AU - May we die in the forest

[punchtheflowers]

Who: A wild Ivysaur and everyone who crosses his path
What: Your nature walk just got more interesting
Where: FDC woods
When: He'll be here all week until he's murdered
Warnings: Fighting, swearing, violence towards flora, Death

Comments

[punchtheleaves]

The Ivysaur's ears perked just slightly; this 'human' understood Pokemon speech. Well enough to take up conversation, even pick up profanity. And he smelled of his kind. Against his better judgment, a mote of optimism blinked to life again.

He wasn't ready to come out from behind his wall of suspicion just yet, but cracks were starting to form in his defenses.

"I don't greet humans. But you're not, are you? You're just lowering yourself t'wearing their skin."

[rocketstarter]

"Lowering myself..." Frankie laughed, shaking his head. "Nonsense. Though I suppose it's something a bit out of your grasp. You'll be calling me a slave next, hm? Brainwashed, perhaps. Oh, what was that other one someone said. It was a good one!" A gloved hand was raised to his chin in thought, one finger lightly tapping his cheek. After a few moments he shrugged, apparently unable to recall the obviously very amusing thing another wild pokemon had said to him at one point.

"It's much better to think of it as adding another skill to your set."

[punchtheleaves]

Well, those did sound like something the Ivysaur would call him. He held his tongue in annoyance - he didn't like the other's haughty tone, the way he laughed. Was that something he learned off playing human too long, or was he naturally just conceited?

It didn't seem like he was interested in the Ivysaur's opinion, at any rate.

"Why?" He couldn't fathom a reason any Pokemon would need such a skill. "Just t'go to that dumbass school?

"You're an Ivysaur, aren't you?" And Ivysaurs didn't go to school, as far as he was concerned. Ivysaur was a job in of itself.

[rocketstarter]

"There are a number of other benefits besides just schooling," he remarked. It made negotiations much easier, even when they weren't really negotiations at all. Brought a little bit of fun to them as well. No one ever really expected a razor leaf to their throat when there wasn't a Pokemon in sight. (Then again, no one really expected a razor leaf to their throat when there was a Pokemon in sight. The world was rather soft in that regard.) It was an instant disguise! And goodness, fingers were just the most useful things once you figured out how to use them!

Oh, but a lot of those were things he shouldn't really be sharing with the Ivysaur quite yet. So he simply shrugged. "We can just say it seemed like a good idea at the time, and it certainly hasn't proved otherwise so far."

Here he gave a slow smile. "But you're correct. I have been for quite some time." The days of a sweeter dispositioned Bulbasaur were long gone, faded with the crossing of Nugget Bridge years ago. "Does my form offend you?"

[punchtheleaves]

Very bluntly, the Ivysaur replied, "Yeah. It's fucked up."

It was wrong and unnecessary, no matter what the advantages were - and any Pokemon who stooped to such measures only dishonoured their own pride. What a mockery of the self it was. Disappointing that the first Ivysaur he'd met in years had lost himself in human skin. Did he even remember how to be an Ivysaur anymore?

(Then again, the same could've been said for himself. It'd been too long since he had been amongst others of his kind, social and free of hate.)

"Humans are disgusting. I don't care why, turning into one's just fuckin' unnatural."

[rocketstarter]

He very easily could have returned to a more leafy state for this encounter. It actually would have been a rather refreshing experience, really. It wasn't often that he got the chance to ruin one of his own kind. Admittedly he might have had a few reservations if it had been anyone else, but... Whoops.

If he hated this human appearance so much, it was going to stay right there. He already knew exactly what he was, so the sweetness would still be there. The thought kept Frankie's smile a pleasant one as he feigned an interest in something just beyond the Ivysaur.

"Hm. You seem to be getting along just fine with that other human."

[punchtheleaves]

If the Ivysaur had a brow, he would've raised it. His ears flicked instead. So his interaction with Green had been watched - well, that only proved that the human was dulling his edge, making him soft. While the trainer might've considered it a good thing, it was an uncomforting thought for the Pokemon, who relied on that edge to stay alive and free.

With a scoff, what little enjoyment he did take from these breakfasts got tossed aside. Even if Green was admittedly not unpleasant, dismissing him felt easy. "Whatever. Not my idea. He's just an airhead who doesn't know when to quit."

[rocketstarter]

And so the ball was rolling.

Something in Frankie's expression had darkened. The comment, much like the whole scenario, shouldn't have bothered him. It wasn't his human this punk of an Ivysaur spoke of. It wasn't his human giving the other flower his attention. Why then? Why was he filled with the desire to make the Ivysaur regret he had ever said them? They shouldn't have gotten to him but they had slid under his skin so easily. The feeling to defend felt bizarrely instinctual. That mouth needed to be silenced.

It was treason to the highest degree and he knew it in every part of him. ... This would be incredibly satisfying.

