[Candidate #12, Mt. Moon — GO Challenge Day 18]
Candela sprinted down the narrow tunnel, her clothes soaked in blood and sweat. Blanche was heavy in her arms, motionless, and seemed to be growing colder moment by moment. She'd stopped shivering some time ago, and now her upturned lips were turning baby blue in the dim lights that lined the cave every few meters.
She looked like she was laughing at a joke only she could hear. She looked peaceful. That wasn't good.
"Come on, wake up already!" Candela shouted between shallow, gasping breaths, mostly to distract herself from the nagging pain in her limbs. Blanche was past the point of regaining consciousness so easily, that much was obvious, but it made her feel better to try anyway. "You're gonna be fine. Just stay with us."
The tunnel was crudely dug, filled with large rocks and random mining equipment scattered haphazardly along the path. She could hear Wartortle and Poliwhirl behind her, desperately fighting back the swarm of golbats that were chasing them as they ran. She didn't even care if the noise they made somehow attracted more.
"Water Gun! Hypnosis! Careful with that bag, Wartortle!" Candela rattled off random instructions without even looking back. She only needed them to keep the troublesome wild pokemon at bay until they reached the exit, and it didn't matter how they went about it. She wished she had a free hand so she could get the help of some of her uninjured pokemon as well, but there just wasn't enough time for them to stop for any reason whatsoever.
While the zubats and other weak pokemon kept their distance, the golbats were either too high level or too strongly attracted to the stench of blood to be deterred by even a Max Repel, which was a shame, because the damn things had very sharp teeth and a healthy thirst to match.
Some heavy machinery that came up to her shins appeared in their path, and while Candela hopped over the obstacle cleanly enough she stumbled on the landing. She dropped to one knee hard, careful not to fall forward, then sprang back into a flat jog.
"Ugh, get off me!" Candela cried out as a large golbat landed on her shoulder. She shrugged it off just as a second one sank its fangs into her back, easily piercing both her jacket and the bodysuit beneath it. "Guys, a little help up here!"
Candela tensed as it drained her, but kept moving forward. She hated not being able to defend herself properly. One of Blanche's pokemon swatted it away from her quickly enough, but by the time they got back up to speed she felt significantly weaker than before.
Candela grit her teeth and pushed herself to run faster, ignoring the sharp pain in her muscles and the bruises from her fight as well as the new, extremely itchy spots on her back. The screeching behind them grew louder still, but she could barely hear it over the whirlwind of thoughts rattling around in her head.
They can suck so much out of you with a single lucky bite. If even one of them manages to get to Blanche, she's done for.
She could taste the end of the tunnel before she saw it. The outside air was crisp with subtle notes of recent rain. She felt an immense sense of relief as it finally came into view. She could just make out the midnight blue sky through the small opening. Candela grit her teeth and the three of them ran with renewed determination.
"Look, we're almost at the exit!" Candela shouted at Blanche and her pokemon, but kept her eyes forward. The soreness in her arms and legs was almost too harsh to ignore, but she could keep going. She had to. Even after they left the cave, they'd still have to make it to the city and meet up with emergency services. "Keep breathing for me, alright?"
Candela staggered through the tiny exit hole with her eyes closed. The sounds of screeching and Water Guns grew faint. At the first sign of a breeze she sank to her knees, panting hard. She could feel Wartortle and Poliwhirl standing protectively on either side of her, and managed to smile.
"Just need a minute to rest, guys," she said between breaths. She wanted to fall asleep right there on the ground, but opened her eyes and stood before five seconds had passed. "Alright, now let's..."
Candela's words died on her lips as she met the stares of the half dozen gangsters standing around them in a semicircle. They wore tight fitting black uniforms, with silver gloves and boots, and each of them was flanked by two pokemon. She saw raticates, arboks, parasects, and some species she didn't recognize.
Most of their hats were tilted down to cover their faces in shadow, but the large scarlet letter emblazoned on their chests clearly identified their organization.
Great. Just what we needed right now.
[Candidate #2, Cerulean City]
Spark stopped pedaling, and tilted his head towards the worried voices nearby. He had one more egg to hatch for the daycare that night, but it was hard not to notice the small group of people that had been standing around the pokecenter arguing loudly for at least fifteen minutes.
"Shouldn't they have arrived by now? Yes, they definitely should have." The young Officer Jenny seemed flustered as she paced up and down the same stretch of dirt like a caged arcanine. Beside her, three Nurse Joys, their chanseys, and the officer's growlithe looked on. "What do we do? Call the police? Yes, of course! No, no, that's me—"
"Um, Officer? The cave is only five minutes away." One of the nurses gently raised a hand. The officer whirled on her, eyes wide and gun drawn. "You could always, um, meet them halfway? Make sure they make it to the city safely?"
"At this hour? Are you crazy?" Realizing that there was no immediate danger, the Jenny holstered her weapon. "I'll get mugged for sure!"
"But Officer, those trainers desperately need our help-"
Welp, that's all I need to hear. But what the heck are they learning at the Academy these days?
Spark popped a wheelie and rode for Mount Moon.
