Bad Beginnings (Warning: Death, Violence, and Blood. Lots of Blood.)

Nyx crept through the forest, each step being made as carefully as possible. A few days ago, she had just arrived in the region, having finally completed her few months in Feronia. Although she had initially wanted to train immediately, her pokemon wanted to take those few days off in order to get used to the new terrain. Having no choice, the young trainer complied and wasted her precious days bringing her pokemon around on a little tour through the nearby town of Redwood. But after so many excruciatingly boring walks, the day she had been waiting for finally came.

Today was her first day of training, and as much as she wanted to encounter a wild pokemon as soon as possible, she really didn't want to risk awakening any flocks. It was in the middle of the night and she knew that every pokemon should be asleep at this time. Although she had the option of training safely in the day, she chose the night as Aloysius had said he wanted to see if he could evolve into an Umbreon. But the trainer was starting to doubt if this was really a good idea. Accidentally disturbing a horde of angry Staravias was something she didn't want to experience, especially since she didn't really have any pokemon who could defend her from flying types yet. Well, maybe except for Hugo, but he was still getting used to being a captured pokemon. That, and the Hippopotas was such a sloth. If it weren't for the fact he had a pokeball, Nyx doubted she could even bring him around.

The Eevee that clung to her head seemed oddly wide awake, ears perked up and ready to detect any disturbances nearby. He was actually excited, that being a first as he was usually a very bored, apathetic pokemon. Being of such species, Aloysius knew that it was his duty to begin thinking of what evolution to choose. So many choices, and he knew that time was running short. Oliver. The shroomish was going to evolve soon. If Luis allowed such a pathetically happy pokemon become the strongest in the team, he would be damned. He was going to push this child into turning him into the strongest of the team- he was not going to allow his position as the dominant one go down in flames so easily. But in order to become the strongest, he had to evolve. Although he knew evolution through stones would be much easier, he wanted to become something greater. Something that showed how he was indeed his trainer's longest running pokemon, her second in command. Which is why he had personally lessened his choices to either becoming an Espeon or an Umbreon. Evolving through Happiness during the night or day would definitely make him stand out, and he considered Psychic and Dark types to be of utter superiority. Both such powerful, yet sophisticated types. He couldn't wait to begin.

The Eevee looked up at the moonlight shining through the canopy of leaves, curiosity beginning to rear itself. Would he be able to evolve into an Umbreon? Was the night really as great as they say? He couldn't be sure, at least, not yet. First, he had to find 'Happiness' and grow stronger. Happiness... was he happy? Truth is, he wasn't quite sure. He was pretty attached to his trainer, and he'd go through lots in order to prove his strength and dominance. But happiness... that was another subject.

"Hey Luis!"

He snapped out of his trance, looking down from atop his trainer's head. "Vee? < What? >" He asked, mildly irritated at how she had interrupted his thoughts.

"Did you know there were Eevees in this forest? An old coot from town told me earlier. This means I can find you another Eevee friend!" Nyx said gleefully.

What she didn't know, however, was how Aloysius began to feel dread. Another Eevee? Was she planning on replacing him? The brown fox's ears dropped flat on his head, brows lowering into a look of anger. "Ee! Eevee ee! Eevee! < What! You don't need another Eevee! I'm all you need! >"

"Hahaha! Don't get so riled up. I just want to get you another friend, is all. It's not like I'm replacing you!" Nyx laughed, continuing her trek through the forest, oblivious to her Eevee's growing aggravation.

Aloysius' grip on his trainer's head tightened ever so slightly, having just stopped himself in the nick of time before he injured her using his claws. She... wasn't even hiding it. She was going to replace him. He knew it. She was going to replace him with another goshdarn Eevee and leave him in the dust. No, he was not going to allow this. He had waited for so long to be finally chosen and released from that stupid laboratory, and he was not going to go down all because of another stupid Eevee. She wasn't getting another one. Not on his dead body.

It had been nearly an hour since they had entered the forest, and to Nyx's disappointment (and Luis' utter joy), they had found not a single pokemon. The walk had been long and boring, tiring Nyx rather quickly. Her feet ached from having to walk on so many rocks due to how dark it was. It irritated her how nearly pitch-black the woodland was, and the painful bump on her head from the branch incident earlier was reason enough to just leave. But she couldn't, not while Aloysius seemed to want so badly to come out here. If only it wasn't so dark, though. If she could, she would have taken out her flashlight. But if she did, she'd be ambushed. She sighed, finally giving up and stopping in a small clearing. She sat down on the grass, reaching above her head and lifting Aloysius off and onto the ground.

