They'd left the bounds of Celestic in close to thirty minutes and were approaching Route 211's grassy mountain path.
Ray trailed somewhat behind Jenna and Bizzy with Crystal to give her space and keep them in sight in case any infected were around. He eyed the route's terrain and surrounding trees. "Any trouble yet, Crystal?"
"Es." She looked up and shook her head. She scanned and felt out any new area they entered, so she'd let him know before he had to ask. It was routine.
Jenna slowed down and let Ray catch up, as communication would be key. "There's a cave ahead." She also watched their surroundings, hearing light breezes rustle trees and bushes as they entered the route.
She felt a lot safer with Ray. After that night in Sunyshore, Jenna would especially have difficulty going out alone. Hopefully, that fear wouldn't apply to daily life in the future.
"Crystal can warn us if danger is nearby, so we'll have an advantage, but stay alert." Ray would still rather not walk through a dark cavern amid an apocalypse, but he was ready to endure for Jenna and both of their pokémon. If they didn't take this route, they'd have to walk through Solaceon, Hearthome, and Oreburgh, possibly increasing their risk to run into trouble. "Where'd you guys get all these guns and ammo, anyway?"
"Oh, months ago. We still find abandoned crates or loose ones occasionally, but after the military ditched us, they left a lot of supplies behind, including weapon and ammo crates at locations in cities and routes they'd stationed at. It was first come, first serve. Ammo is currency in an apocalypse, so we use it only when we have to, but we're pretty wealthy."
"Hm." Ray was glad the base had enough to spare. He felt it was his responsibility to protect Jenna, likely because she had saved him and Crystal, was injured, and after all she'd gone through, he at least wanted her to live in peace. Ray had his mind set on keeping his group alive.
Meanwhile, Crystal had gone to Bizzy's side and decided to try and talk to him since they hadn't gotten the chance. "Espi." She started with a casual greeting.
"Bi." He returned it, extending his paw at first but realizing Crystal couldn't walk properly while retracting it. "Uiz?" Bizzy didn't think he was the best at socializing but asked how she'd liked the base during her stay. He tried his best not to allow interactions to falter and grow awkward, but never truly felt confident.
Crystal was glad he asked. "Spe esi. Nspe." She began with the restaurant because that was her absolute favorite experience but changed the subject halfway through, backtracking without warning to how she and Ray ended up at the base in the first place from the cycling route, which left Bizzy struggling to follow.
"Bh..." He tried his best, at least gaining insight from the night Jenna had saved them. Bizzy felt that this espeon was experienced with a tough side if she lived outside the base. He'd definitely stay on her good one.
Ray gripped his rifle and ensured it was ready to fire while looking ahead at the cavern's dark and uninviting entrance. He was running out of time to find out how they'd go about this, but he was able to put something quick together. He stopped after they arrived. "Just... stay ahead of Crystal and myself with Bizzy, yeah?"
"Well…" Jenna didn't want to keep putting all that on Ray, but she knew she was injured and still felt weak to reaffirm. Her road to recovery hadn't been as quick as she'd hoped. Maybe she should have stayed in bed as instructed. "Okay."
He entered, watching Jenna and Bizzy while following. "Crystal, let me know the moment you feel off." Every second and decision could be the difference between life and death.
"Speon." She nodded while they strolled deeper, on edge already. The light from outside illuminated their surroundings to an extent, which was a narrow path confined by two walls, but the farther they went, the more open the cave became and the less they could see. Stale, dry air hit her and strengthened with every other step.
Crystal shut her eyes for a moment and focused hard while scanning, even feeling out the air with her fur. She sensed presence but couldn't perceive what they were, whether they were threats, or where they were. She was trying her best to create a color in her head to feel out their intentions. "Espeon…" She wore a frantic expression, shivering against the cold air.
Jenna looked back at her. "What's that mean?"
Ray glanced around frequently. Being unable to see rendered them vulnerable, so Crystal was their crutch. He didn't want to pull out their flashlights and bring more attention to them. "It means we aren't alone, but we may not have to deal with them if we're quiet." He saw light at the end of the cave, but nearly half a mile was between them and the exit, which was a stretch in this situation.
