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Nightmare Fuel / Poké Wars

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Even when it is cute cartoon creatures doing the fighting, war ain't pretty


  • The Pokemon attacks provide most of of the Nightmare Fuel. But the Pokédex entries from the games add even more Nightmare fuel.
  • The Undampening itself. Imagine you are a Pokemon trainer in this universe when the Undampening begins. Late at night, without any warning, all Pokemon you have on hand immediately leave their pokeballs, clutching their heads and screaming from extreme pain. When you run to help them, the Pokemon start using various attacks at random, far more powerful than any attack the Pokemon could accomplish, possibly hurting themselves, other Pokemon, or you. Running behind cover to watch and avoid the carnage, the Pokemon instantly stop and fall asleep, leaving you to wonder what could have possibly happened, not knowing if the event was local or worldwide. Then there are the wild undampened Pokemon attacks that happen when the Pokemon wake up. Here are some specific examples:
    • Ash, Brock, and Dawn were travelling to Hearthome City after meeting Garynote ; Ash, Brock, and the rest of their Pokemon were sleeping while Dawn examined her ribbons. Without warning, Pikachu used an extremely powerful Electric move, lighting up the sky. When the other Pokemon felt the pain from the Undampening, Ash and Brock were quickly roused awake by the noise. The other Pokemon shattered, burned, and bashed the trees nearby to make their pain stop, filling the air with tree splinters. A second attack from Pikachu hit Ash's shoulder, causing Ash to experience a violent seizure. Dawn and Brock carried Ash away from the Pokemon, but a massive bright explosion, presumably caused by Pikachu, knocked all three to the ground. All the Pokemon were rendered unconscious after the explosion except for Dawn's Ambipom, found to have been killed by Ash's Pikachu in the chaos.
      • Gary was also in the forest outside Hearthome City. His Electivire destroyed much of the nearby forest, but Gary weathered the event unhurt, able to get to Hearthome before Ash's group.
    • Roark was in his home, preparing to sleep, when his Pokemon were Undampened. His home was completely leveled, but his Pokemon survived.
    • Misty and her sisters were in the Cerulean City Gym. Misty's Psyduck's head exploded as the gym Pokemon splashed and cut violently in the gym pool. The Undampened Pokemon ruined both the gym and Misty's home.
    • J's Pokemon damaged her airship, but she managed to petrify them before the vessel could be destroyed. She tried to revive her Ariados, but the Pokemon tried to attack her, forcing her to petrify the Ariados again.
  • The fates of the various cities and towns a few days after the Undampening count as well.
    • Kanto
      • The entire Cerulean City human population except for Misty and her sisters was slaughtered by invading Zubat from Mt. Moon. Misty and her sisters survived by wearing rebreathers and staying underwater in the pool for two days, hiding from the Zubat echolocation. After the two days, Misty and her sisters took equipment from the police station and put up warning notices before escaping the city.
      • What exactly attacked Celadon City is left vague, but Ash suspects Erika and her gym associates made a last stand at the gym. However, fire Pokemon, Pidgey, and Rattata are suspected to have slain or routed the city forces.
    • Johto
      • Society in Goldenrod City survived the Undampening, but rioting rose until Raikou arrived to destroy the city. Residents who tried to run were vaporized by Raikou's lightning; any who tried to escape by sea were consumed by seaborne Pokemon. All other Johto cities and towns were destroyed by Entei and Suicune, south-western ones destroyed by Entei and the rest by Suicune. While Suicune was reluctant to destroy the cities, Entei was eager to do so, creating games for how he will destroy each one.
    • Sinnoh
      • A horde of Muk decimated most of the population of Hearthome City. Paul was able to hurt the horde by using his Magmar as a bomb and they were wiped out by Gengiga, but Raikou arrived afterwards to finish the job.
      • A horde of Drapion attacked Pastoria City, routing the human population to the nearby marsh. However, Croagunk in the marsh helped keep the human refugees safe from the Drapion. Another attack on the marsh forced the survivors to return to Pastoria.
      • Kabutops and Omastar in Oreburgh City escaped containment in the mining museum and slaughtered the staff. In only a few hours, the Pokemon escaped the mining museum and slew or routed the entire city population except for Roark. The National Guard sent a handful of troopers and a tank to restore order, but the National Guard forces were slain by the Pokemon. The Aerodactyl in the city emerged when the National Guard was defeated, but the Pokemon was defeated by Pikachu. The city was left abandoned when Roark joined Ash's group.
      • The population of Sandgem Town was attacked, captured, and cocooned by a horde of Ariados. The same horde attacked and destroyed Twinleaf Town while Ash's group was trying to escape Sinnoh.
      • In mere hours, a horde of Kingler swept through Sunyshore City, slaughtering everyone they encountered. A futile battle at Sunyshore Tower is only saved from becoming a total slaughter when Volkner covers for their evacuation by blowing up Sunyshore Tower...and himself when he gets trapped inside the tower.
  • These two lines:
    Skitty screamed both from the pain of the impact and the indescribable agony that arose from the corrupted blood that coursed through her veins, destroying everything they touched. She fought through the pain, struggling to get up before anything could take advantage of her vulnerable state. She tried to get up only to have her legs buckle. Her strength left her as the Ariados venom in her blood began to slowly digest her organs.

