Short chapter, but one of my favorites so far.
Red turned the compass a minute amount, and then looked in the direction it pointed. He memorized the farthest visible tree in that direction, intending to use it as a reference point as he continued north. He checked the compass one last time, and as he pocketed it he noticed something was wrong.
Nyoromo's tail, which had been flickering irritatingly at the edges of his vision, was gone. He felt the top of his head. Though his hair was still moist, the pokémon was gone.
Red froze. The forest was a dangerous place for the Called. Without a pokémon, he was helpless. Viridian did not give second chances. He looked around, hoping the little thing hadn't gotten too far. He hadn't even noticed the absence of its weight.
"Poli!" rang a plaintive cry from just a few yards back.
Red tried to move quickly but stealthily, as he wanted to be able to surprise whatever held Nyoromo.
"Poliwag!" cried the pokémon again. Red moved behind a tree that he hoped would obscure him from the vision of anything near his poliwag. He slowly leaned sideways to allow his head around the tree.
Nyoromo was bound to a tree by a patch of white thread, nearly covering its entire body. Red could see the webbing move slightly as the creature struggled against it, but it showed no signs of giving way. At the base of the tree was a great larva crawling towards the tree, undulating like a worm near its tail, but crawling on four barbed legs nearer its head. It was three or four feet long, and its tail was weighted with a heavy club-like appendage. It had two large, black eyes that too up most of its head. Between them, a large, two-pronged antenna extended half a foot more, and it waved slightly as the pokémon moved. A small cylinder extended from its face, and from it a wisp of thread hung.
Red moved back behind the tree and slowly opened his bag, struggling not to make a sound. He knew that, despite the fear he felt, he faced only a caterpie, and he should be able to distract it for a short time. He found the item he was looking for and took a deep breath.
Holding it, he stepped out from behind the tree just in time to see the caterpie tear a strip of flesh from Nyoromo's head.