Hearing that made her heart beat twice faster already. Jenna kept a firm hold on her rifle and ensured Bizzy kept by her, listening for steps or voices nearby while trying to keep her breathing calm. She grew more uneasy by the second. Jenna had assumed they'd run into trouble here, but the thought of something grabbing in the dark terrified her.
Crystal had been concentrating with winced eyes while tracking the presence, keeping tabs to see if it got close and finally seeing red. A deep, heavy red. She quit to see where she was walking and to rest her abilities. She'd certainly come out of this with a headache, but she'd rather that than die here.
Bizzy? Well, he could dish out attacks when necessary, but the base and times before it had spoiled him. Still, he'd protect Jenna the best he could. He kept by her feet and looked around while trembling, terrified of what could dart out at any moment and ensuring his stores were full of water.
So far, so good, but Ray felt they should be walking faster. Every second spent here was one that could go awry. "Halfway there. Let's up our pace... quietly."
Jenna shrugged her shoulders to ensure her bag's straps were on well and sped up to a light jog, as did Crystal and Bizzy. Their steps reverberated off the cavern's walls, but it was subtler than all-out running. They approached the exit, its light growing.
Crystal shut her eyes and scanned once more, and it was just in time as she felt and then heard danger coming up from behind. There was a violent shift in the air.
That's how close the entity was.
"E-Espeh!" She opened her eyes and shouted to warn everyone, and the corresponding screech confirmed it.
Ray flinched and glanced back. "Okay. Running now," he said and held his bag's strap. The exit was just ahead. He ran and ensured Jenna, Bizzy, and even Crystal stayed ahead. If the hostile decided to grab one of them, he'd rather it be him.
Jenna's breaths were heavy while running, and she felt as if she'd collapse with every other step, especially with a backpack on, but she ignored it and kept ahead with Bizzy running on all fours. She so wasn't used to the undead.
Crystal repeatedly glanced back at Ray, especially as the raspy groans and shouts got louder. It was on their tails, and while she couldn't see properly, a psybeam sat in her throat and itched for release.
Fortunately, they'd made it, and when they stepped out of the cave under the sun, Ray spun around while backing up and trained his rifle on the exit while grounding his boots in dirt. He knew shooting a gun had to be avoided, but he wouldn't let a potential infected touch them.
"I-It may not chase." Jenna had her rifle up as well, but only pure and utter silence was present. Maybe it was fond of the cool, dark environment and was angry that they invaded its territory. She couldn't come up with another explanation.
Ray sighed and slightly lowered his weapon, slowing his breathing while keeping his eyes on the exit. "If everyone's good, then we should get to Eterna. It's close."
Crystal panted and winced, clenching her teeth while dealing with an intense headache she hoped would fade soon. She shouldn't have drained herself, but those scans were crucial.
Bizzy glanced at her multiple times before deciding to question it. She seemed troubled and tense. Her ears were flattened. "Biz?"
"S-Si." She'd be fine. Crystal just had to recover and avoid scanning. Unfortunately, that meant they'd be almost blind in Eterna.
After a ten-minute walk through the rest of the route with Ray carrying an exhausted Crystal, they stepped into the once lively metropolis, where he set her down.
"It'll be afternoon soon. We could possibly get to Floaroma." Ray glanced back at Jenna and noticed how lethargic she appeared, so he stopped. "Is something wrong?"
She felt lightheaded and as if she'd puke. The running and walking hadn't helped. "I just…" Jenna continued walking but had trouble keeping her balance. She didn't want to be the reason they were set back, and it wouldn't be wise to stay in a city as big as Eterna any longer than they had to.
Bizzy eyed her. He wanted Jenna to sit for at least a few minutes and hoped Ray would ask her to. She still had to take it slow and hadn't been. Who knew what continuously neglecting the healing process and overwork would do?
"If you can't go on, we should stop for a while. Is it your injuries?" Jenna wasn't ready to venture out like this while barely recovered, but he wouldn't bring that up.
She stopped and shut her eyes while holding her temple. She didn't want to say at first. "...I think."