"Sorry Luis, but I'm getting really tired. How's about we camp out now?" She said, taking out her bag. She looked over to her Eevee, who frowned at her decision. He didn't seem to want to sleep now. The young trainer gave a chuckle, petting the little brown pokemon. "Alright, alright, you can stay up. Go try out your weird Umbreon moon-absorbing things. But don't stray too far or too long, okay? And NO BATTLING either."

Luis brightened at the chance of exploring on his own. "Eevee! < Okay! >" He said, vigorously nodding his head. His trainer giggled, before beginning to set up what looks like a tent. He waited for a while, sitting nearby as he watched Nyx crawl into the small, temporary settling. She bade him goodnight, to which he replied with a single 'Eev'. He found it an odd custom for humans to greet before they sleep, and how they always decided to sleep in their inventions. There was a lot that the eevee wanted to know about the weird beings called humans. But his biggest question was: Why did they allow themselves to be so vulnerable and dependent? Here, his own trainer, was making an example of it. Sleeping in the middle of nowhere, without any way to fight unless she depended on her pokemon. It was alright, he guessed, as if she wasn't dependent then he wouldn't even be here right now. But how could he be depended on if he wasn't strong? He was just a measly Eevee stuck with what he could consider as the most pathetic pokemon team that ever existed.

The Eevee shook his head, deciding to snap out of his thoughts before he would go into another spiral of neverending questions. If it was something he disliked about himself, it had to be the fact he easily gets sucked into his own thoughts. He stood up, not wanting to dawdle any longer. He had to go and train. Train until he evolved and assumed his rightful position as the team's leader. His ears twitched, hearing something rustling in the bushes. Narrowing his eyes, he walked over to the moving shrubbery, ready to bite down onto whatever dared to come out.

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And, to the Eevee's surprise, there was a Burmy. The 'bush' he thought that hid the wild pokemon was actually the pokemon itself. Luis chuckled, finding the irony rather amusing. If he was one for using horrible, corny jokes, this would've been some gold material. He stared at the bush-like pokemon, eyes half-lidded to show how uninterested he seemed. However, the small tug on the corner of his mouth seemed to indicate mischief. Well, it probably wouldn't be very challenging, but a chance for training was something he wasn't going to pass up.

The Burmy gave a squeal of surprise when it saw the Eevee approach it. The brown pokemon suddenly pounced, and immediately the bush-like bug coated itself with a glowing green shield of light. As Luis collided with it, the shield of light burst, sending him back. The Eevee didn't seem to have appreciated the gesture, as he stood up, now growling with irritation. 'Oh come on, Protect? How pathetic can you Burmy be?' His piercing eyes glared at the Burmy, before he pounced for another Tackle. It used Protect again, fearing for its own life. This only provoked the Eevee further- his patience dropping by the minute. When he was yet again blocked by another Protect, he stood back up, rage building and looking as if he was about to commit murder. And fact is, he was. "Ee... Eevee... EEVEE. < I... am going... TO KILL YOU. >" He roared, causing the Burmy to screech in surprise and terror. The bug suddenly bolted into the darkness, attempting to flee from the angered fox.

"Eevee vee vee! < GET BACK HERE! >" The Eevee called, chasing after the fleeing bug. He had to give it for the Burmy- it was pretty quick. But not quick enough. He caught up to the bush pokemon in less than a few minutes, not having to break a single sweat as he pounced onto the target, planting his paws on its leaf-covered head and forcing it face-first onto the ground. The normal type growled, raising his paw and unsheathing his claws. He began scratching away at the Burmy, tearing apart its leafy cloak in order to reach its body. Once he saw the black, slightly sticky skin, he stabbed his considerably long, sharp claws into it. The sharp appendage sunk into the dark skin with ease, causing three holes on the Burmy's back. Green blood oozed from the injuries as Aloysius continued attacking the skin with his claws, effectively covering his once-clean paws with disgusting, green fluids. The bug screeched in pain, struggling with all its might in order to free itself from under its deranged attacker. It suddenly brought its head up, hitting the Eevee in the face. Aloysius gave a yelp, being hit by the measly attack. He growled, bringing a paw up and striking the Burmy on the head, leaving a rather nasty gash on the bug. It continued to struggle, its energy sapping away slowly as it continued to lose blood.

