Alain wiped the sweat from his head as Charizard flung another Beedrill away with his strong tail. Alain and Manon had arrived at the dark, maze-like cave in search of the Beedrillite. After hours of searching Manon had spotted it wedged into one of the cave crevices. Once they had removed the shining stone a swarm of the giant Bug types had surrounded them, their numbers countless.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Alain commanded again. A flash of light filled the darkness, a new group of Beedrill covered the gap that the fire had created. "Damn it!" He cursed, taking a quick peek over his shoulder. Manon was standing at his back, her Chespin trying to shoot down some of the Beedrill with a missile of Bullet Seeds.
The Beedrill attacked relentlessly, not giving in at all. They wanted the stone, but Alain wouldn't give it to them. No way! Perspiration coated his brows as he ordered Charizard to attack. No matter what he did, more kept coming. He was making little progress and he could hear Manon and Chespie's ragged breaths. They were exhausted.
Alain growled and tried to take out more Beedrill, but his commands were slowing down and Charizard was getting sloppier with his moves. The buzzing of wings bounced between the walls and sent pain spiking through his head. He closed his eyes for a moment. Just for a moment . . .
"Alain!"
His eyes shot open as a Beedrill lunged at him, the needle on its arm shining red in the light of Charizard's fire. His eyes went wide. He shielded himself with his arms and tensed, waiting for the pain to slice through him.
Nothing.
Alain hesitated, then opened his eyes. Manon was standing in front if him, the Beedrill already disappearing into the black depths of the cave. At first there was a wave of relief, but it was short lived. A salty tang filled the air, and a stream of dark, sticky liquid dribbled onto the cave floor. Manon was clutching her stomach, shaking and wobbling on her feet. Alain could only see her back, but he knew something was horribly wrong, even before she fell.
The girl hit the rock, shoulder first, hands wrapped around the torn flesh of her stomach where the Beedrill had pierced her. The giant needle was still inside her, buried deep and covered in blood that was so thick it looked black.
"Manon!" Alain gasped, falling to his knees beside her. Small trails of blood leaked from her lips and she whimpered. The remaining Beedrill regarded them impatiently and Alain chucked the stone they desired far into the cave. The Pokémon chased it immediately, leaving him alone with Manon.
Manon coughed weakly, and the red splotches that stained the cave floor sent shivers through Alain. He quickly scooped her up, not thinking for a second about the blood staining his clothes. If he removed the spike she would bleed out for sure, but if he kept it in she would still die anyway . . . The nearest Pokémon Centre was about an hour away. Would she last that long with it in her? Would he be able to move her with it in her? The thoughts kept whirling, never stopping. He quickly returned Chespie and Charizard to their Pokéballs, it was the one thing he knew he had to do. Manon wouldn't want Chespie to see her now, and he felt the same.
Forcing himself to make a decision, Alain wrapped his hands around the needle and began to pull. Manon screamed the moment he touched the object, voice gurgling with the blood welling in her throat. The sound made Alain tremble, but he didn't stop. His hands shook horribly. The needle came free and he shoved it away, not daring to look at the blood soaked end.
Manon heaved as blood filled her lungs, the hot and gooey stream drowning her from the inside. The wound that had been blocked by the needle was now overflowing. Panicking, Alain feverishly tore off his jacket and stuffed it against the flow, wincing as he felt it sink deep into her flesh.
"A-Alain, I'm gonna die, aren't I? Alain, please don't let me die!" Manon's tiny fingers gripped his shirt, thick tears flooded her face, joining with the blood that leaked from her mouth. "I can't leave Chespie and you . . . I can't . . ."
Alain's own tears worsened, got heavier and heavier as they fell in giant droplets onto the small girl in his arms. He shouldn't have taken the needle out. He shouldn't have . . . Pressing the jacket against the blood, Alain shook his head. "It's going to be okay, we'll get to the Pokémon Center and they'll help you. It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay!"
"I don't want to die, Alain . . ." One of Manon's hands trailed down to her stomach where Alain held the jacket. She scrunched it between her fingers as if she was trying to close the hole underneath. "A-Alain!" She cried, almost screamed his name.
I shouldn't have pulled out the needle . . .
There was no way he could move Manon, no way to get her to the Pokémon Center fast enough. There was just no way! He sobbed into her hair, unable to bring himself to move her somewhere more comfortable. There was no way this was actually happening. It had just been another simple mission, like all the others they had gone on.
"Alain . . ." Alain raised his head. Manon had stopped clutching at her wound, as if she had accepted its existence. Her eyes were tired and dull, stained with still spilling tears. "Alain . . . I'm glad that you let me come with you . . ." Her small chest was slowing down now, the rapid breaths from earlier had settled to a terrifying calmness.
"Manon, no . . . Please don't leave me . . ." He looked again to the jacket in his hand. It was soaked now, and Manon didn't seem to hear anything he said. Her own words were slow and slurred. "Manon?" He started to shake her gently, hoping she would stir.
Manon was gone. She wasn't breathing, wasn't moving. Her head lolled against him. Alain swallowed hard. He couldn't move, couldn't do anything but hold her. She was gone. She was gone forever because he had made a mistake and it had costed her life.
He lost it. "Manon, wake up! Wake up right now! Don't you dare leave me!" Alain screamed, shaking her harder, ignoring the blood on his hands. "Manon. . . I need you."
I shouldn't have pulled out the needle . . .