[Pokémon] A Smell of Petroleum Pervades Throughout

[Daydream]

Releasing and examining 'Totodile' is probably not the best of ideas. Do it anyway.

[Cutlerine]

> Totodile, huh? There's only one explination: ZOOOMMBIIIEEEEES. That or Team Rocket. Probably zombies.

To be honest, you have no idea what's going on. Some futile sense of nationalism says you ought to blame the Rockets, but really, given their decidedly lacklustre attempts to conquer the Kanto/Johto area, they couldn't criminal their way out of a paper bag. If you're going to assign blame based on past exploits, your money's on the Aquas or Magmas. I mean, they're the only ones who've ever actually managed to summon Ancient Evils and set them loose.

Freakin' hippies.

> Releasing and examining 'Totodile' is probably not the best of ideas. Do it anyway.

You nickname Totodile 'That Thing', since that's what you've been calling it so far and it seems to have been doing just fine. Then you set your Pokémon Training skills to the problem of what the hell is happening here.

First up, you pop open the Pokédex and have a look at the entry for 'Totodile', since it was beeping earlier – and yes, as you suspected, it's registered a new form. You see a little picture of That Thing, towering over that of its more familiar little blue variant.

This form appears to have a name.

It is called Eldritch Form.

You swallow. 'Eldritch' is not a comforting sort of word. In fact, when there are beasts that defy the laws of nature slithering around, 'eldritch' is probably the last thing you want them to be described as.

Well. That, and 'titanic'.

The Pokédex also cheerfully reminds you that 'it won't hesitate to take a bite out of anything that moves.'

Gee, thanks for that, Oak.

You look around for a while – at the smashed TV, at the broken door, at the wrecked chair. That Thing has caused about $3000 worth of property damage since it turned up; you're actually kind of glad Mom isn't here, or she'd be chewing you out something fierce.

You take a look at That Thing's Poké Ball. In a process that's either a manifestation of pure evil or just the Narrator screwing with you, the Eldritch Form Totodile appears to be corroding the Poké Ball from the inside, bits of metal and plastic flaking away to reveal spots of oozing black oil. You don't know how long this thing is going to stay captured, but you're pretty sure it isn't going to be more than a couple of hours.

Man, you wish you hadn't wasted your Master Ball on that Skarmory. You wouldn't have done it normally, you really wouldn't. But you know how it is: you're out on Mt. Silver, it's getting late, you can't be bothered to go through that whole lengthy battle process... Screw it, you thought, and lobbed it at him. I mean, it's not like you were ever going to need a Ball that good for anything anyway.

All the self-esteem you gained from that capture is draining away rapidly. You are, you realise unhappily, a Grade A moron.

Well, it looks like you've run out of ways to put this off.

You toss down the ball and step back hurriedly, wiping unrefined oil on your jeans. There's a burst of greasy black light, and That Thing appears. Thankfully, it's still unconscious. Although it's supposed to obey you (you do have all eight Gym Badges) you really don't think That Thing has much respect for the institutions of the League.

And you really don't want to have your face eaten by an eight-foot-long demon crocodile.

Or by anything, really.

You hunker down next to That Thing and have a look. Looks like he's male, Level 5, and dear Lord look at those stats.

125 Attack?

113 Hit Points?

98 Speed?

Oh my God. You are so lucky this guy is only Level 5. If he'd even been Level 10, he would probably have killed you so badly you're not sure you would ever have been born.

That Thing is also holding an Item: Your Right Shoe. Apparently it boosts Speed slightly.

That Thing's moves are:

Scratch (Physical, Normal, 40 Att., 100 Acc.)
Leer (Status, Normal, 100 Acc.)
Face Chomp (Physical, Abominable, 123 Att., 87.5 Acc.)

You blink. OK. So that's pretty weird.

You are really, really glad he never managed to get his teeth into your face.

[TheRkyeet]

Be content in your victory and swagger out of the house. SWAGGER.
Observe the outside.

[Raquira]

Well, now we know what That Thing is, we should bring it to a seasoned professor for more research, and then, in the ancient practice of pokemon training, go kill other people's pets with it.

[Cutlerine]

> Be content in your victory and swagger out of the house. SWAGGER.
Observe the outside.

You know what? Screw the Master Ball thing. Screw the fact that That Thing is probably only going to remain in your possession for a few short hours. Screw your mistakes – you just caught an Eldritch freaking Totodile, and without any Pokémon at that. You'd like to see Lance do that, the smug git... Oh yeah, give him his Dragonite and he'd wipe pretty much anything off the face of the earth, but take it away and he'd be all like “Oh no, don't eat my face!” and That Thing would be like “raaahhhr” and it would totally be about to eat his face when you swept in and saved the day by ramming a television through its head.