Aloysius was blind with fury, not realizing what he was doing as he continued ripping the Burmy to shreds. At this point, the area was covered in wrecked leaves, green blood, and bits and pieces of what used to be the Burmy. Once done, the Eevee took a step back, blinking. He stared at the filthy mess he made. What had he done? He didn't know. All he knew was that he'd done it, practically without thinking. Was it instinct? Or did he just have some serious anger issues? He chuckled at the latter. 'Hm... No, it must've just been instinct. I may have been raised in a lab, but I still have a sense of survival. That Burmy was just... at the bottom of the food chain, is all. It's not like anyone will find-' He paused, slowly looking down at his paws. Tainted. Filthy. With disgusting, bug blood. He made a gagging noise, finding this to be very unhygienic. He looked over to the dead Burmy, deciding what to do.

[Author's Note: Burmy died pretty quickly since I have a belief that Burmy have rather tender skin, which is why they wear thick layers of material to shield themselves. Skin is also sticky in order to make collection of material easier.]

Nocive carried out 2 launched of one Hollophyll Forest :

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Aloysius carefully gathered up the leaves and the dead Burmy, burying it nearby. Once done hiding the body, he stared at the blood-covered patch of grass. It wasn't actually obvious that there was Burmy blood on it, seeing how the green liquid was blending in pretty well. The dead giveaway, however, was the stench. He'd tried to hide the smell by spreading the strongest smelling flowers he could find, but in the end only making it smell worse. It was a bit farther from blood though, so he had just resolved to messing up the patch to show as if some sort of battle had occurred. He didn't need to worry about the wild pokemon- after all, deaths happened all the time in the wild. What worried him was his trainer. Even if he washed away the blood and covered himself in daisies, it was still possible some of his teammates could scent out the dead Burmy and blame him. Especially Layla. The Vulpix had a rather keen sense of smell. He decided to worry about that another time. It's not as if the Vulpix was really that trusted, especially after what she had done during their encounter with Victoria. He'd just... have a little talk with her, is all.

He wandered deeper into the forest, trying to find water. He stopped, ears perking up as he heard something rustle. 'No... Above!' He looked up, seeing something dangling from the vines. He jumped back in time as it fell, landing onto the ground with a thud. Aloysius came face to face with some sort of blue pokemon with red, beady eyes. It looked very angry, but not very threatening to the Eevee.

"Move out of the way," the Eevee hissed, before raising one of his bloody claws, "Or you'll end up just like the last pest I came across."

The Pineco refused to move, firm on the ground. It seemed angry. The thirst for revenge clear in its eyes. "Pineco! Pineco Pine Pineco! < Never! You'll pay for killing my friend! >" It said, before suddenly lunging at the Eevee.

The fox screeched, being hit by surprise. The Pineco's hard, rigid exterior made the attack all the more painful, sending the murderer back. The fox shook his head, a bit dazed from the Take Down. He bared his fangs, standing back onto his feet as he attempted to return the favor in the form of a Tackle. The Pineco blocked the attack with a shield of Protect, sending the Eevee back onto the ground. The bug laughed, "Pineco! Pine Pineco Pineco! < Ha! You're no match for me! >"

Aloysius glared at the Pineco, the urge to rip it apart returning. Were all bugs in this forest so irritating? He looked down at his paws, seeing his claws ready. 'Sadly, my friends, I can't do that. Pineco seems to have a tough shell...' He looked up, managing a short cry before he was suddenly hit by the Pineco again. He was sent into the nearby bushes, rolling out the other end. The eevee hissed in pain, having his neck hit. It was sore, but not anything too alarming. He spat out a few leaves, getting back onto his feet. He had to think of something- some way to beat the hard-shelled bug before he got beaten himself. He didn't have any attacks that would be effective. Could he just run? It was possible, but his stubborn pride wouldn't allow him to let the Pineco get the last laugh.

After a few minutes, the Pineco was finally able to roll itself through the bushes. Its crimson eyes scanned the area, looking for the murderer it was trying to exact its revenge on. A few leaves were scattered around, possibly by the Eevee after he had been sent through the shrubs. But the damned fox didn't seem to be anywhere. Did he escape? "Pineco, pine pineco pineco! < Come out, you murderous good-for-nothing coward! >" The wild pokemon taunted.

Crack! The Pineco looked around, hearing the sound of something breaking. To its surprise, a weight suddenly dropped onto it. Small pieces of wood were scattered all over the area accompanied by more leaves. The Pineco opened its eyes, being greeted by a horrific sight. On top of him was a large branch, and on top of said branch was the Eevee. The bug struggled, attempting to slip out of the branch. But to no avail, the brown fox's weight had wedged it under.

