[Candidate #17, Mount Moon — GO Challenge Day 18]
They'd been wandering around in the damp, musty cave for over two hours, yet somehow they had still yet to see an exit. Blanche's legs were terribly sore, and her patience had been stretched to its absolute limit.
The sad part was that they weren't even lost.
"We should make a left to get back to the basement's entrance."
"Nah, I heard some water dripping by that wall over there." Candela was grinning, a pair of pokeballs already in hand. "You said there's a species that likes to nest in moist places in here, right?"
Rather than dignify that with an answer, Blanche stopped walking. After shifting the softly snoring bundle of fluff in her arms, she checked her map for the third time in two minutes. An ugly scowl crossed her face as she scanned their surroundings for recognizable landmarks, enemy trainers, and strong wild pokemon.
If we had simply turned RIGHT at the cave entrance we would have been in Cerulean city an hour and a half ago. Now, night will fall before we find our way out, and who knows what kind of undesirables lurk around in these caves after dark?
"Listen, don't worry so much," Candela said, nudging her with an elbow a bit too sharply. Her usual playful grin was securely in place, but Blanche did not return the expression. "I know you just wanna get out of here, but think of it as a chance to get stronger for the next gym."
Blanche said nothing as she fell into step with Candela once again. The larger of the two baby pokemon that were nestled in the blanket she held mewled quietly, and something shuffled in the shadows above them in response.
"And hey, I'm sure there's a ton of stuff in here that could help with your research," Candela continued, looking as though she were simply taking a quiet stroll through Pallet Town and not traipsing about in one of the Kanto region's notoriously treacherous caves. "A guy back at the Pokemart mentioned that some native pokemon worship this rock goddess that lives on the mountaintop, and that they all evolve together after performing some weird ritual—"
"I don't care about the local legends. Would you please stop brushing off everything I say?" Blanche bit the inside of her cheek before she could make another regrettable, poorly-worded comment, and looked everywhere but the other trainer's face. Keeping her voice down and her tone flat despite the sharp swells of anger and fear she felt was maddeningly difficult, as if Candela's hotheadedness was contagious. "I'd very much like to study every pokemon in this cave, but we should prioritize our safety. It's more dangerous than you seem to realize."
"Oh please, most of the pokemon in here are barely stronger than the bugs in Viridian." Candela scoffed and waved a hand, vaguely gesturing towards the charmeleon standing beside her. "Either way, we'll jump into action at the first sign of trouble."
"It doesn't matter if they're weak individually," Blanche said, now staring at the ceiling as she walked forward. If she listened closely she could just make out the sound of sharp claws scraping against the cave ceiling. They would be active soon. "The nocturnal, predatory species most common here live in massive colonies. If they swarm us unexpectedly, not even your most powerful pokemon has the kind of wide area abilities that would adequately protect us. Furthermore, what if—"
"Come on, trust me a little! If worst comes to worst, we've got it covered. Besides—" Candela's expression hardened for a moment before melting into a reassuring smile. "There isn't a damn thing in here that I'd let hurt my friends."
"I'll leave it to you, then."
Blanche's mouth clicked shut. She made no further objections, not out of agreement so much as a strong desire to not attract the attention of the veritable horde of golbats hanging above them, not to mention the highly toxic parasects that were undoubtedly lurking in the cave's moist corners. She managed to refrain from grinding her teeth with some effort, but she could do nothing to stop the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks.
She brushed a long string of damp platinum hair out of her face, fuming silently. They walked at a brisk pace in spite of Candela's desire to stop or make a detour at every opportunity for battle. The air tasted distinctly of mildew. Beside her, Wartortle kept a vigilant watch, and quietly growled a warning whenever a wild pokemon began to approach them—his mere presence made for a very effective deterrent. Meanwhile, Candela shouted commands at her Charmeleon as they crushed their fourth trainer of the evening.
Sighing through her nose, Blanche chose a nearby boulder to sit on until their battle finished. Wartortle dutifully stood at her back, protecting their rear from ambushes.
She's probably just as annoyed with me as I am with her. We should part ways after this.
The smaller pokemon—the runt, her Eevee—wheezed quietly beside her sister, whom Candela had yet to name. Blanche gazed down at them thoughtfully. After they'd hatched in her arms, the eevee siblings had both immediately identified Blanche as their mother based only on the fact that she had been holding their eggs when they emerged. While the larger one came to accept Candela as her actual trainer, she had absolutely no desire to be prematurely separated from both her 'mother' and sister.
