[Pokémon] Plague

It's been years since I have written anything remotely Pokémon related, yet I thought I'd give it yet another go whilst incorporating a genre that I am not used to writing. It is quite late, so I will say no more, but I hope you enjoy a short taste of what is yet to come. Please be warned that the following Fanfiction will not go without containing violence and language (and the odd innuendo, knowing me). Criticism and praise are most welcome.


Run. Just keep running. The moment you stop running, they'll have you. And so David continued to run as fast as his short legs would carry him. There was no comprehending what he had just seen. No reasonable explanation could be presented. The shadows… they were just playing tricks on you. You're tired. You see bizarre things when you can barely keep your eyes open. It's natural. Yet, despite how tired he was and how fixated he was on the idea that what he had seen was just a mere illusion, David continued to run.

He didn't stop for quite some time. And when he did it was only because his chest screamed out in pain, as did his legs.

Throwing himself against a tree and sliding down it, the bark grazing across his clothed back, David watched as his chest pounded back and forth, in and out. Focus on it, David, focus on your chest. Take your mind off whatever the hell you just saw. It was no use, however, and as darkness crept around him, David began to doubt his chances of survival. The shadows of the trees soon disappeared, and instead were replaced by a sea of maddening obscurity. David's only friend, the sun, had deserted him.

The trees of Eterna Forest seemed to whisper to him. Laugh at him. Cackled at him. They were entertained. They loved the thrill of the chase. They cared not of who survived, but only of the entertainment that they so heavily craved. The very air they emitted was poisonous to all, for it was thick and sticky, and did you no favours in enhancing your speed or agility. David experienced this as he coughed heavily once more.

You watch too many movies, David… too many. It's all part of your imagination. The sound of twig snapping nearby sliced through the silent dusk air. David clenched and slowly turned his head to face where the sound had originated from. All that lay in his view was a motionless shrub and a tree protruding upwards from it. He attempted to calm and silence his breathing, though this only caused him to tremble further. In the distance something hooted. Against the back of his neck David could feel the bark slashing at him as he pressed against the tree. The smell of sap invaded his nose.

The forest was beginning to grasp David, and he could feel it.

David realised that his options were rather limited. Not knowing of where he was located in the forest, David's best bet was to continue running in the opposite direction to the horror that he had just laid his eyes upon. He knew this. His other option would be to stay where he was, remaining silent, until dawn, before creeping out of the forest with the ability to see. If he bolted now, he'd be blind to his environment. Yet, if he stayed here, that thing would surely find him.

He would be its next victim.

As David's body begun to calm down from its previous sprint, David was hit with a sudden realisation of how cold it was. He was staring death in the face, and it was cold. It was nothing but cold. There was no emotion to it, or state of being, only the sheer feeling of nothing that possessed an icy touch. The wind blew a brief gust, and that was when David bolted once more.

Looking around him and observing his surroundings was not an option. Running and not stopping was his only option. He could not see what was to his left, or to his right, or even that far in front of him. He did not currently possess the will to care. The only thought on his mind, the only animalistic instinct that seized his bones and his muscles, was to keep doing the one thing that could potentially keep him alive. It was to keep running, and not to look back.

The air was beginning to unfasten around his chest. David could feel his freedom. He began to embrace it. Only a little further now! The trees slowly became thinner and spaced wider apart. The moonlight was visible once more. David could see to his left and to his right and in front of him once again. His legs burned and his chest throbbed, though that did not stop David. Nothing could stop David as he stumbled forward and continued to place one short leg in front of the other at his fastest pace. As the exit to the forest grew closer, a thin smile began to breach David's lips. I'm going to make it.

Unfortunately, it was at that very moment when David's foot kicked against something thick and stubborn. Unable to keep himself balanced, David was thrown to the ground, groaning momentarily as his entire body smashed against the twigs and leaves that had fallen below him. David knew that there was no time to remain motionless though, and so he quickly rolled onto his back and peered at what he had tripped over.

Unexpectedly, a pair of red eyes peered back at him. From what David could see, the posture of the creature was slumped, and a lot of the fur from the creature was missing. And chunks of the skin and flesh too? Is that bone that I can see? It didn't take long for David to realise that this was a Slakoth, yet there seemed to be something unique about it. Something not quite right…

And that was when he felt a searing pain in his neck. "ARGHHH!" He cried out, his arm weakly moving as fast as it could to bat away his predator. The arm, however, only received the exact treatment as his neck had. This time David could feel a set of teeth force their way through his skin, puncturing it without mercy. The pain returned at a more intense level, yet all David seemed capable of doing was grunting. Down his neck and wrist David could feel the warmth of his own blood flowing. He was beginning to feel faint now…

The day that he had just experienced flashed through his mind. His early morning Pokémon battle. His defeat in said battle. Leaving his Pokémon at home due to frustration and walking in the forest all day to calm down. Stumbling across that Bidoof as it devoured the corpse of a human being. Running from it, and hiding, and running once more, only to end up here, lying motionlessly on the ground as something constantly bit into him.

