The Great Bulk Part 14: The Chase
Hold-Up
These last few days were an easy march, even with me carrying Assy. However, thoughts about home kept creeping into my mind. I knew it was most likely impossible to go back. It'd take a second act of God to return me to there, but I still missed them all. I missed most of my family, I missed my friends, and to make matters worse, I wasn't there to see my brother finally get a chance to make a name for himself.
We worked hard to build up what we had, but all it took was a single twist of fate to cut me off from it. Asana was the only person I had in my life now. I don't know if I could ever tell her the truth, but I might have no choice but to trust her with it, later down the line.
After a few days of travel, the base of Mt. Horn was in sight. I remembered that we didn't have to traverse it to reach Treasure Town, but it was still a good landmark. Asana pointed towards what looked like a camp of some sort, alongside a few shapes. "There's a resting spot up ahead," she told me. "There's three Pokemon there as well. It isn't safe to stay the night, but we can ask them for information about the surrounding area."
I nodded at her assessment. "Sounds good," I responded. "Now, can I stop carrying you? We've been like this for days, and you're far past the point of having your stamina recovered."
My partner hopped off my shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I needed that break," she apologized. "If you had a problem with it, you should've said something sooner."
"Yeah, my bad," I muttered, the two of us drawing closer to the people Assy had spied. When we got there, we could see them in more detail:
Two of the individuals were Vivillon, the both of which had different patterns for their wings. One of them had vivid, bright pink wings, while the other one's were red and yellow, looking reminescent of a sun. The third Pokemon was a tall Aggron who was glaring right at the two of us, their arms folded.
"Hey, runts!" The biggest of the three called out. "You can't pass unless you pay the toll!" The two butterflies looked a bit nervous as their companion called us out, seemingly preparing themselves for trouble.
"We aren't climbing Mount Horn," I told them. "Our destination is Treasure Town, and we were using this place as a guidepost. All we gotta do is walk west for a real long time, and we'll be where we need to go."
"Does it look like I care where you're headed?" The Aggron asked. "You two bothered to show up, so give me the money if you don't want to be clobbered!"
"This isn't necessary, Del!" The Vivillon with the sunset wings protested. "They aren't trying to climb the mountain. You told us that you'd be only doing this until we got back on our feet, so why are you trying to-"
"I didn't ask for your opinion!" The Aggron shouted. "This is my territory, so they have to play by my rules!"
"We have places to be," I proclaimed. "We need to get moving; our lives are at stake."
Del laughed at the two of us, clearly finding humor in something I had said. "Oh, that's rich!" They responded. "You claim you need to get going, but you won't hand over the goods! It sounds like you can't make up your mind!"
I stood firm and defiant, taking up a defensive stance. "We need our supplies if we're gonna make it out of our dilema alive," I countered. "We don't want to fight you, but if you aren't giving us a choice, we will."
Our opponent took a few steps forward, looking down at me. "So you're a tough guy, huh?" They said mockingly. "Milky, Mully, don't skimp out on the scales. I'm going to show these two why I'm not one to be toyed with."
The two bug Pokemon flew up by our foe's side and began to scatter scales upon them, but as they did so, Asana lept forward! She was aiming to kick them straight in the face, and to my surprise, they didn't even try to block it.
My partner landed her blow, but the Aggron was entirely unphased. It was like what would happen if my old self tried punching a steel door! They replied with an immediate counter-attack that sent my partner flying, her trip only being slowed down by her own telekinesis. Once it had stopped her from being propelled any further, she gently floated back down and stared at our foe, analyzing them.
"There's something off about this," Assy remarked. "My gut tells me that this should be simple to deal with, but somehow, their hide is even harder than the Shah's. With him, I was at least hurting him slightly, but this is on a whole other level. The High Jump Kick is one of the strongest moves in my arsenal, but-"
"Quit your yapping!" Del shouted, glaring at my ally. "With my friends behind me, I'm invincible. If you had any sense in you, you'd be giving up right about now."
Asana looked undeterred by our foe's words, shooting out multiple beams of Psychic energy at them. Just like before, the Aggron took no effort to block or evade the attacks, which impacted against their steel hide harmlessly.
My buddy looked more than a bit frustrated at this development. She began trying all sorts of martial moves and techniques in a vain attempt to hurt our enemy. Punches were stopped by the immovable object that was Del's body. Kicks slid off their hide. Psychic energy washed over them as if they were being splashed with water, their body no worse for wear.