[Candidate #12, Route 4]
"Everything alright there, kid?" The man in the middle of the group stepped forward, a large, slow moving pile of sludge by his side. "Didja get lost in the big scary cave? Need some help?"
The group laughed, and Candela stiffened. Dark clouds obscured the moonlight overhead, threatening rain.
"Those water pokemon appear to be within the level range we're looking for." The woman standing next to the guy who spoke first gestured to Blanche's Wartortle and Poliwhirl, but kept her eyes firmly on Candela. "And the price of Kanto starters is up abroad."
"We have plenty of squirtles, though."
"Not many wartortles, and none so close to evolving."
"Speaking of broads, she's kinda cute, innit she?" A male voice to her right, surprisingly close by, was followed by a snicker. The first two Rockets said nothing more, and seemed to be waiting for her to respond. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing out so late?"
"Knock it off, rookie."
"Whaaaaat? It's a fair question!"
Candela felt Wartortle's shell press against her right leg and smirked, unfazed.
They're trying to rattle us, but I'm not some ten year old brat. I could take them AND their low level throwaway pokemon.
"We're just fine. Thanks for the concern, though." Candela's smile was humorless as she approached them. The adrenaline pumping through her body made her forget the pain and soreness in her arms and legs. I have to act first. Take control. Predictably, the group tightened around her the closer she got. "Mind letting us through?"
"You sure you don't need any help?" A new voice to her left, closer than expected, chimed in. Candela didn't turn away from the leaders and continued her approach, trusting Blanche's pokemon to watch her sides. "Your friend looks pretty sick."
"I dunno, she looks kinda dead to me." The guy on her right stepped closer to get a better look at Blanche, and Wartortle growled. "I know a guy up in Lavender who can help take care of that body for ya—"
"You and your guy can both go fuck yourselves. How about that?" Candela pulled the girl closer to her chest. Blanche gasped quietly, and Candela could feel her taking short, shallow breaths. "I need to get her to the hospital, so stop wasting my time."
"Then why don't we just cut to the chase." Candela came to a stop directly in front of the apparent leader as he spoke, her chin tilted upwards to look him in the eye. "The entire area from the spot where you stand to the Cerulean city limits is Rocket territory."
"As a result, we require a small toll from you and your friend there to pass through," the woman beside him continued casually. "Think of it as a trade. As long as you cooperate, you can both be on your merry way."
Candela tensed, ready to challenge all six of them, ready to fight them tooth and nail. She was about to reach down to grab a pokeball when she saw Blanche's ghostly pale face and returned to her senses.
"What do you want?" Candela closed her eyes for a moment, barely able to get the words out. When she opened them again, she felt all of her earlier fatigue come rushing back into her bones.
"All the cash you have." The man smiled and Candela felt a sickening hatred boiling in the pit of her stomach. "And just your money. We'll give your sleepy friend a break tonight as a show of good will."
"Yes, but before she thinks we're too generous," the woman continued, openly eyeing Blanche's Wartortle. "I think two pokemon will be sufficient. One from each of you bright young trainers."
Candela opened her mouth to shout orders, to fight, but quickly closed it again. Blanche was still limp in her arms, still gushing blood from three deep stab wounds.
At least twelve pokemon between the six of them, most of them second stage evolutions. And that's just what they have out right now. I only have Blanche's two close at hand, and they're tired. We're wasting time she doesn't have.
"Wartortle." Candela ground her teeth hard enough to crack a stone. When she spoke again, her voice was hoarse. "Back left pocket. Give her my wallet and two pokeballs."
Dutiful as always, Wartortle obeyed without hesitation, his eyes glistening wet. He was smart, like his trainer. He understood the situation right away. Delta would have protested, would have spit fire and brimstone and fought to the death even if she told her they couldn't. Candela bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Smart choice." The woman took the wallet from Wartortle and tossed it to her partner. She scanned the contents of the pokeballs with some device and raised an eyebrow. "They're both suitable."
"We'll let you be on your way now," the man said, throwing her wallet at Blanche's Poliwhirl. "Hope your friend makes it."
The Rockets spread out to let them through, and she sprinted forward wordlessly. She barely had the strength to run anymore, but anger and fear and desperation pushed her forward anyway.
The city came into view, and Candela began to feel lightheaded. Unable to run any further, she plodded along, each step heavier than the last. The first drops to fall were fat, but few and far between.
"Poliwhirl, I need you to run on ahead to get help." The tears came just before the rain fell in earnest. "I can't carry her much farther, and definitely not in a storm."
The poliwhirl rushed ahead, and Candela's knees began to quaver. Wartortle chirped something at her, and she shook her head. She could barely see through the blinding rain, and shivered uncontrollably.
"Hey Blanche," Candela said, stubbornly taking another step and ignoring the screaming pain in her arms and legs. "If you think I'm letting you die right outside the city because of a bunch of stupid fucking bastards like them, then..."
Wartortle pulled at her coat as she dropped to her knees. Her head felt like a balloon, her chest like it would burst at any moment. She could not stand back up, no matter how hard she willed herself to.
"Heyyyyy, is this your Poliwhirl?"
The silhouette of two figures, one vaguely Poliwhirl-shaped swam into view, and Candela smiled through her tears.
"Then you're stupid, too."