"Here." Ray let go of his rifle and walked to her. "Lean on me. We'll get somewhere safe for now."
Jenna nodded and draped her arm over his neck. She felt him hug her waist and pull her up to help her stand, which brought Jenna's mind back to when Amy did the same for her. That night would haunt her for as long as she lived.
"Ready?" Ray didn't know where to go and wouldn't ask Crystal to scan since she had enough in that cave. Any building would do, but he'd have to scope it out and hope it was unoccupied.
He glanced at Jenna upon not hearing a response, then felt her arm begin slipping from his neck. "J-Jenna?" Ray caught her before she fell and crouched while holding her over his lap. He pushed her bag off of her back, then pressed two fingers into her neck's groove and was relieved to feel a pulse. She'd just passed out in an unfavorable spot, but that meant they were sitting psyducks.
Ray slipped his arm under her legs and the other around her upper back and under her neck, looking at Crystal and Bizzy. He'd have to set Jenna and two backpacks down to act on any danger, so they'd have to take over for the time being. "Tell me if you two spot anything out of the ordinary."
Jenna opened her eyes and saw Bizzy lying in front of her. She was heavily disoriented and couldn't recall what had happened, and where was Ray? She hoped she hadn't been kidnapped.
Bizzy had been beside her on the carpet for the hour she was out. "Buizel!" he called and sat up upon seeing her eyes, then shortly saw Ray enter from the hall. Since they weren't close to a residential area, they had settled in a corporate workplace in Central Eterna and chose the third floor. Jenna was in an office with a desk, general supplies, and pictures of what appeared to be family members of whoever worked here.
Ray saw that she was awake and went to kneel by her. "You fell unconscious earlier, but I got us to a safe place. How do you feel?" He had been tending to Crystal, meanwhile. She'd overused her abilities and had a major headache as a result, but he was able to find her water and comfort her until she fell asleep. She was in the next room over.
Jenna lifted her head and realized it was on a pillow, then glanced at her rifle and backpack beside it.
"I was able to find that for you… and this is from my bag." Ray pulled a small unopened bottle of water from his back pocket and set it beside her. "I'm assuming you don't have an appetite, but remember you have water."
She still felt lightheaded and held her temple, shutting her eyes. That's when she realized the gauze wasn't there. Jenna opened them and studied her wound. The swelling hadn't gone down, and upon her mind focusing on it, a dull, warm throbbing pain hit her. "Ugh..."
"It's bad, I know. I think it might be infected. That has to be watched and treated constantly." Unfortunately, they had no antibiotics or painkillers to aid, nor did the base. "Is there anywhere else you're hurt severely?"
Jenna didn't want to talk if she didn't have to, and it would hurt to move. She tapped her lower back and hips. She could manage but felt bothersome pain while walking or turning her body.
"Could I check?" Ray wanted to try and rule things out. If Jenna couldn't continue, he would suggest returning to the base until she got better. That would be the last resort, though, because it had to be the last thing she wanted to hear.
She nodded. Jenna trusted him. He could easily have taken advantage of her or tried to after she passed out if Bizzy was able to stop it.
Bizzy watched, just as worried for his owner. He was glad Ray was genuine and that he was trying to help. If Jenna had gone alone and taken Bizzy, they'd still be out on the road right now, and there was only so much he could do.
Ray lifted her shirt and saw mild bruising in several areas on her back and side. He then slightly pulled her pants down and studied the same on her hip and tailbone. He pulled them back up and lowered her shirt. Maybe it was time for that suggestion. "Jenna... you aren't fit to be out here." How would they get to Canalave when she was barely functioning?
"What does it matter?" She sat up slightly, groaning to herself as pain swelled in her back but cutting it short. "You know I don't have shit left, and the base can't help. I'll just be hooked up to fluids and checked on until I'm paralyzed." Jenna inhaled. "If I die there, Bizzy will have to stay alone until it falls." And exhaled, feeling slightly tired just by talking.
Ray sighed, standing. She wasn't wrong. He would never want to leave Crystal alone either. "...I'll get you and Bizzy to Canalave."
