(I've been waiting to write this for a long time, so hopefully, it'll make up for the wait. This story will be told from you-know-who's POV, so as you read, just imagine her voice being not too deep, but beautiful. And also, thanks to St. Elmo's Fire's helpful critisism, I had to rewrite this out of anger. Hopefully, this person will enjoy it this time as well as the rest of you.)

The Life of a Cockroach

By: PurpleCobra247

Rated M for adult language, violence, and blood and gore

Chapter 1

It's too quiet.

It's always been this quiet for the past 6 months now since Alola was brutally murdered by a nuclear apocalypse and, I'll admit this: It was toxic for me to touch before, since I'm an Ultra Beast. Now that I've lived here for more than 90 years, it's actually been cleaner than I previously thought. With this new atomsphere now… it's even more dangerous than me.

My name is Pheromosa. That's all my name's ever going to be. And Alola is my new home, even after I just woke up to see a barren land full of dead plants, skies that were bloody red, and no signs of life… well, with one exception:

(Roar…)

Heh, heh! That was a tired roaring yawn from a companion I've made quite a friendship with. I'm currently in a nearby cave within Melemele Meadow and I found the most adorable version of a groudon that I've ever seen. Although he's in his primal form and has already become a zombie affected by the nuclear storm that happened months ago, he was completely harmless towards me. He was also dubbed as an outcast, just like me as well. So, we became fast friends and have been ever since. I gave him quite a moniker to match his playful personality:

Quakester

It's an odd name for him, but it didn't want to call him Groudon for the rest of his life. He wasn't the same almighty Continent Pokémon anymore since the apocalypse. His powers are completely gone, he's at the size of an Alolan Raticate, and he's only got two of the weakest pokémon moves as his means of defense: Mud-Shot and Ember. It's a terrible state for him to be in with so many other deadly zombie pokémon out there just waiting to devour the both of us, but for now, we're safe here in Melemele Meadow, even though there isn't much to offer in terms of food and water.

I tended to little Quakester as soon as he saw me and I gave him loving pats on his perfectly rounded head as a sign that I would be with him for many more years to come and his response would be the same as always for these past six months: nuzzling against my chin. Awww, so cute! He makes me smile every single day. That's what sets me apart from all of the other Ultra Beasts.

But, back to the day ahead of us outside this cave…

It was time for a typical breakfast, but I was due for a fight as soon as left the premises. It was nothing new every time I stepped out there, but thanks to my move set of Bug Buzz, Ice Beam, Brick Break, and Me First, fighting zombies always led to a victory, but it would bore me afterwards… and it's all just for some sustanance. Quakester would always want to come with me with those mournful whines that he makes right when I'm at the mouth of the cave. I would then turn towards him, kneel down, and verbally tell him in my soothing voice:

"Just stay here. You'll be safer and much more full when I return… as always."

Then, we would nuzzle heads together for five seconds and I would finally leave to gather enough food to last us until lunch hour.

Several minutes later, I venture out into the wide open world of, what I now call 'New Alola'. The one I thought was dirty beyond my nightmares is completely gone and if you were to see it right now, you would probably be stricken with grief before the toxic air snuffed you out permamently. With me being from a land that's dangerous to humans, it was a no-brainer that I would be able to breathe this acidic air as I made a hasty run towards the only unaffected source of food and water on Melemele Island: The Berry Fields near Verdant Cavern. Somehow, those luscious berries would continue to flourish with all its splendor, despite the toxins in the air. That's only because the human farmer that lived there prior to fleeing for the skies with the others was smart enough to bask the entire area with a special plastic enclosure that summoned a highly effective greenhouse effect, giving every single plant their everlasting nourishment without the use of water. It's an incredible scientific achievement for someone who's never even stepped foot a laboratory before.

So far, so good. I didn't run into any zombies along the way and I made it to the fields to gather the berries into my insulated bag and sucked up some fresh water from a nearby lake within the vencinity into a special compartment within the same backpack before I carefully made my way back out, but of course, along the way…

SCREECH!

Fuck! Flying-types! Right above me!

I carefully placed down my backpack and prepared my Ice Beam to take down those goddamn fearow zombies. Those long beaks can be lethal, if I'm not careful.

Five minutes of a battle later, those fifteen birds were no match for my speed and I took them down easily as always, but like I said before, it was nothing new. My very first victory was heartbreaking, but it felt good to know that I was no match for these monsters. Ugh! I'm too hungry to tell the story right now. I have to head back to Melemele Meadow's hidden cave quickly.