He had turned fully, starting to take deliberate strides towards the Ivysaur. That smile remained, but it no longer held any of the pleasantries it had moments before. It was starting to become rather unsettling. "That's right," he agreed softly, stopping just short of him. "He doesn't know when to leave things to themselves. He's able to see the good in pokemon. An admirable quality, even if it's faulty at times."

Oh what was that creeping along the ground. Was that a vine? Oh wow it was totally a vine and it was moving on it's own and... Oh. Hey, Mr. Ivysaur, it was heading straight towards your feet.

[punchtheleaves]

The air around the humanized Pokemon seemed to grow suddenly cold - the sudden shift in his demeanor was enough to make the Ivysaur freeze like a Stantler in headlights. He blinked, a slow feeling of dread washing over him.

His instincts were urging him to run as he normally did in any sour situation, but his feet weren't moving. There was just a block in his head that couldn't understand the idea of an Ivysaur attacking another Ivysaur. It defied their nature as he knew it. They weren't hunters, they weren't aggressive amongst each other in a pod.

Humans hurt and betrayed things, yes. All he knew of evil was of humankind. But he never fathomed any Ivysaur, or any Pokemon for that matter, could learn their capacity for pure and simple cruelty.

So he didn't notice the vine until it was a moment too late. How was he supposed to know even humanized Pokemon could use their attacks?

"Wh--?!?

[rocketstarter]

To be fair, a lot of humanized Pokemon were really crummy at utilizing their abilities. It was somewhat unfortunate that Frankie wasn't on that side of the spectrum.

The vine secured and wrapped neatly around his leg, there wasn't any time wasted as he was whipped unceremoniously into the air to be hung around like some gaudy, low hanging chandelier. "You know, he looks at me like that too, sometimes." Frankie spun the Ivysaur around, watching him carefully. "That's how I know that quirk of his has the tendency to be mistaken."

There wasn't anything good about him any more. That was obvious enough from the way Frankie was looking at him. Any shred of normal decency had fled long ago, leaving only a rotten seed behind. Yet the kind words had come anyway, and he wanted to accept them as much as this Ivysaur wanted to deny them. It was all rather infuriating.

In case it wasn't clear that the Ivysaur was suddenly in a bad situation, Frankie decided to give him a very handy clue. The vine tightened on the back leg, and it's captive was sent careening down flower first towards the forest floor.

I don't have icons appropriately horrible for these

[punchtheleaves]

Snagged, dangling in mid-air, the Ivysaur was speechless in a cocktail of shock, confusion, and a sense of terror that was growing more and more shrill by the second. Lamely, he kicked at the air, squirming against his captor's trap as those gold eyes watched the struggle.

Words passed in one ear and out through the other, drowned out by the horrified sound of drumbeats where his pulse once was. What was going on? Why was this happening? Who was this guy? All those questions were quickly being summed into a desperate realization: he had to get out of here or--

Then, SLAM! Before he could even think to react, a shattering pain pierced through the very core of his floral heart. It was beyond any trauma he could've ever even tried to imagine, seizing up his entire nervous system in its grip and holding it hostage.

His flower - oh fucking god, his flower - its suffering overwhelmed any attempt he could've tried at self-defense. Screaming too loud. Or maybe that was the Ivysaur himself?

Involuntary, pitifully agonized sounds. Bright stabs in his vision. Momentarily helpless.

Oopsie

[rocketstarter]

It was a haunting sound. The screams scattered nearby birds upwards through the trees. As interesting as whatever was going on down there on the floor might have been, it was nothing they wanted to see to the end. Perhaps a wise move. The agonized vocals rang through Frankie's ears, sending a shiver up his spine. It very easily could have been him down there. The crushed pink petals were a bright stain against the earth and leaves, quivering with the Ivysaur's breath. But no, it wasn't an instinctual sympathy making him shiver. It was the thrill.

Frankie pressed forward with his actions, taking advantage of the Ivysaur's stunned immobility. As beautiful as the sounds of his screams were, the fact remained that they might not have been alone. A second vine slithered around him, wrapping up over his head to clamp his jaw shut and muffle his noises. He was going to be hoisted up in the air again, but this time it would be due to the rocket roughly grabbing him by the base of his flower that he could hold. His fingers dug in harder than they needed to. He wouldn't want to drop the poor thing, after all. What a shame that would be.

"He'll come back for you," Frankie continued to speak. The words meant nothing to his victim, he knew. They were more for himself at this point. Unnecessary encouragement for the task at hand. "He might even find you someday. Perhaps then he'll finally learn how to hate."

Suddenly the title of the log was totally relevant

[punchtheleaves]

The Ivysaur was helpless to resist at this point. As much as he tried to fight off the vines that bound him, he simply didn't have the strength to break their hold. His screams were quickly muffled into nothing more than raspy whimpers, dwarfed by the ambient stillness that returned to the forest.

He was going to die here. His torturer would have the pleasure of seeing that fevered terror in his eyes, overtaking his entire body. All his frantic struggles were for naught - even as he tried calling on his vines and leaves, his crushed flower could no longer obey him. The flower's own instincts released a mist of poison spores, an automatic response to anything it perceived as a life-threatening attack - but as another Poison Type, this human Ivysaur would feel nothing.

