Warning!

Before you read this, note this is part of the reason I gave this story a T rating. This Chapter is pretty violent, but don't worry. It's not like Saw or anything. Just kinda imagine if the show was more for an older audience and actually had some blood in it. Yeah...

That's what it's like.

Chapter 6: Red Rain

Eevee and Espeon's fur drooped when it soaked up the water, but neither Pokémon could care less.

The Nidoking took a step towards them, not saying anything. What was there to say to a meal?

This was bad, really bad. Of all the rotten luck, they just HAD to stumble across a Nidoking in the middle of his nocturnal hunting!
Nidokings were aggressive, violent, and very territorial. Worst of all, meat eaters, and they love to munch on tiny Pokémon. Eevee had only seen them at a distance here and there, but to see such a Pokémon up close was terrifying.

He was even scarier than Gastly.

When he got closer, Espeon gave him a warning growl, the red jewel on her head starting to glow, "Leave." She snarled. Her voice was low and threatening, the most intimidating Eevee has ever heard.

The Nidoking stopped in his pace and stood there, weighing his options. After a minute of contemplation, his sneer broadened, "Are you really going to try and put up a fight? Look, you're obviously powerful and I'm not in the mood for bruises, so I'll make a deal. It'll be easier and far less painful for both of us if you just turn around and leave the small one here."

His preditorial eyes darted to Eevee, they were slitted and shallow.

She flinched under his look and cowered in fear behind her mother. Espeon increased the hostility in her gaze, "I'm not going to leave and let you turn my daughter into a midnight snack!"

Nidoking cocked his head a bit and chuckled, "Figures you little rat-things are related. Once last chance for you to leave with your spine intact."

Espeon bared her teeth at him, as unintimidating as they were, "You must be stupider than you look. I'll give YOU one last chance to back off before I realign YOUR spine, you awful brute!"

He snarled and hunched over, thumping his powerful tail a few times. Without warning, he charged at Espeon, using Horn Drill. Even though her fine fur was wet, it didn't affect the coat's sensitive sensing abilities and her double edged tail started to twitch in anticipation of danger.

The psychic Pokémon jumped to the side and nudged Eevee with her. Both rolled out of the way in time for him to miss and slam into a nearby tree.

While he was distracted, Espeon pushed Eevee aside, "Get out of the way! Now!" The teenager didn't argue and ran behind a nearby rock and out of the battlefield.

The rain had increased in its amount and turned from a light drizzle into a thick shower.

Yanking his horn and face out of the tree trunk, Nidoking turned around and snarled. His nose and bottom lip were bleeding pretty badly.

Espeon had to smirk to herself. Nidokings were never very bright. Still, it wouldn't take a lot of brains to snap her in half if he got his claws on her.

Play and dodge, play and dodge.

She thought over and over to herself when they started circling each other in the middle of the grassy path.

He was, of course, the first to attack her. He lunged at her again but she rolled out of the way after she sensed his attack. Growling in frustration, he continued to swing his arms and tail at her, trying to knocked her down or stun her, but Espeon was too swift and dodged very single attack like she planned. Eevee watched as the flashes of lightning above them washed out their figures in white light while the thunder drowned out their snarls.

Having enough, Nidoking ran full force at her with his arms outstretched this time, stomping the whole way. Espeon's sensitive tail tingled again as predicted his rash actions and swiftly jumped out of the way and out of his vision. He swung his arms into self hug as a result of her dodge and became momentarily confused.
In the brief opening, Espeon took advantage of it by using a Psybeam. The jewel on her head glowed red and shot a flashing beam of light at the Nidoking. The poisonous Pokémon gasped as he was suddenly disoriented by her attack, more confused than before. Trying to gather his bearings, Nidoking stumbled around with his claws against his face to rub his eyes.
He cried out in surprise when Espeon used Tail Whip against him, wrapping her tail against his right stubby leg and yanking it from underneath him in a swift whip. She was stronger physically than he predicted and he tumbled to the ground, landing on his knees and claws.
He was breathing heavily to try to keep from throwing up from the dizzying surroundings.

He knew now it was probably a very stupid move to attack an Espeon, especially one determined on protecting her offspring. It didn't mean he was going to back down easily.

The forest around him was still spinning and he saw spots, but his hearing came back once his ears stopped ringing. He could once again hear the rapid tapping of the rain and the movement of Espeon's nimble feet against the grass. His ears twitched as he heard her approach and was standing not too far to his left.
He gripped the grass with his claws and waited patiently.

