Apple Hunting

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Mordred entered Shadowhue Forest. In his hand was a sheet of paper. He brought it to his face, reading it for the 3rd time.

Spoiler:

"Just have to find a Big Apple..." He muttered to himself, before putting the sheet back inside his Treasure Bag. Looking around, he was greeted by the same tall trees, the same minimal sunlight, and the same eerie atmosphere.

"...Better make this quick." He proceeded to walk, paying close mind to his surroundings. Even the slightest sound of rustling caused him to react, ready to beat the sense out of whoever would dare to ambush him during his first mission.

Nate continued to walk forward, despite the incoming fog. Well, this is problematic. If I just keep going forward I have to run into Mordred eventually though. He decided and called out Mordred's name a few times, not really paying attention to where he was going. And then a certain cacnea spike came colliding with him from ahead, hitting him in the stomach area and making him wince slightly. Thinking it was a cacnea, he let out a light thundershock in the direction it had come from before remembering that they were a common item found in the area. Oh crap... he thought to himself. "Mordred? Is that you? Uh, sorry if it was and you got hit by that." He called.

Mordred squinted his eyes, trying to decipher where he had sent the item. As he approached further towards the item's direction, his focus vanished as a bolt of electricity shot through the fog, attacking him without warning. He watched as his vision became obscured by the white light, before he felt the painful sting of the bolt. Small sparks were evident on him as an aftereffect of the attack, but he didn't seem to have received any alarming injuries. He wasn't paralyzed, but felt threatened as he thought someone was out to get him.

"Mordred? Is that you? Uh, sorry if it was and you got hit by that." A familiar voice called from the direction of the bolt. The scraggy felt his shoulders fall, relieved to know that his 'attacker' was actually just Nate. He began taking a few cautious steps toward the source of the voice, hoping that it wasn't an impostor or any of the sort. His assumptions were deemed false when he saw the injured Pikachu. Giving a sigh of relief he emerged from the bushes and approached the other pokemon. "Uh, sorry for wandering so far. I didn't find anything-"

He stopped, noticing a new wound on the Pikachu's stomach. It didn't seem too serious, just a mere poke from something sharp. Looking around, the fighting pokemon could see a Cacnea spike nearby. Realization hit him when he remembered that he kicked an item to this particular direction. Immediately, the scraggy began apologizing again. He didn't mean for his ally to get more injured, let alone because of him.

Nate blinked as the Scraggy walked out and over to him, realizing that he was right and had most likely hit him with the attack. He also had further confusion when Mordred started apologizing, and noticed that he was looking at his chest where he had been hit by the spike.
"Hey, don't worry about it. That's nothing, just a little prick there. I'm sorry about the thundershock, that may have been a bit over-doing things." He responded, chuckling a little bit. And at that moment he heard something in the bushes surrounding the duo. Nate quickly stopped chuckling and glanced around, hearing the movement coming from various places. It's in front of us, no, beside us, wait or is it behind-oh crap. This isn't good. He quickly thought as he started to panic slightly. "Mordred, I think we should start running or something like that." He suggested.

This dice is not existing.

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Mordred wasn't able to reply as a familiar web of silk was throw at his face. The scraggy gave a scream, his vision suddenly being covered. He began flailing around, trying to get the layer of familiar material off his face, oblivious to the duo of little bugs that had dropped onto his head. The Weedles gave a squeal, looking up to the dark leaves that covered the forest's sky. If one looked hard enough, they could spot a pair of ruby eyes, waiting in the darkness.

But that was the least of the duo's problems. Out from the bushes around them came a trio of Poochyena, followed by 2 full-grown Mightyena. A small, but hungry little pack. The Mightyena began closing in on them, their younglings following the suit and covering the rest of the area, preventing nearly all blind spots from being shown. They growled at the duo, hungrily waiting for their chance to strike.

Even with his blinded state, Mordred could still hear the predators, but very muffled. He could hear Nate's voice more clearly, and was able to understand what he had said. "Erm jurdging br dr sroundrs arr arrund us, err dourrt we can run rret.." He managed to say under the covering. He felt panic begin to rise as he realized he wouldn't be able to defend himself or his injured ally due to the surprisingly thick layer of silk on his face. There would be no time to tear it off if they were surrounded, and he wouldn't be able to aim correctly.

