Hello readers, and thank you for clicking on this title. Take my hand and let us delve down deep into the shadows of the pokemon world. Let us sift through those Pokedex entries, hastily written and often overlooked by trainers too busy with catching more to stop and think about what monsters lay inside their pockets. Have caution my dears. Don't look up, don't look down, and most definitely don't look back. And that noise you're hearing? *chuckle* I wouldn't worry about it. Now then…
Shall we?
"All right Pignite, one more Heat Crash ought to do it!"
Pignite nodded, charging at the opposing Ferroseed, its body slicked with a coating of bright fire. The little grass type tried to dodge, but to no avail. Pignite slammed into it, white-hot flames wrapping around the wild pokemon's body and searing its steel skin. The roar of the fire almost drowned out the agonized screech. Ferroseed fell, burnt and knocked out. Cheren cheered and ran up to his starter.
"Great job Pignite! Keep that up and we'll sweep Skyla problem!" He told the dependable fire/fighting type, patting it on the shoulder. Pignite gave a snort of agreement, wincing as he turned to face his trainer. Frowning, Cheren inspected his friend a bit closer, "something wrong?" he asked. He then noticed the cuts and scratches on his partner's chest and shoulders. Iron barbs. Ferroseed's special ability. It never made any sense to the young trainer as to why Ferroseed needed that ability. Sure, it was a grass type amongst a cave full of bugs (Joltik namely), but its dual typing with steel made it nigh impossible for any insect pokemon to nibble on it. Nevertheless, Cheren couldn't let his pokemon remain hurt. And so, removing a potion from his backpack, he began to spray the wounds. Pignite tensed at the sting, but remained still. Right as he was about to medicate the last cut, his transceiver began to ring.
Who'd be calling him? Curious, he pocketed the potion, and picked up the transceiver.
Touko's face flashed onto the screen, "Hey Cheren! What'cha doin' right now?"
Cheren smiled, "Nothing much. Just doing some training in Chargestone Cave. You?"
"Getting ready to challenge the Mistaltron gym. I've been having my Zebstrika battle wild pokemon on Route Seven like crazy and I think we're finally ready to take on Skyla. All I need to do is meet her at the Celestial Tower and then it's off to win a badge!"
Cheren bit back a derisive snort. Touko was a close friend, and he cared about her, but it aggravated him how she was always one step ahead of him. No matter. Once he too received the Jet Badge, he would challenge her and finally beat her.
"Well, I wish you luck," he told her, "Flying types are rather quick and deceptive. They may seem easy, but what they lack in power, they make up for in speed."
She chuckled, "Yeah, but as long as I've got the type advantage, I don't think I have much to worry about." In the background, a plane hummed as it readied for take-off. "So," the girl continued, "catch anything in the cave?"
"Not really," Cheren said with a defeated sigh, "every Joltik I've tried to catch burst out of the pokeball and ran off before I could try again. The store in Driftveil ran out of net balls and I'm not too keen on wasting any more great and ultra balls."
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll catch one soon!" Touko reassured him, "after all, like you said, there's plenty in there."
Nodding, Cheren replied, "Good point. Say, I've got to go. Good luck at the gym."
"Thanks! Good luck with the Joltik!"
A sharp click sounded and Touko's face disappeared from the transceiver. Cheren clicked the 'end call' button and sighed. Next to him, Pignite tugged on his jacket sleeve, a concerned look on its face. He gave the pokemon a warm smile, "Don't worry, pal. I'm fine." Pignite gave him a wary look, shiny black eyes trying to root through his trainer's in an attempt to gauge the boy's thoughts. In the end, the pokemon shrugged and let Cheren return him to his pokeball.
He knew it was stupid to feel so inferior, but he knew that without a type advantage the battle would be long, drawn-out and quite difficult. Pignite and Simisage were out of the question. Skyla's birds would eat those two for lunch. While he had high hopes for his Liepard and Unfezant, their defenses weren't the best. He needed to find a Joltik. He needed to show himself he wasn't second-rate. If Touko had the type advantage, so would he. And so, dusting off his pants, he set off deeper into the midnight blue cave. Small bright blue arcs dance across his shoes as he trekked near charged boulders. Static made his hair stand on end as he ducked beneath the floating stones. Cheren descended into the lower levels, keeping an eye out for the fluffy, yellow bug creature. Karrablasts and Ferroseeds assailed him, but were dispatched in one or two hits from either Pignite or Unfezant. A couple trainers challenged him and went down in a similar manner.