They just stood there and allowed Assy to wail on them, looking particularly smug. I could tell she needed my help, so I drew closer to the two of them. When I got close enough, I inhaled something and began to cough. I looked up towards the source, seeing the two Vivillon flying above us, scattering their scales below. Their leader did order them to do that, although I couldn't understand why. Wouldn't that just make breathing harder for everyone, them included?
I quit my theorizing and thought for a couple of seconds about what to do. The Aggron was twice my size and too big to grapple, so I decided to go with the most basic technique in my arsenal, executing a series of Arm Thrusts. I wasn't particularly skilled at punching, so it was the best I could do!
It, too, didn't work, but it got their attention. With a swing of their tail, they attempted to strike at both of us at the same time. Asana, being the more agile of the two of us, jumped over it, but I was a sitting duck! There was nothing I could do, or at least, that's what I thought.
A burst of inspiration came over me, and instinctively, I began to pump the Aura within me into my arms. Instead of trying to roll out of the way, I grabbed Del's tail and began to sling them around, building up speed. It reminded me of a video game my brother and I used to play, but this wasn't the time to delve into nostalgia.
As my speed reached its apex, I threw the Aggron, watching them fly head-on into a nearby boulder. The force was enough to shatter it instantly, but even then, that wasn't enough to stop them! They got back up on their feet in a matter of seconds, and as they did so, Assy shot something different at them. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before!
A gigantic, unwieldy mass of orange energy flared out from her hands and engulfed our opponent. I could tell why she had never pulled it out until now: it looked quite hard to land, but with the opening I made and the target's large, slow-moving body, it was a sure hit!
When the light cleared, Del looked quite injured, one of their horns looking a bit droopy. Did it melt a little? The two Vivillon that had been by their side rushed on over, seeming quite frantic. "Del, are you okay?" The one with the pink wings asked.
"I warned you about becoming too arrogant," the red and yellow one added. "You can't rely on us to protect you all the time."
"Shut up!" The Aggron snapped. "They just got lucky! Now, keep coating me with scales! I'll snap the skinny one like a twig, and we won't have any problems anymore!"
The two butterfly Pokemon returned to their duties. The more assertive of the two Vivillon looked a bit annoyed. They must've been frustrated that their concerns weren't being listened to.
Dang it, I was losing track of things! To make matters worse, I could feel something piercing through my mind like an ice pick!
"I understand what's going on now!" I heard a voice say, clearly foreign to my own consciousness. It sounded an awful lot like Asana, but I didn't see her lips move. I stared awkwardly at her for a couple of seconds, only for that voice to shatter my concentration again!
"I'm using telepathy, you idiot!" The Assy-sounding voice shouted. It must've been her, since she was psychic and all, so I quit looking at her and began to focus on our foes.
"Those Vivillon's scales are protecting that Aggron somehow," she began to explain, broadcasting advice into my mind. "They aren't particularly tight-lipped about what their strategy is. I've got a plan, and you need to listen! Nod if you're done gawking at me."
I did as she instructed. "Very good," she responded. "I need you to assault Del with every ounce of power you have. Meanwhile, I'll shoot at their little guardians in an attempt to stop whatever process they're doing. Do you understand?"
I nodded again, charging forward towards the larger of our foes. I picked up as much speed as I could and slammed against them! I would've normally felt like a bug splattering against a windshield due to their greater weight and durability, but my fat cushioned me, allowing me to follow up with a series of punches!
They sucked, since I'm more of a wrestler than a boxer, but they still brought Del's attention onto me. They brought their fist downwards onto my head, and to my shock, it hurt like hell! It was enough to make me flinch, opening me up for another swing of that tail of theirs.
I couldn't act in time. It impacted against my gut, causing me to stumble back a bit, but I kept my footing. The Aggron moved forward and attempted another downward punch, but this time, I blocked it with my arms. They tried more of the same, but this time, my guard was up! Each strike was absorbed, allowing me to buy Asana as much time as she needed. In the midst of the beatdown I was receiving, I heard a shout of pain!
Both Del and myself looked towards the source, and saw the pink Vivillon had been shot down by my partner. Their companion rushed towards them, their toughness and bravado fading. They looked genuinely concerned, and a question entered my mind:
Did that Aggron actually care for their allies? They acted and talked rough. They seemed to take the two for granted, but if they were using them, why did they look so worried?