You may wish to investigate the cause of these sudden mood swings. They're coming along with alarming rapidity.

Still, secure in the knowledge that you're Officially Awesome, you recall That Thing and swagger out of the house, casting a quick glance around the town. New Bark seems pretty much deserted; the few people who persistently hang around outside have vanished, and there's none of the usual noise emanating from Elm's lab.

To the south are two houses.

To the east is Elm's Pokémon Lab.

To the west is the open sea.

There is a signpost here.

> Well, now we know what That Thing is, we should bring it to a seasoned professor for more research, and then, in the ancient practice of pokemon training, go kill other people's pets with it.

To the lab, then! If anyone knows what the hell happened to make a (relatively) cute little Totodile into That Thing, Elm will. He's the expert around these parts, although Oak has a bad habit of coming in and stealing his thunder at times. You shake your head as you set off for the lab. Poor guy. Oak came in and stole his introductory speech to you, and then he gave you a Pokédex when Elm was just about to do so himself. Elm never says anything about it, but something gives you a feeling that he hasn't forgiven him. The dartboard with Oak's photo over the bullseye probably has something to do with it.

Elm's lab looks much like the two houses to the south, only slightly broader and with two squat chimneys – chimneys that, you recall, don't actually seem to connect to anything inside the building. The door is ajar, and the lab, like the rest of the town, is absolutely silent.

You frown. Perhaps Elm isn't there after all. There might be some clue as to where he went, though – and you remember that there's a PC there, too, where you could heal That Thing (should you be so inclined) and access the Box network.

But still... that silence. It spooks you, man.

You wish you had Voltz with you. A hug from that guy always cheers you up.

Right now, though, you have only That Thing, and he's possibly the only thing you can think of less cuddly than an angry Gyarados. On that discomfiting thought, you gather your courage and creep into the lab.

The line of bookcases stretches across the space, just as before; the storage unit where he keeps the starter Pokémon is there, just as before; the desks, the computers – all of it is there, just as it was before. Everything is completely normal.

Except without any people.

To the north are Elm's desks, with assorted items scattered on them, and the PC with its attached healing machine.

To the east and west are bookcases.

To the south is the exit to New Bark Town's main street.

There may be fewer or no updates over the next four days. I ain't abandoning anything, but I'm going to have precious few chances to write. I'll do my best to keep up, but whether I manage to write anything or not, I'll be back on Friday at the latest. Thanks for playing!

[Raquira]

Check the proffesor's storge unit. This is probably where That Thing came from,so there might be an Eldritch Cyndaquil and Chikorita for That Thing to beat the puss out of, which may lead to bonding and a less evil eldritch abomination.

[Adin Terim]

Loot the Professor's desk, look for something to hold That Thing's pokeball shut. Check the bookcases for information on Eldritch form pokemon. You should probably go back and loot the other houses too.

[Cutlerine]

> Check the proffesor's storge unit. This is probably where That Thing came from,so there might be an Eldritch Cyndaquil and Chikorita for That Thing to beat the puss out of, which may lead to bonding and a less evil eldritch abomination.

Unless you two discover a mutual interest in eating faces, you're not sure anything short of superglue will ever bond you to That Thing, but you're willing to give it a shot. After all, in an ideal world That Thing would be your loyal servant, and you two would travel Johto, having adventures and chewing on bad guys. And he would be the son you never had, and there would be a heartwarming end to the series when you were in mortal danger, and he would conclusively prove he had changed by saving you from certain death at terrible risk to himself...

You snap out of your dream of TV stardom and examine the storage unit. It consists of two roughly circular white plastic segments, connected by a thick tube of bulletproof glass. This glass has been smashed from the inside by something considerably stronger than a bullet.

Of the Poké Balls within, there is no sign.

> Loot the Professor's desk, look for something to hold That Thing's pokeball shut. Check the bookcases for information on Eldritch form pokemon. You should probably go back and loot the other houses too.

You've always wanted all the Professor's awesome stuff, and now you finally have a chance. You are going to loot the hell out of this place, and if anyone asks it was the monsters that did it.

On the desk is a peculiar contraption that looks like a tiny radar dish with some kind of attached plug; a page from a notebook with writing on it; a half-drunk cup of coffee; a key with a Sentret key fob; and a shard of Togepi egg.