David had accepted it now. He was never going to escape the forest. This was his final moment. The blood was leaving his system at a pace that was unstoppable. Whatever was chomping on his arm was draining the blood from him. Was it the Bidoof? Or something else? David realised that it did not matter. It was in this moment that David regretted leaving the house without his Geodude. It was in this moment that David realised that what he had seen had been real, and that it would come for the rest of the human race without hesitation. It was in this moment that David closed his eyes never to open them again, and the only sound that filled Eterna forest that night was the devouring of David's body and the harsh cawing of the Murkrow that sat on a branch above his corpse.

I'm thinking of making this a Chapter-Every-Monday type thing. Hell, maybe even finish it before I start University. A nice project. Hope whoever's reading likes the first chapter! As always, praise and criticisms are always welcome.

Chapter 1: Most of the Protagonists are Meaningless People​

"You can remain silent all you want, kid, but that ain't gonna get you no where, you hear me?"

Oh, how Matthew heard her. The cop had not kept her mouth shut for more than ten seconds at a time. A new cop, Matthew reckoned. Somebody who was trying to make a name for themselves. Somebody who was trying to impress their superiors, most of which were most likely observing from behind the wall to his right that consisted of one enormous mirror. Then again, is my crime even serious enough to earn an observed interrogation?

Again, the cop opened her lips. Five second space, this time. She's panicking. She doesn't know what to say. She's just saying anything, all in order to get me to talk. She's praying that she will stumble across something, an inkling of something, that will make me talk. She's relying on blind luck. Stupid ♥♥♥♥♥. "Your future, Kid. Do you care about your future? Because I can make it worse. Sure, you're only in for a night, but I can make it longer. Two nights. Three nights. Maybe even a week. Would you like that? A criminal record. Nobody will hire you. Would you like that? Would you like to have no chance in the future, eh?"

Matthew studied her. She did like to run her mouth. I wonder if she could put it to better use. I know exactly where I want her mouth to be. He lifted his hand slowly and held his palm out, flat. The cop stared at it, not knowing what to say. For the first time since Matthew had arrived, the room had remained silent for more than ten seconds, and that was when Matthew spoke his very first words to her. "You think if I had much of a future I would be sitting here, allowing you lecture me on some irrelevant ♥♥♥♥ that doesn't really apply to me? Nah, love. I'd be out of here by now. Better yet, I wouldn't have been in here to start with. Not once." Matthew's tone had remained calm and at a constant volume, not raising one decibel nor falling one decibel. He grinned briefly before leaning back into his chair and placing his feet upon the steel table in front of him.

Other than the steel table in the centre of the room, the two steel chairs that accompanied the table, Matthew and the loud mouthed cop, the room was hollow. Matthew had played this game before. It was always easier in an empty room. There was nothing but raw emotion that way. The cop had her emotion and limits, and Matthew had his. It is what defined them in this situation. Matthew was well aware of that. He had nothing to lose whilst she had everything to lose. That made him unstoppable. It always did.

Now that he had spoken, the cop seemed to have nothing more to say. They never did. Matthew grinned once more. "Look, this is what's going to happen. You're going to realise that there's nothing to can do about my behaviour. You're going to send me on my way to my cell, and I'm going to stay there for a night. Fair's fair; you caught me. But then, in the morning, I'm going to walk out of this ♥♥♥♥ hole that you call a jail and return to my life. Whether that involves repeating my past actions or not is yet to be seen, but that is irrelevant at this very moment in time. You'll probably return home tonight, think about me all night, and then return here tomorrow morning, sleep deprived. Then you'll set me free. It's how it goes, love. It's always how it goes."

A look of anger flushed across the face of the cop. She strained in order to hide it, though it was no use. Her anger was as apparent as it was that blood was red, and Matthew loved it. Through her gritted teeth leaked the words: "Where did you purchase the drugs, young man?"

Matthew smirked and leaned forward. "Your mother supplied a hefty load of them to me, before smoking and snorting it all up with me and then sucking my ripe, young ♥♥♥♥."

And then she flipped her ♥♥♥♥. Matthew had won.

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"Hey, Tia babe, have you heard this? Some crack head has sighted some zombies, apparently."

"Babe, get over here and stop reading that ♥♥♥♥ on the web. I want you to smoke this ♥♥♥♥ with me and then maybe we can think about getting down to our usual business."

By usual business, she meant sex. Dank, murky sex, in a dank, murky room. Michael knew this. It was apparent. That's all they seemed to do. Smoke and shag. It often bored Michael. The very thought of placing a cigarette between his lips and inhaling the addictive goodness that was nicotine sickened Michael at the very moment. "Could you stop smoking for one moment? Matthew's been caught for that ♥♥♥♥."

"No. Matthew's been caught for doing much worse, Mikey. It ain't for the first time, either. Smoking's one thing, but what he does… he almost deserves to spend a night in a cell. Now come over here and sit with me. Even if you ain't gonna smoke, I want to hold you."