"Damn it, Milkweed!" They yelled. "What happened? Who did this to you?"
"I-it's going to be okay," Milky stuttered out, trying to reassure their friend. "They weren't trying to kill me or anything. I just can't fight for a while-"
"Who's responsible for this?" Del screamed, their voice being so loud to the point that it made me shiver. "Answer me!"
"Delilah, this is exactly what I've been warning you about," the other Vivillon said scoldingly. "While you were busy trying to beat the fat one up, that Meditite shot him down!" Those words made me freeze in my tracks for a split-second, attempting to process the implications of what I had just heard.
Wait a minute, Delilah?
That towering monster was a chick? What kind of world was this, where women could look like they chugged steroids by the gallon?
"Mulberry, it's fine!" Delilah responded. "We can just kick the anorexic's ass so far she flies off the Grass Continent, and then we've got this!"
The red and yellow Vivillon glared at their friend, their expression looking quite stern and serious. "No, it isn't fine," they began. "If they wanted Milky dead, they would be. Your tunnel vision could've costed us dearly! We're quitting, and if you don't want to come with us, we're going to leave you behind."
"I promise I'll be more careful!" Del protested. "This won't happen again!"
"This isn't just about Milky getting hurt, you know. We were supposed to stop this once we had enough money, but you kept on going!" Mulberry countered. "You've been growing too arrogant, you've made him cry by shouting at him at least twice, and it's beginning to feel like you're using us instead of supporting us. It's like you only care about what our scales can do for you. Milky feels that way, too, but he's too timid to say anything about it to you himself!"
At this point, the Aggron looked quite uncertain of herself. She stuttered and stammered, unable to offer any protest. At this point, I felt the need to butt into the argument to add something, and so, I gave it my best shot.
"This isn't worth it," I stated. "Sure, you get a rush from beating and robbing others, but is it really something valuable enough to lose your friends over? Asana and I might not mean you any harm, but what if you attacked someone who does? We're bounty hunters by trade, and back where we came from, you would've been chewed up quick. Law-abiding folk don't tolerate robbers, and some criminals just don't care about who they hurt."
I took a deep breath, preparing to finish my argument. "Your buddy is right. If you had bumped into, for example, the man who's been chasing after our heads, you would've all been badly injured or worse. Nothing is off-limits for him, in terms of what he would do. You should just go home with them and straighten out your life, instead of risking encountering a truly merciless person. I know you have it in you: the way you acted shows you aren't soulless."
Delilah looked around a few times, her eyes drifting from her friends to the two of us. After a few moments, she began to mumble. "I've screwed up, haven't I?" She muttered, the spectre of guilt visible in her eyes. She gazed at me, struggling to think of what to say. "Why go through the trouble of giving me advice?" She asked. "You could've just had your friend shoot down Mully next, instead of trying to help. I would've been a goner after that."
"It's just what he does," Asana abruptly replied. "I have trouble understanding why, myself. If he thinks he sees a way to do the right thing, he commits to it, even if it's dangerous or hard. He's completely reckless in that regard. I scold him for his lack of self-preservation when those times come, but at the same time..."
A smile crept up on her face, her normally intense stare softening for a few moments. "I'm grateful for it," she added. "I would've stayed a miserable hermit if I never found him. He's weird and hard to comprehend, but I accept him for who he is. He has his quirks and imperfections, but don't we all?"
"I never thought I'd be grateful to someone for pulling their punches," Del said. "If you're in a hurry to leave, you should go. If we bump into the Pokemon ol' Fatty mentioned, we won't say a peep about where you're going."
Milky, who was sitting on the ground at this point, glanced at us both and waved. "Stay safe," he stated. "I don't want to see you both get hurt."
"We'll get through this," Assy reassured them. "Where I come from, stubbornness runs in everyone's blood." With that, the two of us began to leave. As we travelled, I began to think.
Asana tried to dig too deep when it came to my background, but at the same time, she had been saying some very peculiar things. She told me to turn my flaws into assets, and with what she said to that trio at Mt. Horn, I was beginning to understand her more.
She was pushy at times, but she truly wanted the best for me. She had accepted that I was a weirdo, and had a general idea that I wasn't what I looked to be. Without Drew, I had no one to confide in. Maybe I should learn to trust in her, just like how she trusts in me?
