This was written for the August Star Speckled Study One-Shot Collection using the prompt "No God in this or any other universe will be able to undo what I'm about to inflict upon you". The collection can be found in my profile on AO3.
Two strangers walk down a path laid with concrete, chains clattering with each step they take. One is a convict, and the other, a peacekeeper. One looks down with a bitter grimace, and the other forwards with empty indifference. Neither says a word.
Rain pours down from above, making the path slick and slippery. The convict, a Rhydon, has tripped far too many times to count. Each and every time, he's been roughly hauled back up by the Azumarill guiding him. Each and every time, she gives him a push, he gives her a grumble, and they quickly go back on their way.
They've been walking for miles, but their trek is soon to finish; now being around a mile away from the Rhydon's next confinement area.
The Azumarill, scarf and bag hanging around her neck, pulls out a guild badge. The Rhydon looks up at the crackling sound it generates, but looks back down when she starts speaking.
"This is AZG2 reporting to… GP4? …AZG2 reporting to GP4, I have the convict Rhydon."
She stares up at the hill for a moment, before looking back down at the device in confusion as it produces light static. The Rhydon looks back up.
"…GP4? AZG2 checking in. Anybody there?"
…No response again. The Azumarill frowns. Keeping her badge out, she passes by the Rhydon, taking the lead.
They continue, climbing up and over the hill that'd obscured their vision of the town. As they reach the top, she holds up her badge again.
"AZG2, G4 town coming into…"
She stops suddenly, and the Rhydon bumps into her. He looks up with intrigue and surprise, only to see what'd caught the Azumarill's attention.
The town they'd been traveling to, from what can be seen, is destroyed.
Even with how far away they are from the town, the destruction is obvious - to a point where it looks like the town's been gone for years. What might've been walls in the past are now just piles of ash. The only bit that makes it seem like a recent thing is the thick layer of dust floating around the town despite the downpour, preventing them from seeing anything past what were the first few walls and structures.
The Rhydon quickly backpedals in shock, pulling on the chain and yanking the Azumarill back a foot. She looks back at him for a moment before her gaze hardens.
Pressing a few times on her guild badge again, she calmly says, "AZG2 to all GRAs. Something happened to G4; requesting backup for investigation."
She waits for a moment, staring at her badge, only to once again receive static. She glares daggers at the device before sending a look back to the Rhydon, getting his attention with a stomp of her foot.
Holding up the badge, she asks, "Nobody's responding, so either my badge isn't working, or the guilds are under attack. Is any of that your doing?"
In a gruff voice, he speaks up, "No? I'm not… I wouldn't have any ideas-"
"Yeah yeah, whatever," She shrugs his response off.
"…Regardless, I'm gonna investigate. And, since I don't want you running away, you're coming with me. Have any problems with that?"
With her full attention on the Rhydon, she misses a flash of light from inside the dust cloud. He stares over her shoulder in unmasked confusion.
She catches his gaze. Curious, she turns around, only to see nothing. Turning back, she starts, "What'd you-"
She's swiftly interrupted (and brought to the ground, alongside the Rhydon) by an extremely high-pitched, loud, distorted, and painful roar. Both wince at the volume, covering their ears. The Azumarill grits her teeth through it, however, forcing herself back to her feet quickly.
Her glare shifts back to the fog, paw hovering just over her bag, waiting for any movement.
Staring for a good while, she takes a deep breath and looks back to the Rhydon, patting her bag. "Might as well ask; what crime did you commit to become a convict?"
"Why are you-" "Answer me. Don't lie, either."
"…Went on a rampage in one of the settlements. Destroyed a few buildings before they got me. I-"
"Alright. You're strong, I presume?"
"I-I'd like to think so. Why-"
"Just weighing our options." She reaches into the bag, taking out a defog orb. It glows a hazy gray in the rain.
The Rhydon sniffs. "I mean, I guess I'd be fine fighting… Looked like an electric type, I think? Saw a flash of white or something, dunno."
She picks at the chains wrapped around their torsos, giving the Rhydon a sly smile. "Well, whatever we're fighting, if we're fighting, we'll be chained together like this. The key's in the prison somewhere… probably destroyed now. You still think you can fight as you are?"
"What- chained to you? That's only like… five feet of separation! I wouldn't have enough room to move around!"
"Well, I am technically a close-range fighter as well, so I think we'll be fine. If it's too much for us too, we can walk away from whatever this is – simple as that. Anyways, throwing down the orb now. If you attack me instead of what you're supposed to be attacking, I will cripple you at the very least."
"…Okay."
Closing her eyes, she throws the defog orb.
Wincing at the gust it generates, the Azumarill opens her eyes again, watching as the fog clears to reveal… a Scyther. Sitting on one of the ash piles, looking to be sharpening its claws. Or, at least, it might've been - now not moving. She can't get a good look at the bug-type's face.
The Rhydon tilts his head, confused, "It's just a Scyther? I don't see how one of those could cause this much-"
"Let's get closer."
"-…Oooh!" He rubs his paws together. "We gonna fight it?"
The Azumarill frowns, looking back at the Rhydon. "I'd rather not, assuming it is responsible. Considering I don't think that roar could've come from a Scyther of all things, I'll assume there's some other hidden danger behind a downed building or something."