He went to look out the office's window. The sun was at its peak, signifying afternoon. Jenna wouldn't be capable of walking long distances, and they'd progress significantly slower due to her fast decline.
Ray looked at the entrance and saw Crystal sitting in the doorway, appearing just as beat. He went and crouched before her, placing a hand on her back. "You feeling better, sweetheart?"
Crystal nodded. Her headache lingered but had faded for the most part. She surely wouldn't be able to scan for a while, and hopefully, that wouldn't hurt the group too much.
Ray turned to Jenna. "I think you should rest. Maybe we can pick up tomorrow."
"…I'll feel worse. The closer we get to Canalave, the better. It's getting more dangerous by the day." She could walk on her own, but it was only a matter of time before she fell too ill.
"Hm…" This was difficult. They'd be without scans for a while, and he would have to look after Jenna, all while hoping they weren't attacked by infected that were growing in numbers.
However. She was right. Making as much progress as possible while Jenna was still able to carry herself was crucial. "Alright… Let's go then, but if you're starting to feel how you did earlier, you have to say something. Nothing is worth you passing out again. We were lucky to be in a good spot this time."
"Deal." Jenna stood slowly and took a moment to find her balance. She had to get to genuine safety with Bizzy as soon as possible. They were only a forest and a town away.
Ray exited the office with Crystal and got his backpack from the room. He'd wait for Jenna by the stairs. "Let me know if you need carrying, Crystal. You did a lot today."
She nodded but didn't want to occupy his arms. Plus, Crystal wasn't fond of being held all of the time. She was free and more useful on her paws.
Jenna leaned down and picked up the water bottle, taking a few sips and giving some to Bizzy before putting it in her pouch.
She then put on her backpack and grabbed her rifle, resting its strap over her shoulder. "Biz, since me and Crystal aren't at our best, it'll mostly be up to you and Ray to defend for now. Do you remember your attacks?" They'd last gone over them some weeks ago.
"Zel." He nodded. Bizzy still had a strong hydro pump. He felt nervous about holding more responsibility, but the urge to protect Jenna took place. He would try his best.
"Just keep it up. We'll be out before you know it." Jenna walked out with him and met Ray and Crystal at the top of the stairs.
They went down two flights, and Ray didn't have to help Jenna since there was a railing she held onto, but he'd walked in front of her in case she lost balance and slipped.
He never thought he would be leading anything this major in his life, but he was capable, confident enough, and the only one capable of doing so here. Everything would fall apart if he didn't.
He reached the exit first and held the door for everyone. "Next is Eterna Forest. It'll be a long walk, dark and unsettling, but not like that cave, at least."
"And after is bliss, a town full of flowers that hopefully aren't dead." Jenna put even more effort into her breaths after those stairs while walking beside him as they went through the city, but that was only due to him matching her pace.
"I'm hoping nothing dead is there for our sake."
And all fell silent after that, but Ray wanted to get to know Jenna somewhat. The journey didn't have to be wholly depressing, and the walk would be less awkward and tense. "Hobbies?"
She looked at him. "What?"
He shrugged. "You know… before the pandemic. What'd you do?"
"Oh." She glanced down. She usually didn't enjoy looking back but didn't want to be too distant toward Ray, either. "I was looking for my first job at the time, but I spent more of my time running around this city with friends and pursuing instruments. I wanted a career in that." Jenna looked around at the surrounding buildings, some she recognized as shops and restaurants she frequented.
"You lived here?"
"I did. My brother and I left when things got bad weeks into the pandemic. The city is the worst place to be for it. We were in central, and it all happened so fast... too fast to properly initiate that strict regional lockdown routine that officials were planning a week before.
There was barely anything on the store shelves because all imports had stopped and prices were unbelievably high. It wasn't long before people started stealing in mass and murdering each other over-inflated cookies. No one was listening, and people were going insane to survive something we hadn't had to in several generations. Fortunately, we had food and water and could stay at home with boarded windows, but not for long since we weren't prepared enough."
That's why Ray was glad not to have lived in a major city when things went awry. He remembered authority scrambling for any control they could grasp. "And what'd you leave behind?"