Shake-Down
I feel like I'm either cursed or the luckiest man alive, at this point. Everything that could've gone wrong did, but I survived it all. Then, to make things worse, I was forced to keep my distance, only relying on footprints, scent, and other such things to keep track of my quarry. I didn't know how far Asana's ability extended, and without the means to cloak myself, I'd cause them to panic and grow too unpredictable if I drew close.
My best bet was to find out where they were headed, if they had a destination in mind. I'd have to wait until the trail intersected a town and encampment, and then ask the residents for what info they had. There was a chance that they'd be warned about me beforehand, but there I could also hit paydirt. Gambling is all about knowing when to take risks, and adapting based on what's thrown at you.
For a while, the path was uneventful, but after some travel, I spotted a camp in the distance at the base of a mountain. The fact that it was nightfall didn't make discerning details easy, but I still spotted a few things.
A campfire was lit, and there were supplies bundled up by the forms of the Pokemon that were illuminated by it. Judging by the silhouettes, they were at least three in number. The body plan and shape of the wings of two of them let me narrow down their species greatly. The wingspan and size were too small for them to be Venomoth, so they either had to be Butterfree or Beautifly.
The third figure was much larger, and I couldn't make a whole lot out. They could be any sort of large, burly Pokemon. Donning my Scope Lens, I got a better look at them, and judging by the distinctive outline of their head and height, I judged them to be an Aggron.
There could be more nearby, but underneath the starry sky, I couldn't see them. I approached their camp slowly and cautiously, adjusting my body language to appear as non-threatening as possible, and when I got close enough, I called out to them.
"Hey, can I take a quick break here?" I asked. "I've been walking for quite a while, and I need to rest my legs."
One of the two bug Pokemon fluttered towards me, and when I got close enough, I saw that, surprisingly, my guesses were wrong: it was a Vivillon with a peculiar wing pattern. It was comprised of red and yellow rays, looking as though some eccentric artist had painted a rising sun on their back.
"You don't look too threatening," they observed. "You can recuperate with us, but please don't cause any trouble. We've had a hard enough day as it is."
"I understand," I responded. "To tell you the truth, trouble tends to come to me instead of me seeking it out, but I won't throw you under the wagon."
"Good to know. I'm Mulberry, but you can just call me Mully," the butterfly Pokemon said. "Come with me."
I did as he asked, and I sat down next to his two companions. One of them was another Vivillon like themselves with pink wings, and the other one, like I had guessed earlier, was indeed an Aggron. The two looked to be polar opposites: The former looked nervous, nursing a wound on their side, while the other one glared at me, clearly ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"How about you introduce yourselves to us?" Mulberry asked, wanting to ease the tension the other two were clearly feeling.
"There isn't much to introduce. I don't have a name," I lied. I did have a name that was used within my family, which given to me by my father to discern myself from my numerous siblings, but I hadn't used it since I fled my homeland. "I was forced into the life of a merchant. I had very little choice in the matter, but I've made it work."
"I don't like salesmen, but I'd clobber you if you tried hawking any junk," the Aggron added. "I'm Del. Don't pester Milky unless he wants to talk. He's shaken up, and he doesn't need anything else goin' wrong today."
"So, you ran into some trouble?" I questioned. "Your horn's looking a bit droopy. You sure that'll heal right?"
"It'll heal with time and plenty of iron to eat," Del replied. "Things went awfully wrong. There was a bad fight, and now, we're gearing up to return home."
"Oh, were they Pokemon I should avoid?" I queried, hoping to subtly get them to spill what they knew. I didn't ask about Asana directly to avoid suspicion, but I had the feeling that if they met her, she either said nothing about me, or neglected to mention what I looked like. If they did, their friend wouldn't have let me so close to them.
"They weren't bad," Mulberry chimed in. "They said they hunt criminals for a living, actually, but you wouldn't know that with how they treated us. They could've hurt us badly, but instead, that tubby guy gave Del some advice."
Judging by the mention of a fat Pokemon, they had likely encountered the two I was currently hunting. "Did they say anything about where they were headed?" I pried. "You make it sound like they weren't after you specifically."
The Vivillon glared at me, as if looking for any sort of tell that I was hiding something from him. "Are you just the nosy type, or are you just chatty?" The Vivillon asked. "I don't know if telling you would be-"
"Do you think this is the guy the fat one was talking about?" The Aggron butted in. "They were being chased by someone, and the timing of this guy arriving is suspicious! It hasn't even been a day!" She got up and loomed over me, forcing me to scramble to my feet.