Michael rolled his eyes. She always wanted to hold him. He liked Tia. She was hot enough, and made for good company, yet she lacked ambition. All she ever wanted to do was sit in Michael's blacked out room and smoke until her lungs shrivelled up into a heap of soft, black coal. His parents didn't care either. He often caught her smoking with them. "In a minute. Reading." He droned in reply, his eyes scrolling through the text on his computer, which happened to be the only item in his room that was a source of light.

Tia laughed mockingly. "What? That ♥♥♥♥ about zombies? It's nothing, Mikey. As you said, some crack 'ead will have been walking home on a dark night and a Munchlax will have stumbled from a bush and begun to have snapped at him for whatever reason. Why do you read that crap anyway? You can't trust none of it, I tell you. I thought you were smart."

"I am smart, Tia," Michael replied absent mindedly, once again droning as he skimmed through the article. "Yet, unfortunately, this is of interest to me. Reading this sorta stuff gives me a reason not to smoke crack. I don't wanna end up like any of these yo- hey, wait!"

"What?" Tia groaned.

"This sighting. It was near Eterna forest." Michael squinted to see if he was reading the article correctly. The room was so layered with smoke that it was hard to tell anymore as to whether he was reading what was really there. It reeked of sex and smoke, and was hardly inhabitable anymore. Hell, Michael had forgotten what colour his wallpaper once was before it began to peel due to the horrendous conditions. There were bits of it still on his wall, though it was hard to detect where they were without running your finger tips along the wall due to the lack of light.

"So what? Is this really important?"

Michael ignored her excessive moaning and continued. "Remember that David guy who disappeared a few days ago?"

"Yeah, we, like, went to school with that pussy. Used to steal his money and ♥♥♥♥, remember?" Tia sounded almost proud. Though he wasn't looking at her, Michael could feel her smiling. He didn't smile, however. Instead, his stomach churned, the feeling of guilt amalgamating with the litre of cheap-branded energy drink that he had consumed that morning.

His tone turned grim. "Well, he was last sighted around Eterna forest."

"Oh boo-hoo. I'm sure that's fantastic for him, Mikey. Since you're so obsessed with this prick, why don't you track him down and make him your lover? I'm sure the pair of you would absolutely love that." He hated it when Tia became like this. She craved his attention, and when she didn't get it, she tended to turn bitter.

"I think they're connected," he continued, once more ignoring her comments, "and it may be well worth checking out. You coming?"

Not for the first time, Tia exhaled a long, empathised groan. "Why? Why can't we just stay here and spend our times doing something much more exciting?"

Because anything is more exciting than sitting here smoking and having sex. "Because I fancy a change. I fancy feeling the sun shining on my face today, and some fresh air in my lungs. I want to visit somewhere that isn't in Oreburgh City. This could be interesting! We will just hop on the train up, and catch the late train back down. We'll be back before midnight, I promise." When he turned to look at her she did not look too pleased at his plan. He sighed and then smiled. "If you come, you'll be in for a treat tonight," he added, trying to sound encouraging.

A smile merely flickered across Tia's lips. "Treat me now and when we get back and I'll come with you."

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They say that the Biology of Pokémon is the most tediously boring subject that one could study at the General University of Sinnoh. They, whoever they are, were correct, as George Whittaker was quick to discover. He had been warned, he often admitted before proceeding to tell people that he had regrettably not listened to those warnings. That was not to say that George was bad at the subject. No. He was by far one of the highest scoring students the Department of Biology of Pokémon at the General University of Sinnoh had had the pleasure of teaching in years. 'George Whittaker was an intellectual force to be reckoned with,' they would say to other departments.

"And that's why we've chosen him for this investigation," Professor Adams explained to the Dean of the university. "His grades are off the chart," he continued once the silence between him and the Dean had not been met by a reply from her. "I don't even think he has to try. Hell, I'd argue that the kid doesn't even have to learn. He just knows. This investigation could be enough to kick start his career, and when he's one of the leading scientists in the world for Pokémon research, I'm sure he won't mind dropping us a mention or two."

Professor Adams remained silent this time, observing the Dean as she pursed her lips and sat with an ominous amount of power before her desk. Her presence was enough to make the professor tremble slightly, though he tried to restrain himself and at least look respectable. "So," she started, "What you're telling me is that you want to take a first year student into the field, without any training, when we have plenty of third year students, with training and a great deal of intelligence, on their knees for this opportunity?"

Don't let her question your logic, man. She will unravel you and dominate you. "That is exactly what I'm saying." The professor knew that she would not be expecting that and that it would give him a few seconds to act whilst she recovered. "This isn't just any investigation. The government say that this is a genuine threat. People are dying. There are sightings of… freak Pokémon. And this isn't just in one location. It's everywhere. We need out best-"

"Sounds a little dangerous for a student to embark on this… mission, does it not, Professor? Especially a first year student. Furthermore, would you really depend on the knowledge and lack of experience of a first year student?" Bright red lips stick, a suit that could destroy the average male's suit, hair that has been modelled in such a way that only a woman of extreme confidence could wear it. This woman did not mess around. Professor Adams could not win this over so easily.

