Weakling (OPEN)

Bob wasn't used to being trapped.

His whole shtick is running away, after all. He always tried to leave room for escaping, or have some form of leverage that would create room. He was usually one step ahead of his enemies (depending on the definition of step, of course), and could get away from anything relatively unscathed. Hell, he'd survived an encounter with a Pidgeot as a baby! Granted, he was spared rather than skillful, but it counts!

The caterpie tried squirming out of his predicament, but failed. Instead, he lodged a rather firm branch even further into his already bleeeding body. He did not scream. He couldn't scream. If he did, then the predators would know, and they'd eat him alive. Or, if it wasn't predators, it would be one of those lost souls he'd been hearing about, ever since that Xatu came around.

As he lay impaled, beneath a collapsed tree, Bob the Caterpie looked up at the sunless sky. He wished for light.

(ENERGY: 13-10=3)

{Energy: 19 - 10 (entry) = 9}

Hidon looked had watched the sky upon his approach to the Shadowhue Forest for his usual spot of training. However, it quickly became apparent that something was very off. He knew what time he usually went out for training...and the sun should still be shining. He knew that this place was called Shadowhue and all, but he had been here enough to know that it shouldn't get dark until AFTER entering the woods. Something was definitely wrong...but he wasn't sure what. In any case, he figured that maybe...just maybe...this meant that this was a sign that today's training would be even tougher than his usual outings into the dungeon. And that meant that he'd be even stronger as a result!

He grinned at the thought as he made his way through the trees, his tail flame making a more-than-worthwhile torch to keep his path lit in the darker-than-usual woods. Though he had to admit...the fact that the forest was even darker than before was a bit creepy.... And even creepier was the sight he beheld when he stepped foot in a small clearing. His eyes widened when he saw a Caterpie, pinned firmly to he ground by what appeared to be a collapsed tree, a branch apparently driven right through the poor thing. He didn't scream or make any other noises. He couldn't find his voice. The sight before him was just too shocking. He was completely dumbfounded!

His tail flame had likely caught the attention of whoever this Caterpie was long ago due to its light, if he was even still alive. He probably knew he was here already. So then...why was he hesitating? He shook his head, trying to clear away his shock. This was what he had always wanted, right? To help out a Pokémon truly in need and get a victim's sole gratitude? So, he shoved all lingering thoughts aside and rushed into the area, coming close to where the Caterpie was pinned down. "H-hey!" he said lowly. "D-don't worry. I'm, uh...I'm here to help you." He then reached out and tried to grasp the Caterpie's body. He would need to be gentle when trying to pull him off of the branch. He certainly didn't want to make the injury any worse.

He’d come here by accident, actually. He hadn’t yet planned to enter a place even more dangerous than the Pecha Forest, especially not while he was still just a Caterpie. When he became a butterfree, maybe, but not in his current state. That was suicide!

But he had been freaking out, what with rumors of mindless Pokemon, and had rushed into the Pecha Forest with an immediacy he hadn’t felt in a long time. Was Sheila alright? Was mother?
He’d ventured too far in, and now he was in the Shadowhue Forest. Clouds had now fully engulfed the sky. Bob had never felt so alone.

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Light. Light, light, light. Was that a Charmander? Was it going to- "D-don't worry. I'm, uh...I'm here to help you." The creature had gripped him, gently but firmly, and seemed to be about to pull. Bob opened his mouth to speak, but it took him a full second before any sound could escape his lips (or bug equivalent).

“Are-” Bob coughed. Droplets of blood splattered onto the forest floor. He rasped out his words with more success this time: “Are you from Grassveil?” It hurt to talk. Idly, Bob wondered at the biology of his body - what had been impaled such that it affected his ability to speak? - but thoughts quickly turned back to his predicament.

“Don’t pull me out. Not yet. It’s bad, but -” Another cough. He’d never hated the color red more in his life. “If you pull me out, blood’s just gonna start flowing everywhere. I’ll bleed to death faster. The... The branch blocks the flow a bit. Just look for something to bandage me, first. Or maybe an Oran Berry, to give me some energy to power through this. Or -” Coughing, again. He eyed the Charmander’s tail - fire. Maybe...

"Can... Can you cauterize my wound, if you pull me out?"

Hidon listened as the Caterpie spoke up. Thankfully, that was a sign that he was at the very least alive. He wasn't very well off, but at least he was still alive. That was better than nothing, though. He stopped when he was about to pull immediately when Bob said something about it. He hadn't thought about it yet, but...the Caterpie was absolutely right. If he pulled harder, things were only going to get worse. He needed to find some kind of alternative. But what...? Well, for now, he could try to put the Caterpie at ease with some small talk while he thought.

"Yeah...well...no," he said, slightly confused by his own response. "Er...it's complicated. I kind of live here...but...it's not where I came from." Unfortunately, he did not have any healing items on his person. In fact...he had never found one. And he had nothing that could work as a patch. He...had no idea what to do. So he needed to quickly take a look around to find something that would work.