Del pointed a claw at me, her every word laced with aggression. "If you're that asshole who's been giving those bounty hunters trouble, I'll make you regret ever coming here," she threatened.
"Stop it!" Mully protested, flying in between the two of us. "There's an easy way to figure out if this is the one or not." He looked at me, his composure under pressure almost matching my own.
"Where are you headed, and what will you do once you get there?" He questioned. "Just answer me honestly, and we can put this all behind us."
I took a deep breath, thinking on what little I knew of the Grass Continent. I knew there was some famous Guild in some place called Treasure Town, but I had no idea where it'd be on a map. This was going to be a shaky lie, but I had to make it work if I was to gain their trust.
"I'm headed to Treasure Town," I fibbed. "There's lot of explorer foot traffic there, and that means easy money for those in my trade."
"There's a few problems with that," Mulberry replied. "Treasure Town's already packed, and any businessmon who's done their research would know that they'd have better luck somewhere else. They could go somewhere with a larger population like Capim, or more room for businesses like Grainfield. I could excuse you as being ignorant or a foreigner, but there's another hole in your alibi."
"What would that be?" Milky finally spoke up, seemingly confused. "I know you loved reading detective stories growing up, so what'd you spot? I wanna know!"
"It's simple," the other Vivillon said. "Why would a merchant seeking to set up shop be carrying no goods?"
I was so focused on staying on Team Yin-Yang's trail, I neglected to set up any smokescreens, aliases, or solid alibis for myself. I had no leads as to where they're going, and due to the poor construction of my false story, they could see right through the deception I had crafted. Once again, my rotten luck had caught up to me!
I pointed a single claw forward, water dripping from its tip. "I should've known that wouldn't have worked," I muttered, scolding myself verbally. "I didn't expect a wannabe private eye to be here, but that doesn't matter in the slightest. All of the force it'd take from me to knock you and your wounded friend out would be a few shots, and after that, dealing with that hulking mass of muscle behind you would be trivial. I will get the information I need, whether by persuasion or force."
Milky's wings flapped as he took off into the air, hovering behind the other two. "What should we do? This is really bad!" He exclaimed, anxiety creeping into his voice.
"Dang it!" Mulberry shouted. "We can't run, because we'd be leaving Del behind! We've got no choice but to fight again, but I know a way to deal with this!" He scattered a bunch of powder in my face, forcing me to sneeze. I felt a little bit tired, but as with most soporifics, I was able to weather it. I shot out a Bubble Beam during the window it took for his failure to register to his senses, but he veered out of the way, the projectile hitting Del instead. It landed on her steely carapace to little effect.
With their friend out of the way, the Aggron swiped their claws at me, forcing me to roll out of the way. As I righted myself, the two Vivillon fired off beams of energy towards my person, forcing me to leap away! They fired a few more times, hoping to nail me, but after I began retaliating, they retreated behind the bulwark that was their companion.
I might've talked big, but I could tell that this was going to be a tricky group to dispatch. Even if I attacked with the intent to kill, my Bubble Beams wouldn't work. They could pierce through rock just fine, but the main threat had a hide made of solid steel! Luckily for me, I had a way to deal with the two bugs in the back. I just had to wait for them to come out of hiding again.
I made a show of trying my hardest against Del, getting into close range and using every type of projectile I knew: ice, water, and even seeds were used, but none worked. I used my superior agility to avoid their clumsy swings in the midst of my firing. It took a lot of coordination to do both at the same time, but I was skilled enough to do it. Yet, there was something I was neglecting.
She swung her tail at me, which I hadn't expected. It knocked the wind out of me and knocked me to the floor, and that was when the Vivillon peeked out from behind her. They flapped their wings and created some sort of attack comprised out of air sharpened into a cutting edge, and I was too busy getting my breath back to do anything about it.
Many of those created blades cut me up, stinging worse than any Beedril ever could. At this rate, they could take me out of commision easily, so I had to act. The air around me began to rapidly decrease in temperature, and with a gesture of my claws, everything froze. Ice crystals assailed all three of my opponents, the two Vivillon crying out in pain from what I had just done.
Blizzard was a good move to force opponents off of me, but I had been planning to use it anyway. It was a shame I got hurt this bad before I could do it, but at least I spooked the bugs who were supporting that Aggron.