Nate paused, pushing aside the panic to try and come up with a plan. Surrounded, can't take them all on. Fog, at least help cover up an escape. As to how we get out... he thought to himself as he found himself with a slight dillema. They could attack one of the Mightyena, but the other would be closer to them. Or, he could attack one of the Poochyena instead, which would make two mightyena at full strength mad, but give them more time to run.

Come on Nate, they're feral. It doesn't matter how old they are, they're going to kill you and Mordred if you don't act soon. He told himself, and started to feel his cheeks spark. "Mordred,when I grab your arm we're running, just go where I'm pulling you." Nate said, and immediately sent a thundershock out at one of the poochyena around them. He grabbed Mordred's arm with his good paw and ran past the slightly injured poochyena, dragging Mordred with him.

"Mmmf?!" Mordred managed to utter before he was yanked by the pikachu. He tried his best to keep up with the mouse, having difficulty not to lose his footing among the rocks and large tree roots that littered the floor of Shadowhue. He could feel a few aches and scratches begin to litter his feet as he carelessly ran past the sharp stones, but he knew that a few measly injuries wouldn't compare to the brutal beating the angered hounds would give them if they dared to slow down. The scraggy could hear the enraged canines right behind them, the vicious pounding of their paws on the ground impossible to ignore. It felt as though his racing heartbeat was in sync with their rhythmic thumping, adrenaline building up as the chase continued. In his panic, he was still unable to notice the duo of squealing bugs that continued to cling on his skull.

The duo of Mightyena howled with rage, intent on avenging their injured young. They ran quickly through the foggy woodland, having no difficulty tracking down their prey's scent. Their claws were unsheathed, ready to pounce once they were in range. Their Poochyena followed, making sure that their targets wouldn't stray far from their leaders. They took to the sides, alerting other prey of the chase through their loud yips and howls, knowing that their leaders wouldn't want any interruptions. The injured Poochyena seemed considerably slower than his brethren, but continued to contribute by howling and driving off worthless prey.

In the dark canopy of leaves flew a lone bird, watching the fleeing trespassers expectantly. Its ruby eyes watched the scene below, putting most of its focus on the duo of weedle that clung on the scraggy's head. It knew it couldn't attack now, but it wasn't going to allow its prey out of its sight. It would only be a matter of time before the moment presents itself, and the bird would be able to swoop down from the shadows and reap its next meal.

Everything started to get to Nate at once as the two ran through the woods, including the fog, the roots and rocks, the pokemon chasing them, the pain from running and yet also a plan, or at least a slightly decent idea of what to do. They shouldn't be able to get into a tree. If we move quickly we could both get up there. They should stop waiting for us after a little bit, unless they're that persistent. Which would be a problem. He thought to himself, having some doubts but recognizing that there wasn't another option for the situation, at least not that he could see.
"Alright, we have to be quick about this." Nate told Mordred as he brought them both to a stop under a tree with a slightly easier to reach branch then the other ones. He quickly attempted to pull the web out of Mordred's face, ignoring the bug pokemon still on him as he did so.
"Here, we can both probably get onto this tree branch and climb up higher." He told him, looking at the way the came from as he could hear the Mightyena still chasing after them, getting closer along with the Poochyena with them.

Mordred couldn't describe how thankful he was to be able to see again, and was actually about to thank his companion if it weren't for the alarming howls. Without another word, he complied and began climbing up the tree, not wanting to end up as a meal. Fortunately, climbing was a breeze for the reptile. It didn't take long for him to reach a safe branch- one that was not too high nor too low. Balancing himself on the branch, he hooked his legs firmly on the bark. He leaned backwards, falling and hanging below the branch like some sort of possum. He stretched his arms below, just barely in the reach of the Pikachu. "Nate, grab on! I'll pull you up!" He said, ready to grab hold of the mouse's paws.

But unfortunately, not a minute was given as pain suddenly shot through the Scraggy. In his haste, he still hadn't noticed the two Weedles that had clung from his head to his back during his climb. They didn't seem to have enjoyed being flipped with their host, retaliating by jabbing their sharp thorns into the scraggy's back. A small amount of purple fluids were injected from the thorns, slowly contaminating the reptile's system with every movement he made. He let out a scream, nearly letting go of his grip on the branch as he felt the poison begin surging through his body. His sight seemed to become unstable, as if he was shaking uncontrollably. And fact is, he really was. He attempted to ignore the sickening feeling, waiting impatiently for Nate to grab hold of his hands. "Hur.. Hurry up!" He urged, unsure if he could hold on any longer. The bugs that clung on his back squealed, their attention switched to the dark leaves above. Two beady red eyes watched intently, hidden in the shadows.

