Warning: This story involves the cruel torture and death of an innocent character. If this is not your thing then stop reading now. You have been warned!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is the property of Nintendo and Game Freak.

A Snake in the Grass

The sun sat high in the sky above a grassy field in the Hoenn region. The area was inhabited by a group of Zangoose, a small clan who had made the field their home. A gentle breeze was blowing that day, carrying with it a sense of calm and peace that belied the terrible tragedy that was about to take place. 

In the field stood a lone Zangoose, his clanmates having gone off to hunt. Supposedly a Seviper had been spotted in the area and they had all jumped at the chance to fight one of their most hated enemies. But not him; He had no interest in the feud between their waring clans, preferring to live a simple and peaceful life. His clanmates thought him to be a bit strange, some of them even teasing him for it. But most didn't press the issue as it just meant more Seviper for them to hunt.

He had opted to stay behind and keep watch on their territory, hoping to avoid conflict. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting Zangoose, conflict was about to find him. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes were watching his every move, a pair that belonged to the very thing his clanmates were seeking. A Seviper several meters long slithered silently through the grass towards her target, praising her good fortune that the Zangoose was all alone. She slowly approached her victim, keeping her body low and remaining downwind to avoid detection. Her tongue flicked through the air, picking up her target's scent. He smelled different from other Zangoose, lacking a certain warrior bravado that most Zangoose seemed to possess. It made no difference to her, if anything, it would make what was to come even more enjoyable.

She was close now, almost within striking distance. She observed her victim carefully, waiting for the proper moment to strike. A mistake here could get her hurt or allow her target to escape. He turned her way for a moment and she ducked low, hoping the grass was tall enough to conceal her presence. It was a tense few moments, but fortunately for her, the Zangoose did not seem to notice her. Finally he turned away, showing the Seviper exactly what she wanted to see, his back. In a flash she struck, wrapping her muscular coils around the bewildered Zangoose. She pulled her coils tight, trapping the Zangoose within her sinister clutches. She place the blade of her tail at his neck, a devious grin forming on her face as she looked into her helpless captive's eyes.

"Please, let me go! I don't want to fight! I'm not going to hurt you!" The panicked Zangoose blurted out.

"That'sss a ssshame, becaussse I AM going to hurt you." she cooed in an almost sultry voice.

The Zangoose's pupils shank with fear as he resorted to the only action his panicked mind could think of "Hel-!" his cry for help was cut short as the coils suddenly constricted around him, forcing the air from his lungs.

"Ah ah ah." the Seviper scolded him "You wouldn't want anyone to ruin our little one on one time, would you my dear? Thingsss will be ssso much more intimate if it's jussst the two of usss. Do feel free to ssstruggle though; I love it when my play thingsss sssquirm."

The Zangoose did just that, jerking and thrashing, desperately trying to free himself from the serpent's coils, but he was no match for the powerful muscles of the natural born predator. The Seviper chuckled lightly at his feeble attempts to escape. She squeezed her coils even tighter, further restricting the captured Pokemon. He felt his bonds grow tighter, bringing him great discomfort and making it difficult to breathe.

The coils did not relent, growing tighter around his body and starting to cause him great pain. He tried to cry out; To beg her to stop; But he could not draw the breath to do so. He could feel his bones creaking, threatening to snap under the tremendous pressure. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he truly thought that this is how he would die.

The Seviper grinned as she toyed with her captive, crushing the poor Zangoose within an inch of his life. Tighter and tighter she wound her coils, almost losing herself in the predatory act, until a loud crack filled the air. The Zangoose's body stiffened and he uttered a muted whine as pain unlike any he'd ever felt before throbbed in his chest.

"Oopsss, it ssseemsss I overdid it a little bit." The Seviper commented, finally loosening her grip on the reeling Zangoose.

The Zangoose gulped down mouthfuls of fresh air, each one sending terrible spikes of pain through his broken chest. He choked and sputtered, coughing up a small stream of blood which ran from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at the Seviper, meeting her eyes with his pitiful gaze.

"P-Please, just kill me." he begged.

"Aww, but where'sss the fun in that, my dear?" the sinister snake cooed "It'sss not everyday that I get to kill a Zangoossse. No, I'm going to sssavor every moment asss I ssslowly and painfully torture you to death."

She held up her tail menacingly and began to shift her coils around the helpless Zangoose, rearranging them to expose his vulnerable stomach. Before the Zangoose could even protest, her blade shot down to his chest. Without hesitation, she dug the blade into his soft flesh and dragged in across, creating a clean horizontal gash. The wound was cut with practiced precision, just enough to draw blood, but not enough to cause any serious damage. Though you never would have guessed it by the yowl of pain the Zangoose unleashed.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh." the Seviper hushed, gently rubbing her neck over the Zangooses head and holding her coils tight around his trembling body, as if to soothe a frightened child "I know it hurtsss, my dear. And it'sss going to keep hurting... a lot. Every minute I will carve a new tally into your flesh, allowing you ample time to sssuffer asss you ssslowly bleed out. And when they finally find your body, they will know just how long you sssuffered."