Del turned around to check upon the two, and I used the chance to recover. I tried to think of an attack I could use that could damage her while she was open, all the while listening to the three converse.
"Get out of here!" Del barked. "You've already gotten hurt enough today! Let me handle him on my own!"
"We can't just abandon you!" Mulberry responded. "We don't know what he'll do to you!"
"That's exactly why I want you two out of here!" The Aggron argued. "I'm tougher than either of you! I can take it!"
"No, I got an idea!" Milky suddenly shouted. "Do you know any moves that can produce flames, Del?"
At this point, I had figured out what I was going to do. I was going to focus on raw power for a change, and as they planned further, I pointed a claw at Del's back. Water began to drip from it as I prepared to unleash one of the strongest moves in my arsenal.
"I stole a TM for one a couple weeks back, but I never got the chance to use it in a fight," she revealed. "Why're you putting faith in-"
"Turn around!" Mully yelled. "He's going to shoot you!"
The Aggron turned around and raised her guard as I shot out a torrent of water towards her; one much grander than what I typically utilized. The Hydro Pump caused her to grunt in pain as it impacted her, the move clearly chipping away and warping at the metal on her stomach. I could see the two Vivillon whispering amongst themselves. After a couple of moments, the two of them rose up from behind the cover of their friend, and began to flap their wings.
The pattern was far calmer than it was before, but that wasn't the strangest part. What was off was the fact that the wind they created carried some sort of powder. I tried to evade it, expecting it to be one of a myriad of malady-inducing powder moves some Pokemon loved to use, but the currents of air covered too much ground. Inevitably, some of it got on me, but oddly enough, nothing happened.
There wasn't the nudge of drowsiness that the sleeping powder from earlier carried. My muscles weren't locking up in paralysis, and I didn't feel any traces of poison inside of me, either. I know one of the two mentioned fire, so maybe this was supposed to be flammable?
Of course my misfortune had to rear its head again. If I was lit on fire, it'd be over for me. I couldn't think of any way to get this stuff off, so it was time for me to go on the defensive.
The Bug-type duo hid behind their guardian, the voice of one of them being audible. "Del! Light him up!" Milky cried out. "We'll be safe behind you!" The Aggron nodded and spewed a stream of flame from their mouth. I leaped out of the way, but they didn't need to hit me directly. The dust from before had scattered on the ground, and as the embers landed, a chain reaction occured.
It didn't burn. It exploded. Everything that was covered was consumed, myself included. I didn't have time to think about how or why those two were able to create something like that, as I was being tossed around from the force of the detonations. When I finally descended from being juggled around in the air, I landed on the rocky ground, my body skidding against it. I normally would've registered the sensation as awfully painful, but I was already badly burnt, so any other sources of pain seemed minor by comparison My ears rang as I tried to recover, being rendered deaf from the noise of the detonation.
I struggled to hold onto consciousness, fighting against the agony my body was in. I could see the trio of adversaries approaching me with caution, the two hiding behind the Aggron looking particularly antsy. My body remained still as Del finally loomed over me. I could see her speak, but I was unable to hear what she had to say. They were likely planning on figuring out what to do with me.
My journey would end if I didn't do something. I channeled every bit of willpower I had, and I made my firing arm rise. In the blink of an eye, I riddled Mulberry with Bubble Beams, knocking him out of the sky. I didn't shoot to kill, but it was enough to eliminate him from the equation. I forced myself to get up, startling all three of them.
Milky mouthed something before rushing to check in on his wounded ally. I was a man of many talents, but unfortunately, I could not read lips. However, I could tell how the three of them were feeling, just by looking at them.
All of them were feeling panicked. I might've been critically injured, but this was good: once rational thinking is abandoned, it's far easier to pick apart your enemies. I fired at the Vivillon that was still standing. They had let down their guard to check on Mulberry, and that was a perfect opening. I couldn't afford to get hit by those explosives again.
They went down quickly. I could see Del's expression shift into a mixture of anger and anxiety as she charged me like a raging Tauros. My reflexes and acrobatic skill were clumsier due to the pain I was in, so unforuntately for me, I was slammed into. I staggered back, struggling to stay on my own two feet. As I did so, she approached me again, trying to slash at me with her claws. I tried to evade her, but I wasn't fast enough. I felt them cut at my side, and it was then that something dreadful dawned upon me:
I was damned either way. The agony I felt all over was stopping me from fighting back as well as I should have. If even a klutz like my opponent could hit me now, it was only a matter of time before I succumbed to the abuse directed my way. Instinctively, I created some distance between us and checked my supplies, praying that I could find something that'd bail me out of this situation.