Othodox found one Long-Range Scanner Attachment! Othdox put the Long-Range Scanner Attachment in the Technological Gubbins Pocket.

Othodox found one Mysterious Note! Othodox put the Mysterious Note in the Key Items Pocket.

Othodox found one Half a Cup of Cold Coffee! Othodox put the Half a Cup of Cold Coffee in the Caffeinated Drinks Pocket.

Othodox found one Elm's Key! Othodox put the Elm's Key in the Key Pocket.

Othodox found one Togepi Egg Shard! Othodox put the Togepi Egg Shard in the Bits o' Egg Pocket.

Satisfied with your haul, you turn your attention to the bookcases. Huh. You'd always thought they were just painted on as part of the background scenery, but apparently those books are real. You take a look at the spines – The Oak Method, Trainership Theory 101, Totodile: Avoiding the Jaws – but there's nothing there that looks like it deals with the possibility of Pokémon suddenly turning into giant evil versions of themselves.

Actually, the Totodile book looks like it might be kind of useful.

Othodox found one Totodile: Avoiding the Jaws! Othodox put the Totodile: Avoiding the Jaws in the Pokémon Guidebooks Pocket.

You may wish to consider your haul before heading out to loot the other houses.

[Raquira]

Story time! Lets read the book!

[Adin Terim]

Read "Mysterious Note" and check your inventory.

[Khawill]

Let Totodile out and attempt to become best friends with him, and if that doesn't work throw the book at him!

[Cutlerine]

> Story time! Lets read the book!

You pull out your Totodile: Avoiding the Jaws and flick through the pages. Aside from a huge number of highly graphic images of people with Totodile clamped onto various limbs, there's not a whole lot else to see. There is a small chunk of text which outlines various articles of protective clothing that will go a long way to helping 'your over-enthusiastic little friend', but since That Thing can bite through doors and eats people more from his Endless Fount of Rage than enthusiasm, you're not sure how much help it will be. Still, if you ever see any of the gear mentioned here, you'll be sure to pick it up.

> Read "Mysterious Note" and check your inventory.

The Note appears to be from someone named Hawkins, and it looks like it was meant for Elm. It reads:

Elm,

You weren't in, so I left the Long-Range Scanner Attachment you were after - the one from Bill - with your aide. It's a bit power-hungry, so be careful if you do decide to mount it – once active, it's going to drain the batteries within an hour or two.

Hawkins

An experimental device from Bill? Interesting. This might prove useful, if you can work out what it's meant to do.

Inventory:
Bloodstained Mail x1
Potion x2
Lava Cookie x6
Poké Ball x1
Hyper Potion x2
Miracle Seed x1
Shiny Stone x1
Hambone x1
Long-Range Scanner Attachment x1
Mysterious Note x1
Half a Cup of Cold Coffee x1
Elm's Key x1
Togepi Egg Shard x1

> Let Totodile out and attempt to become best friends with him, and if that doesn't work throw the book at him!

You let That Thing out, and note that he seems to have regained consciousness, though he doesn't look like he feels up to moving around. Even when he sees you, he makes only a half-hearted snap in the direction of your face. That electric shock must have hurt him pretty badly.

“Thing,” you say soothingly, sitting down next to him. “It's time we had a chat.”

That Thing watches you carefully.

“We got off on the wrong foot,” you say. “You broke down my door and stole my shoe, I threw a cake at you and stuck your head in a TV. It's been a difficult relationship.”

That Thing's gaze does not waver, and you think maybe – just maybe – you might be getting through to him.

“I know we've had our differences,” you tell him. “I know things haven't been easy. But... for the sake of finding out what's wrong here... Can't we just go back to the start, and try this again?”

That Thing stares at you with something approaching love in his eyes, and you open your arms to embrace him, and he moves towards you, nuzzling your cheek affectionately—

—no, wait, he's just trying to eat your face.

Damn it!

You whack him with the book, pushing him away, and then recall him. Stupid crocodile.

[destinedjagold]

try that scanner thing and scan the thing.

[Raquira]

now that we know That Thing's a jerk through and through, focus on your next task; looting the rest of the houses!

[Khawill]

After looting the houses, look for a Pokemon center, maybe you can use their machine to heal it!

[Adin Terim]

See what happens if you give That Thing a lava cookie. Check to see if the Long-Range Scanner Attachment will fit on your pokedex, but you probably shouldn't use it as it said it would drain your battery.