"He's our best student-"

"The answer's no." Her words slashed over his with no mercy. She did not smile, nor did she frown. Not spark of emotion was present within her eyes. Her face was cold and her voice possessing a deadpan tone that could not be broken. "No student shall join this investigation. I will give you leave to do so, Professor Adams, but you go alone if you are to go. It's for the safety of the students. I am sure you understand."

The look of defeat sweeped across the professor's face. His blue eyes watered ever-so-slightly before he blinked away the water. "Yes, Dean Hybole." And with that he took and few steps back and turned, walking slowly from the grand and polished office. Looks like I'm going to have to do things my way. If Mr Whittaker cannot join us as a student, then it looks like he'll have to join us by other means.

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"What kind of date is this anyway, Mikey? Don't you know how to treat a lady such as myself?" Tia said sarcastically as the two of them approached the vast forest.

We don't do 'dates', Tia. You know that. We're not that type of couple. Unfortunately. "That is a beautiful shade of black you are wearing tonight, Tia, it really does matches the shade of the sky." Michael smirked and as Tia chuckled slightly, not taking his eyes off of the forest. Into it he stared, transfixed by the soul-sucking obscurity that seemed only to stare back at him. It greeted him. It wanted him to step into the forest. However, Michael could feel that it was a sinister greeting. It wasn't the sort of greeting that one would receive from their grandmother, but one that was quite the opposite.

"Why thank you, o' gallant Michael. I wore it to match the shade of black that you are garbed in today." Once again, her tone possessed an extremely high amount of sarcasm. Tia was often a sarcastic person, as Michael soon came to learn. It was one of the reasons that he liked her. Another reason was that she had the same taste of music and clothing that him: metal and anything that was black.

Another silence fell between them when Michael chose not to reply. He couldn't think straight. It's the forest… it has some sort of hold over me. "You know, you can go back and wait in Eterna City if you'd like, Tia. I'll give you some money to spend."

"And what? Have a romantic candle lit dinner for one? I don't think so. I want to be here to prove to you that there is no such thing as zombies. I wouldn't mind being right for once anyway," Tia replied as the two of them came to halt on the very edge of the forest, a portentous breeze blowing upon them from within the forest.

"Yeah, me too," Michael replied quietly. Matthew was always the one who seemed to be right. He was a smart guy, Matthew, yet he was wasted intelligence. Weren't they all, though? The three of them never went to college after high school and decided it would be best to just waste the rest of their childhoods by smoking and drinking and generally enjoying themselves, usually through illegal means. Seventeen, young, and free. Michael had come to hate it. Matthew and Tia, however, were a different story.

A few second's worth of silence passed between the two of them. Michael wondered if Tia was thinking the same thing as he was. He wondered if she was acting the way she was in order to try and ignore the forest. "So… what now? We just going to stand here?" Tia asked, almost sounding playful.

Michael pulled a Pokéball from his pocket and watched as it enlarged in his hand. Soon, a Ponyta was by his side. "Of course not. Ponyta, I need you to light up the way for us. Stay by our side and stay alert. We're not here to play."

"Yeah, we're here to look for zombies!" The entire statement was delivered with sarcasm coated in exaggeration. Tia laughed and proceeded to advancing fearlessly into the forest. Michael watched her before hurrying after her, Ponyta also following.

The moment that they entered the forest light flooded throughout the murky atmosphere, many small, brisk movements taking place throughout the forest on all levels. "These Pokémon are afraid of the light…" Michael stated quietly before striding forward, taking care not to trip over a root, many of which dominated the path and had uprooted it. It was questionable as to whether there was even a path anymore.

"Of course they are! They're used to the dark, they live in a forest!" Tia stated as Michael and Ponyta caught up to her.

"Correct, but the forest is light during the day. They should be used to the light, so why flee when they're exposed to it?" The two of them and Ponyta walk in a tight pack, observing their surroundings. Trees, shrubs, plants, vines, mud. Nothing seemingly out of the ordinary. The trees did seem to become denser as they wondered further, though that was also somewhat ordinary in a forest. Where are all the Pokémon though? Even the nocturnal ones?

The two of them remained in silence as they continued to venture further into the forest. It soon required more effort to climb over tree roots and to weave around them. Shortly, there was no path to follow. They were acting on instincts alone. The air also began to grow more burdensome to breathe for it become thick and sticky. The very smell of death was in the air and Michael knew it, even if Tia was not convinced. It infested his nose and rooted itself down deep, boasting of its presence, preying on his mind.

Pulling out a cigarette, Michael planted it between his lips and lit it with his lighter. A soft relief overwhelmed his body as he inhaled the toxins. "Want one?" He said politely to Tia, who did not even think about denying his offer. "Can you feel it, Tia?"

"Feel what?" She asked as she lit her cigarette.

"I don't know… it's just… something. It's not natural. I can't explain it." There seldom an occasion upon which Michael could not explain something. He knew that this was serious.

"I think you're just imagining it, Mikey. You know, like you just want to believe that something's out there. That there is a feeling. That-"

Her words halted faster than the two of them did, caught in her throat. "That what?" Michael asked.

