Enia: Note! The nurse's name is pronounced the British way like the new companion in Doctor Who! Even though most of you probably don't know what I mean…

The Vermillion City Fiasco

Vermillion City…

"Nurse! Nurse!" The panicked shout broke through the steady pounding of the pouring rain, disturbing the evening. A flash of lightning lit up the bedraggled girl staggering into town, struggling to drag a prone form behind her. Mud and something darker streaked her face. "Help!" Please, somebody! I need help!"

Doors began to crack open down the street, and puzzled faces peeked out from the glowing warmth of their houses. The girl saw and reached a trembling hand out to them, pleading. "Please! Help me!"

One older man, his face worn by time and weather, stepped out of his house, closing the door and opening a large black umbrella. "What's going on?"

The girl slipped in the mud and fell to her knees. "I need the nurse! He's hurt real bad! I…I think he's dying!" Her voice was high-pitched with hysteria.

The man came down the steps slowly to avoid falling on the wet planks. "It's going to be okay," he said soothingly. "I already called the Poke Center, and a nurse will be here soon. What's your name, girl?"

She fought back tears as he made his way towards her, rain battering them both. "N-Nell."

The man smiled at her. "Hi, Nell, I'm Blake. Do you–" Lightning flashed suddenly with a boom of thunder, cutting of his question. Blake froze, staring in shock at the girl's face and the limp body beside her. There was blood everywhere. It streaked Nell's face, shot through with mud and tear tracks, and the entire front of her white shirt was stained dark red. Well, Blake thought the shirt had once been white. The boy beside her was deathly pale where he wasn't covered with scarlet blood. His eyes were closed and his mouth slack. If he wasn't dead already, he would be soon. "What-what happened?" Blake stuttered, struggling to fit the scene before him into reality.

The nurse arrived before Nell could answer. She came racing down the street, her pink and white dress already drenched, with a Chancey right behind her. An unwieldy med kit was clutched in one hand, swinging wildly as she hurried through the mud. She dropped to her knees and slid the last few feet. Her eyes were wide with fright. "What's wrong?"

Nell tugged the body forward, and as she did the boy's hand fell away from his side. The nurse gasped; a gaping red and black hole was revealed where the hand had been. White ribs poked through the blood, and the nurse thought she could see a dark organ glistening inside. A pungent, almost rotting smell rolled from the wound, crinkling her nose.

The stricken girl started babbling. "I…I don't really know. I just…found him like this. I was taking a walk and I-I heard something. Like a rustling and moaning in the bushes right beside me." Her throat choked momentarily with sobs. The nurse reached out and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Nell wiped her eyes and continued. "I bent down and pushed back the branches. He was there," she gestured at the boy, "still conscious. And there was b-blood everywhere. He said something had attacked him. He said-he said it tried to eat him. It had him on the ground and was taking bites out of his stomach." Nell shuddered, clearly trying not to hurl.

The nurse rubbed her back, making soothing noises. "Shh…it's okay." Blake stood beside them, looking shocked and horrified as rain poured off his umbrella.

Nell took a deep breath to compose herself. "He said he managed to find a large rock, and he smashed the thing in the head with it. But his attacked barely n-noticed, so he hit it again and again. Finally, he said, it collapsed, and he was able to get away." Her tears mingled with the rain. "Oh Entei, I don't even know his name!"

The nurse folded the crying girl into a hug. "It'll be okay, I promise. You got him here, and now we're going to make sure he lives. I'll call my friend up to come help; she's an even better nurse that I am."

Nell nodded, sniffling. "Okay."

The women stood up slowly, and Blake, without even having to be asked, slung the unconscious boy over his shoulder. With the entire city watching, they slogged through the mud to better paved roads and then to the Poke Center. The nurse immediately went to the phone, punching in the number with practiced speed.

The phone rang in her ear for a long time until the nurse was convinced it was going to go to voicemail. Finally, though, a young, disgruntled voice picked up. "Yes? Hello?"

The nurse smiled in relief. "Hi, Jane Joy. It's me, Clara."

"Oh, hi, Clara. Listen, could you call back? This is kind of a bad time." In the background, Clara could hear a man's voice asking who was on the phone.

"This is a bad time for me, too, Jane," she snapped. "I need your help, and I think it's a bit more important than you banging some new guy."

"He's not just some guy!" Jane replied, indignant. "He's the one; I can feel it!"

"That's what you said about the last five men you brought home."

Silence on the other end. Clara waited impatiently, knowing that her friend had no comeback and would soon change the subject. "So, what did you need help with?" Jane Joy asked innocently. Clara smiled; just like predicted.

"I had a boy brought in a few minutes ago," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the table the pale boy lay on. The blanket Nell and Blake had covered him in was already soaked with blood. "He's sustained multiple bite wounds…"

That was as far as she got. There was a loud clatter on the other line and the sound of running feet. "Jane?" she asked.

The man's voice came across the phone. "Bite wounds?" he asked harshly.

Clara blinked; he sounded different than the boys Jan Joy usually brought home. More rough and cold. "Uh, yeah," she answered. "It was probably an animal or something."

"Stay away from him," the man ordered. "Lock the room he's in and stay out. We're coming to you."

"What's going on?" Clara demanded, but he had already hung up on her.

She set the telephone down and turned to the sick bay. Nell sat in the chair by the boy's bed, clutching his hand while Chancey bounced about nervously. Blake stood by the wall, watching. The nurse's expression hardened; she didn't care what that cold man said. The boy was hurt, and by Suicune she was going to help him.