Candela found it funny and cute, while Blanche was saddled with the majority of their care—feeding, cleaning, cuddling, and, of course, their direct protection. It was an unexpected responsibility that left her hands perpetually full, but they had both grown on her quickly enough to make up for the hassle. She kept her strongest pokemon out at all times to defend them, and wasn't particularly looking forward to being separated from the larger eevee once it was mature enough to train with Candela.
As a result, she and Candela had spent a great deal of time together even after Blanche successfully defeated Pewter city's gym leader. But, while Blanche had come to admire Candela's natural talent for battle and confident personality from afar, their prolonged proximity to one another had begun to wear on her nerves.
Their training days together had gone wonderfully. Blanche glanced behind her at Wartortle, who had worked extremely hard to become Delta's equal in strength—still, he could only defeat her five times out of ten, on a good day, despite his clear type advantage. All of their pokemon got along well, and some of them clearly respected Candela quite a bit. Yet, they could barely agree on anything outside of the battlefield. They argued incessantly. They had precious little in common.
The battle seemed to drag on, and Blanche watched the ceiling for movement. There wasn't much to speak of, and her train of thought drifted again.
Should I bother trying to talk to her about this? No, there's no point. She'll just brush me off again.
Compromises were nearly impossible to reach, and seemed to always leave both parties uncomfortable or upset. Candela seemed to be better at rolling with their differences in personality, but that may very well have been because she usually ignored Blanche's input and got her way. And to be honest, Blanche didn't actually mind all that much. Usually. Their disagreements had never been about anything particularly pressing before they entered Mount Moon.
They'd argued at length over whether or not Wartortle should keep two defensive moves, or replace both of them with damage dealing attacks. They actually had compromised on that, with Wartortle forgetting Withdraw to learn Rapid Spin, and keeping Protect. It was an extremely handy move when successful, and had been vital in her battle with Forrest.
Whether or not having two pokemon with the same move was worthwhile was another argument. Candela didn't think so, and had a good case for variety, and her Poliwhirl reluctantly forgot the move.
Blanche stood, still deep in thought, as Candela accepted her winnings from the defeated trainer. Once again, they silently fell back into step together.
Blanche watched the other girl as she laughed and tossed a large berry to her partner, who scorched it before happily biting into its flesh. Candela was adventurous, brave, confident, enthusiastic and capable. She was trustworthy and honest. Blanche liked those things about her, generally speaking. They had become friendly acquaintances remarkably easily, and enjoyed and benefited from each other's company for the most part.
The other part, however, was quite a different situation. Candela could be brash, reckless, and bullheaded. Always assumed her way forward was the best. She would listen to Blanche's concerns and then actively decide to disregard them. She also seemed to have designated herself the 'leader' of their casual 'team.' Did being better at battling make her qualified to make important decisions for both of them, like lingering in a dangerous cave long after sunset?
Perhaps. Perhaps not. Blanche decided it wouldn't necessarily hurt to follow her lead for the time being and see where it took them.
Candela broke the silence first.
"Looks like there's something up ahead." The dark haired girl pointed toward a narrow corridor before them. Indeed, Blanche could just make out the dull glow of something embedded in one of its side walls. "Let's check it out, yeah?"
Blanche said nothing, but took wary steps towards the pale silver light. Her eyes widened as they drew closer.
"If this is what I think it is, I owe you a sincere apology."
"Don't worry about it." Candela shrugged, a satisfied look on her face. Delta snorted, cheeky as always. "What exactly do you think it is?"
Blanche didn't answer right away, absorbed by her thoughts. Her mouth fell open as her bare fingers brushed against the stone's cool surface. At the sound of Candela clearing her throat, she collected herself enough to speak.
"A genuine moon stone. It will instantly evolve certain pokemon who are exposed to its radiation." Blanche smiled, her earlier frustration suddenly undetectable. "You were very fortunate to find one."
"Can't you just buy Evolutionary stones?" Candela raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Beside her, Delta cocked her head to the side, adorably curious.
"Not this type. Well, not in Kanto at least. Moon stones have been harvested to the point of scarcity in this region." Blanche looked back, her small smile both astonished and resigned. "I believe Nidorino and Nidorina are both compatible."
"If it's that valuable we should grab it before someone else does." Candela tilted her head toward the stone, and without further prompting, Delta stepped forward and dug her claws into the solid rock wall as easily as if it had been a soft block of cheese. She scooped out the silver rock and delivered it to her trainer, who examined it in her hand with a smile before tossing it to Blanche's Wartortle. "You guys should have it."
"Are you sure?" Blanche asked, trying not to sound too reluctant. She really wanted the stone for herself, for her prospective team's research into the evolutionary habits of different pokemon species, but it was Candela's find. "We may not be lucky enough to come upon another one, for Spike."