"Friends, parents, my two other pokémon. Most of them got the virus." Except for Jenna, her brother, and Bizzy, miraculously. Possibly because their parents made them stay in their rooms most of the time after the virus started to spread, and Bizzy had rarely left Jenna's room.
Her parents went out twice to see what they could find and didn't want to send Jenna because they felt she'd be an easy target. They left Chris behind to protect her. "So my brother and I had to get out of Eterna, which our parents understood, and he had this crazy unrealistic idea to build the base that he said he had to act on immediately. He wanted to keep me safe in general or if anything were to happen to him. It worked, but it all really messed me up."
"I know. I admire your strength." She'd been through more than enough. Ray wanted her to have some of what she had back, even if it may never feel the same.
Little did he know, she had none. Jenna felt beyond miserable and nothing like the independent woman she wanted to be. It just wasn't in her, which she'd come to terms with, sadly. "You?"
"I lived in Sandgem and worked at a Mart in Canalave, and I spent most of my free time with Crystal. Then the virus hit. My mother made me leave home with her shortly after she fell ill so we could have a chance. She was dead serious... pleading with eyes I'd never seen, or else I would definitely have stayed against her word."
"Dad?" Jenna noticed he only said mother. She didn't know why curiosity pressed there.
"Eh, complicated," Ray grinned. "He had to travel often for business, so he wasn't home that often. He was in Kalos when the virus hit Sinnoh and kept in touch from afar, sending money when he could to support us since my mother lost her job and trying to get a ferry back, but that was close to impossible at the time. Her manager and many employees had passed from the rapids. When she got sick, I told him, and he distanced gradually, contacting less and less until it stopped."
His father was lucky to have avoided this, but cutting contact with his family wasn't the right way to go about it in her opinion. Maybe he didn't want to follow them all dying. She pulled her bag up. "That's fucked up... Sorry about that."
Meanwhile, Crystal was observing Bizzy's overly alert behavior. "Es?" He was looking everywhere, almost frantically.
He broke it upon hearing Crystal and looked at her. "Bui." He was fine. Bizzy was just watching their surroundings after what Jenna told him.
He didn't need to so constantly, though. "Espi pi." She tried putting him at ease by telling him she could detect danger up to a mile away, give or take. The stress wasn't necessary.
Bizzy nodded. The fact helped, but he'd still try to do more. He wanted to break his timid nature and help defend his owner and group. He just had to find a middle ground and how to do so.
"So, you had an absol and buneary too?" Ray asked.
"And I was gonna catch more, believe it or not. The only reason I was so keen on collecting was that I was in a phase where I wanted to be a pokémon trainer. I was seeking desperately at one point. A few live League battles my parents took me to and professional trainers I saw on TV influenced me."
"For real? Whole party of six?"
"Yes," she giggled a little. "I would have ended up lost and overwhelmed with too many pokémon, if anything, but no one was stopping me at the time."
Ray was busy trying to rid of the smile he wore due to hearing Jenna giggle. It was the first he'd heard from her, and it was heartwarming. "Well, I'm glad Bizzy is still with you. It's too important to have something to hold onto during times like this."
Jenna looked down at him. "I am too. He's been a huge help."
They dragged through Eterna City for the past several hours with breaks, although chatting lightened the journey, and were finally coming up on the forest's entrance. Fortunately, Jenna had been able to walk the entire way, and the group had yet to run into trouble.
Ray saw the dark entrance and trees ahead, sighing. That was the last place he wanted to venture with an injured Jenna and impaired Crystal. "If Floaroma is safe, we'll stop there for the night." Not only would he need a proper break to reset after this, but it'd be late afternoon by the time they'd reach town, meaning evening wouldn't be far off. It'd be wise to settle temporarily.
"Sounds good." Jenna also needed to rest properly after the progress they made today. She entered behind Ray and held her rifle.
The only decent aspect she took from this was that it was a break from the sun after trudging under it for so long. She wiped the sweat from her head and cheeks.