He didn't get a reply to his question though. Instead he received a horror stricken silence from his girlfriend. Peering at her, he saw that she had was completely drained of colour and motionless. She was looking down, sheer terror gripping to her eyes. Tia was trembling. Her hand shot out and grab Michael's, crushing it with the overt strength that was powered by her fear. Michael looked towards where she could not take her eyes from.

Several feet in front of them was a single body. Or, at least, what remained of a body. Upon that body were four Buneary, all of which were delving into the corpse with their enormous front teeth, tearing the organs from its open chest. One of them looked as if it had had an ear ripped from its head. All of them were missing some sort of flesh. Their fur was paler and far more tattered than any usual Buneary's fur, looking as if they had been tortured to an extreme level. The odour that they emitted was foul enough to unblock and destroyed even the most blocked of noses.

What Michael regretted the most was standing still at that very moment in time instead of running, for one of the Buneary's halted, turned to face him and let out a ravenous and vicious cry, a blood red gleam in its eyes.

Sorry if it has taken so long to write and edit (though I have been without much internet connection for a few days). Chapter 3 is currently in the works though, so it shouldn't be long. Enjoy.


The two of them slowly and cautiously stepped backwards, their gazes locked onto the group of Buneary. Equally, the Buneary all stared hungrily at the two young adults, both of them daring to move anything but their legs in fear of alerting the Buneary. Go back to your business. Go back to devouring the dead. Leave the living alone. Michael's wishes appeared to be coming true, for the Buneary still did not move an inch, though they appeared to be starting to become wary of Ponyta's presence, for he had remained completely motionless, glaring at the Buneary. Ponyta's our only way out of this mess. We can't afford to-

It was too late. The Buneary that had violently cried out towards the group of intruders had leaped forward, its mouth stretching as it approached the stallion. "Ponyta!" Michael began, preparing his command. "Use flamethrower!" Without a millisecond's hesitation, Ponya's mouth propelled open and from it erupted a long stream of flames that seemed to disintegrate the Buneary. Its remains consisted of a charcoaled shell of its body, which fell to the floor and shattered.

"RUN!" Michael screamed, already turning to sprint the way from which they came. There was no doubt that the remaining Buneary had begun their attack the second the flames had exhausted their apparent leader's undead life, and if they were anything like it, there was no doubt that they were fast. The dense features of the forest made it complicated for Michael and Tia to navigate their way out of the forest without falling or injuring themselves. The roots of the trees seemed to have risen from the ground and the lack of clear path only made the whole matter of escaping even more difficult.

Michael did not know what to do. Did he turn and fight? Or did he run and try to make it to safety? How many more Buneary were after them, and how did he know that it was just Buneary? Nothing but fear was controlling his every movement, urging his legs to bolt forward and his mind to stay alert of his surroundings and Tia. Fear had increased his senses. He could hear the gnawing of the hungry… things behind him in a greater amount of detail, he could smell their foul odour more veraciously, and he could taste the pollen in the air. The increased senses only reinforced him to move faster.

Soon enough, Ponyta was galloping by his side, the flames on his back slowly distinguishing until none remained. The two humans and Ponyta weaved in and out of trees, jumping around them, cutting themselves on the branches that protruded from them and bit at those who attempted to flee. None of that matter though. The only thing that mattered was escape. How the hell am I gonna climb on this thing's back whilst running from these… these… these monsters!

Tia seemed to answer that for him for she halted and turned, a Pokéball in her hand, the look of pure aggression upon her face. Soon a Gengar had materialised in front of her. "Shadow ball, and aim for the centre of those bastards!" Michael also halted, turning to watch Gengar as she fought a seemingly endless wave of undead Pokémon. The group of attackers had increased extortionately over the course of the chase to a large variety of different Pokémon, all of which were tattered and scarred and possessing that hungry, red gleam in their eyes.

The large purple ball of ominous energy that Gengar had punched forward thrusted itself into the centre of the group, creating an explosion that was powerful enough to separate the zombie Pokémon for a short amount of time. Some were knocked backwards, and some were knocked to the side. The corpse was completely obliterated by the blast. It was at this point that Michael turned to Ponyta and hastily clambered onto his back, screaming into the air: "Tia! C'mon! We've got to mo-"

It had appeared from the sky with one sole purpose on its mind: to devour. It was a Staravia, and it wasted no time in attaching itself to Michael's right arm, using its beak to pealed the flesh from his forearm at an insanely fast pace until nothing remained. Then it aimed directly for the open wound, pecking vigoursly with speed. Michael struggled. Flailing his right arm back and forth whilst using his left arm to try and attack the Staravia, Michael attempted to remove the reanimated corpse from his arm, though the results only left Staravia clinging on more desperately, continuing to peck even more aggressively at Michael's arm. From behind him, Tia's voice screamed out: "Gengar, sucker punch!" And within a second, the large, purple, grinning ghost that was Gengar had wedged her fist into the Staravia, punching a hole through the body of the zombie. It was not long before it lay on the ground, merely twitching.