    She [Solidad] opened her eyes; the scene of her Lapras dying still replayed over and over again in her mind. No matter what she did, she could not erase the sight of Lapras's eyes bursting and her skin scorching as thousands of volts surged through her body, burning her alive.

    Pinsir moved in the way, taking the blow for its master, its friend. Samurai watched, horrified as the process was already starting. Tiny Weedle shaped figures crawled beneath Pinsir's flesh; cracks either coming from the movements within its innards, or their feasting were heard.

  • Given what the Pokedex entries from the games already can give, this has plenty of it; both shown like a poor Nurse Joy being found with her eyes fused shut and likely boiled away by electrical burns after a electric Pokémon attack in the first part of the series and implied. Who knows what horrors Pallet Town suffered at the hands of the flying drills/spears that are Spearow/Fearow. Ash's mom Delia is revealed to had already died during the first wave of attacks and Oak is shown dying when Ash meets again and soon passes away after giving him a last wish to find Gary.

  • The world in general is going to hell because of Ho-Oh removing the dampeners and reverting them to their baser instincts, making it a nightmare considering everything that's happening:

    Mesprit: It seems like every poison Pokémon has their own agenda. They don't care who they hurt. The Muk are destroying everything in their path, nature, Pokémon, humans, and their creations included. Their very presence poisons the earth. Once they touch a piece of land, nothing will ever grow there for years! Every breath makes the air toxic, and if they reach the sea…" (trails off, shuddering at the unimaginable disaster that would unfold, then regains her composure) I can't see how this fits into Ho-oh's plan of helping the environment!

    Mesprit: The Beedrill and Combee have become mindless drones; they're killing anything that comes near their ever expanding hives. Zubats have become bloodthirsty and as long as something has blood, they don't care who they kill and that's not even the worse of it all. (now on the verge of crying)

    Mesprit: Raikou has been stationed near the center of the Johto region; he seems to be guarding a human tower of metal. Entei's been destroying entire cities to the southeast of the region. He's trying to find a method that works fastest for killing every human and leveling any standing human structure in the area. (teeth gritted together in rage as tears flow down her cheeks)

    • And worst of all, Mesprit is the embodiment of emotions for humans and Pokémon alike, meaning she felt every ounce of blood-lust and terror, which basically hits her the hardest.
    Mesprit: …and I had to watch it happen! (finally cracks and breaks down into tears)

  • In Poké Wars: The Truculence, there is a very graphic scene of an Officer Jenny being dissolved alive by a Muk.

  • Suicune's encounter with a group of children in The Northwind Confessions:
    "Make me proud," Master whispers.

    "M-Master is wise, master is merciful," I reply as I take aim, hearing the excited murmur from the children around me.

    "Good doggy," the boy whispers happily and innocently.

    And then the screams begin.

  • Poké Wars: The Defervescence shows an utterly terrifying side to Uxie. He is the near perfect embodiment of The Sociopath. Especially the disturbingly casual way he treats everyone around him as little more than lab equipment or the nonchalance with which he orders genocide.

  • The Expanded Universe stories put a little more focus on the dark side of human nature. Warlords and brigands control the war torn regions and quick death is the best outcome. Ritualistic murders, slavery and other depravities are part and parcel of their trade.

  • Kaiza's mental breakdown brought on by three weeks of isolation and the Undampening is utterly terrifying to behold.
    Trainers! TRAINERS! I won't let you. I won't let you take Dragonair! You won't lay a hand on her. She's gone! She's gone. Everything went crazy. They won't take me. She's mine! You know now, I can't let you live!
    They're not going to get me, they're not going to get me, they're not going to get me, they're not going to get me. When they come, I'll kill them with my Thunderbolt, yes. Yes. YES! That's what I'll do. They won't kill me here, no. No they won't! I'll kill them before they do. They'll die. All die. She's gone! She's gone. She's gone! Why? (starts kissing his revolver's barrel)

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