18 hours later…

The door to the Poke Center banged open, letting in the wind and rain. The storm had gotten worse as night turned to day. Two cloaked figures slipped inside and closed the door behind them, shaking off water. "Stupid goddamn storm," the taller of the two grouched. "Making traffic awful. It should not have taken that long to get here."

"Calm down, dear," said the other newcomer. She took off her hood, revealing Jane Joy's china doll face and brightly dyed pink hair.

Clara heard the voices and hurried out to meet them just as the man took his traveling cloak off. He was defiantly the most handsome of any of Jane's muses with short blond hair and blue eyes. Clara smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much for coming," she said, extending a hand in greeting.

"Where is he?" the man interrupted, dropping his cloak on the floor.

"In the back. He's still unconscious."

The man cursed violently, reached into the dark coat he had on, and pulled out a long, wicked looking knife. Clara's eyes widened, and she stepped protectively in front of the door to the sick bay. "Woah now. What are you doing?"

His eyes were hard as ice. "What has to be done. Step aside."

Jane Joy grabbed his arm, pleading. "Now, William, dear…"

"He is a patient!" Clara said hotly. "He's under my care, and I will not allow you to harm him!"

"He's dead already!" the man, William, roared, making the women flinch. "And so are the rest of you if you don't let me do this!"

"What are you talking about?!"

He didn't get a chance to answer. In the sick bay, someone screamed, full of pain and fear. Within seconds, though, it was cut off, replaced with pained gurgles, and something splattered the ground. Clara turned around slowly and nearly fainted when she saw what was going on in the next room.

The boy was awake, but his face was buried in Nell's neck. Blood painted her front and bubbled out of her mouth beneath wide, staring eyes. It splashed the floor and walls like red splatter paint. Clara could see the boy's jaws and throat working as he burrowed deeper into her flesh. He let her drop to the ground and fell after her, still tangled in the blanket. They disappeared from sight, but the sounds made it abundantly clear what was going on. Something was ripping and tearing and cracking and sucking and moaning and squishing…Clara dropped to her knees and emptied her stomach, shaking.

"I told you so," William said blandly. Jane Joy trembled on his arm. In the sick bay, Blake lunged away from the wall and stumbled towards the door. He slipped in the pool of blood and crashed to the ground. The only thing that saved him from becoming breakfast was the fact that the thing was still busy with Nell.

William shook Jane Joy off and strode towards the bloodbath, knife in hand. Lightning flashed, and suddenly the front door blew open. A small figure, silhouetted by the lightning, leapt inside, brandishing a Pokeball. "Hey, you!" The newcomer, a youngster named Joey, pointed at William, his already high-pitched voice cracking with excitement. "You're that new gym leader! My name's Joey and I challenge you! go, Rattata!"

"Not now, kid." William flicked his wrist and knocked the lunging Rat Pokémon out of the air. "I'm busy."

Another scream broke the air, coming from outside. "Somebody, please help!"

William swore under his breath; there were more of them. He glanced at the sick bay; that zombie was contained for now and there was enough food to keep it busy. He'd deal with it later. He grabbed the two nurses' arms and shoved them at the door, knocking Joey outside too. "What are you doing?" Clara wailed. "You can't just leave them!"

"They'll be fine," William lied. "Now go."

He pushed them out and followed, closing the door behind him.

Inside, Blake regained his feet and lunged at the door. He ran, crying, across the floor of the main room, intent on getting outside and away from that…that…monster as quickly as possible. He left both doors open.

All across Vermillion City, people were screaming and running about in terror. They locked themselves in their houses and refused to let anyone in or go out. Some of them were bleeding.

William stood in the center of it all, struggling to find the zombie through the terror and rain. Things went downhill from there.

The S.S. Anne…

Samik and I lay in our room, listening to the rain overhead. I had my had on his stomach and my feet propped up on a stack of pillows. We'd kicked Princey out, and he was still moping in the hallway. "How are we even going to start looking for Yellow?" I wondered.

Samik shrugged, playing with my hair. "By asking questions and kicking ass if they don't answer."

I smirked. "Great plan."

"I know; it was mine."

I laughed at that. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Am I getting predictable?" he gasped. "The horror!"

His laughter made my head bounce up and down, which got me laughing even harder. "Would you two stop it?" Princey snapped from the hallway. "Your lovey-dovey-ness is making me sick!"

"Aw, is somebody jealous?" I mocked. The stalker sniffed but didn't answer.

The ship-wide intercom crackled to life. "Attention crew and passengers. We will be docking in Vermillion City in less than an hour…"

Enia: Badaboom! See, I haven't forgotten about any of the plot! Yay! I was going to work on this while I was on vacation in DC, but every time I thought about it, I was like 'LOL nope'. But I'm done now, so no harm done.

Samik: We saw the Hope Diamond. It was a lot smaller than I thought it'd be.

Enia: Yeah. And we saw Kermit the Frog and Dorothy's slippers.

Samik: And the Capitol.

Enia: And whatever the library's called.

Samik: The Library of Congress?

Enia: Yeah, that.

Samik: You all are jealous.

Enia: Undoubtably. Anywho, it was nice seeing you all again! Please leave a review!

Samik: I'm not sure 'seeing' is the right word here, Enia.

Enia: Shut up! I already ended the chapter!

Samik: Oh, right, yeah. Sorry. Bye!