"Give up?" he heard her ask, and that was all he needed. The fool just gave her position away.

He dipped his head a bit and gritted his teeth, waiting for the disorientation to subside. Believing he didn't hear her, Espeon inched a little closer and said louder, "I said do you give up?"

Eevee watched in fear from behind a nearby tree at her mother staring the Nidoking down. She knew that Espeon was just trying to make sure that he wouldn't bother them again.

Just then, the forest stilled and he could see again.

Nidoking smirked and Espeon could sense that he was about to move. As she predicted he jumped up and lunged at her, using his legs to propel him in her direction. She jumped backwards to dodge him again, but she miscalculated his speed and distance.
In an instant, he wrapped his arms around her in a powerful bear hug. Espeon gave a loud painful wheeze as all the air was forced from her lungs.
He crushed her chest against his plated one, locking her in place with his arms. Espeon tipped her head back and tried to breathe, but every time she tried to take a breath he only squeezed her tighter against him with his arms to Eevee's horror.

He laughed loudly over her desperate attempts for air, "What's the matter? Too tight?"

Espeon couldn't even answer him as she struggled to take a breath. He squeezed even tighter and caused her to arch her back painfully.

Espeon knew she was in trouble. If she didn't get out of his grasp she'd be snapped in two. Kicking and squirming, she fought to wiggle free of his death lock. It did no good and only made her situation worse because he increased the pressure even more. A creak in her back caused pain to shoot through her body and stop her struggles. Out of energy, a blue hue started to develop over her face as she started to slowly suffocate.

Eevee watched her mother squirm and eventually slow in her movement against him. No longer able to take any more, the young Pokémon screamed and launched herself at the two grownups, "Stop it!" Espeon tilted her head to Eevee in a weak protest to her attack, but Nidoking turned and snarled at the charging youngling.
Twisting around, he swung his huge tail in the air and coiled it around her small body. Eevee let out a cry of surprise as he locked her in place and lifted her into the air. Snapping his tail to the left, he let go and flinged Eevee through the air into a nearby tree trunk.

Eve fell to the grass, battered very badly and slipping into slight unconsciousness.

In his momentary distraction, he loosened his grip on Espeon just enough for her to get a few breaths in. Once she got some slight strength back, she positioned her head in front of Nidoking's face. When he turned back to her his snout bumped her nose, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. Looking directly into his eyes, Espeon's own purple eyes started to glow white and she blinded him with a Psychic attack. He cried out and released her, stumbling back from the pain in his forehead.

Espeon fell to the ground in a slump, taking in deep grateful gasps of air.

He shook his head a few times and looked down at her, really pissed now. Espeon had no time to recover as Nidoking stomped towards her and threw his hands out to grab the Eeveelution. Though her muscles and bones protested, she forced herself to jump to her feet and get away from him. He missed and smacked both hands into the grass where she previously was.
Espeon tried to circle to his side and use Tackle on him, but Nidoking slammed his tail into the ground, causing a large tremor that shook the trees around them all. The tremor caught her off guard and caused her to stumble to the right clumsily.

He took his chance and spun around, swinging his tail to the left and catching her in it. Espeon yelled loudly as his muscular, platted tail wrapped around her waist and squeezed her tight like a squeak toy. The force was much greater than his arms and caused several cracks and snaps throughout her form. Once again, air was forced out of her, but he didn't stop there.
Swinging her around, he brought Espeon close to his chest and opened his mouth, like a snake ready to swallow his prey. He lowered his head, positioning his bone munching teeth just above her throat.
Espeon panicked and only managed to jerk her body to the right. This caused him to not bite down on her neck but instead her shoulder.

Espeon wailed as his teeth dug into her right shoulder, her blood streaming down her arm and turning runny because of the rain. He was doing it to stun her and make her bleed out, and it was working.

Espeon's wails caused Eevee to snap back to her senses and look back at the fighting Pokémon. She saw him biting into her mother's shoulder, and knew if she didn't do something he'd snap the bone, "Mom!" she struggled to her feet and wobbled a bit. She was more hurt than she thought and felt weak.

Still, she made herself stand up straight and ran to the two once again. Nidoking didn't notice her return and continued to try and stun his desperate prey.

Eevee positioned herself and jump onto Nidoking's neck. She latched herself onto his hard skin and held on as tightly as her tiny paws would let her.