[Cutlerine]

> try that scanner thing and scan the thing.
> See what happens if you give That Thing a lava cookie. Check to see if the Long-Range Scanner Attachment will fit on your pokedex, but you probably shouldn't use it as it said it would drain your battery.

On second thoughts, perhaps bribery would work better than parley. That Thing doesn't seem to have the intellectual capacity to understand the concept of language, but from the way he looks at you you're willing to bet he understands the concept of food.

You release him again and toss him one of your Lava Cookies. Since it's moving, he bites it, and since his mouth is nearly a foot wide, it vanishes pretty fast.

That Thing pauses. He strokes what might, were he human, pass for his chin.

If you didn't know he was about as smart as the cookie he just ate, you'd swear he was considering the flavour.

In the end, he turns his head to one side and vomits noisily. It is the most foul-smelling thing you have ever encountered, and only the certain knowledge that That Thing would eat you while you were out prevents you from passing out at the smell.

You recall him, and make a vow to never, ever do that again.

Moving to the other end of the room, you take the Long-Range Scanner Attachment out of your Bag and look it over thoroughly. It appears to consist of a little radar dish, a blue LED and a USB stick; this leads you to question whether or not it will do anything but spin around and light up if you plug it in, but this is, of course, the same world where you can create localised time aggregations in your back yard if you really want to, so you look around for something to attach it to and settle on your Pokédex.

Installing device driver software... Please wait.

Stupid Pokédex. Enough computer power to scan an animal, extrapolate its habits from its morphology and compose a dictionary entry on it within seconds – but it still takes forever to install anything.

Several minutes of foot-tapping and frustrated sighing later, the Pokédex announces it's done.

Othodox's Pokédex has been upgraded!

The Radar Mode is now available!

Based on what was in Hawkins' note, you're guessing the Radar Mode will drain the power pretty fast if you leave it on, but you'll never know what it does if you don't at least give it a try. And if it runs out of charge... well, there must be some batteries around here somewhere, anyway.

You tap the new 'Scan' icon that's appeared on the Pokédex screen; on the Scanner Attachment, the radar dish starts twirling on its stalk. An image of a Poké Ball fills the screen, and a radial line sweeps around it once. You grimace. Why scientists feel every single GUI in the world has to be Poké-Ball-themed, you will never know.

The Pokédex displays:

Results:
Two (2) Pokémon found!
One (1) Eldritch Form Chikorita found!
One (1) Eldritch Form Cyndaquil found!

You stare at the screen for a full minute before remembering to turn the radar off.

You don't know what you hoped to see, but this definitely isn't it.

> now that we know That Thing's a jerk through and through, focus on your next task; looting the rest of the houses!
> After looting the houses, look for a Pokemon center, maybe you can use their machine to heal it!

In light of your recent discovery – that there are two more terrifying monsters somewhere in New Bark Town – you elect to heal That Thing before you go out looting. You pop his ball into the healing machine and bring up the requisite program on Elm's PC; a few clicks later and the speakers play a tinny jingle, informing you that That Thing is now fully restored to fighting condition.

That Thing has 113 Hit Points!

With his oil-dripping Poké Ball in hand, you walk cautiously over to the door of the lab, ready to throw it and run at the first sign of trouble. You're really not sure That Thing will obey any orders you give him to attack, but hopefully he'll take the trouble to eat the enemy's face before he comes after yours.

New Bark Town is still as quiet as the grave. Even the omnipresent wind has died down to silence; above the town, the clouds hang motionless in the air and the turbines seem to sleep on their metal pylons. The sun shines. The waves lap.

No birds sing, and your footsteps sound very, very loud as you step onto the sandy path.

You take a deep breath – I have a demon crocodile with me, nothing can hurt me, nothing's going to eat my face – and walk on, avoiding the path and treading as softly as you can. There's a house right in front of you, but the door is around the other side (it's that blasted top-down perspective again) and you have a horrible, horrible feeling that something is waiting on the other side of it.

But there might be stuff there. Stuff you can use to survive, or bolt onto your Pokédex to upgrade it in innovative ways, or build a cunning tree disguise out of so that future eldritch abominations don't see you. Stuff you need.

So you creep on, past the exit to Route 29, and then slink quietly along down the house's wall until you reach the corner. You peer around, and—

—nothing.

You heave a massive sigh of relief. That's the first bit of luck you've had today, and man did you need it. Edging around the corner, you enter the house and give it a thorough combing-over. It's a pretty eclectic bunch of stuff you come away with, but you feel that most of it could probably either be used as a hold item or to make some kind of Dadaist weapon.