Cheren swept the entire bottom level of the cave, yet saw no signs of his quarry. Leaning against the wall, he fought the urge to kick something in disgust. This was starting to feel like a waste of time. Just as he was about to ascend and exit the cave, he heard a series of chittering sounds coming from somewhere deep within the cave. Definitely not a Ferroseed and too high-pitched to be a Karrablast. Could it be the prize he sought? However, as he tried to zero in on the sound, it seemed to bounce from wall to wall, not willing to give away its location. With a flash of insight, he released his Liepard. Although the dark type was weak to bugs, he could use it to track down the Joltik. Liepard gave him a dirty look, not happy at having its rest disturbed, but the moment it heard the tell-tale sounds, it froze. Ears flicking this way and that, the pokemon's predator sense began to take over. Cheren watched as it began to stalk off to the left, down an adjacent tunnel. Hope surged in the trainer's chest as he followed. The Liepard slunk low to the ground, its green eyes glowing from both the gloom and anticipation. Cheren made a mental note to remind himself to retrieve the wily cat before it got too close to the Joltik.
After ten minutes, Cheren could make out a small form a little ways ahead. Elation's light banished disappointment's dark shadows from his mind. There, at the very bottom of the far wall, crouched a splash of bright yellow with cobalt blue feet that jumped and twitched every now and then. Beady eyes darted left and right. Both Cheren and Liepard froze, the latter of the two pressed flush against the ground, nostrils flaring as it took in the tiny bug's scent. Silently, Cheren returned Liepard to its pokeball. Praying he wouldn't spook the Joltik, he crept to an adjacent wall. This far down, the war between the stone's luminescence and the shadows that crawled along the walls and ceiling became more evident. Rivers of blue light flowed through the center of the path, flanked by ebon banks of shadow. Taking advantage of the darkness, he hugged the tunnel wall and continued stalking towards his unsuspecting prey.
Three feet away, he decided to launch an ultra ball. As the black, white, and gold ball arced through the air, the Joltik look up. The chittering morphed into a high-pitched chirp of fright, but before it could think to run off, the ball opened. A cloud of red light engulfed the electric insect. Cheren watched as the ball plopped to the ground. It twitched.
Once.
Twice.
Cheren held his breath.
Three times.
Yes! He was finally going to catch a-
The ball burst open, spraying light and plastic pieces in all directions. The Joltik shook itself then took off down a nearby alcove, tiny legs propelling it as fast as it could go. Cheren let loose a stream of curses, and gave chase. No way was he letting this one escape. He charged down the tunnels, he keeping his gaze locked on the fleeing bug before him. Being an electric pokemon, it was naturally fast and Cheren found himself having a hard time keeping up with it. As he pursued the pokemon, he noticed the cave was becoming darker, and every now and then, Cheren would see dim bits of yellow light peeping out from cracks in the walls. Strange. What could be causing such a thing? He didn't ponder long however, for his toe struck a rut in the ground and he tumbled forward. Pain sank its sharp teeth into his body as the ground gave him a hard, welcoming smack. Cheren scrambled to his feet just in time to see his long, sought-after prize dart through a small opening in the wall. Within a couple seconds, it disappeared into the darkness, swallowed by the cavern.
No. No way. No way in hell! Cheren growled and glared at the gash in the stone that had stolen his catch. It felt like this damn cave was out to get him. He shook his head. No. Not going to happen. He was getting out of here with a Joltik one way or another. Determined, he strode up to the opening the pokemon had slipped through. As he peered into the gaping stone mouth, he noted that, while small, it was just big enough for him to squeeze through. In fact, on closer inspection, he could just make out a widening of the path further ahead. Father down, he saw beams of those dim yellow lights adorning the upper reaches of the walls. Taking a deep breath, Cheren shouldered his way into the opening.
A cool breeze caressed his face as he stood just inside the corridor. In the distance, he could hear a faint dripping noise. The smell of moss and lichen crept into his nose. There were no signs that that anyone else had been here before. This area was wild, untamed and untouched by humans. Heading further down the corridor, he wondered why no one had attempted to venture through this place. It was dark yes, but such things never deterred a pokemon trainer. Perhaps no one had ever found it. Truth be told, if he hadn't been so determined to catch a Joltik, he too would have passed this area over.