Nidoking was surprised and released his teeth from Espeon's shoulder, but kept his grip on her with his tail. Eevee sickened when she could clearly see her mother's blood on his lips. Opening her mouth as wide as she could, she bit down on the space between his head and shoulder, biting as hard as she could. Unfortunately, it was like biting a rock and hurt her herbivorous teeth. She hadn't even penetrated the skin.
The pressure was enough to annoy him though and he finally released Espeon from his tail. Espeon rolled onto the wet grass, unmoving and a large chunk missing from her shoulder. Blood from her devastating wound flowed into the grass thanks to the rain.

Infuriated that Eevee had once again interfered; Nidoking snatched her with his claws and ripped her off of his neck and threw her to the ground.

She rolled until she faced the sky to see the towering figure of the Nidoking over her. He glared at her hungrily and lifted his foot to smash her into paste, but she rolled out of the way just in time.

Ultimately in rage, he turned to the small Eevee cowering in a feeble protective stance before her wounded mother. She was the only thing separating the two from each other.

Seeing red, the larger Pokémon huffed and charged at her, horn first. He was determined not to miss this time.

Eevee stumbled back, too shocked to move but too determined to back down.

In that instant, she was pulled backwards by an unknown force and knocked to her back. She hit the ground, and not long after heard the sickening shunk of something getting impaled.

She knew that Nidoking hit his target.

For a moment, she believed she was in so much shock and pain she didn't feel the impalement. Only when she looked back to face him did she see the terrible truth.

Espeon had somehow moved in front of her to block Eevee from Nidoking's attack. Using her own body as a shield, she had been skewered by his poisonous horn through the chest.

Eevee let out a loud scream as he lifted Espeon off the ground and flung his body to the side, throwing her off and back into the grass.
Wheezing in pain, Espeon had no strength left. The fight was finally kicked out of her.

Roaring in victory, Nidoking turned to the horrified and sobbing Eevee. She looked up at him in cold fear.

He growled, "You're next."

Espeon could only do a pathetic whine as he stomped towards her daughter. Eve tried to scurry away, but he was too fast for her and snatched her in both of his claws. She tried to break free, but he was so strong. All it did was cause her to receive a good gash over her left eyebrow, staining her brown fur.
He held her over his head and high into the air, ready to body slam her into the ground with crushing force.

Now, she doesn't know now what caused her to react next, whether it was fear, adrenaline, or rage to lash out in that instant.
Using the tiny claws she did have, she dug them deep into his right eye and bobbed it out.

Howling in horrible pain, he dropped her and stumbled around, gripping his blinded eye. Her paws now covered in blood, Eevee ran from the screaming Pokémon and to the fatally wounded Espeon.

Miraculously, Espeon was already lifting herself up from the ground and stumbling towards her. Even with a hole through her chest, her only thought in her fleeting mind was to keep Eevee safe.

As fast as they could manage, they fled down the path towards the graveyard, leaving the wounded Nidoking behind and escaping at last.

After several minutes, they finally reached the edge of the forest that lead to the Cemetery. Adrenaline had finally passed for the drenched Pokémon, and once Espeon knew Eevee was safe she gave a final gasp of strength and collapsed next to her.
Too weak to move or use her healing ability, Morning Sun, her mother just laid there and wheezed desperate breaths. Even if the horn drill wasn't lethal, the poison from the Nidoking's horn would have finished her off anyway.

Eevee knelt to her mother and nudged her head with hers, smearing the blood running down her face onto hers, "Mom! Come on we gotta go! We'll get you help! We-we'll do s-something!"

Espeon weakly smiled underneath her child's terrified gaze and continued smiling as her breathing slowed.

Then…she was gone…

Eevee was silent for several seconds, the rain tapping against her head.

Finally, she tilted her head back and screamed.

Gastly waited in his Bell Tower and looked onto the stormy graveyard with his brow furrowed. Something wasn't right. They should have been here an hour ago, and the storm was getting pretty bad. Maybe they got lost somehow? As ridiculous as that possibility was, he couldn't help but think it when they still didn't show up.

Not long after considering to look for them, a wave of cold hit him, sending violent chills through his amorphous body.
He fluttered in the air, gasping and trying to regain his composure by closing his eyes.

He knew what that awful feeling was. It was the familiar feeling of a soul leaving this world to the next, far beyond the spirit realm. Though he's only felt this a few times in his life, once that happened to you it was hard to forget.
He suddenly felt nauseous. He's never felt a life passing this close to the graveyard before, and it worried him far more than it should have.

