The tent was cramped but not unbearably crowded. There was enough wiggle room to toss and turn for those unable to sleep, but not enough that it was easy to maneuver. Bulbasaur and Chikorita had settled in, with their backs pressed against the supplies on opposite sides of the tent. Gible's spot was intentionally positioned between them. The dragon had stepped outside to relieve himself, giving the other two a chance to talk in private.
"Hey, Bulbasaur..." Chikorita spoke in a hushed tone, "when Gible falls asleep..."
She gestured to the tent's entrance. Bulbasaur nodded and lay on his belly, waiting for Gible to come in. He didn't have to wait long. Only a few moments later, Gible shuffled in and practically flopped down at his assigned spot, digging his way into the earth just enough to create a little trough for him to sleep in. Grabbing the blanket, he covered himself completely and gave a drowsy farewell to the grass Pokémon.
"G'night, sleep tight."
A quiet chorus of echoes assured him his words were heard. He closed his eyes and willed the day to end. Sleep took him within a matter of minutes.
As Gible's breathing became regular and his movement still, glances were exchanged between two eager Pokémon, waiting for their moment of escape. At last, Chikorita worked up the nerve to leave the tent, taking care not to accidentally trip over the lump of a Pokémon on the ground. Bulbasaur followed her, breathing softly in the darkness as he sidled through the tent's flap.
The night air was still but noisy as cicadas screeched their synchronized songs of peace. There was almost a full moon out, which made it easy to see Chikorita as she waved to him from further down the hill. Looking back at the tent one last time, he trotted over to her.
"What's up, Chikorita?"
She ran ahead, watching him over her shoulder to see if he was following. "C'mon!" she called. "Let's go exploring!"
Bulbasaur couldn't help but grin. He took off after her, laughing as he felt the rush of the brisk night air against his face. Needing no words to describe their feelings or time to ponder them, they ran headlong in the night, unafraid of whatever dangers might await them. They ran as fast as they wanted, recovered as fast as they fell, and jumped farther than they'd ever jumped before. At last, breathless and exhausted, the two sat down at the bottom of the hill.
"Where- do you think- we should go?" Bulbasaur asked, coughing as his body became desperate to recover from the run.
"I... I dunno," she admitted. "I think I saw- saw a mystery dungeon somewhere- around here though. Ya wan- wanna go there?"
"I'm down for that. Gimme a sec' first; I'm dying here."
She lay flat on her face. "Me too."
"That was fun though."
"Yeah."
She rolled over stayed that way until they were both ready to get up.
They walked between the line of trees, entering the mystery dungeon with nervous anticipation. Bulbasaur followed Chikorita's lead, staying only a few steps behind as they moved through the tight corridor. She constantly checked behind herself, making sure her partner was close as she ventured cautiously through the hall.
She stooped low and grabbed an Oran berry. She handed it to Bulbasaur. "Here. Eat this whenever you get hurt. It can heal you."
Bulbasaur used one of his vines to hold on to it, wishing he had a small bag to keep it in. He made a mental note to bring a bag into the next mystery dungeon, should such an opportunity present itself.
They moved on, watching carefully for any bad Pokémon that might try and jump them. Chikorita kept her eyes on the path ahead, noting the light in the distance.
"Hey, Bulbasaur, if we see a bad Pokémon do you think we should run or fight?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, if they're all as strong as that Ariados, we could probably beat them."
"Well I don't want to fight anyone if I don't have to," Chikorita said, stopping in place. She squinted at the light ahead, a dreadful feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.
"We'll run if we can then," Bulbasaur said, glancing over his shoulder. "We can recover any damage we take with this berry, right? We could probably divide it in half or something. It's kinda small though..."
There was a roar from up ahead. It was unmistakably a Pokémon's cry- a challenging one. Something stirred within Chikorita. Whatever the cry was, it had affected her.
"Should we go back?" Bulbasaur asked. "We've only gone a few rooms in, after all. We could always find another dungeon to explore."
Chikorita back stiffened. She clenched her teeth and stared into the light with wide eyes.
"Explorers NEVER run away!" she screeched. "Let's fight!"
"Wait, what?"
She brashly ran forward and entered the brightly-lit room with her confused partner taking up the rear. As soon as they entered, the Pokémon roared again, louder. This time, Bulbasaur was the one affected by the cry. His previous hesitation lost, he charged forward, before realizing who he was attacking.
He was batted away and thrown to the ground before he knew what hit him. A quick follow-up punch to the face nearly dislocated his jaw.
A tall Pokémon grinned at him. Standing on two legs, the Zangoose was covered in horrible scars across her chest and face. A chewed-up nose, several notches on her ears, and missing claws all told more stories than the thickest book. She raised her fist and roared again, causing Chikorita to rush her just as foolishly as her partner did.
Zangoose sidestepped the clumsy attack and lunged at her with incredible speed. Having no time to recover or dodge, Chikorita was knocked into a tree, grunting as she clutched her side.