Othodox found one Gaffer Tape! Othodox put the Gaffer Tape in the Adhesives Pocket.

Othodox found one Potion! Othodox put the Potion in the Medicine Pocket.

Othodox found one Toy Giraffe! Othodox put the Toy Giraffe in the Adorable Pocket.

Othodox found one Togepi Egg Shard! Othodox put the Togepi Egg Shard in the Bits o' Egg Pocket.

What is with these bits of Togepi Egg all over the place? Surely they can't be part of some gigantic item collection quest, wherein you gather a certain number of them and then obtain Ridiculously Vast Power of some kind? That would surely be stupid.

Far too stupid.

And the Narrator would never have highlighted the possibility like that if it were true, because let's face it, if there's anyone here who actually wants to see you end up lying in a ditch with your face ripped off, it's him.

Shaking your head, you walk out of the house and straight into a pillar of smoke and fire.

Wait.

Oh crap oh crap oh crap—

You leap backwards through the door, and a waist-high something barrels through after you, its humped back trailing gouts of black smoke and unnatural green flame.

A momentary warmth engulfs your lower regions.

Withered claws, scorched fur; seared skin, blistered lips; a stubby blunt tail and a bone blade of a head, all hunched up beneath a roaring, raging emerald inferno and bearing down on you like a charging bull. The stench of crude oil and burning plastic fills your nose, burning your throat, and you gag as you fling yourself out of the monster's way, coming to rest under the table just as it crashes loudly into the far wall.

Flames fan out from the point of impact like ripples around a stone in water, racing with supernatural speed across the wall. You look on with horror, and estimate that there can only be a few minutes before the whole house goes up – something that, frankly, you'd rather watch from outside. Crawling out from under the table, you're about to sprint for the door when a fearsome gurrk sounds behind you.

Something tells you to get to one side.

Now.

A deft side-step and the beast is past you in a blur of green and black. It collides with the remnants of the door and the wood gives way spectacularly, catapulting flaming debris everywhere in glittering arcs and instantly creating a six-foot wall of flame between you and the exit. You skid to a halt, staring at the blaze and swearing violently, and are about to look around for another way out when something else catches your eye.

There's a shadow on the other side of the fire, and it's getting closer, and—

The monster bursts through the flames and stops short in front of you, crouching low and raising that skinless head in a roar that blows the glass out of the TV. Flecks of boiling saliva pepper your face and clothes, singeing a hundred little holes in the fabric, and a dry reek of petrol floods your sinuses.

For a moment, all you can do is stare. Did this thing plan this? Did it deliberately try and trap you here within the flames so it could finish you at its leisure?

Then the monster lowers its head, the flames on its back leaping still higher, and you put the matter from your mind. Right now, you've got other things to worry about.

Like how the hell you're going to get out of this one alive.

[Raquira]

so the eldritch cyndaquil appears.... That Thing, I choose YOU!!

[Daydream]

Try and get That Thing to extinguish the flames. He is a Totodile, after all. If he won't do that, hope he'll battle Eldritch Cyndaquil, rather than eat your face?

[Adin Terim]

If That Thing won't cooperate then douse the eldritch cyndaquil with your Half a Cup of Cold Coffee, if That Thing will then try and beat the monster till it is in a state where you can catch it.

[Astinus]

Use That Thing in battle, and then run a distance away to see if escape from these horrors is possible.

[destinedjagold]

Hold your breath, and get the hell outta there. If the door is blocked by debris or whatever, then there has to be windows, right? I mean, it's a house! What kind of a house has no windows?

[Cutlerine]

> so the eldritch cyndaquil appears.... That Thing, I choose YOU!!
> Try and get That Thing to extinguish the flames. He is a Totodile, after all. If he won't do that, hope he'll battle Eldritch Cyndaquil, rather than eat your face?
> If That Thing won't cooperate then douse the eldritch cyndaquil with your Half a Cup of Cold Coffee, if That Thing will then try and beat the monster till it is in a state where you can catch it.

Abruptly, you remember the Poké Ball in your hand. It may be about forty percent oil by now, but it's still got That Thing in it – and for that reason it's the best thing you can think of to hurl at the beast before you. You assume that the monster is the Eldritch Cyndaquil, which might give That Thing an advantage, but you also remember he doesn't know any Water-type moves. Still, you're really running out of options here, so you throw down the ball and That Thing appears in a burst of sickly light. It looks like the corrosion is starting to spread through the release mechanism.