"Walk ahead by Jenna, Crystal." He made sure both pokémon were present. Upon looking around, he saw strips of sunlight slip through gaps in thick greenery where it could through the cold, dark forest. Ray had been here a couple of times with Crystal since they enjoyed everything about nature, so he more or less remembered the path to the exit and would as they went.
Crystal felt blind without being able to scan, but she was afraid to injure herself in the process. This time, the effects could be more severe, and her gem only recently began regaining its color. However, she still had enough in her to psybeam an attacker.
Crystal kept a sharp eye on their eerily silent surroundings and focused on potential changes in the cold, thick, and moist air, shivering against the occasional breeze and walking beside Jenna. At least the air was fresh and smelled of greenery, and although it was dark, she could still see, unlike that stuffy cave.
Bizzy fought the feeling but was terrified. After the cave incident, he didn't know what to expect, but he wouldn't be a coward. He kept by Jenna and Crystal, watching tall grass sway against light breezes and glancing continuously at thick rows of trees and bushes. Bizzy shortly noticed Crystal look around frequently with her tail raised, which he watched with concern. Had she seen something? She told him she could detect danger that was far away earlier.
The exit was roughly ten minutes off, and the walk was going well until they heard rustling in nearby grass. They froze, and Ray and Jenna trained their rifles in the general area of the noise while Crystal watched and continued feeling for movement.
Bizzy looked as well, but he stepped back without noticing. He could only take so much without fear taking control. He wasn't used to this at all and definitely wasn't equipped mentally. He didn't know what to expect in perilous situations like this.
Ray glanced at the dirt path they were currently walking with a few sharp turns and back at the grass. He heard more rustling, then saw a creature emerge. It was a houndoom. What told it apart from your everyday wild pokémon was its blank white eyes and saliva oozing from its half-broken jaw, displaying its tongue and razor-sharp teeth, striking horror into all four of them. "W-We can't stop like this. Move but keep your eyes on it, and only shoot if it tries to attack."
Jenna went ahead, watching the houndoom and keeping her breaths steady. She didn't want to leave it alive while it was behind them, but shooting it would only make matters worse, considering more infected would rush them from all over, and in a forest full of trees and bushes, they would be at a massive disadvantage.
It never moved. It stood in the grass and stared at the group.
Jenna would've thought it would be more hostile, or maybe it was planning and waiting for the right moment. Just how smart was this virus?
Meanwhile, Crystal could no longer take being useless. Her fur would detect if that houndoom took even a step toward them, but she had to scan the area, so she did, slowing her pace momentarily and shutting her eyes while her gem glowed.
She winced from the headache resulting, but it was bearable and more than worth it. Crystal felt multiple deep red auras that were too close for comfort upon marking their surroundings, leading her to believe the hostiles were working to surround them from within vegetation. The idle houndoom had to be a distraction. She flattened her ears, her eyes wide. "E-Es... Espe!"
Ray stopped and looked back at her, and just as he did, he was tackled by another houndoom that pounced from bushes nearby. "Ugh! Wh–" Ray landed on his back while the infected pokémon snarled and snapped at his face. However, the rifle was in its way, so its teeth were all over it. "Nh. Gh!" Ray pushed his gun out and turned his cheek at the houndoom's foul breath and saliva hitting his face.
He was losing the fight already, his arms trembling and the houndoom gnashing and biting closer and closer to his face.
Jenna first started reaching back for her sword but reversed and pointed her rifle at the houndoom's head, shutting her eye. "No choice…" She aligned her shot well enough before pulling the trigger, and the gunshot's crackle echoed throughout the forest, sparking dead silence after it faded.
Ray pushed the houndoom off of him after it fell limp on his chest and stood, wiping his face with his sleeve and taking a deep breath. He took a second to gather himself and catch his breath. "Anything in the forest is gonna come running. Let's do the same." He picked up Crystal, assuming she was disoriented from that scan, and jogged at a pace Jenna could keep up with. It slipped his mind to keep her ahead as he had been.
Jenna did the same, holding Bizzy and making ground as fast as her injuries would allow. She was hurting now and would be hurting more later but would rather not end up torn to shreds by a pack of vicious houndoom. She cursed herself for not using her sword back there, but that would have been a gamble with the extra few seconds it may have required.