"N-No! You can't!" the Zangoose stammered, looking at his captive with panic stricken eyes.

But all he saw in return was malice and lust as the sadistic snake drank in his despair. She raised her tail in front of her mouth, flicking her tongue at the crimson fluid that coated its tip. She shivered in delight as the taste of copper and iron danced across her taste buds.

"Mmmmm, it'sss been far too long sssince I've sssavored the sssweet tassste of fresh Zangoossse blood." she cooed.

The Zangoose could only watch in sheer terror as the vile serpent continued to lick the blood from her tail. How long would he be forced to endure this?! How many cuts would it take to actually kill him?! How much more pain would he be made to suffer through?! These thoughts plagued his mind as he fearfully awaited the next strike. The anticipation was torture in itself. He dreaded every moment, fearing it would be the one that he would feel that sinister blade on his skin once more.

The Seviper watched the frightened Zangoose as the seconds ticked by, every move she made causing him to cringe in fear. She could see the pain and terror in his eyes, the complete utter helplessness of trapped prey. It drove her wild; She could hardly wait to paint his coat red with his own blood. But she managed to resist, keeping her blade at bay until the minute was finally up and she could claim her sweet reward. She shifted her coils again, this time exposing one of the Zangoose's arms. She looked straight into his pleading eyes as she prepared to strike.

"No! Don't!" he begged in vain.

The wicked tail plunged in, cutting another clean gash across his arm, causing him to cry out in pain. Fresh tears flowed from his eyes as white hot agony sliced through him. The intense pain slowly dulled leaving him trembling and gasping for breath.

"Please... stop!" he choked out between sobs.

"Stop?" the Seviper questioned "But we're only getting started my dear." she started ominously.

The next thirty minutes were complete hell for the poor Zangoose. The Seviper stayed true to her word, cutting a fresh wound into his skin every minute. Each strike was just as excruciating as the last, making the Zangoose cry and writhe in agony. Blood spilled forth from the wounds, flowing down his body and soaking into his fur. The blood loss didn't effect him immediately, but after a while he felt as if his very life was draining from him. To make matters worse, fresh wounds were not his only source of torment. Between cuts he was made to suffer the anguish of the Seviper grinding her scales along his seeping wounds, spreading endless waves of agony all across his body.

All the while, the Seviper reveled in every single moment of it. She loved how his body trembled and spasmed in her grasp, completely helpless and at her mercy. She loved his shrill cries and pitiful whines as she wracked his body with unspeakable pain. She loved the feeling of warm blood oozing between her coils, painting her scales red with her foe's very life-force. But most of all she loved his eyes. Nothing spoke more of the hellish pain he was in than the look of sheer agony in those eyes. She could have gazed into them for hours; If only the the Zangoose would last that long.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?" the Zangoose managed to utter.

"Why?" she stated rhetorically while slicing a large gash into his ear "The anssswer is sssimple my dear. It is becaussse you are a Zangoossse."

"B-But I haven't done anything to you." he insisted, his mind unable to accept such a simplistic answer.

"It doesssn't matter my dear. You are a Zangoossse and nothing will bring me greater pleasssure than to watch the life fade from your eyesss." she cooed cruelly, slicing his cheek "And once I'm through with you, I'll move on to the ressst of your clan; Killing them off, one by one; Each asss ssslowly and painfully asss you."

There was that look. The look of pure horror, pain, and despair that she so utterly adored. It was so good, she could hardly stand it. She had killed many Zangoose in her life, but none quite like this one; He was special. It was a shame it had to end.

He was dying, that much was certain. His breathing was deep and labored, trying desperately to supply oxygen to his blood starved system. He could feel his heart beating weakly within his chest, struggling to keep his failing body alive. Every moment he felt colder and weaker as his life slowly drained from his form. And in his final moments, all he could see were the cruel merciless eyes of his captor, staring blissfully into his own. She was enjoying it; That sick monster was enjoying his death. In his entire life, he had never wished another harm. But here now, at death's door, staring into the eyes of his torturer and killer... He wanted more than anything to see her suffer...

The Seviper watched with anticipation as the light faded from the Zangoose's eyes, his body going limp in her coils. A shiver of ecstasy washed over her as she felt the Zangoose die. Bleeding the life out of others always brought her such a thrill. She could hardly wait until the next one. He certainly would not be the last Zangoose that she killed, but those eyes of his would always hold a special place in her memory. And so she slithered off in search of more victims, leaving behind the Zangoose's bloody and butchered corpse, a grim and foreboding omen to any who should happen upon it.