The narrow passage opened up into a wide chamber. If Cheren had to guess, he would have said the diameter of the floor was at least fifteen feet. All around him other paths branched off into multiple directions, some as wide as a Swanna's wingspan and others more narrow than a Serperior's waist-line. Far above the ground, tethered to a lofty ceiling hung large, glistening, sparking yellow webs. Every now and then a round shape would scuttle across them. Cheren frowned. Those were too big to be Joltik. Galvantula perhaps? It made sense. There couldn't be Joltik in the cave without Galvantula to breed them. Still, the thought that high above his head resided two foot tall electric spiders made him shudder. He tried to push the image out of his mind by telling himself that where there were Galvantula there were Joltik. He stood in the center of the chamber, peering down the multiple passages. Which way should he go? His eyes flicked back and forth between the various openings. Eeenie, meenie, meine…
Forward.
Feet following his brain's guidance, he strode straight ahead. Not only was this passage rather large, Galvantula webs adorned the ceiling, burying the rock beneath a golden layer of glowing silk. More potential picks and more light. Cheren gazed up at the network of webbing above him. It was hard to tell where one ended and another began. As he stared at a particular set of overlapped webs, he noticed a small shape wriggling beneath the electrified blanket. A Joltik? It looked to be about that size. But if so, what as it doing caught in a web? A chill raced down his spine as he stared up at the ceiling. What if it wasn't a Joltik? But the, this deep into the cave, what other pokemon could it be? Just then, a Galvantula scurried out of a hidden alcove and approached the unknown bundle. Cheren ripped his gaze from the ceiling and sped down the corridor before he could discover the answer. Regardless of whether or not that silhouette had belonged to a Joltik, Cheren had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen next.
He trudged on down the subterranean hall. A couple Joltik darted out from behind a boulder, scampering past him. Cheren grinned. That didn't take long. Just as he was about to reach into his pocket for a pokeball, a shower of debris fell onto his shoulders. He glanced upward, but saw nothing. Strange. Debris didn't fall for no reason. As he continued to stare, it felt like something was staring back, watching him. Cheren shivered. By the time he looked back down the tunnel, the Joltik were gone. However, if he listened hard enough, he could hear them chirping further ahead. Smiling, he followed the sound. The disembodied squeals of playing pokemon took him deeper into the cave. As he progressed, the boy noticed the tunnel was getting darker. A cursory glance above revealed the ceiling was becoming higher, taking the light from the webs with it. Cheren frowned and stopped. If it got too dark, he wouldn't be able to continue. While he did have a flashlight, it wouldn't do him much good seeing as how he'd broken it after dropping it during a night exploration of Route Four, and being a trainer with a trainer's salary meant most of his money went to his pokemon rather than himself. He considered bringing Pignite out and having it light up the place, but decided against it. The fire type's presence would spook the bugs and he didn't want to contend with a hostile colony.
Meanwhile, the sounds continued to drift farther away. Damn, if he didn't hurry up and get moving he'd lose his chance. Taking a deep breath, the trainer plunged into the growing shadows. Unfortunately, the further he walked, the more the disembodied cries continued to fade. A few minutes later, they were gone and Cheren was alone. He stopped and stood there for a moment, letting the silence wash over him, thick and heavy. This far into the tunnel, he could see the light from above now barely trickled down to him. With no task to keep his mind occupied, the bubbled up anxiety burst open like a rotted watermelon and black, sticky tendrils of fear oozed into the more logical parts of his brain. That feeling of being watched had started to come back, but greater. Now it felt like hundreds of eyes were peering at him. Angry eyes, hungry eyes. Eyes whose owners were going tear him limb from limb for trespassing. Images of his body being rent asunder danced through his mind, each one bloodier than the last.
Cheren squeezed his eyes shut and whipped his head from side to side. No, he shouldn't be thinking like that. Placing a hand on his chest, he began taking slow, deep breaths.
