The purple hued creature began to bubble up from in between the bricks in the floor. It seemed to have been living in the puddle, itself. It wasn't the only one. More began to arise ahead of the two. When Misty spotted one she froze. Almost about to call out to Ash, she's cut off by his cries.
The boy is hit with a shower of acid spat from the mouth of the creature and freezes up for a second. He hollers not from the acid, as it hadn't even taken affect yet, but because of the shock of being hit with the hot liquid.
The creature, known for this exact behaviour, shot it's long tongue out and wrapped around the boy's legs. Attempting to swallow the boy up as it's prey. The other wild Swalot were alerted but were too far away to devour any of the passers by so they retreated back under the stones.
As Ash is swallowed into the purple Swalot's mouth, he manages to just barely catch himself by flinging his arms and legs outward the second the creature's tongue let go. If he hadn't reacted this way and assumed a star-shape he could've been swallowed like a noodle. It wasn't fast thinking, he was just not the type to go limp when in shock or surprise ; He was an immediate "stance" person and managed to keep his upper half from being swallowed only because the Pokémon's fault was being able to open it's mouth only vertically, not horizontally. This was even so, despite not seeming to have any bones to restrict it. With his arms out, the creature had trouble swallowing his form... for now.
"ASH!" Misty quickly rushed over to aid the tan skinned boy but then started to rethink the idea, back pedaling away from the creature to make sure she could keep a distance and not be swallowed or attacked as well.
"WWWWWWWhat is it? IT THINK IT'S TRYING TO EAT ME. Aaaa--! Grab my hand!" Ash reached for the redhead.
"I don't--..!" She couldn't even answer fast enough. Quickly, she rushed over to the boy and grabbed onto his one hand while he struggled to hug onto the whatever he could find with the other---the creature's long yellow whisker. He tugged hard on it but still started to slip backward into the blob-like creature's body. It was the Pokémon equivalent to a giant mobile stomach. Misty grabbed onto Ash's hand and pulled but the creature refused to let go of it's catch.
In this area, it had probably never encountered humans before. In fact, there were so many wild Pokémon here, it could easily have --if it had any regard to start with-- grown careless as to what it ingested.
Misty plants both feet down hard and pulls back, both hands clasped around Ash's. She leans her whole body back in an attempt to pull Ash free but her feet eventually end up sliding out from under her. She's forced to let go.
"WaaH!" Ash hollered as he lost hold of Misty's hand.
Misty hits the floor with a slight whine of distress and quickly hops back up to her feet. She's long discarded her belongings such as the flashlight and map. Unfortunately, into the puddle. She digs through her bag, pulling forth a Poké ball. Without her signature Poké ball kiss, she throws the ball in a hurry and releases a relatively large yellow star-like Pokémon, Staryu, whom she has affectionately named after it's evolutionary form, Starmie. "STARMIE! RAPID SPIN!"
The star shaped creature nodded it's head spike with an odd, raspy cry "RHYAHH!" It then bounced itself into the air and begun spinning like a ninja star, propelling itself toward the stomach of the creature. It impacted hard, but the blob-like body of the creature completely absorbed the impact in a harsh ripple. It was otherwise unaffected.
Misty blinks thrice and straightens her stance a little. "Starmie, bubble beam!"
"HRYAHH!" The Star bounced backward and slid a short distance on it's leg spikes. Ash's eyes widen little and then shut back tightly as hundreds of tiny explosives are hurled in his direction. They pop with heavy force around his arms and head like miniature grenades. But again, with no shrapnel, the explosive is only an energy wave which becomes useless, as it too, only sends ripples through the creature's thick skin.
"Ahh! Not in the face, Misty!" Ash said as he struggled to cover his face with both arms and stop himself from being swallowed fully by the Pokémon.
In distress, herself, she immediately takes offense and hollers back "WELL I'M TRYING TO GET YOU OUT OF THERE..! What do you want me to do?"
"AAAaahwuaaaw'hh~ Attack it and not me..!"
"Water gun!" She said, and her Pokémon obeyed. The pulse of pressurized water only slickened the creature but failed to do anything more.
"Swift!" She said and the Pokémon shot out thousands of heat-seeking, spinning five pointed energy stars. As with bubble beam, they each explode on impact with the creature, but again, fail to produce shrapnel like a regular bomb, so again, fail to cause any damage to anything other than perhaps Ash who isn't so fortunately explosion proof.
Ash remained ducked down with both arms up over his face protectively. Using his elbows to keep him from sinking any further, and with now both of the Pokémon's whiskers grasped tight in either hand. "RrrRrr" He whined.