But then...the Caterpie gave him an alternate solution. At first, he wasn't sure what the Bug-type was saying. He had never heard the word "cauterize" before. However, when he realized that the Caterpie was eyeing his tail, he realized exactly what it must mean. And he quickly shook his head. "Nuh-uh," he replied, shaking his arms in front of him. "No way. You're already seriously hurt. And you're a bug...and...no offense...but you look pretty wimpy. I'm not putting an open flame anywhere near you. I'll...I'll find another way." With that, he turned around and continued his search. For something...anything that could be useful here.

There was a battle. A Mightyena and a… A bird, he couldn’t remember which type. A swellow? They were battling it out for reasons Bob didn’t know - for reasons he didn’t really want to know. He’d stopped for just a moment, fascinated by all the damage being done, and was tempted to cheer them on. It was, after all, pretty awesome.
And then a mis-aimed takedown brought a tree down on him.
Why couldn’t he remember the bird?

“FUCK YOU I’M A WIMP!” Bob finally managed to force out something louder than a croak - a genuine shout. He regretted it - the poor caterpie shortly fell into a coughing fit, and writhed in his spot. He was now facing down, and while he could have looked up if he tried, Bob didn’t want to expend the effort. Hopefully, the Charmander had turned back to Bob.

After less than a minute, he managed to get back under control. His next words came out in barely a whisper. “Fuck you. Yes, I’m scared, and I might not survive, and I’m a goddamn caterpie, but we’re in the middle of a dangerous forest. I’m prey. I’m bleeding and unable to fight. If a predator sees me, it wouldn’t take the time to free me - it would drag me out and rip into me, and it doesn’t have to be in that order. I’m going to fucking die unless I’m at least able to move.

“It’ll hurt like a bitch, yeah. Maybe I’ll end up screaming like a - like a wimp. But hell, the scent of blood is out. Predators are already hunting for weak and bloodied food. The priority, right now, is that I’m free as soon as possible. If that means you need to torture me for a bit, deal with it. It’s my life at stake.” He didn’t know how he didn’t devolve into a coughing fit throughout that whole speech, but it caught up to him now - blood kept on coating the grass, just little speckles but horrific nonetheless.

(3-3, rounded up to 0 = 0. Bob has Fainted!
Well, he's basically fainted anyway...)

Guest carried out 3 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

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Hidon visibly flinched when Bob suddenly shouted at him for calling him a wimp. He quickly turned back around to look at the Caterpie, utterly shocked by the puny-looking Bug-type's furious words. Clearly, the Caterpie regretted the attempt immediately as he began to have another coughing fit, but still...he had not expected it to even be possible. Maybe he'd underestimated him after all. He then continued on to listen to what the Caterpie had to say next and explain why he would need something like this to happen. And he had to admit, the Caterpie had a point. Still, though, what was this talk about predators? He'd been out here a bunch of times now and he'd never witnessed anything like what he was describing.

Once Bob had finished talking, however, it was Hidon's turn. He cringed at the sight of the still-dripping blood, but pressed on anyway. "L-look, I get it, alright?" he said. "But I'm not exactly a medic and I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do. It's not like I'm trying to just stop a Pokémon from attacking you. I'm putting my flames right up against a bug with a hole in him. One wrong move and your just a fried bug. I just...can't do that. I...I have to find another way. And I will."

Digizel carried out 3 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

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Bob made to growl, but stopped. This was not because he was a Caterpie and thus couldn’t learn growl - though this contributed somewhat. Nor was it because he could understand what Hidon was saying. He couldn't. Cauterizing the wound, while painful, would be controlled. A Poochyena spotting his body and getting a free meal? Not so much.

Bob couldn't bring himself to argue, though. He was just tired.

“Fine, fine, do whatever,” he whispered,  “I’ll just lie here with a stick up my ass and wait.” He bit down a cough, and, painfully, chanced a look at the wound. It looked deep - it went through his body entirely! - but he was still alive.

He considered the chances that the stick would miss everything vital in his body, and stopped as soon as he realized that he wanted to break down into an existential crisis. Perhaps it was in a part of his body that was thin - like the lower part? Maybe that was why he wasn’t currently dead and food for the Murkrow.

He really wished he could read. Everything he knew was from hearsay, either from his mother or from Pokemon in the town. Hearsay rarely included topics such as Caterpie Biology - not like the library did.

The sound of Pokemon fighting reached his ears, and it was frightfully near, but thankfully they apparently hadn’t noticed the Caterpie in his death throes. He was, it seemed, safe from hungry predators. Bob coughed. "Could you find an Oran Berry, maybe? It won't magically heal me, but I really think I need the energy."

(Energy: 3. Still. Somehow. Also, that Offscreen fight is how I interpret the +5 trap and my 2 rolled pokemon)