Both monsters freeze. That Thing glances at the Eldritch Cyndaquil, then at you. Some ponderous thought is making its slow way through his head. You have no idea what it is, but you really, really hope it isn't 'which of these is easier to eat?'

The Cyndaquil snaps out of it first.

It brings its head up like an axe, swinging the bony jag at its tip straight into That Thing's neck; the Totodile roars in pain and rips himself free, staggering back a step and swinging his massive tail wildly. You take the opportunity to retreat a few steps, huddling down under the table and hoping that both monsters will forget about you until one or the other is dead. In an ideal world, this would happen before you passed out from smoke inhalation and burned to death, but right now you're willing to sacrifice a good deal to see one of these abominations finally destroyed.

That Thing has 100 Hit Points!

That Thing goes for the old favourite next, the face chomp; his huge teeth skitter across the exposed bone of the Cyndaquil's head without purchase, and the smaller Pokémon lets loose an unearthly chittering that sounds horribly like laughter. It looks like the attempt to chew its face has brought That Thing's face far too close to the smoking polyps on the Cyndaquil's back—

A sudden burst of flame engulfs the upper half of That Thing's head, and the smell of burning fish mingles with that of petrol and plastic; he screams, a horrible long loud sound that makes your ears bleed and your eyes water, and pulls away hurriedly, molten grey sludge pouring from beneath the folds and flaps of flesh that conceal his eyes.

Jesus Christ.

The Cyndaquil melted his goddamn eyes.

That Thing drops to all fours, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Cyndaquil as he possibly can; he seems as scared as you are, wailing piteously as the other monster stalks towards him. His limbs apparently aren't doing what he wants them to; his legs keep sliding out from underneath him, and his tail waves from side to side, smashing holes in the walls and floor in blind panic.

That Thing has 88 Hit Points!

For the first time, you take the time to look at the Cyndaquil properly, and you realise with a terrible sinking feeling that it isn't Level 5.

It's Level 10, and you find yourself wondering how much experience an Eldritch Chikorita would give you.

You suspect it would be an awful lot.

That Thing blunders straight into the flames and recoils sharply, screaming again; he might be a Water-type, but water can be boiled – and judging by the grey-green steam hissing out of the holes in his head and neck, that's what's happening inside him right now. As he staggers back, moaning and thrashing in agony, the Cyndaquil is suddenly behind him, burying its head in his flank and wrenching hard—

You close your eyes and look aside as the Totodile shrieks. You've seen enough to know that there's no way That Thing can win this. All you can do now is run while the Cyndaquil's distracted.

That Thing has 29 Hit Points!

> Use That Thing in battle, and then run a distance away to see if escape from these horrors is possible.
> Hold your breath, and get the hell outta there. If the door is blocked by debris or whatever, then there has to be windows, right? I mean, it's a house! What kind of a house has no windows?

You turn around and crawl out from under the table, on the other side. A brief glance around the room reveals a couple of windows, one of which that looks like it's in the process of being melted by the unnatural heat of the green fires. The other seems to have shattered with one or other of the screams and roars the two Pokémon behind you have produced, and looks mostly clear.

You run towards it and don't look back.

As soon as you straighten up, smoke engulfs your head, sending questing tendrils to reach down your throat and choke you; you hold your breath and move on.

Something slaps wetly against the floor, and That Thing gives a weak moan, but you don't look back.

You're by the broken window, and glass crunches beneath your feet, slicing through your shoeless right foot; the smoke whirls dizzily and the flames crackle hungrily and something is chewing behind you but you refuse to look back.

And up, and your hands are cut to ribbons by bits of glass and the smoke is pouring past you in nauseating waves and That Thing is still crying out even as the chewing continues but there is no way, no way in hell that you are looking back.

And then it's over. You're standing outside the house, by the main path. Smoke is pouring from the windows, and all you can hear is the devouring hiss and snap of flames as they and their master feast inside.

Othodox is Slightly Wounded!

To the north is Elm's Pokémon lab.

To the south is a Flaming Townhouse.

To the east is another house, and the sea.

To the west is the exit to Route 29.

There is a signpost here.

There is a partially-devoured corpse here.

[Raquira]

Run! Run like to he nearestt PC, withdrawour pokemon, and witcdraw your strongest pokemon! Or else you'll die!

[TheRkyeet]

Well, you'll need a pokemon centre to withdraw pokemon from, so I suggest first reading the signpost, and then going towards the sea, and the other house. You probably can't swim, but there'll definitely be something interesting in the house. Also, what's with the partially-devoured corpse?