"Eevee eev vee eevee? < Hello there, pest. Guess what I have for you? >" The Eevee snickered, before suddenly raising its paw. In his paw was a single sharp rock. One end was sharp enough to be used like a dagger, while the other end was blunt. The brown fox laid down on the branch, putting more weight on the bark and securing the Pineco with a crunch. He dangled the sharp end of the rock in front of its face. "Eevee eevee... Eevee vee ee vee vee ee. Eevee ee, eevee ee. Vee? < You Pineco are so odd... My trainer told me about you once. Apparently most of your shell is enforced by bark, so one can easily chip it off with a sharp item. Care to let me test that theory? >"The fox snickered, showing its fangs as it stared down at the Pineco. Its aura practically radiated murderous intent.

The Pineco seemed frightened for a moment, before suddenly relaxing. It gave a lazy glare at the Eevee, causing the fox to tilt its head in confusion. The Pineco gave a weak laughter, causing the normal type to be more puzzled. "Pineco... Pineco pine... < Haha... Sweet dreams, murderer... >"

Aloysius raised a brow, trying to decipher what the Pineco had said. His eyes widened in realization as he watched the Pineco begin glowing a bright white, with yellow beams of light suddenly begin shooting out of it. The Eevee gave a screech as his vision was covered by the blinding light, engulfing not only him but the entire area around them.

Nocive carried out 3 launched of one Hollophyll Forest :

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Darkness.


All he could see was darkness.



After what felt like ages floating in a dark abyss, the brown fox was beginning to miss the blinding light that had sentenced him to this place. He stared out into the black void, unsure of what to feel about his current situation. He felt empty. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. All he could bring himself to do now was to watch. To watch the lonesome space before him with mild interest and just a tinge of fear.

In truth, the Eevee could admit that he actually found the shadows comforting, in a way. It was lonesome and rather scary, yes, but he felt... safe. In the light, he had to come face to face with his moronic teammates and the many foolish creatures that roamed the earth. In the light, he always felt the need to wipe their grins off with a swing of his sharp claws. In the light, he had to prove himself. But here, in the abyss, he didn't have to live up to anything. There was nothing to impress, nothing to gain. Just a calming, quiet void that left him on his own.

But his newfound peace was corrupted as he felt cracks suddenly appear in his shadowy paradise. Little cracks appearing, chipping away at the invisible ebony walls that surrounded him. Out from their horrid openings was light, shining vibrantly through with each and every exposure. It grew, spreading its roots around and ruining the abyss with its disgusting rays. The cold atmosphere disappeared, replaced with familiar warmth that engulfed the area with no time at all.

The Eevee watched as the light spread, refusing to react to the sudden changes. He relished his last few moments of chilling, somber peace, already knowing what was going to happen next. Closing his eyes, the fox waited.

A pair of dark brown eyes finally opened to greet the world once more. What it didn't expect, however, was the sight of three other pokemon looming above it. The Eevee's eyes widened, shifting its focus from one pokemon to the other. The fox was bewildered, having just woken and had definitely not expected to be crowded so early.

One of the pokemon, a bug who seemed to be wearing a giant leaf behind its head, finally mustered the courage to speak up. It spoke with a high-pitched, squeaky sound, as if the pokemon was a child. "See! Siiiwaa! Sii see!? < It's awake! The brown thing is awake! Are you alright!? >"

The other, a small bird-like pokemo intervened, harmonizing with the high-pitched squeaks of the leaf-clad bug. However, it didn't speak like the bug. Instead, it seemed to be using telepathy. The bird's odd, exotic voice rang through the Eevee's head, and most likely through the other two pokemon's heads as well. "Braveheart, do not pester the injured. The injured one is bewildered, give him time to rest, for he has gone through quite a test. Mother Audino had only barely managed to heal him enough that he could awaken, but further exertion should be forsaken."

The Sewaddle seemed disappointed at being told off. "Sii sii see waddle see! Sii! See sii sii? < But he survived an explosion! A pokemon as tough as him could at least talk! You're not weak, are you?! >"

The 3rd pokemon finally intervened. And as luck would have it, the pokemon was a Burmy. Aloysius watched the leaf-covered pokemon, feeling a hint of dread and fear. "Burr... Burr my... Burr... < Guys... Don't argue... He looks tired... >" It muttered, just barely being heard.

Almost immediately, the other two pokemon silenced. After a few minutes of awkwardness, the Eevee finally forced himself to speak. "Ee... Eevee ee evee eee? < You kids... Who are you and where am I? >" He asked, wanting to find some explanation. He had awoken on the ground, but surrounding him was wood of some sort. It was possible he was in a shack or a tree, but the slight blur in his vision made him doubt. He could feel a large amount of pain all over his body, but it seemed dulled as if some sort of healing energy had been used on him earlier.

"See siii see see waddle! Waddle sii sii see see! < We're the Green Trio! And right now, you're in the Forest Clan clinic! >"

Aloysius was already regretting his decisions.