He was about to seek the source of the fleeing life force when a scent hit him and caused another wave of chills.

Blood.

The coppery, metallic smell flared his senses wildly. Very few Pokémon types could smell blood at such a great distance, but Ghost-types were part of the exception. The familiar scent of death was so close he could taste it.

The smell suddenly started to get closer and he looked down into the Cemetery. From this distance, he could see a familiar figure approaching, running wildly in fact.

It was Eevee.

His heart started to sink in dread as he floated quickly out of the tower and to the ground. He met her there and became shocked.

Her soaked fur was stained with blood in several places. A deep gash was on her face and the blood running down it caused her eye to sting and blink. She was battered and bruised, and looked like she had just gotten out of a big fight. Her paws were also stained in blood, but it smelled different than hers, and he knew it had to be someone else's.

Before he could ask what the hell was going on, Eevee rammed her face into his spherical body, "Oh Gastly!"

She sobbed into him, and he only looked on in confusion by the sudden affection, "Eve! Eve!" he pulled back and tried to look into her bleeding face, but she was too busy sobbing to meet his gaze.

Concern laced with anger, he boldly asked, "What happened? Who did this to you? Was it a bully?"

She shook her head and kept it low, sobbing uncontrollably. She had never looked so horribly traumatized to him than now.

Finally able to speak, she sputtered through sobs, "A N-Nidoking attac-attacked us on our way h-here cause he wa-was hunting on the p-path! W-we tried to f-fight him off but he was too st-strong! I managed to b-blind him in his right eye b-but it wasn't enough a-and…" she broke into another set of sobs and wails, unable to control herself.

Gastly had no idea how to react. He was no expert on consolation, "What? What did he do? Eevee, where's Espeon?"

Eevee tipped her head back and howled, "Dead! She's dead! He killed her!"

She started to scream, and her words only made Gastly stare.

Dead? Dead? She's…Espeon's DEAD?

The Pokemon that had cared for his best friend, in some ways for him… He admired her, he remembered how nice she always was to them, how gentle she spoke.

And…now she's dead? Snuffed out like a damn candle?

Rage like no other built inside of him.

Dead.

DEAD.

DEAD!

Suddenly, his anger subsided and his voice became very calm and robotic, "Eevee, come on. Come with me inside the tower. Let's get out of the rain."

Horribly broken, Eevee nodded and followed him up to the top of the tower, where the bell was. She was too upset to sense the sudden change in his tone.

Gastly had gathered some old rags around the tower humans had left behind and laid them out for his friend. She settled onto it, but she was still crying and wet. The blood had become more like water and ran with it into the rags underneath her.

Gastly flew in front of her and pushed his head against hers, trying to keep her calm, "There there, it'll be okay…" he soothed as best he could.

"N-no it won't." she sobbed and pulled away from him, looking dead on, "Wh-what am I going to do now? Where am I s-supposed to go? W-What am I going to do without her..."

"I don't know Eve…I'm so sorry." He glanced to her bloody paws, "You said it was a Nidoking that attacked you guys? And you blinded him in the right eye?"

She sniffed a few times, "Yeah, just along the path…" she hiccuped a bit, something she hadn't grown out of still, and drooped her head again.

She was lost and broken. First her father and now her mother. It was all just too much to take in.

Gastly looked upon her with sympathy and took a deep breath, knowing what to do, "Eve, look. Stay here for now, and…do me a favor."

She looked back into his eyes and sniffled, "W-what?"

His pupils suddenly glowed a gentle blue and he whispered, "Sleep…"

She was about to ask him what he was talking about when she found she couldn't take her eyes off his. The blue sparkling light consumed her mind and turned it into a hazy fog. No longer having the strength to keep her eyes open, she slumped onto the rags, fast asleep.

Gastly's eyes stopped glowing and he looked down at her with regret.

He hated having to use Hypnosis on her, but she was already traumatized and to see what he was about to do wouldn't help things. He didn't want her to stop him from his next decision.

Quietly, he left his unconscious friend there and floated out of the tower towards the forest path, following the scent of the Nidoking's blood.

Sorry, that was a really depressing Chapter. :/

So, what do you think? Should Gastly really be mad? It's the circle of life for an animal to seek out and kill prey when they're hungry. How can he argue with instinct? Problem is, it was one of his friends that was prey...

Well, anyone who can guess what he's going to do before the next chapter is up gets a cookie. :3