She starts walking. "What are we gonna do to it then?"
"Talk to it, possibly restrain it for more thorough questioning. Don't give it a chance to fight back if it chooses to fight."
She turns her gaze back to the Scyther, whose head seems to have shifted towards them. She freezes in her tracks.
When she blinks, it disappears.
"Rhydon…?"
"Need somethin'-"
"Watch my back, keep an eye out. I lost track of it."
"Damn. And we need to worry, why?"
"Do you want to die?"
He laughs, "'Course not. Just don't think that a Scyther'd be able to do much to me-"
"Don't be dense, stick to my back, and follow my logic. Considering this Scyther might've managed to level a fucking town, I'd be wary. Weren't you scared of that roar, like, a minute ago?"
"Didn't you say there was-"
"Better to overestimate than underestimate in this case."
"…Hmph."
They continue, but stop after only a few feet, much to the Rhydon's frustration.
"What-"
"Another one – a slowpoke. It's staring at us and… not moving again?"
The Rhydon moves to turn around, but she holds him back.
Then, she blinks, and it disappears.
"Again? Also, how?"
"What?"
"I think… we miiight be facing a Zoroark here. Be wary."
"Ah. …No idea what they do, but I'll do my-!"
"Would rather you didn't shout."
"…"
The duo forge on once again. More and more of those so-called illusions pop up, each one seemingly frozen In time, staring at the Azumarill until she blinks. Every time one appears, she flinches. After a good ten or so more of them, however, she completely ignores them, eyes narrowed.
They make it into the town, but the Azumarill can't hide her nervousness. She looks in her bag for resources, noting what she has and what she's missing. Only a single warp seed for escaping, and a few other single-use items that wouldn't do them much good against the dark-type.
She grimaces.
"Dark is weak against fairy though; you'll be just fine fighting a Zoroark. Might even be a Zorua…!"
"Wha-"
"Shut up, I'm motivating mysel-…"
Peeking around a corner, she spots a Chikorita wildly whipping its head around, seemingly looking for something.
It quickly spots them, but the discovery doesn't seem to do anything to calm it down. It runs towards them in a panic.
In a younger, female tone, the Chikorita hisses, "Where- do you know how to get out of town!?"
The two jump back in surprise, but the Azumarill clears her throat, looking back, "...We walked in a straight line from here pretty much-"
"Good, 'cause it's not-…"
The Chikorita stops, quivering, and staring at something behind them.
They can hear the static before they see it, and even then they don't know what to think as they turn around.
Around fifty feet away from them floats an almost incomprehensible being comprised of shapes and figures that seem to break and distort reality around it. The sound of static only gets louder as it nears them.
"Well, that's not a zoroark."
Shapes on the creature distort to an even more pronounced degree as it lets out a roar nearly identical to the one they'd experienced earlier, the proximity magnifying its effect tenfold.
Half-deaf now, the Azumarill panics, dropping to the ground. She roots through her bag to see if she has anything that can do something to this thing. However, the only items she can find are a blast seed, a violent seed, a luminous orb, and a… warp seed. An item that only works on one pokémon.
She growls, dumping the bag. She quickly gives both the warp seed and her guild badge to the Chikorita without even thinking about it, before downing the violent seed. She throws the luminous orb to the Rhydon quickly after.
"Chikorita, down that seed right now. Rhydon, break that orb when I give you the mark. Got it?"
The Rhydon holds up the orb in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"I'm surviving."
She catches the Chikorita blink out of existence, smirking for a moment before focusing back on the matter at hand.
"Don't know what you are exactly, but we'll deal with you one way or another. Ready Rhydon?"
"Sure."
"Close your eyes, and mark."
He throws down the orb, and the area lights up a blinding white.
The Azumarill launches the blast seed and one of her hydro pumps at the formation in quick succession before starting her retreat away from the thing.
…She is stopped in her tracks within three steps.
As the flash clears, the thing floats only feet away from them now, warbling. They take a step back, but it only gets two steps closer.
The Azumarill grimaces, looking back at the Rhydon. He's already desperately pulling away, not even paying attention to his surroundings anymore. She sighs, facing back towards the thing in contempt.
"…Well, Don't know what you're going to do to us, but I just hope-"
The frozen 'mons from before suddenly form into existence again, and her eyes widen. The Scyther they'd first seen, now no longer frozen, walks up to them and smiles.
She tries to take a step back, but she cannot will herself to do so.
"Unfortunate yet fortunate that you've found yourself here, but this is the end of the line for you."
She manages a look towards the Rhydon behind her. His eyes are locked on the Scyther, body unmoving.
"No gods here will be able to set you free from the new fate you've befallen."
She turns back.
"Welcome, to MissingNo."
As her vision fades into a white nothingness, she and all of the 'mons around dissapear, leaving only the shape-riddled thing left,
With yet another ear-piercing roar, the being continues its search for life, and the Chikorita, now on the hill, begins her search for safety.
Quick note: I will mark this as complete for now, but if/when i continue this i will unmark it and adjust the tags/description accordingly. Won't be for quite a while if I do it though, and that's only if.
Regardless, hope you enjoyed, and see ya 'round!