He was going to die, and he didn't even understand why. He was going to die a stupid, meaningless death, for nothing, away from anyone who ever cared for his existence.

He was going to die over a human?

No, no, no, this wasn't happening. Like hell he'd just die like this! Adrenaline surged through him as rage took over, burning away his fear and pain. He was going to fight back with every ounce of strength he had, even if it killed him in the process.

Thrashing, clawing at anything he could reach, the frenzied Ivysaur began to glow. Before anything else he'd ever learned, there was only one ability that had been in his blood since birth - and fueled by nothing but pure hate, he was hellbent on draining his opponent's life force dry.

8'|

[rocketstarter]

Frankie was rather well adjusted to slaughter. His claws were stained darker than any Pokemon's should have been. Honor and Glory to Team Rocket, after all. He knew the sight of fear and was quite accustomed to it. It was something to relish, that moment when you could see the realization that they probably would not see tomorrow's sunrise. Once upon a time, those looks had made Frankie a little jittery... but that was long ago. The fear was nothing new now.

Then why... Frankie stared down into the Ivysaur's face, and for a moment that terror held him quite still. It was something cold and fleeting, a memory he could not remember having. It was more than just being familiar with the expression. He knew those eyes. He'd been haunted by them before. An entirely foreign feeling skirted around the edges of his heart. For some reason he felt... It wasn't anything that he could place.

Unlike whoever's memory the moment truly belonged to, Frankie did not know the meaning of remorse.

The moment was what the Ivysaur needed to try and make a comeback. Oh good, he was going to put up a fight. For a bit Frankie was worried that he was simply going to resign himself to his fate. The clawing was easily avoided but... Frankie hissed through his teeth, recognizing the pull and drain of his life slipping through him as he jerked back a step. The rush of weakness was unanticipated. He grit his teeth and clenched his fingers harder, tearing through delicate petals as if gripping harder would prevent the drain.

He was reminded that he was actually quite angry. He struck out with his free hand, backhanding the other saur across the face. Mostly he wanted to stop looking at those damned eyes. It didn't hold as much bite as it could have, his energy still pulling away from him. But where hands failed him, thin slices would pick up the slack.

There was a familiar whistle of wind, and the air was full of leaves. Certainly not the ideal move against his fellow grass type, but the result would still be the same. Tender flesh would still bleed no matter who you were.

YOU'RE NOT SORRY

[punchtheleaves]

The leaves sliced through skin, but so long as Ivysaur was engulfed in his draining glow, the cuts healed only moments after they were made. Mere flesh wounds right now were a tug of war between how quickly his tormentor could slice him and how much vitality could be stolen in return.

But the tearing pressure being put on his vulnerable flowerbud wasn't so easily repaired. Dark fluid oozed through humanoid fingers, sticky sweet as a sharp pain arched through his symbiote spine. Giga Drain had its limits, and he was already pushing them by holding out his attack so long.

No, the Ivysaur was going to keep siphoning as long as he could, even if it meant burning out his nervous system just to spite the bastard. The desperate adrenaline was making him reckless, but fuck it. If he was going to die, he'd at least make this traitor remember his hate.

Of course it couldn't last, not enough to finish him. The Ivysaur's limbs were going numb. A murkiness was invading his mind, and slowly the glow began to fade.

I AM TO AN EXTENT 8C

[rocketstarter]

That had been a surprise. Had things proved to have been more troublesome for Frankie, he might have actually felt a bit of concern for his own well being. He let out a shuddering breath as the glow of the Ivysaur's body dulled, the subsequent breathing that followed coming in short pants. The feeling of his life slowly filtering into another against his will was unlike any other. It was alarmingly disorienting. Even once the last draining tendrils faded from him, Frankie fought to regain the amount of control he had before. His vines had slipped away from the battered captive, momentarily useless.

The Ivysaur was hardly free though. The vice grip the human Pokemon's fingers had in his flower remained. He might have felt humiliatingly weak at the moment, but Frankie was still very much alright. The feeling would pass and clarity would take it's place.

He had to admire the Ivysaur's tenacity. For the few sweet breathes of relief he might have been able to breathe right then, all he had managed to do was invite his death that much quicker. Frankie gave a small hiss of annoyance at that, throwing the grass type to the ground finally. He supposed he would just have to make it more obvious about just how this Pokemon met its unfortunate end.

He took a moment to inspect his soiled glove, keeping a foot on the creature's side lest he get the idea that he could crawl away. Frankie brushed his fingers together, observing the behavior of the crushed bud's sap. Dark and sticky, it trailed between his finger tips in loose strands. Staring down at the Ivysaur, he swiped his tongue across one digit. Sweet as it smelled, but alarmingly sour to the point that it was bitter. No doubt it was something that should have been killing him if he were anyone else.

Curiosity satisfied, Frankie reached down and began smoothly plucking the pretty pink petals from their bud.