She reaches into her bag and pulls out three more Poké balls. Releasing a pink and white spiked Pokémon, a yellow duck-like Pokémon and a large green and yellow frog. "PSYDUCK!, POLITOED, CORSOLA!" They each responded with a call toward the mention of their names. Psyduck, tilting it's head to one side, Politoad bouncing and clapping it's hands together enthusiastically and Corsola tilting back to let out a high pitched squeal.
"Miisstyy, hurry up. I can't get to my Pokémon--and my face feels funny... and my legs are starting to sting.. " The boy said as he sploshed his legs around a bit in the vat of acid he was dangling into. Scraping at the inside of the creature with his shoes.
"Hang in there, Ash. I'm trying!" She calls their respective attacks "Politoed, MEGA PUNCH! Psyduck, confusion! Corsola, Spike canon!"
"POLIPOLIPOLI POLI..!" The frog like creature said as it rushed toward the other, swinging it's arm around in circles before it's fist began to glow. It leaps forward and swings it's fist at the stomach of the Swalot, impacting the creature hard. But again, the impact is, alone, no good. In fact, the impact made the acid slosh a higher reach up the boy's legs. It soaked his entire lower half.
Psyduck does nothing.. as usual.
Corsola begins to glow bright white as it flips itself into the air and begins firing a shower of needles at the target, and Ash. The thousands of minute impacts at different parts of the creature's body actually seem to impede with each and every other impact's ripples. The sharp needles actually appear to be scuffing the thick skin of the Swalot.
When Misty gets done booting Psyduck in the head to attempt agitating a headache in the poor creature, she takes note of how affective the needles seem to be. She quickly encourages the Pokémon with her shoe still planted on the side of Psyduck's head. "That's it, Corsola! Keep using spike cannon until the foe is weak! Politoed, help Corsola out with mega punch and DOUBLE slap. Try not to hit Ash, any of you!"
The Pokémon repeat with attack after attack, digging deeper into the thick skin of Swalot until parts of it's body start to turn a pinkish colouration.
"MMiisstyyy, it feels like my llleegss are on fiirree, I don't think this iss wooorrking.." The boy winced, clinging onto the whiskers of the creature. His teeth, clenched tight together. "If only I had Pikachu here to help me." The boy thought to himself.
She exhales tiredly and stands upright. Furrowing her brow at Ash in worry, she's not quite sure what to do at this point. "Corsola, stand still!"
The Corsola stops and blinks it's tiny beady eyes twice in confusion and stands still. Misty exhales and shuts her eyes, trying to find her calm. She then cracks her knuckles and begins sprinting toward the Corsola. She leaps off of the ground and hops onto, and off of Corsola, using it's rock hard body as a step stool without having to harm the creature. It was built like a tank. Leaping off of the creature she tries to latch onto Swalot.
It's body, being rather slippery as it was, she couldn't gain leverage any other way than to of course, use Ash as such. She steps on his arms and shoulders, placing her knee on his head, almost squashing him deeper into the creature's gut in the process.
"MMWAAA-OA" Ash hollered as he struggled to regain his footing. Falling down in this situation would not be in favour of him. It would be, as he could imagine, pretty hard to breathe inside of a stomach. THEN there was the whole acid problem.
She crawls up onto the blob-like creature's head and turns herself around, trying to squish Ash out of it's mouth by bouncing and stomping on the creature. But it's hold over the boy is quite strong.
Ash, being jostled repeatedly starts to feel somewhat sea sick sloshing around in the fluids and being bobbed around in it's mouth. His body was starting to overheat from the body heat of the Swalot. And the feeling that his legs were burning did not help in the least.
When this fails, Misty flops down on her stomach on top of the creature after of course, insulting it in every way imaginable.. as if this would help. She then grabs onto the creature's mouth from around Ash and begins trying to widen the creature's gape. But she can barely even get her fingers into it's mouth, it has such a tight hold on the boy ; it's desired prey. The creature's whole body seemed to be one large muscle so it had supreme strength in it's swallowing capabilities. "GIVE. ME. BACK. ASH!" The girl hollered as she struggled to open the Pokémon's mouth.
Psyduck slowly tilted it's head in the other direction as it sat there listening to both Misty and Ash whine with either one of their wincing. The other Pokémon continued to pound on the body of Swalot. "Psy...."
Squealing angrily in what started a girlier cry and became a full on demonic bellow, Misty brought one foot around and planted her foot down on it's lower lip, using both her hands to pull up on the upper lip and try to free Ash.
