rip. One tentacle found its way around my neck and pulled. It was all over after that.

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