Suddenly, a low gurgling noise drew his attention. His eyes flew open just as s stream of purple liquid shot from above and hit the ground mere inches from where he stood. The thick substance bubbled and hissed as it ate its way through the top layer of dirt on the floor. Cheren stared, horror beginning to gnaw on him with icy teeth as he recognized the attack. Gastro Acid. Another volley of liquid flew towards him, some of it splashing onto his shoe. Cheren managed to yank his foot out before the acid could get to it. He had to get out of there, but before he could turn to run, something swooped down from above, slamming hard into his back. The wind rushed out of him as he collided with unyielding soil and stone. Spindly legs seized upon him, clamping onto his torso with a vice-like grip. Then, the tunnel came alive with blinding light and agonized shrieks. Convulsions wracked Cheren's body as over 1,000 volts of electricity ripped through him. Seconds passed like hours before darkness reclaimed its underground throne.
Off. He had to get this thing off him now! But no matter how many times his brain repeated the message, his body failed to respond. The fibrous highway had been seared by the electrical overload. All he could do was lie on the ground and twitch.
The reprieve didn't last long. No sooner had he regained control over his body did the pokemon on his back let loose with another attack. Over and over, waves of electricity rocketed through his body. Light, dark, light dark; Cheren lost count of how many times the two switched places. Lead began to fill his limbs as he felt his body going numb. The last thought he had before his mind switched off was how desperate he'd been for an electric type.
A dim sensation of jostling brought him out of unconsciousness. Head swimming, Cheren opened his eyes to find the ceiling had become much closer. On his right, he could make out the rear end of a Galvantula. It had its head positioned downward and thus out of his field of vision. Movement on his left told him more Galvantula were nearby. He turned his head to get a better look. What he saw made his blood run cold. His left arm was ensnared within a Galvantula web. He looked to his right and his heart sunk to the pit of his stomach. Both arms were bound up to the elbow by ropes of charged silk. He tried to pull them free, but neither limb budged. His body was so numb he couldn't even curl his fingers. Aside from the occasional bouncing of the web, he felt nothing.
That's when he heard the chewing sounds.
Cheren looked down and screamed. The contents of his abdominal cavity gaped out at him, showcased from behind a large hole where his flesh used to be. Galvantula perched on both sides, their faces buried in the boy's entrails. One raised its head and looked at him. Bile rose in his throat as Cheren saw a piece of his small intestine dangling from its open maw. It blinked and slurped its meal like a little kid would slurp spaghetti. Blood, his blood coated its teeth; swaths of scarlet smeared all over its jaws, looking as if someone had tried to paint a bright red smile on the creature's face. Meanwhile, the other Galvantula busied itself with poking holes in the trainer's stomach. A Joltik scurried up his leg. It sat in his lap, regarding the pale, terrified boy before plucking an exposed chunk of muscle and running off, munching on its prize. Tears streamed down his face. Why? Why was this happening?
Another Galvantula strode up, this one sinking its fangs into his shoulder. The soft, wet crunch of fangs sliding through flesh sounded like someone biting into a rotten apple. Cheren whimpered as the sounds of eating grew louder. The Galvantula that had been making his stomach to look like Swiss cheese backed up and turned its attention on his liver, stuffing chunk after chunk of organ meat in its mouth. The one on his shoulder moved down, sampling the taste of his forearm.
He tried to scream for help, but the cry died before it even breached his lips. Who would hear him? And even if someone did, how could they help him? Despair began to crack the walls of his sanity. I'm going to die here, he thought, and there's nothing I can do about it. The type advantage I wanted has become my greatest disadvantage.
That thought struck him as funny and he giggled. Soon, the giggling turned into laughter, growing louder and louder as hysteria flooded through despair's cracks shattering his mind entirely. Peals of laughter rang throughout the catacombs unheard by the rest of Chargestone Cave. More Galvantula approached, two sinking their fangs into each of his legs while a third buried its face in his chest.
"Dead! The advantage… my dis-" he was cut off when one of the Galvantula reached up and clamped its mouth around his lower jaw. The pokemon tugged and tugged, the sounds of skin being ripped gave way to the loud snapping of tendons as the bone was wrenched from the trainer's skull. Blood sprayed from the wound, dying the insect's face crimson. Broken gurgling replaced the shrieks of crazed laughter.
The Galvantula continued to feast.
Galvantula; Pokemon White Pokedex Entry: They employ an electrically charged web to trap their prey. While it is immobilized by shock, they leisurely consume it.
Okay, I took a bit of a creative license on the part where Cheren was subdued, and also with the numbness. Sorry about that. At any rate, how did I do? Drop me a line with some constructive criticism. Or if you have some suggestions of what pokemon you would like to see featured, go ahead and put it in the form of a review! Hope to hear from you!