Ash scooped the creature's whiskers up into it's mouth and began using his hands to assist Misty. Growling with her, but admittedly, less scarily so.
Psyduck ever-so-slowly tilted it's head in the other direction. ..... "duck...."
Brock, at the Museum with Pikachu and Togepi, sat waiting patiently on a bench in the cafeteria-like mini buffet in the lobby where food was still permitted. The food supply involved generally : Some fresh made breads, sandwiches and salad with drink and various candy / snack machines on the side. Pikachu had a ketchup packet and Togepi was enjoying a baby tomato while Brock had a salad. He waited for the others to return like they said they would, but he was growing gradually worried. As was Pikachu. Togepi, however was none the wiser.
While Misty started to grow tired and began panting like Ash, she began to regain her strength enough to hop down and grab onto the flashlight from the puddle. She climbed back onto Swalot over Corsola and began trying to use the flashlight to pry open it's jaw.
Ash however, didn't seem to be recovering any of his spent energy. He had no idea he was bleeding inside of the creature's abdomen. "Gnhhrrr" He growled tiredly and then continued to try and pry the creature's mouth open.
.... "Psy.........................!" Psyduck continued to listen to the two pant, growl and whine like struggling animals as they attempted to defeat the stubborn stomach-like Pokémon. The Swalot's hands flapped every so often as it too seemed to be struggling. The jittering of it's hands seemed to be from the strain of holding it's jaw shut against the children's best attempts.
"..................................aiii..!" -Psyduck cried again..... and then it's voice suddenly lost strain.
... ".... duck." With that, a huge beam of rainbow coloured energy rings shot from the creature's forehead in a long serpentine stream which impacted the Swalot so hard it slid backward and knocked Misty clean off the top of it's head.
"UuUUwaaaUuu!" Misty hollers loudly as she's shot almost twelve feet away and hits the floor rolling. The brightly coloured energy ripples through the rubbery body of the creature like electricity.
Ash, wincing as if trying to dodge the energy, kept his head down. Now holding onto the whiskers with both his teeth, and his fists. His chest, still being compressed by the lips of the creature as the upper torso was the area up to which, he had already been devoured ; he was swallowed all the way up to his arms so his chest was held tight by the creature's mouth. Breathing was difficult but not so much to complain about it.
Misty slowly drug herself up to her feet as the brightly coloured energy faded. Her brow furrows slightly as she stares half slanted at Psyduck. "That's a.. totally new attack." She commented on her Psyduck's new found Psybeam. Misty goes to grab her flashlight and Ash takes this as cue to begin kicking at the inside of the creature again, like he'd been doing most of this entire time. The both of them, hoping Psybeam had weakened the Swalot enough for their attempts to actually work. But something peculiar arises..
Ash sweat drops a little and looks up at Misty. "EEey-Misty.. I can't feel my legs anymore."
With that, Misty stops. Her face feels as if it's gone pale--feeling hot and cold at the same time. She's frozen ; not sure what to do now. "Ash, I don't think I can do this... alone...! I'm going---I'm gonna go look for help....!" Her eyes started to flicker slightly as if she was holding back tears. "We're gonna need help...!" She really didn't want to leave Ash like this but it was beginning to look hopeless. She quickly began looking for the map. Finding it, she dashes closer as if to confirm what she saw... only to see it's completely drenched, and being it was made of a really cheap material it had almost turned to mush.
Swallowing subconsciously and quickly returning her Pokémon, she scooped up her bag, turned and dashed off toward the large hallway on the other side of the room. Not exactly sure which way, at this point, lead back to the museum because of the map.. but it was useless anyway, the map didn't cover this area. This area was off limits entirely.
"Missty..!" Ash hollered, not to stop her, but out of completely surprise that she'd up and run off. He wondered if maybe he should have said something about his legs starting to feel numb about fifteen minutes ago... He sighs and sinks a little. But struggles to hold himself up with his arms now that it didn't seem like standing was doing him a bit of good--he didn't know where his legs were.
Twenty or so minutes later, Ash was talking to the Swalot, trying to convince it to let him go. He had told it his life goals, and explained to it he had a lot of friends waiting for him at home. But all in all, he seemed to just be trying to entertain himself while he waited on Misty. His grip was starting to slip on the creature's whiskers as his hands started to get sweaty. He still felt a little sick, and a little bit weaker than before but despite blood loss, he didn't seem as though he were about to pass out. He tried to keep himself focused so he wouldn't let go. Looking from wall to wall vacantly in search of something to peek his interests. He noticed a Caterpie on the ceiling.. a Paras in the far corner near some Tiny Mushroom. After a while his eyes started to grow heavier and began to shut.