Ahh! That's better.

I had just gotten back into the cave and started munching on these sweet, savory Oran, Sitrus, and Leppa Berries while my buddy Quakester was frantically gobbling up the rest of the berries I didn't care for as much. I eat those three specific berries because of the harsh battles I face on a daily basis. They drain me of my health and moves every single time and I eat as many as possible in order to replenish them both. They are delicious, though.

So, as I'm sitting here, watching my pet eat his breakfast while consuming my own, I took the time to think about what actually led up to this disaster in the first place. So many things had been lost in my life since being here in Alola by force of will: My fellow pokémon friends, the trust in my pheromosa sisters, my beloved trainer… everything. Even with Quakester by my side, it's still difficult to take it all in and the everyday silence just makes me feel gloomy inside. Sure, it was all silence back in the Ultra Space, but after living on Alola for nearly 100 years now, including this toxic wasteland version that I now have to settle for, I actually love it here now. I don't care what others may think of this. I may be a pheromosa and I shoud hate touching everything around me, but I'm the exact opposite of that and I love myself for it.

Back when the humans were around, there was one phrase that stuck with me from them that I kept hearing:

"Always be true to yourself. Never let others turn you into what you don't want to be."

It was the very phrase that reflected who I am now and reminded me of how I became a kindhearted spirit in the first place.

It all started 90 years ago, back in the Ultra Space before we were forced onto Alola. It was a typical silent day and not much was going on:

Many nihilego were floating all over the place in peace.

Several xurkitrees were sending numerous sparks on the reflective rocks.

Kartanas were having small spars with each other.

Same could be said for the buzzwoles, except they were practically having a flexing competition.

The two celesteela were asleep.

And lastly, that one single guzzlord was just supervising all of us.

As for me and my pheromosa sisters, we weren't doing anything but just having conversations about the others, but I wasn't one to add more to the talk. There wasn't really much to say on my part anyway.

On this same day, I turned my attention towards one sparing match with two kartana and saw that one of them were severely scarred. It ended up laying flat with agony and I didn't even think prior to getting up from the pheromosa circle, made my way towards that injured Drawn Sword Pokémon, and tended to its wounds in the only way I could:

By using Ice Beam to freeze the scratches for a faster healing process.

Guzzlord was not impressed by this and didn't hesitate to declare this by a thunderous roar that seemed like it shook the entire Ultra Space, but it didn't. It was loud enough for me to take quick steps back from the now healed kartana as a precaution. I was shocked to see that angry reaction from him and same could be said from the rest of the beasts, especially my sisters. They didn't want to be around an Ultra Angel, they now called me. I was deemed a threat and possibly poisonous to the atomsphere and was banished to the furthest part of the Ultra Space, where it was so dark, any object that was made to glow in the dark wouldn't be seen. I really didn't intend for that, but I guess that sometimes honesty is just a word with no meaning.

From that day on, I was determined to keep the peace alive inside my soul as long as I drew breath, no matter what my fellow Ultra Beasts think of me. When the time came to venture into Alola through an ultra wormhole that caught all of our attention, I actually smiled on this inside while I was full of that beastly fury on the outside. I was ready to see if I could spread my kindness all over many new creatures big and small.

Back to my breakfast, I had just finished the very last of my berries and saw that my mini groudon, Quakester, had fallen asleep with satisfaction, even though he just woke up from an all-night slumber. All I could do was softly chuckle at that sight before I got up and cleaned up his juicy mess… on the floor, that is. After that was done, this was my ultimate chance to get back out there and gather some means of entertainment at last. Since having sparring battles was out of the question for both of us, the second best thing to find for us was some toys for him while I had some form of equipment that could hone my attacks on for my eventual encounter with that damn guzzlord that banished me for being too nice. That was one ultimate goal for me in this tarnished wasteland.

The other was avenging my beloved trainer, who passed away peacefully after Alola's demise… by defeating all of her zombified pokémon.

Ugh! I can't… I can't do it without crying. I got to the mouth of the cave once more, but held myself up against the wall as I covered my eyes to try to block my tears of sorrow, but to no avail. My trainer did me no wrong since she found me back in Verdant Cavern. Having that thought in mind also gave me a quick reminder of exactly how this once beautiful island became a neverending nightmare. The storm I mentioned earlier… didn't spread all over by nature alone.

You all are in for quite a story of friendship, death, and spiritual renewal.

To be continued…

(Short, but hopefully, it was a good start, compared to before. Please do leave a review and let me know what you think. Be honest, but no flames, please! Thank you!)