"Matches your hair," Candela said, and that was that. Wartortle carefully placed the stone in Blanche's item pocket. "I wonder what else is just lying around down here?"
"Well, I suppose it won't hurt to look if we're taking our time to leave regardless." Blanche handed Wartortle the sleeping bundle of eevees, who fussed over being disturbed, and excitedly consulted her map again. This time, she didn't notice the flush in her cheeks enough to be embarrassed. "According to a clerk I spoke to at the Pewter Museum of Science, there should be a fresh fossil dig site nearby. I doubt any archaeologists will be there at this hour, but we could poke around—"
A shrill scream interrupted her musings. Above them, the Zubat and Golbat colony burst into life. The cacophony of fluttering wings and angry screeches was nearly deafening. Delta and Wartortle both jumped protectively in front of their trainers, but Candela took off in the direction of the scream without hesitation. Delta was on her heels instantly.
"I'm going!" Candela called behind her, looking back only once. Wartortle looked up at Blanche, waiting for his instructions. "Stay here, both of you!"
"Wait, it isn't safe," Blanche said, much too weakly for Candela to have heard. The cave walls trembled around them, and the screeching grew increasingly more violent. They heard more shouting, one of the voices distinctly familiar. She motioned for Wartortle to return the baby pokemon to their blanket in her arms. "Let's back them up. Be ready for anything."
Blanche sprinted forward down the narrow tunnel, Wartortle close at her heels. The walls seemed to close in the deeper they went, and the telltale sounds of an intense battle became clear. Blanche decided to secure the twins in her backpack while she still had the space to do so. She left the zipper open at the top so they could still breathe easily and held the bag close to her chest with one hand.
The tunnel reached its tightest point, and Blanche turned sideways to press forward, her back flush against the cold, jagged stone. At the very end it opened up into what appeared to be a large, well-lit chamber. She couldn't see much through the small opening, but what she did see was alarming enough to make her heart race. She squeezed through the entrance and stumbled into the cavern, Wartortle close behind. Time seemed to slow as she took in the situation.
There—half a dozen people and their pokemon lying on the floor, either motionless or writhing in pain, surrounded by heavy machinery. Dark puddles glistening in the light. The archaeologists from the museum? The dig site?
There—Candela's charmeleon tangled in combat with an arbok and weezing. She was on the defensive, injured badly, and barely holding her own. The arbok wrapped her up in its coils and squeezed mercilessly, while the weezing continuously released its thick smog. It looked like she had already managed to take down a parasect and graveler, but why hadn't Candela sent out backup?
There—Candela herself fighting two-on-one just like her partner. A woman looked on from a far corner, filling a bag with rocks, but that wasn't important. Blanche watched, paralyzed, as she jumped to the side to dodge the swing of a switchblade only to get punched hard in the face.
Gang members? Thieves?
The man with the knife dove forward as Candela stumbled back. A large gash appeared in her jacket. For a moment, Blanche's brain simply froze.
There are only two choices. Help them or run.
"Support Delta from a distance, and protect the twins!" Blanche thrust her bag towards Wartortle and ran forward, pulse pounding in her throat. Stay calm. There isn't time to panic. Her body began to move of its own accord, and two pokeballs appeared in her hands as she met the eyes of one of the assailants. "Pidgeotto, help Wartortle. Poliwhirl, with me!"
"Blanche, don't!" Candela shouted, but her back was against a wall. "Go get help!"
Instead, she blindly charged the man with the knife, shouting for his attention as she went. She did not have anything resembling a plan, but he stopped his assault on Candela and turned to face her. He was wearing a form-fitting black bodysuit identical to that of his comrades, one of which had stepped in to resume his fistfight with Candela. His hands were gloved, white, and his blade dripping wet. Blanche's eyes widened, and her steps faltered.
What the hell am I doing? I'm just going to get myself stabbed.
"Poliwhirl, use Double Slap!" Candela was the one who shouted the command, and Blanche was grateful for the time it gave her to think. The other man yelled at his pokemon, and she could hear the rush of water behind her. Then, more shouting, more voices, a blast of cold wind, and a sharp hiss of pain. Candela continued to shout, and Blanche resumed her charge. "Go, Peaches, Spike, Buzz—"
Fighting a person and battling pokemon couldn't be too different, Blanche thought. While the man was still reeling from the first two slaps, she threw her arms around his waist and tackled him to the ground. Now, the knife. I have leverage. She tried to pin his wrists despite being significantly weaker physically. After a short struggle, he reached around her arms and punched her twice in the back of her left shoulder. She barely felt the blows, and smiled to herself.