Everything was beginning to grow faint for Michael. His senses were beginning to falter. No longer could he smell the pollen. He struggled to hear Tia scrambling onto Ponyta and everything in sight just blurred together. There was a searing pain in his arm; a poison running through his veins. The hot blood that flowed down his arm effortlessly was the only thing that Michael could truly feel externally. The blurred shapes around him began to move, though Michael could not tell where they were moving to. Nothing was clear. Everything became nothing but a dark motion into which Michael slipped.

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"Professor Adams, what are you doing here? It's three in the morning. There's only ever one reason why people visit me at three in the morning," George Whittaker mumbled, attempting to find the correct state of mind, which is to say the state of mind in which he was one hundred percent awake and his brain was working at its brilliant capacity.

"Tell me, Mr Whittaker, has anybody ever visited you at three in the morning?" Professor Adams replied in a hushed tone that is otherwise known as a whisper. The aging professor appeared to be wide awake. Purple bags sulked under his eyes, but he was still stood erectly in George's doorway. He spoke with an undeniable certainty.

There was a pause between the two men. "No, Professor," George replied glumly.

Adams smiled. "I didn't think so. Now, will you please let me in? I want to talk business with you, and I don't want anybody to be listening in. I'm somewhat breaking the rules here, George."

That woke George up. The whole concept of breaking rules had always thrilled him. Maybe he would not be so thrilled if he was aware that he broke at least one minor law per day, but that was no matter. George Whittaker was not a rule breaker, more like somebody who followed them as if the consequence of breaking them would lead to certain death. He let the Professor in instantly, stepping aside. "Please, do take a seat," He said, pointing weakly at one of his chairs by the table as he walked over to a door, closing it quietly.

"Girlfriend in there?" The professor was referring to the girl that he had sighted sprawled across George's bed. As to whether she was naked or not was unknown, for the duvet and darkness of the night covered her body for the most part.

"Friend. Now, what are you doing in my apartment at this time of night? What business is so important that you couldn't wait to talk to me ab-"

"It's government business, Mr Whittaker."

An abrupt silence slashed through the air. George's stare remained fixed on Professor Adams. His eyes did not leave the professor for ten seconds. Neither to scan his pristinely well-kept student apartment nor to look at the dripping tap that was currently feasting on his mind. Instead he studied the ever-so-slightly wrinkled face of his professor, whose face was slowly forming a contented smile. "Please," George said eventually as he walked over to the tap, "do continue."

The professor grinned. You have my attention, Professor, so stop playing games. Talk. Eventually, Adams did talk. "Lately there have been… sightings of some, how do I put this? Extraordinary Pokémon. Though, when I say 'extraordinary Pokémon', I am not implying that they have a positive impact on this world. No. Mr Whittaker, there are Pokémon out there that have started to kill human beings."

There was a pause, as if Adams expected George to say something in return. You know what he's talking about, George. He's holding back information and you know that. You know that too well. His best bet was to act clueless in the face of the professor. Play his game. "That has always been the case, Professor. We even study it in class, remember? Some Pokémon are more aggressive than others. It's a gene- a curse- that they've carried ever since the great Pokémon wars. What's so special about these Pokémon?" Time to find out the truth.

The grin faded from Adams face. "The government think that they are zombies of some sort."

There was a silence between the two of them. The two grown men stared long and hard at each other, not knowing how to react and unable to read the cold looks on each other's faces. George could not tell if the Professor was jesting. "Bull♥♥♥♥," George eventually claimed before moving away from the Professor to make himself a cup of tea. "Absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥," he continued, "it is impossible ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, in fact. Zombies? That is like something out of a movie, or something that a crack head would sight."

"One would think," The Professor replied towards George's back. "Crazy, I know, but if the Government want us to investigate then it must be serious. It must be something. Whether or not it is zombies is yet to be seen."

It better not be zombies. Nothing good ever comes out of a zombie apocalypse, except for ridding the world of some complete and utter morons. There is also… nevermind. Stay focussed. Do not let this get too personal. "And why do you need me, Professor? Surely, the government have asked for your assistance, but why mine?"

"They have not, Mr Whittaker. It is I who is asking for your assistance. You are my best student. This could make you famous. It could put you on the map. It-"

"I'm in."

The Professor's mouth stumbled, his words falling before they leapt from his tongue. A blockade of the body of the words was created in the mouth of Professor Adams. He took a few seconds to breathe and start speaking again. "That is it? No thought to it? People are dying, George. This is so dangerous that the Dean herself will not permit you to come with me as a student. I thought you would need at least a few seconds to arrive at some sort of decision-"

"Look, are you here to convince me to assist you, or to put me off something that I was previously unaware of but am now interested in, Professor?"

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It was called The Graveyard Shift for a reason. Not because dead people were involved, or graveyards, or yards full of gravy. No. It was because the shift itself was enough to bore you to death, which would result you being buried six feet under in a graveyard. Isaak was stuck with the graveyard shift, and he detested it. When forced to sign up for Team Galactic he thought that he would be at least doing something exciting. He was not in favour of signing up, but his family has been part of the corporation for years, and as much as Isaak was against what it stood for, his father had him signed up from birth.