Bizzy had his paws over Jenna's arm and held on for his life since she only had him in one, his lower half dangling. There were two more houndoom gaining on them from behind that must have come from the shadows, and no one was outrunning eight legs. "Buiz!" he warned as they closed in. A hydro pump now may throw off her balance, so he refrained, though everything in him wanted to prevent a nasty result.
Ray glanced back and saw them, skidding to an abrupt stop. "Jenna, b-behind you!" He dropped Crystal, who landed on her paws, and raised his rifle while running toward her. Ray had stayed close, but he couldn't shoot unless Jenna was out of the way.
Jenna, practically wheezing from exhaustion, turned her head in time to see one of the houndoom lunge and bite her right ankle, sinking its teeth into her skin and forcing a screech out of her. She fell forward and held Bizzy in front of her before hitting the ground, letting him go.
Her rifle's magazine jabbed and dug into her stomach upon landing, causing her to huff and dilate her eyes as it knocked the wind out of her." Uhf! Oh sh-shit... hhhg," she wheezed, coughing and bunching cold, moist dirt oozing in her hand while grabbing at the ground. Jenna propped herself on her knees slightly and hugged her stomach with her arm as an intense, piercing pain radiated overwhelming enough that she wanted to scream louder than she could and pass on the spot.
The houndoom hadn't let go, meanwhile. It tore her skin with its teeth while pulling her ankle and growling.
"Ahg, o-ownh. Get off, g-get off!" Jenna whined and turned onto her side, kicking its face multiple times to no avail. If anything, it made the pokémon bite harder and forced an awful, piercing screech out of her that echoed.
She heard several gunshots and saw it fall limp, then saw a blinding light that made her wince burn a hole through the other houndoom's chest that had run at Crystal. Jenna lay back, her breaths shaky. "F-Fckk," she cried. Her ankle felt as if it were on fire, and the sharp pain in her stomach made it more than difficult to breathe.
Ray lowered the gun and pushed the dead pokémon off Jenna with its barrel. He'd despised hearing her scream like that. It made him feel queasy and that he'd failed. "Crystal, keep watch." He crouched by Jenna and pulled her pants leg up, studying the wound. The punctures were deep and gushed with blood, but it didn't seem severe enough for Jenna to bleed out too quickly. Ray would have to carry her again. "Try to stay conscious. We'll treat you as soon as we're in Floaroma."
Bizzy stared at the ordeal, watching Ray leave her backpack and pick her up. He was beyond disappointed he hadn't yet been useful even after Jenna told him he'd have to be. He could have possibly stopped or slowed that houndoom from injuring Jenna with a weakened hydro pump and didn't even try when he knew the outcome would be horrid. She was in so much pain, and it made him tear up.
"Bizzy!"
He snapped out of his daze.
"You have to keep up," Ray said. "Watch and feel for movement, Crystal. Don't scan anymore."
"Es." She would. Crystal followed Ray while staying in proximity to Bizzy. She had to disobey and scan again in this situation. One more time couldn't disable her.
She slowed to a quick walk and focused, sensing more red movement in the area. She shuddered from the head pain worsening with each use of her ability and nearly stumbled over her paws. Her gem was as dim as it had been hours ago, so Crystal couldn't risk another one.
Jenna hugged Ray's neck, hiding her face in his chest and breathing through a slew of tears. She'd rather have passed out. Too much agonizing pain was present, and she could puke from the overwhelming stress it put on her body.
Ray turned a right around a wall of trees and peered ahead. He saw another turn a mile away, and the exit wasn't far after that. He was walking as fast as he could.
Crystal often felt abrupt shifts in the air, her eyes darting in every direction while trying to pinpoint their next attacker. It didn't help that she was in a daze from draining herself. They had to move quicker, or else they'd soon be fighting off more than they could handle. She trotted and nudged Ray's leg.
He looked down and knew what was happening due to her behavior. Ray heard more rustling in the distance and pulled Jenna up, firming his hold and preparing to move a lot faster.
It seemed the closer they got to Canalave, the more danger presented itself.