Crest wondered which she'd stand a better chance against, considering her predicament; the Arbok of unknown origin that seemed fixated on her Eevees, or the man in the Team Rocket outfit that she had accidentally headbutted in the stomach.
She probably stood a better chance with the Arbok - at least it couldn't speak. And, judging from the expression on the man's face as he glared down at her, he was getting ready to verbally rip her a new one.
There was, of course, a third option available to her - though she wasn't sure how effective it would be - which was to continue with what she'd been intending on doing before she'd run into the man. There was a chance she'd escape - she'd escaped the people who'd been hunting for her to get the Pokemon hidden in her bag, after all, and not only had there been more of them at the time, but some of them had even been on vehicles, or had been using their Pokemon to search for her - but there was also a chance that she'd be caught. The man had longer legs than her, the Arbok was bigger than her, and there wasn't as many obstacles to use to put distance between them than there had been before.
"Oi, kid," the man growled at her. His voice was deep and rough, like he'd been smoking a lot, and while it probably helped with the intimidation factor for most people, Crest just didn't feel scared. She'd faced far scarier things than a single Rocket Grunt who was growling at her. "Why don't ya watch where yer goin'?"
Crest blinked up at him, and then turned her head to check behind her. The Arbok had not yet rounded the corner, though she could hear it slithering quickly closer. Flicking a glance back to the Rocket, she quickly crouched and wrapped an arm around Alba and Umbra.
The Eevees' chirped at her curiously as she straightened, clutching their furry bodies to her chest. She ignored them, forcing a cheerful smile to her face despite her discomfort at being surrounded - she'd gone a week without being caught, she'd gone a week protecting the Pokemon hopefully sleeping in her backpack. She wasn't about to get caught now - especially not by someone who had nothing to do with what was going on in her life, or by a Pokemon who could, potentially, belong to someone who was looking for her.
"Sorry, sir." She said in response, inclining her head ever so slightly. The man narrowed his eyes at her, not fooled by the polite, cheerful tone of her voice, but as he opened his mouth to speak again, she darted around him, and ran.
She heard the sound of boots scraping on wet concrete as she darted around the man, and she heard his fingers scrape against the wet fabric of her backpack, but she ignored it, and kept running. There was an irritated noise from the man, and a loud hiss from the Arbok.
Alba, wrapped securely in her right arm, squeaked in alarm at the sudden change, but didn't struggle. Umbra, on the other hand, protested to the sudden grab and abrupt restriction, and Crest only had a brief warning - a low growl in her left ear - before she felt teeth trying to dig into her shoulder through her jacket. She was glad it was thick; she could feel the teeth, but they weren't doing much - if any - damage. Certainly, it wasn't enough to cause her to worry.
She heard the Rocket shouting behind her as she skidded around another corner, onto a main road. She wasn't sure if he was following, or if the Arbok was, and she didn't care. She wasn't about to stop and look; the abrupt wriggling in her backpack warned her that the Pokemon hidden inside had woken when she'd started running, and was agitated. She'd have to open it soon, to let it out for a bit, or it might make an attempt to get out on it's own.
She couldn't afford a replacement backpack to hide it in if it managed to escape before she could let it out, but she couldn't exactly let it out with a Rocket and a suspicious Pokemon possibly following her. Especially not on a main road of a large city. That was foolish.
Her first thought was heading to the National Park, as she'd originally intended - there were plenty of sheltered places there to hide. But it was also very secluded, and she didn't want to be anywhere where she couldn't call for help. Not with the danger behind her so fresh in her mind.
She bit her lip as Umbra continued to chew at her jacket, still upset about being picked up and carried without warning. She was sure that no other new trainer's journey had started out the way hers had - with running away, with Pokemon that didn't know how to fight, with a burden they shouldn't have to bear, and the knowledge that they had to keep one eye open at night, and always watch their backs, because there was something dangerous lurking just out of sight that could strike at any moment.
Her backpack continued to wriggle in agitation, bumping into her back and making it difficult to run in a straight line, and she could only hope that the people she passed on the street - people who yelled out in outrage when she bumped them, or called out in concern when they saw her face - thought it was only moving because she was running.
The rain had lightened by the time she'd running drawn to a stop, unable to run anymore. Umbra and Alba had immediately leapt from her arms - Umbra to straighten his ruffled, wet fur, and Alba to chirp concernedly up at Crest as she dropped to her knees, panting heavily.