"What are you doing?!" Bulbasaur demanded, before being compelled to lunge forward again.
Zangoose readied a punch. "Taunting you!" she shouted. She swung at Bulbasaur but aimed too high, barely skimming his bulb. Bulbasaur stopped just short of the Zangoose and flailed his vines wildly, whipping her. Enduring the sting of such a violent attack, Zangoose grabbed Bulbasaur and slammed him against the ground. The force of the fall knocked the wind out of him.
Then she turned around to see Chikorita shakily getting up. She roared at the little Pokémon, causing her to attempt a slow charge. Zangoose reached for her leaf, hoping to find some leverage over her. Finding the strength for a roll, Chikorita ducked underneath her extended arm and ran between her legs, reaching where Bulbasaur was steadying himself.
She helped him up. "We have to attack her together!" she cried.
He didn't seem to hear her. He raised his vines challengingly and growled at the Zangoose, who stood several times his height. She laughed at him.
"I like you. Most explorers are too cowardly to fight fair. C'mon then, let's see what ya got."
She raised her fists in a practiced motion, a little unsure of the proper stance when facing such a small opponent. Bulbasaur wouldn't give her the chance to learn. He feinted a charge, but ran around her instead, causing her to turn her back on Chikorita.
Several vines shot out from his bulb, waving wildly in front of the Zangoose, barely out of range. Zangoose laughed and in the blink of an eye, grabbed one of the vines. Bulbasaur hardly even saw her act. Before he could do anything, she moved again.
Taking the vine with both of her hands, she pulled her arms apart, ripping the vine in half. Bulbasaur felt part of himself fall away as he recoiled. Zangoose picked up the vine.
"Look I'm a Bulbasaur," she mocked, waving the vine around. "I'm a baby flower monster."
Bulbasaur snapped. Without a battlecry or indication of his intent, he walked toward the Zangoose, every muscle in his body flexed as he glared at his enemy. She scoffed at his attempt to scare her and threw the vine at him, laughing as it bounced harmlessly off of his face.
He lunged at her leg, biting down with unexpected strength. Several vines wrapped around her, latching himself to her. Startled by such an uncharacteristic move from a grass Pokémon, she tried to shake him off by jiggling her leg. Ignoring this, he sank his teeth into her flesh and pulled his head back, ripping off her skin, fur and all. Then he bit into her again, burying his face deep into her tissue.
She bent down and repeatedly punched him in the back of the head, hoping to faze him. Stimulated by the taste of blood, Bulbasaur dug into her leg and ripped out a mouthful of her muscle.
Chikorita, seeing Zangoose beating on her partner, took the opportunity to help. Believing Bulbasaur to be in danger, she resorted to a more diabolical attack. With Zangoose distracted, she shot a small, harmless-looking seed which landed on Zangoose's neck, sinking into her jugular. After a brief delay, the seed took root and began sucking away her lifeblood.
Zangoose swatted her neck, believing the parasite to be external. Another gush of blood was drained from her as the roots burrowed into her vitals. Zangoose turned her focus to Chikorita.
"You cowards!" she roared. "If I had my claws, I'd tear you apart!"
Weighed down by her leg's new attachment, she crawled toward the leaf Pokémon, teeth bared and fur bristling. Suddenly the weight was lifted from her. Believing the attack to be over, she tried to stand up. She was bleeding so profusely, she began to feel lightheaded.
Then Bulbasaur jumped on her. He landed on her chest and began scratching her with his short claws. With his face coated with blood and his eyes revealing no mercy, he rammed headfirst into her chin. Zangoose's sharp teeth bit into her tongue and her head was knocked back. This sudden head movement and terrible loss of blood caused her to faint upon impact.
On the bare ground she lay, crumpled and miserable as the cicadas screeched their victory songs.
Chikorita tried to sigh, but all that came out were multiple short breaths. "It's over," she said, looking down at the pool of blood. Her gut tightened. Then she saw Bulbasaur, still under the influence of his bloodlust. He began tackling Zangoose's chest, pushing her limp form across the floor and smearing her fluids below.
Chikorita stepped between him and her. "Stop it. We've won. You don't have to fight anymore."
That's when she saw his face. It was completely unrecognizable in its fury. She was understandably horrified, but remained steadfast in her defense. She used Protect, fearing he may attack her as well.
With a hint of intelligence in his fury, he kept dodging and weaving, determined to move past her. He tried jumping over her, but she jumped as well. The shield from her Protect pushed him away.
"Stop, Bulbasaur. Please. She's knocked out, see?"
There was no response from him. He tried circling around to reach her.
Chikorita closed her eyes. The leaf on her head changed to a soft shade of pink as she focused on her aromatherapy. A sweet smell wafted through the area, extinguishing the bloody smell.