His light nap was interrupted by some buzzing sounds. Opening his eyes to see if the others had returned, he saw nothing ahead of him. Slowly tipping his head back, he looked up at what appeared to be a Beedrill circling him and the Swalot.
Ash watches the Beedrill circle him a few times but it only makes him feel more ill than he'd already felt. "Waa.. Hello Mister Beedrill." He now begun to talk to the giant sword handed yellow jacket. "I'm not here to hurt anyone.. I'm just waiting on my friends to come back and save me." The end of his sentence began to fall faint as the Beedrill came in for a landing on the top of Swalot.
He stares straight ahead with his lips pressed into a tight squiggle, not sure of what to do. He didn't want to upset the bee. The bee that was in truth, bigger than him, began feeling around with it's antennae. The large bee, which is is omnivorous like most bees ; eating berries, fruit, wood, honey, and of course, prey, was probably drawn by the smell of blood. But it wasn't exactly obvious what Beedrill was here for. There could have been any number of reasons, including chance encounter. But it wasn't as though Ash could battle it like this. His poké balls were currently lost in the gut of Swalot.
Beedrill began to crawl forward down the Swalot's face. Swalot's separated eyes allowed for the bee to travel on the flat surface that was where a nose would be on perhaps a different Pokémon. It placed one front leg down on Ash's head, which is tipped with a large conical shaped stinger. It sat the stinger down horizontally so that it could walk on the side of it rather than inject any venom.
The boy flinched slightly when the secondary Pokémon took a step onto his head. He then pouted as if he knew that this day was somehow going to get worse. The boy leaned back a little, pressing against the mid-face of the Swalot uncomfortably whilst trying not to sink deeper into the Swalot's gape. He let out an uneasy whine "MhhHHnnnn...." and shut one eye as the Beedrill crawled up farther onto the top of the boy's head and began feeling around his face with it's antennae. It was using them to pick up scent particles and was in fact, scoping out the boy's face with use of scent.
The boy almost seemed to be relieved when the bee had turned around and began heading back up the face of Swalot. He was then suddenly startled by the hind stinger of Beedrill stopping abruptly only inches from his face. He froze up, staring at the stringer. He thought to himself as he watched the bug's stinger rattle. Beedrill, gripping tightly onto the top of Swalot's head to steady itself. "Misty... please hurry back.."
The stinger shot closer to his face and he dodged it by tilting his head far to one side. Watching the stinger cautiously as it begins to rattle again. It suddenly slipped it's footing out from underneath it and it's hind legs slid down the front of the slippery Swalot's face and rolled around the eyes of the stomach-like creature. Swalot's protruding eyes, twitching slightly. The hind legs slide down onto the top of Ash's head as it uses this now, much less slippery area to gain it's footing. Clinging onto Ash's hair and scalp with it's pointy hind legs. It's body weight, all of sixty five pounds, was almost equal to that of the boy's, who weighed in at eighty pounds, himself. All of this weight bearing down on Ash's head started to slip him farther down into the stomach of the Swalot.
Ash gasped as he tried to claw his way back up and not let himself sink any further inside. Tilting his head back as far as he can. He's almost entirely immobilized by the many factors surrounding him and his predicament. He couldn't move his arms as they were all that kept him from being swallowed entirely, and he couldn't move his lower half for the fact he could no longer feel or locate mentally, the position of anything below his waist. And his head was now being weighed down by the heavy-in-comparison, Beedrill.
He called out in distress as he felt he'd started to sink. Although he had already caught himself with the whiskers of Swalot again, and didn't seem to be sinking any farther, he was completely freaked out by his circumstances now. Beedrill sought it's chance and thrust it's abdomen toward the boy, stuffing it's stinger into his mouth which it had located by scent earlier. In complete surprise, he starts to let go of the Swalot's whisker and reach up to pry the deadly bee stinger away from him. The inside of his mouth was not punctured by the stinger, but it was lodged quite far in his mouth. The boy began to lose the ability to breathe and the acid and blood loss--as well as the events taking place now had begun to send him into shock. His heart was racing which was not good for the amount of blood he was losing from his legs.
His face became extremely hot as the bee pumped what could only now be venom through it's abdomen into the boy's throat. He pawed exhaustively at it's hardened exoskeleton as his vision faded white. And he was rendered unconscious. Heart, still pounding heavily.