Ha, adrenaline rush, she thought, and resumed trying to wrestle the bloody knife from his right hand. Her head felt strangely light as he flipped them over. I'll probably have a nasty bruise there tomorrow.
Blanche was shocked by how warm and wet the ground was against her back. Both of her hands were clamped around his wrist, but it felt like she was guiding the blade to her own chest as he plunged it downward. Her arms seemed boneless.
"PROTECT!" Candela screamed, but nothing happened. Blanche studied the man's face—he was a little older than she was, but probably still a teenager. He seemed scared when Candela dragged him off of her. She sat up slowly, feeling strangely cold, and watched Candela kick him in the ribs until he stopped moving. The other men, now at least four in number, stepped towards her, but Candela took her time wrapping the first guy up in an Escape Rope. Her Beedrill hovered beside her menacingly.
"Leave the newbie, it's not worth it!" someone called from far away. Feminine voice. Blanche vaguely noted the sound of multiple pokemon being recalled. Then, rapid footsteps, retreating. "Just take what we came for!"
"Yeah, you better fucking run!" Candela's voice, coming closer. Seconds seemed to float by. Blanche looked up. Wartortle was by her side first, carrying her bag with a desperately worried look on his face. He was followed closely by Candela and a few of the injured archaeologists. Poliwhirl carried Pidgeotto, who seemed to have fainted. Blanche smiled up at all of them.
"Looks like we ran them off," she said. Her smile faded when she met Candela's eyes. The other girl reached down for the pokeballs on her belt, and recalled all of their pokemon except for Wartortle and Poliwhirl, the least wounded of the bunch. "How are the others?"
"They're all fine—some cuts, some poison." Candela looked furious. A grave-looking woman helped her remove Blanche's jacket—more red than white, somehow—and together they carefully wrapped a bandage around her chest and upper back. It felt entirely too tight, and annoyingly wet. "Does it hurt? Can you stand?"
"I'm fine, but what about you? I saw you take a hit." Blanche answered immediately, but made no effort to move. The older woman reached down to check her pulse, and Candela pulled her to her feet. "Could we rest here for a little while? I'm exhausted."
"Her pulse seems weak," said the woman. Who asked you, thought Blanche. "She needs a doctor."
"Just a short nap," Blanche said. Usually she had more stamina than this, but somehow her limbs felt like overcooked spaghetti noodles. "I only need maybe five minutes. All that walking, you know?"
"No rest for idiots," Candela said, draping Blanche's right arm across her shoulders. She picked her up under the knees when Blanche's legs gave out. "Hey now, don't fall asleep. I know you don't realize it, but you've been stabbed. Badly."
"Really? That isn't good." Blanche looked down, not quite believing her. The wet spot on her chest had spread out across the white wrappings like a rose in bloom. She couldn't tear her eyes away. "Oh no. That's a lot of blood loss. I'll attract the Golbats..."
"Don't look at it or it'll start to hurt," Candela said sharply. Blanche looked up at her with glassy eyes. "Does it hurt? What the hell were you thinking, rushing a guy with a knife? What do we do? She's bleeding like the bandages aren't even there."
"Seemed like you needed a hand," Blanche said, smiling vacantly. It didn't feel like she'd been stabbed at all. Must be shock. Must be bad.
"We aren't medical doctors. This girl needs immediate emergency help," the man said. She couldn't make out his facial features. The older woman beside Candela nodded, her face still grim, but growing more indistinct the longer she looked at her. "Make her drink this Max Potion. It won't help much, but it'll lessen the pain once she starts to feel it."
Someone tilted her head back. A bitter liquid filled her mouth, and she swallowed so it wouldn't drown her.
"Get her to Cerulean. Their hospital is better equipped for traumatic injury than Pewter's clinic."
Candela shifted her in her arms, and the back of her shoulder burst into flames. She looked up at Candela, who was staring down at her with vaguely yellow eyes.
"Lemon drops?" Blanche said. Her surroundings grew more indistinct moment by moment. "Hmm. Interesting."
"We dug a tunnel that leads directly to the exit." A new, masculine voice. Was that the same man from the museum? Doctor so-and-so? He was supposed to call her to talk about her theory regarding a potential evolutionary link between an ancient fossil pokemon and Charmander. She hoped he wouldn't forget. "We'll call ahead for you."
Yes, please call. The skulls look so similar! It may not be a coincidence.
"Use this Max Repel and get going. Don't stop for anything until you reach the city."
The voices grew more distant. Soothing. Blanche closed her eyes.
"Go! Don't let her lose consciousness!"
"We still have to thank you both properly!"
The hands that held her were surprisingly warm.
"Hey! Don't you dare faint on me you damn moron—"
BLANCHE BLACKED OUT.