Bulbasaur paused. For a moment, it looked like nothing had happened. But then he recoiled upon seeing the fallen Zangoose, apparently awoken from his bloodlust. He looked to Chikorita, his eyes softening.
"I'm... I'm... I didn't mean..." He stepped away from the body, disgusted by their handiwork. "Is she dead?" he asked, looking back at his partner.
"No no no, see her chest moving? She'll be all right. Gimme that berry you were holding."
He felt himself over before he remembered he must have dropped it. He scanned the room and found the berry, lying on the floor as if it belonged there. He brought it to her.
"Here. Will this make her better?"
"Not completely. Oran berries can only help heal injuries- they can't prevent scars or grow new body parts. Some wounds are simply permanent."
Chikorita put the berry in her mouth and carefully chewed on the soft fruit. Then she leaned over Zangoose and spat into her mouth. Zangoose instinctively coughed and tried to spit out the berry, but Chikorita held her mouth closed. After her arms weakly waved at the air, the Zangoose eventually swallowed the mashed fruit and lay back down. Her eyes opened but didn't get up.
Chikorita stood up and brushed herself off. "It's disgusting, but necessary," she said, after seeing Bulbasaur's disturbed expression.
He pointed his face away from her and began rubbing his tongue with his claw to remove the taste from his mouth. "It's not that," he said. "I just realized I was... eating another Pokémon."
"Well whatever you did, it helped keep us alive, right?" she said, trying to remain positive. "I'm just glad you were able to stop when you did."
"Yeah, thanks again for that. I'd... be a real mess without you."
She nodded. Despite her initial fears, she quite enjoyed battling. She just wished the end result wasn't so barbaric.
"We should probably go back and wash off though," she said, looking Bulbasaur over with a degree of fascination.
"I didn't want your stinkin' berry," a weak voice snarled, interrupting their conversation.
Chikorita and Bulbasaur looked at one another. "We're giving you a second chance," Chikorita explained. "Even without your claws, you're strong, Zangoose. Use your strength to help people, like explorers do."
"Explorers!" she laughed. "If it weren't for explorers I'd still have my claws!"
"There's more to life than fighting, you know," Bulbasaur pointed out. "The explorers probably removed your claws so you wouldn't hurt anyone. They have to look out for others too."
Zangoose sat up, her wounds now barely noticeable. The Oran berry had worked fast.
"Of course you'd defend fellow explorers," she spat. "You're probably just like them."
She folded her arms. "I trusted a group of explorers. Once. They beat me in a fair fight and I joined them, hoping to eventually become as strong as them."
She grabbed her leg, wincing as she felt the bite anew. "They took me to a doctor, telling me they wanted to heal my wounds. The doctor never spoke to me; he never told me what he was doing. He put a mask over my face and knocked me out."
She shakily stood up, looking down at the explorers, who took a cautionary step back. Her voice shook as her eyes stared past them.
"When I woke up, I saw what they did to me. They took my claws- the very heart of a Zangoose- without my consent. That's when I found out the truth."
Chikorita and Bulbasaur grouped together, readying themselves to fight.
Zangoose made a fist. "They weren't interested in a partner. They only wanted a pet. I was leashed and tormented, humiliated by the explorers and their friends. They did such horrible things to me, unspeakable things."
She slammed her fist against a tree. "And then I'm lectured on how I should live my life by sniveling brats like you- brats that know nothing of the real world. It really pisses me off."
The cicadas lost their synchronization. What sounded like music devolved into the drone of incoherent screams.
Three Pokémon stood opposed, watching the others' expressions, separated by more than the space between them.
"Those Pokémon were evil," Chikorita croaked, her voice strained as she struggled to speak.
"Is that why you taunted us?" Bulbasaur asked.
Zangoose shook her head scornfully. "You just don't get it, do you? You sneak around my home and wonder why I wanna fight you face-to-face?!"
She dug her knuckles into her hand and stepped forward, wincing as a wave of pain reminded her she hadn't completely healed.
"Everyone wants to take advantage of me. At least when I fight in the open, I can blame myself for losing. I can accept a hard-fought loss, but I'll not be taken in by another Pokémon, least of all some worthless, weak-hearted explorers!"
She dropped to her knees, catching herself with a trembling arm. "Go ahead. Raid my home. Take its treasures. It's what you wanted, isn't it?"
Her arm gave way and she fell face-first in the bloodied grass. "But you won't take my resolve. When I can move again, I'm taking you down, claws or not. You better be gone when that happens. Because then, I won't play fair any more."
With nothing more to say, her squinted eyes followed the two explorers as they paced back and forth, unsure what to do. Several long seconds passed before Chikorita thought of an idea. Closing her eyes, she began her aromatherapy, lulling the weakened warrior to sleep. When both Pokémon were certain their old enemy was in a more pleasant time and place, they scurried away, taking nothing with them as they went to a nearby stream to wash away the smell of their bitter victory.