His father being Commander Saturn.

Of course, his father was an intelligent man. That is why he was so high in the corporation, and so he knew of his son's hatred for the actual corporation. This resulted in Isaak being placed on the graveyard shift of guarding the Galactic HQ in Veilstone City very often. "Guard the base," he would often mimic to himself whilst he patrolled a corridor alone, "a young kid may come and invade the base and destroy the entire company- pfft, what a load of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥."

The corridors, as expected, remained silent and empty with the exception of Isaak and his footsteps and mutterings. They did every night. Every night was the exact same. Isaak would start his shift at Ten o'clock, patrol for eight hours, and finish at Six o'clock, only to return to his empty apartment and sleep for a few hours before going to the gym to train his body and his Pokémons'. He would the return home, read and catch up on T.V shows, shower and go to work. He had been allowed on a few operations, though these were few and far apart, as well as not very important.

Furthermore, Isaak lacked friends. His shift and morals did not allow how to make many friends within Team Galactic. He went to work, patrolled, left and was paid his wage. That was it. Isaak never had many skills to start with, and so finding another job had always been difficult. That was how it was for a lot of the Team Galactic members. They lived in a corrupt society, one where the recession dominated and controlled lives, forcing them to turn to the only option available. At the best of times, Team Galactic worked against the corrupt government and society, something that Isaak could become fond of, just as longs as it did not involve stealing or illegal activity- which it almost always did.

This is my life. Patrolling the corridors of the Galactic HQ until an old age when I'm placed in a home for old people. Perfect. Isaak would think this every night, but tonight the thought lingered on his mind, feasting on his youth. He had accepted about a year ago that his life was going to amount to nothing, and this was the night when that very thought was changed.

He was just patrolling the corridors as per usual when he had heard a voice interrupt the silence that he had grown so keen of. Silence was easy. It meant that no trouble or effort was included within his job. Isaak sighed when the sound of voices reached his ears and strolled to the origin of it. Surprisingly enough, the origin of the sound was his father's office. The door was open slightly and so Isaak peeped inside. There stood his father, his phone pressed tightly to his ear. He looked and sounded extremely angry.

"What do you mean it is starting to spread?" He replied to the caller angrily. "Well, yes, obviously we need to contain it. It is very bad for everybody, including us. No, I do not want to be the saviour of the Sinnoh region, but I don't want to end up dead either. What are the government doing about this? You don't know? Oh, well that's just frickin' perfect! Do you know what I want you to do? I want you to find out! You can't? Well isn't this why you signed up for Team Galactic, recruit? Oh for God's sake, just tell me where the… contagion has spread to. Everywhere? Everywhere is not informative! It does not help! I need specifics!" There was a relatively long silence. "Ah, well that's a lot more helpful. Do what you can to remove the infestation from your area, recruit. I'll start arranging methods within Team Galactic concerning the clearing of the infestation. Contact me if you need anything, and make sure that it's an emergency if you do!" And with that, Isaak's father placed his phone down with force and sighed.

Isaak never knew why he entered the room at that point to comfort his father, he just did. The two of them had never really gotten along, though Isaak felt obliged to help his father. They were, after all, family, and nothing changed that. Slipping into the room, Isaak approached his father, who had his back to his son, and said soothingly: "Everything okay, Dad? You sounded a little upset when I walked past."

Upon immediately hearing his son's voice, Commander Saturn snapped his entire body around at great speed to look at his son. "How much did you hear?" He said calmly, though despite the calmness in his tone, Isaak still felt threatened. His father's voice pressed against him and almost forced him to stand back, but he held his ground. He wanted to at least impress his father.

"Not a whole lot. Something about clearing an infestation. That's about it." That's it; lie. It's not safe to tell the entire truth. If he knew that you knew more than you're letting on, he could become a threat to your life. Play the game.

"You better be telling the truth-"

"I am!"

There was a silence. Commander Saturn studied his son intently, stepping back and leaning against his desk. "Well, there's no point keeping the problem a secret from you now. The entire of Team Galactic will know soon. Sinnoh is under attack by zombie Pokémon," he said flatly.

Isaak tried not to laugh. "That's complete and utter bull- rubbish." Remember the last time you swore in the company of your Dad? Remember the beating? "You could at least make up a better excuse."

"I am not lying," his father replied through his gritted teeth. "Everybody in this region, including our corporation, is under threat from these… mutations. We need to incinerate the problem before it becomes bloated. Chop off the head before it can grow. Unfortunately it's growing at a rapid rate. I don't know how, but I'm going to have to organise, alongside Lord Cyrus and Commanders Mars and Jupiter, some form of defence. For Team Galactic's sake. Multiple parts of the region are already being affected by the sheer terror of these abominations. You'll most likely be placed into a team yourself and be sent to combat them."

I better be. "I would like that very much, Dad. Especially considering how I don't seem to do much else for the good of Team Galactic."

"Well that changes now. Prove to me that you truly support Team Galactic and are willing to risk your life for them and I will have you promoted. Your legacy can begin now, if you so choose it to. Or you can continue patrolling corridors. What's it going to be, son?"