A Quick Seed could be used to either mount a last offensive or flee, but since I had a single one, I was wary about how I'd use it. I saw my Rainy Orbs and felt my anger towards myself mount, because I could've used the rain to wash off that powder from before and prevented the detonation. However, it was something far more humble that caught my attention.
I still had two Sleep Seeds. They weren't spectacularly rare or flashy, but they were very useful for providing free openings or disabling pursuers. I retrieved one and sized up the enraged Aggron that was closing in on me.
They wouldn't be able to dodge the item I was going to use because of their mass, and the only way I seen that they could destroy it was that fiery breath of theirs. I doubted they were creative enough to employ that, and even if they were, their rage was blinding them. I couldn't help but smile a bit as I tossed that seed towards them and watched it land.
I began to fire Hydro Pumps at Del's slumbering form, only noticing that my hearing was back as I did so. I was so focused on staying alive, that it didn't even register to me!
Each hit chipped away more and more at her armor, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Even if her body could withstand this amount of injury, she'd be in terrible shape just like I was when she woke up. I was only interrupted by the sound of wings flapping, forcing me to turn my attention towards whichever of the Bug-type duo from earlier was still standing.
It was Milky. "Please, stop it!" He shouted. "She can't even fight back! What're you doing, y-you freak?"
"I'm not taking any chances," I replied. "If you want me to stop, you'll tell me where that Meditite went."
"Del made a promise not to say anything to you!" He protested. "She respects that woman's partner a lot, and I don't want to stab them in the-"
I pointed a claw at the Vivillon, water dripping at its tip. I began to channel everything I knew about intimidation. I drew the energy in my performance from the numerous criminals I've had dealings with, enraged customers, and even Cacturne himself. I couldn't see the look on my face, but it was enough to scare them.
"I don't want her," I began. "She'd take her secrets to the grave, but you? You're just as spineless as your invertebrate mien suggests. You'd make a good example to the others on what happens when you don't give me what I want. If you really want to die for your friend's convictions, I'll blow your head off." This was all a bluff, but they didn't know that. I normally wouldn't risk threatening something I wouldn't follow through with, but they weren't thinking rationally. The more clever of the two was still recovering from their wounds, so he wouldn't be here to poke any holes in my act like last time.
Milky was completely frozen in fright. It seemed as if my tactics had worked. "C-Capim! They're going to Capim Town!" He blurted out. "There's this new Guild there, and they're going to have them protect them!
"Where is it on a map?" I asked.
"Keep on traveling west until you reach a town called Grainfield, then go northwest," he explained. "I told you what you wanted, so please don't hurt me!"
He looked nervous as he lied to my face. I could call him out on it, but it'd risk me breaking character. After enough threats, he'd understand that I truly didn't mean to harm him, so I had no choice but to accept his words and smile.
"Thank you," I told him. "None of you will be hurt today, thanks to your help. I'll be going right about now."
Just as I was about to leave, though, I heard the sound of something heavy shifting. I looked at the source of the noise and saw that Del had woken up. For a moment, it looked like she had survived, but the anxiety in my gut faded away when she fell to the ground, groaning and unable to move. I took the chance to retreat, leaving them all behind.
It took a bit to get back on the trail of Asana, but thankfully, the scent of her partner was unmistakable. It was like a beacon for me, but I knew there was trouble ahead.
It was a very real possibility that they could seek refuge in a Guild, and now I knew of at least two operating upon the Grass Continent. If they were going to go that route, I had a time limit to strike directly before my job would become much harder. This normally wouldn't be a problem, but I had bitten off more than I could chew and had injured myself severely. I weighed my options, and came to a decision:
I would eliminate any sort of risk by striking when they slept. One of them might be staying awake to guard the other, but that was something sniping or proper planning could solve. Depending on who wasn't slumbering, my job might be harder, but I've learned enough from my encounters with Asana that I was confident in my odds against her. Her partner was an unknown, but due to his corpulent form weighing him down, a simple Bubble Beam to the head would put an end to him.
The time to strike was soon, and no matter what it took, I would do everything in my power to emerge victorious. I refuse to play fair against Pokemon like them, and they'd know just how bad of an idea it was to make an enemy out of me.