Barry hadn't noticed the two individuals who'd slipped after him upon his departure from the Pokemon Center. He'd been too busy with nursemaiding his Meowth and organizing his bag to pay attention to much else. However, as he finally stowed the last Potion away, Barry noticed the skin on the back of his neck prickling with the familiar sensation of being watched. He looked back over his shoulder, seeing nothing in the streets save for two people, a man and a woman wearing black coats, walking behind him. They were looking at him intently and Barry turned back around quickly before meeting their gaze. Are they trainers? he wondered briefly, feeling uneasy. Maybe they're just looking for a battle. But it was awful late to be asking for a fight now, and Barry didn't like the look of the pair. Just keep walking home, he thought to himself. Only a couple blocks away was his house, and his mom would be waiting for him. If they ask me to battle I'll tell them that I'm late to dinner.
Barry stooped down, picking up his Meowth in his arms and quickening his pace. The cat squirmed in his arms restlessly, protesting loudly, but the youngster ignored her. She hated being picked up, but Barry couldn't wait for her. Just keep going, he thought to himself, shifting the cat in his arms. "Quiet, girl," he muttered, glancing over his shoulder again. The pair behind him were still there, and to Barry's eyes it looked like they were getting closer. He took a quick look at their waist, but couldn't see the familiar spheres that would indicate Pokeballs. So maybe not trainers, he thought, though being stalked by people who weren't just looking for a battle was even scarier. What do they want from me? Barry glanced down at the Meowth still struggling in his arms, a sudden thought slipping into his mind and sending a chill down his spine. What if they're after my Pokemon?
He made his mind up seconds, shifting the Meowth to his right arm while he reached for his belt with his left. His fingers scrabbled along his waist, searching for the Pokeball he knew was there. "Come on," he muttered anxiously, wiping his sweaty palms on his shorts. It had been cold when he left the Center, but suddenly Barry could feel perspiration forming on his forehead. The Meowth was meowing louder now, scratching his arms horribly, but Barry held on tightly. The thought of losing his first Pokemon – and his only Pokemon – was too much for him. He couldn't imagine not having her weight pressing on his chest as he fell asleep, nor waking up in the morning and not finding her there. Part of his mind whispered that he was overreacting, but Barry brushed the voice away like he wiped away the sweat from his brow. Losing her wasn't an option.
His hand finally closed around the cool, round surface of the Pokeball. With a panicked sigh he pulled it loose, aiming the sphere at the still-writhing Meowth. Before he could trigger the return mechanism though, the feline Pokemon slipped out of his graps, gracefully bounding to the pavement and moving a few paces away before turning back and giving him an annoyed look. As Barry went to aim the ball at the Pokemon again his hand slipped on the cold sphere's surface and that slid out of his hands too. "Oh no, oh no, oh no," he muttered, dropping to his hands and knees. The dim light of the nearby streetlamp was just barely enough to see by, let alone find the small object. He swept the rough surface with his hands desperately, all the while the footsteps behind him drew nearer. Just when Barry thought he was done for, his right hand finally brushed up against the Pokeball's surface and with a cry of relief the young trainer seized it, recalling his Meowth a second later.
"My my, you should be more careful with that," a voice from behind him said as Barry leapt to his feet. The trainer turned around to see the pair of cloaked individuals standing mere feet away, looking down on him with cold eyes. "You wouldn't want to lose your Pokeball, after all."
Barry backed away a few paces, clutching the Meowth's ball tightly. "Go away," he said in a shaky voice. "I'm not afraid of you." His legs were trembling underneath his body and Barry tried to force himself to stand up straighter. Just go away, just go away, he thought feverishly.
The woman laughed then, a high-pitched noise that sounded nothing less than sinister to the young trainer's ears. "At least you have courage, I'll give you that," she said, smiling at him. "Let's remedy that, shall we?" Her hand disappeared inside her coat, returning with a familiar-looking red-and-white sphere. "Come out, Venom." With a burst of red light a long black shape appeared from the ball, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. As Barry watched in terror the shape slowly coiled up before him, rising until it stood a good two feet above his head. From the depths of the creature's purple cowl, a pair of yellow eyes gleamed menacingly and Barry heard a hiss emanating from the creature before him. He tried to run, but his legs seemed rooted in place. All he could do was stare deeper into the eyes of the snake and shiver in fear. Panicked thoughts swirled through his brain, each one more desperate than the last: Don't hurt me, don't hurt me, I have a family, don't take my Pokemon please, just let me go home, I'll be good…
"I don't think you've seen one of these before, so let me explain," the woman's voice came suddenly, sweet as a rose and cold as a dagger. "This is an Arbok. They come from the southeastern jungles, near Fuschia City. It's been said that the ancient people used them as silent assassins, since they can sneak through spaces that humans can't fit through. Their poison is potent enough to stop a heart within three minutes, though it may take longer depending on the snake's mood when it makes a kill. So long as you keep eye contact and don't move, Venom here will leave you alone. Try anything though, and… well, let's just say that you'll get to experience an Arbok's poison firsthand."
Barry tried to stand as straight as he could, ignoring the burning sensation in his eyes and trying not to shiver. He desperately wanted to look away from those cold, reptilian eyes but at the same time knew that as soon as he did he'd be killed. The snake's tongue flickered in and out of its mouth, tasting the air and smelling the fear on the boy, all the while hissing menacingly. The human's life meant nothing to it – he was hardly a meal, but he was small and annoying. The snake opened its mouth slowly, unfolding along with it a pair of razor fangs longer than Barry's middle finger. A dark fluid dripped steadily from the bone-white teeth, pooling on the pavement below where it hissed and sputtered. At the sight of the Arbok's dark maw Barry forgot to breath, so terrified he was. Make it stop, make it stop, Arceus, make it stop…
"Take his Pokemon," the woman said curtly to her companion. Barry felt a hand close around his wrist and another grab the Pokeball containing his Meowth. No, don't take that, please don't take that, Barry thought hysterically, but he didn't dare move, not while the creature was still staring at him. He felt the sphere ripped from his grasp finally with a small chuckle from the man and suddenly his vision blurred with unbidden tears, though whether it was from sadness or from going too long without blinking he couldn't tell. "Meowth," he moaned softly, opening and closing the fingers of his suddenly empty hand. Please no, this can't be happening…
"Excellent," the woman said. "Thank you for cooperating. Return, Venom." The yellow eyes vanished suddenly and Barry fell to his knees, weakly panting for breath. Tears were falling fast down his cheeks now, but he didn't dare say anything to the woman or the Arbok would come back. He stared at the pavement, his heart breaking as tears peppered the ground. "Nothing personal, kid," the man said. "Go catch yourself another one." Something small and round clanked on the ground in front of Barry and as the youngster raised his eyes he found a black-and-red Pokeball, emblazoned with a crimson "R", resting in front of him.
The boy waiting until the footsteps vanished, staring at the ball as he cried.
Author's notes: I am a horrible person
In the real world, Arbok are probably totally BADASS. It's a shame that they suck in the games – otherwise I'd always run one on my team. Seems like they're a good choice for TR too- since they're based off an Italian mafia, Arbok allow them to intimidate rivals or can be used for subterfuge. Disclaimer: The TR goons in this story were in no way, shape or form meant to be Jessie and James.