The canine pack drew closer with frightening speed; their paws pounding on the grassy terrain as they hunted down their prey. The two Mightyena growled, nearly in perfect sync as they bared their fangs in preparation. Not too far was the Pikachu and the Scraggy, both seeming to be planning to ascend up a tree. They couldn't allow them to escape so easily, especially with what they had done to one of their underlings. The Mighyena took an immediate leap towards the Pikachu, their fangs ready to clamp onto its yellow fur. The Poochyena followed, ready to assist their leaders.

Nate stood by and waited, wanting to make sure Mordred got up first before he would try to. The sounds of the hostile pokemon getting closer scared Nate, but he refused to show it as he looked back over at the Scraggy to see if he was up yet. His temporary partner was safe on the branch, and hung below it, reaching to help him get up.
"Right." He acknowledged as he started to get ready to jump up, but looked down and noticed his paw once again, still injured. Do I risk using it or just get up with one? He started to think, before making his decision and hearing the Scraggy tell him to hurry up. Without another word Nate jumped and grabbed onto one of Mordred's arms with his good paw, hoping he would remember to grab him also and pull him up.
"I'm good, can you get me up?" Nate asked him, noticing the Mightyena and Poochyena coming towards them, with the two Mightyena taking a leap for him. At that point he could only hope that the plan would work and Mordred could pull them up, or he was about to meet a rather untimely, and most likely gruesome end.

Mordred felt his legs nearly lose grip as Nate jumped up and grabbed his arm, causing an increase of weight that he just barely managed to endure. Gripping the Pikachu's paw, he attempted to pull him up. Using every bit of willpower, he brought the mouse up on the branch, a bit too roughly from how quickly he attempted to maneuver in order to avoid slipping and sending them to their doom. His arms ached from having to carry such weight in such an unstable position, doubled from how the poison was starting to get over his head. He reached behind him, trying to grab the irritating bugs off. He managed to grab both by the tails, causing the little bugs to scream and attack his hands. The scraggy winced, but swiftly threw the duo down onto the ground.

The Weedles were met with the pack, screaming their heads off as they saw themselves being surrounded by 5 canines. The Weedles unleashed a flurry of String Shots, effectively covering a few of the Poochyena in silk. Bad move. Immediately, the rest of the pack members attacked, gnawing and scratching as they punished the two bugs for their foolish attack. Mordred made a face of disgust as he watched the two bug pokemon get mauled to death by the vicious canines, more thankful than ever that they were able to escape in time. Deciding he had enough of watching the gruesome scene, he began rummaging his bag. He took out a Pecha Berry, munching on it with large bites as he allowed the fruit to calm his system. Relief washed over as he felt the poison begin to die down from the berry's nutrients, aiding in his recovery. Once finished, he looked up at his ally. "So... what now?"

Meanwhile, the Murkrow above them watched in astonishment as its meal was ripped to shreds. Its widened ruby eyes glinted maliciously, now angered due to its loss. How dare they take its prey! It had been hunting those two Weedles all day! No, the bird refused to allow its hard work to be put to waste so easily. At least, not without punishing the ones at fault. It glared down at the intruding duo below. Its eyes glowed as its body began to be overwhelmed in the shadows. Its face conjured into that of pure terror as it prepared for an Astonish attack, hoping to scare the two pokemon off the branch and into their deaths.

Nate let out a grunt as he was lifted up, adjusting himself so that he could balance on the tree branch, gasping for air as he had been panicking. Looking back up to Mordred, he saw the bugs get brushed off of him and land on the ground, in the midst of the Mightyena and Poochyena.
"Oh, wow, that is disgusting..." He commented, wincing as he glanced down at the carnage beneath the two. He started to feel some drops of water come down, as it seemed to slowly start to rain. He finally looked away from the mess below when Mordred asked him what they would do now.
"Well, I would assume that the best thing would be to hide in the tree and either wait it out, or sneak into another tree and climb down from there, make a run for it." He suggested to the Scraggy, standing up on the branch and looking upwards to see if there was another one to climb up to. At that moment, Nate heard the noise of something coming towards them from the air and turned around, seeing the Murkrow head towards them. He let out a surprised yell and awkwardly moved out of the way, in the process slipping up on the branch. Panicked, he grabbed onto it with his good paw, starting to pull himself back up and attempting to use a thundershock on the bird at the same time. The thundershock went wide and missed, and with the wasted energy in that Nate found himself letting go and tumbling down from the tree, landing on his right side at just the right angle to see the Mightyena finishing up with their recent gore fest. Oh, crap...this isn't good. he thought to himself as he got back up and backed up a few steps, thinking of what to do.