She hadn't actually run as far as she'd wanted; she was just outside the limits of Goldenrod city, on route 35. But the wriggling in her backpack had grown almost unbearable - she was sure there would be bruises on her back - and it didn't cease as she struggled to get the moving backpack off her shoulders and onto her lap.
"Hey, kid!" Crest jumped as the Grunt appeared, fingers on the zipper of her backpack stilling as he came tearing through the gate she had stopped near. She heard a little cry of annoyance as she wrapped her arm around the bag, trying to still the pokemon inside's movements as best she could.
Fortunately, if the Grunt noticed, he said nothing about it; his expression told her that he was more focused on her insincere apology, and her running away, than he was on a wriggling backpack and the occasional offended noise coming from inside as the Pokemon demanded freedom.
"Who in the hell do ya think ya are, runnin' into someone and then just takin' off like that, huh?!" The grunt demanded. Crest blinked up at him from where she was sitting on the ground, not completely intimidated by the way he was looming over her, trying to look tall - though he was actually quite short.
"I apologised." She said bluntly, trying to keep her voice steady as a stray limb inside the bag struck her in the stomach. The grunt snorted, looking unimpressed.
"Ya call that an apology?" He snapped, crossing his arms. Crest raised an eyebrow - it didn't make him any more intimidating, it just made him look like a pouting teenager - but she didn't say anything. It wouldn't make him go away any sooner if she did, and the longer he was around, the longer her Pokemon was trapped in her bag. It was only a matter of time before it started trying to use moves while trapped, and she did not want her bag torn, or completely destroyed.
"Yes?" She feigned confusion, keeping her attention fixed on the grunt and her arms around the bag. In the corners of her eyes, though, she could see Alba and Umbra moving, slowly circling around behind the man on either side. Their eyes were fixed on him, watching for any sign that he noticed them.
Crest could only hope they didn't do anything stupid. They hadn't yet been trained for battle, but that didn't stop them from being mischievous. She'd lost count of the amount of times she'd watched her father chase them out of the kitchen, or around the garden, because of their antics.
"Shitty apology, kid." He snorted. He leaned forward slightly, casting his shadow across her, a disconcerting smirk crossing his face. Crest frowned, eyes flicking quickly to the pair of Eevees now behind him, before returning her attention to the man's face.
"What are ya doin' out here, anyway?" She narrowed her eyes at the question, arms tightening around the bag slightly. The pokemon inside squealed in outrage, wriggling and kicking, and Crest grunted in pain when a limb connected firmly with her stomach - this time, she was sure, on purpose, rather than just because it was flailing.
Unfortunately, the squeal drew the Grunt's attention. His eyes strayed down from her face to her bag, and his smirk dropped to a frown. She flicked another glance at Alba and Umbra, suddenly finding herself hoping they were about to do something stupid - she didn't care what, so long as it distracted the man from her offended backpack.
"What ya got in there, kid?" She jerked away and twisted sideways when the grunt reached out towards her backpack, hunching over the handle on top so it was trapped under her chin.
"None of your business." She snapped, glaring up at him. His frown deepened, and he moved sideways, trying to circle around so he was still in front of her. Behind him, Alba and Umbra moved as well, staying behind him where he couldn't see them.
"Ya got a rare Pokemon in there or somethin'?" He continued to press, once again reaching out to grab at the bag. Crest bared her teeth, prepared to bite if he got close enough, but she was beaten to the punch by Alba and Umbra, who both abruptly darted forward. She saw Alba duck, and Umbra use her like a launch pad to go flying into the air.
The resulting screech of pain from the Rocket Grunt made Crest's ears ring, not that she could blame him. She'd had the pair of Eevees long enough to know that their teeth were sharp - not that she'd ever experienced their teeth in her backside, or her thigh. Usually, she got nipped on the hand.
She didn't feel any sympathy for the Grunt, regardless. He deserved the pain, and the resulting torn clothing.
She waited until the pair had released the man - Umbra dropping to the ground with a piece of fabric in his mouth, which he smugly trotted away with - before she got to her feet, still clutching her wriggling bag, and quickly walked away from the Rocket, who was swearing up a storm, complete with threats directed at her.
For a moment, as she walked away, glancing over her shoulder to make sure both Eevees were following her, she thought the Grunt was going to follow her as well, but he only shot her the most horrible glare, before stomping back through the Route Gate to Goldenrod City.
Crest resisted the urge to laugh at the sight of the huge rip in the back of his trousers.