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"I swear to God, if that's a joint that you're smoking, we're walking away," threatened Tia as she approached Matthew, who was leaning against wall in the alley where they usually rendezvoused before embarking on a quest to wreck havoc and cause trouble.

Good of you to think that I am so indecent, Tia. "Tobacco, I swear. I haven't had chance to visit my main man since I got out of the cell this morning. What scares you so much about weed anyway? It's healthier than that ♥♥♥♥ that you smoke in between sucks on his ♥♥♥♥. Speaking of which, what the hell happened to him?" Matthew observed as Michael used Tia as support, stumbling by her side. The boy looked a mess. They both did. Both were covered in mud with the occasional splash of blood smeared across their skin and clothing. There was hardly anything left of the sleeve that would usually cover Michael's right forearm and instead had been replaced by a thick bandage.

Tia set Michael down on the ground propped up against a wall. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"I've seen some pretty absurd things in my time, love; I think I can handle whatever you have to tell me-"

"Zombie Pokémon," Tia interrupted abruptly.

As there usually is after somebody brings up the subject of zombie Pokémon, there was a silence. Tia stared intently at Matthew, who simply stared into thin air for a few seconds. Michael groaned. "Sounds reasonable," Matthew concluded before walking over to his injured friend.

With her face wearing a perplexed look, Tia uttered the word: "What?"

"Well, it sounds possible, and considering the conditions you both seem to be currently in there's no disagreeing that some serious ♥♥♥♥ went down somewhere. Furthermore, you're too much of a pussy to touch drugs, so you couldn't have imagined it." Tia had nothing to say, and so she remained completely silent, crouching down by Michael and pressing her hand against his forehead. "So, he been bitten?"

"More pecked, but I suppose bitten also suffices as an explanation. He passed out whilst we escaped on the back of his Ponyta. I was able to help him regain consciousness when we were safely out of the forest, and together we went to the police station. He stayed outside whilst we reported everything we'd seen to them, and then we were on the first train back down here. Avoiding officials was for the best, considering how if you're to follow the rule of zombie movies, he's been bitten and will soon turn into… one of them. They can't help him. They'd probably put him down. So I tended to his wound myself in his room. Of course, we haven't exactly had time to shower and change considering how we woke up about fifthteen minutes ago. He woke up weaker than he was when he went to sleep."

"At least the piss poor attempts at bandaging his arm up have now been explained," Matthew said quietly. For that, Tia threw him a vice glare. "What are we going to do with him then? Because I don't want to wake up one morning whilst being attacked by a zombified version of this guy."

Michael stirred. "You won't," he groaned, "because I won't be here to attack you."

"Sorry, come again?" Tia

"I'm leaving Oreburgh City, and neither of you are coming with me." Michael began to cough viciously, to which Matthew responded by patting him equally as viciously on the back.

Tia moved closer towards Michael. "Babe, I'm not just going to leave you to die on your own just to be some hero!"

Matthew cringed. The word 'babe'… how disgusting. How very Michael and Tia. "Yeah, can you imagine? Whose ♥♥♥♥ will she have to suck if you leave? You can't just leave, mate. Go to the hospital. Go to the doctor's. Hell, go suck on your own Mother's tit if it's comfort that you want, but you can't leave. I think that you've demonstrated that the road isn't safe anyway-"

"The world isn't safe, Matthew." Michael's voice had grown rough. Tired. Weak. Speaking had evidently become a difficulty for him, even if he was trying his hardest to hide it. He continued, nonetheless. "Whether I stay here, or travel to another region, I will never be safe- we will never be safe. I may be the only person who has survived an attack from… from… from these things." He paused to breathe. "If I am, then I need to be examined, and not by a doctor. No. Somebody who will be able to prevent this ♥♥♥♥ from spreading. If they have to use my blood to create a cure, or to stop these monsters one way or another then I will allow it."

Tears began to leak from Tia's eyes. "And where are you going to find one of those people, Michael? Because we sure as hell don't know anybody with that kind of-"

"The General University of Sinnoh, in Sunnyshore city. I shall travel to Hearthome on foot and catch the train from there, since no train travels through Mount Coronet-"

"You won't make it in your current condition." You'd be a fool to try, you idiotic bastard.

"Ponyta will see that I make it there alive. I will rest for the entirety of today and leave in the morning. I need you two to stay here and defend Oreburgh. There's no doubt that the beasts will start expanding further soon, and if Eterna doesn't hold then I need to know that Oreburgh will. They may even attack from the west." Again, Michael stopped to allow himself to breathe and cough a little. "We may be low lifes, but at least we can bloody battle well. It's all we've been good at."

"Well, and shagging and smoking," Tia added inappropriately.

"And getting ourselves so screwed up that we never know what's going on because of the drugs," Matthew added, chuckling.

Michael smiled. "Only you, Matthew."

Aye, only me. Matthew returned the smile. "What happens when you reach the university?"

"Let me worry about that. You worry about defending our families. I don't want to return to find you all dead, now do I?"