Mordred's attention was also caught, looking to where the odd rustling was. He was then greeted by the most horrifying Murkrow he'd ever seen, causing him to scream and lose his balance on the branch. His fall was mere minutes away from Nate's, causing him to land with his back on the ground a few inches away from the Pikachu. He groaned, staying on the ground. His eyes widened in realization as he remembered the vicious pack mere feet away. Forcing himself back onto his feet, he followed the suit and backed away from the feasting mongrels.

Seeing the area now rid of the cornering hazards, he looked to his companion, uttering only a single line. "RUN!" He said, before grabbing the Pikachu's good paw and making a mad dash to the cleared exits. The sudden yell caused the nearby pack to turn their attention to the fleeing duo, causing them to give chase. Green bug blood dripped from their snouts as they growled, baring their tainted fangs at the running targets. Their paws left trails of blood as they rushed through the forest, now having to give another chase.

Meanwhile, the bird at fault cackled, watching the scene take place. It raised its dark wings, taking flight. A battle this humorous happened only once in a lifetime, and it was not going to allow those intruders to leave without the reassurance that they were both dead. It soared below the dark canopy of leaves, watching the duo get chased by the pack. Covering itself with shadows, it raced down, aiming for a Pursuit attack.

[I'll start off the rolling spree already. xD FRY THAT BIG APPLE!]

This dice is not existing.

Nate didn't have to be told twice to start running as he turned and followed along with Mordred, going as fast as he could carry himself.
"Great job yelling, you got their attention!" He commented to the Scraggy, hearing the various pokemon begin to chase after them once again. There was no time to look back and take a good look at their attackers, doing so would most likely slow them down and get them both killed. Instead Nate just kept running ahead, until he heard a noise from above. Something rammed into his back, making him go forward a few feet and hit the ground, landing next to...
"A big apple!" Nate recognized the shape and remembered that they were actually out here to do a job. Scrambling back up he grabbed the big apple with his good paw and began running again, starting to get tired.
"How long are they going to keep this up?" He asked, feeling it begin to rain as he continued running for his life.

The grey skies beyond the forest only made Shadowhue seem darker as the clouds continued to obscure the sunlight. A loud boom of lightning was head, before it suddenly began pouring. Rain showered through the leaves, covering the area in less than a few minutes as a storm brewed. Many of the pokemon inhabiting the forest took cover, already taking shelter from the rain. The trees and shrubbery shook violently as the wind howled. Only the insane would think it would be safe to go wandering out in such bad conditions.

Sadly, it seemed today Mordred and Nate had to suffer as the insane ones. The scraggy ducked down to avoid the Pursuit attack, noticing as Nate fell with him. He grinned for a split second when he saw the Big Apple in the Pikachu's hand. He looked back to the direction they had just come, seeing their pursuers a considerable distance away. Why weren't those things tiring? The reptile hissed as he noticed rain beginning to pour. He ran as his companion went ahead, catching up fairly quickly. All this running was starting to tire him as well, and he was already doubting their chances of escaping. "Honestly, I don't-"

Mordred stopped, now coming face to face with a large wall of earth. It seemed to be a large slope, but with how muddy it was there was no chance they would be able to climb it. They were trapped in a dead end. The scraggy turned around, watching as the pack of vicious canines began making their way towards them. "Great, just great. Now what?!" He said, his heart pumping uncontrollably as he waited for their end.

Oh come on, not now. We were so close... Nate thought to himself as the duo had to stop running, due to the gigantic wall of earth now blocking their way. There was no way to move it, and no way around it. Backtracking would be impossible due to their pursuers. They were at a literal dead end.
"Well, I barely know you. But it's been an honor. Even though I didn't really plan on being killed out in a forest in the rain being torn apart by-" He started to say, before getting and idea. Wait. Rain. He started to smirk, and tossed the apple to Mordred.
"Here, hold this and stay back." He said, taking a step in between Mordred and their attackers as the group of Pokemon started to close in on them. As they did so Nate began to charge electricity, sending some vicious sparks out of his cheeks. Come on, not close enough. Just a little bit more...now! As the Pokemon drew near, Nate released a humongous bolt of electricity, sending it towards the attackers and the force knocking him back slightly, taking a lot of energy out of him.