Venomoth and Nidoking

While the museum was dark, there were just enough security spotlights to navigate the building by. It helped that he had visited the place enough times to memorize the layout. He made his way through, sticking to the shadows. After all, it wouldn't fit for him to get caught before his thieving career could really take off.

Sure, he had taken a few valuables here and there from peoples' homes and he'd been going along well. But he liked drama. He would observe his victims beforehand, learning what items they help sentimentally valuable. When he went in for the steal, he always took those sentimental items, along with small valuable items that didn't hold as much importance to the owner. The next day, he would return the sentimental items, either in a box on the victim's porch or dropped off at a police station anonymously. That gave him the anguish he liked to see, but then kept the victims from pursuing his trail as intently.

That still wasn't dramatic enough. He wanted to be able to take something in broad daylight, something major and public. However, that would take force, and a lot of it, to pull of a heist as dramatic as he wanted. He had a Pokemon partner, but it was just a Raticate, not powerful enough. And the Raticate wasn't that good at stealthy jobs, as it liked to be noisy and pick fights. What he needed for his plans was a Pokemon strong enough and awesome enough that people would back off immediately. Or, a trio of such Pokemon.

And in this museum, there was something that could help him immensely: the Glory Flute. It was an antique artifact that was said to tame the three strongest and wildest bird Pokemon in Kanto, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. While he figured he'd need to catch more than a single Raticate to ultimately capture those three, when he had the legendary birds, then everyone would be in awe of him. And he could able to get away with anything he wanted after that.

Getting the flute was his current challenge. And there it was, on a solitary table underneath one of those security spotlights. It rested on a blue velvet base, a white flute apparently carved from a single bone. Thin engravings filled with blue, yellow, or red dye wound all around it, making it a beautiful piece as well as powerful.

It was going to be protected too. The thief had found out about what securities they used. Against the spotlight, he was simply going to use a thin black piece of silk to disguise his face while still able to see his work. Against the pressure plates on the pedestal, the alarm tiles past the security chain, the automated cameras, he had already hacked into the security network and disarmed them (that only gave him an hour's time frame to do the job). That left just some barely visible wires, like fishing line, that held down the flute itself.

And a fine layer of dust, he noticed as he came up to the pedestal. That struck him as odd, since this museum was active and immaculately tended to. He barely saw the dark particles, but they had a dull violet look on the soft blue of the velvet. Could this be another security measure, to acquire fingerprints easier? Nevertheless, he didn't want to back out now. He started unwinding the wires from their hidden screws, with his black gloves keeping prints from being left even with the dust there.

The dust was stirred up by his activity and was soon tickling his nose. The thief paused, waiting for it to settle, then worked slower. But, if he was too slow, the securities would be turned back on and he'd have an alarm wailing in his ears. He got the first thread done, then the second. As he worked on the third, he hurried up some, only to stir the violet dust up again. This time, he sneezed.

There was a flutter of wings from nearby. Quickly, he undid the final thread, even though that made the dust irritate his nose even more. He grabbed the flute, then saw something at the edge of the security spotlight: a blank lavender mask, sharp in features but without any eyes. Spooked, the thief bolted, crashing into a metal post and sending it with its chain barrier onto the floor.

In this silent place, it was a massive noise, one that caused strips of lights to turn on along all edges of the walls. By that, he finally saw the eyes of the creature, below the 'mask'. It had a thick furry body and large insect wings, all in various shades of violet. A Venomoth. Not much to worry about, as his Raticate could easily beat it. But that would give the guards enough time to get to him, probably with stronger Pokemon. The thief ran out of the room.

Okay, his previous escape route wouldn't be as useful. Instead, he went to the end of the outer hall (which was nearby) and shoved open a fire escape door. That set off the fire alarm, but he didn't care. It would cause panic and confusion, letting him slip away easier.

It should have let him get away. However, that Venomoth was soon out with him, flying after him. It dove at his head, causing him to stumble as he tried to scare it off with his arms. But he hadn't realized how huge one would seem when it was attacking his head, filling his vision with pale violet wings. Sneezing again, the thief felt his nose and throat start to tingle. That tingle turned into a mild burning, which threw him into a coughing fit. But all that did was worsen the pain.

Was he getting sick? He grabbed some mud from an earlier rainfall and threw it at the Bug Pokemon. That caused it to squeal, wildly shaking its head to get rid of the muck. From its wings, a large quantity of violet dust fell off. This Pokemon must have coated the Flute's display for some reason. Not caring to know why, the thief got up and kept running.

As the pain in his nose and throat got worse, he considered getting to a pharmacy and getting something for a sore throat. Maybe even stealing it, although he disliked such petty shop-lifting (no drama whatsoever). Then there was a bestial roar from right next to him. Something near the ground came at him fast, but before he could jump it, it struck his lower legs hard enough to make him crash face first onto the hard ground. For a moment, all he was aware of was the smell of dirt and recently cut grass, as well as the burning pain inside and the new shock of pain all over.

Then he was kicked over roughly with a large foot. The thief looked up into the intimidating face of a Nidoking, dark violet with harsh black eyes and large pointed horns. How in the world had he missed this Pokemon coming at him? The beast then snatched him up roughly with its coarse paws. It pulled him close to its body, latching onto his legs with its tail, holding his torso securely with one arm, and placing its other paw lightly against his head. Now smelling the sweat of this creature, the thief was terrified. He tried to escape, or move in any fashion, but the Nidoking did not let him.

"If you squirm too much, it could get you poisoned even worse," a woman's voice said. "Drop the flute."

The thief tried to look for the speaker, but could hardly see anything past the Nidoking. And it seemed strong enough to crush his head without adjusting its hold. "Fine, but you wouldn't have caught me if it wasn't for your Nidoking," he grumbled, dropping the flute. He would have to find some other way to a rare and impressively powerful Pokemon… when he escaped from jail, of course.

"No, he just made things go faster," she replied. "Do you remember the dust on the Flute's display area? That was from Venomoth's scales. And you feel sick now, don't you? With a burning nose and throat, maybe even in your lungs. Before long, things will start to swell, especially in your nose, making you breathe through your mouth. But that isn't it. No, because then the poison would enter your bloodstream, spreading the pain throughout your body. You would be in utter agony, and it would have been quickened by the fact that you were running. You're going to spend days with that poison in your body. That is, unless you take the antidote. I have one with me, but then you're going to have to tell me exactly how you got into the museum and deactivated the alarms. I could catch thieves with her alone; I'm just generous in giving you a chance to avoid the worst of the pain."

"I'm not one to reveal my methods," he said defiantly. He prided himself on his thieving abilities and wasn't about to share his secrets.

"Fine, if you want to stay poisoned. Nido, move your hand please." When the Pokemon did, the thief briefly saw her face. But then she blew a pile of pale violet dust at his face, causing him to sneeze hard. "And those scales are going to make sure that you don't get away before the police come. Let's bring him inside." She turned and walked back to the museum.

The Nidoking loosened his hold on the thief slightly to follow after his master. By the time they got inside, the thief found that his limbs felt heavy and sluggish. He wasn't getting away now, and the pain was indeed starting to spread. But he wasn't going to ruin his pride just because of some pain.

He hoped he wouldn't.

…

Nidoking Soul Silver entry: Its tail is thick and powerful. If it binds an enemy, it can render the victim helpless quite easily.

Venomoth Soul Silver entry: The powder on its wings is poisonous if it is dark in hue. If it is light in hue, it causes paralysis.

Museum guard would be a good job for an unemployed ninja, I think.

A reminder: I do accept requests for this, and I'm quite lacking in upcoming POS entries. No fifth gens yet and no repeats, please.