Chapter 93: The trailers of the battle Part 2
Before Chapter 93 I would like to thank Sonicdude8 for favouriting this fanfic, as well as Domea for following it.
I am still in the trailer now, driving as fast as possible while doing my best to steer into the other trailer, and I feel like time has slowed down due to how tense the situation is and how stressed I'm currently feeling, as I try so hard to ram into her truck so that she cannot escape, while she's trying just as hard to avoid any collision.
It's as if we're at equal ability, almost like it's a 50/50 probability as to will I hit her or will she get away? It's really hard to tell as the distance between both of our trailers reduces at such a rate. Or is it a 50/50 chance, as I suddenly get the feeling that I have an advantage over her. I realise now that the reason for the slowed time is because of one of my special abilities, probably from being what Noire once called a gamer.
I must have managed to slow down time without thinking about it, which I can remember being able to do in the Need For Speed games when evading cops. It's a very useful ability for if you want to avoid a collision by an incoming rhino vehicle, though in my case right now rather than avoiding a collision, I wish to cause a collision at the right area. Hopefully if this ability lasts long enough, I can crash into her trailer and then jump from my trailer to hers, without her avoiding any collision and being able to get away.
It's a pity this ability only works when I'm driving a vehicle and only for a limited time and even then this ability needs to be charged up before it works again. I guess I can only do it with these constraints, because that's what I've encountered in video games before coming here. In any case this is just what I need as while we're both driving at the same speed, I'm able to steer quicker than her. I just hope I've got it right as I've tried to steer my trailer in the appropriate direction, so that it will hit at the right place when the collision happens.
It appears that I've used up my ability for now, as I no longer feel as though time has slowed down, but at least it doesn't last long before I finally crash into the enemies trailer and what's more, I've managed to crash into the side of the trailer exactly at the place I wanted to hit, the place being the bonnet at the front of the vehicle. Because of the physics of this world, I am not harmed from the impact whatsoever, but the bonnet of my trailer and that of hers (at least where I've struck), is badly damaged with the metal being pushed in and bent out of shape, as well as the roof of the bonnet being folded.
Though I'm pleased that it was an outcome in my favour, and I guess I owe it to the ability of slowing down time so I can steer into it exactly where I wanted, as well as luck in ensuring where to strike taking into consideration the amount I turn in the appropriate direction, as well as the location that the trailer will reach when I strike it, I know I cannot celebrate yet as unless I can press home the advantage, my hard work and use of the ability will mean nothing as she'll just drive off with the supplies, resulting in a chain of events that will soon mean that Gameindustri will fall into tyranny and chaos.
I cannot allow this to happen, especially with how she can just drive or reverse off even if it'll take a bit of manoeuvring before she can drive off. I therefore try to keep pressing the accelerator pedal down for as long as I can, so that hopefully I can at least slow her down and that I can then buy some time with regards getting in the same trailer as her, and hopefully I can then stop her. But even so I get the feeling that she will not give up so easily.
As I keep my foot down, I grab the rifle and place the butt of the rifle on to the accelerator as well as to lean it so that it stays there. After which I carefully climb up onto the bonnet from inside the trailer before I get up, and quickly leap just before she manages to reverse away from my own trailer. That's a relief as any second later and she would have definitely managed to get away, but even if I have successfully boarded her trailer, the big fight between us for the fate of the planet is to begin right now.
I can tell that with me on the bonnet of the trailer she intends to ram into something, in hopes of knocking me off so that she can get away, and so I therefore quickly climb inside the trailer as best as I could, despite her shooting at me while driving as recklessly as she can, with the intention of me falling off.
Fortunately this does not happen, but she does however notice this and rather than trying to get out and board another trailer, perhaps because she fears I'm faster than her which thanks to the perk a colas is certainly true, she attempts to drive off and with her doing this, I quickly realise that I don't have much time to stop her. Not only this but I become worried that perhaps I won't succeed in my mission, as I won't have enough time to stop her due to the short distance, the massive health she has, not to mention the soldiers who'll be escorting her when they see her. Even so however, I cannot and refuse to give in.
She drives faster and faster and even though we're both shooting at each other and I know that in a straight up shoot out she would eventually die, with this method the supplies will be delivered and I'll be dead meat for sure due to the surrounding enemies that will no doubt be at Viridian City. I need to find a way to stop her from driving this trailer, or at least to slow her down and soon, as I'm sure we'll be driving past enemies who will no doubt have vehicles of their own.
It is then I come up with an idea to hinder her driving and it is then I throw a knife at her right leg, the very leg which she uses to drive the trailer. The knife then hits her leg with such force, that she moves it away from the pedal and the truck slowly slows down. I just know that she intends to pull the knife out as quickly as possible, and so before she manages to do so, I quickly pull her head towards me only for me to coil my legs around her neck, in hopes that I'd be able to choke her to death.
As I do my best to apply as much pressure as I can, while listening to her choke and struggle as well as to see if there are any enemies to assist her, I can't help but feel worried even if I have the upper hand right now. I'm worried because I feel that this upper hand will be very brief, and I only hope that the knife can stay in for just long enough, so it'll be harder for her to drive.
If only I could just shoot her while I have her completely pinned, but alas I need the ammo to hold off any grunts that are in the area, who would dare enter the trailer itself. I hope it's only grunts that will attempt to board, because I somehow get the feeling that there are bosses as well, and it'll be a nightmare to deal with them, especially with how sometimes they can come in groups and have plenty of health.
Suddenly I then see one of the enemy grunts open the door on the side of the driver's seat, but before he can do anything else however, I shoot him down with just a few bullets from my Type 100 while being careful to conserve my ammunition. Another grunt comes in, this time with a rifle but I shoot him down as well. As if on cue I then see a couple of grunts shooting at me, one with a rifle and the other with a pistol, and so before they can shoot me enough times, I kill them both. However this distraction gives time for a grunt to open the door on the passenger side of the trailer, whom I shoot down as quickly as possible. A couple more grunts then try to shoot me from there as well, one armed with a rifle and the other a pistol but they too get shot down by my Type 100.
Although I've manged to defeat them with minimum difficulty they're merely grunts, and this unfortunately did buy her some time in getting the knife out of her thigh which already has blood pouring out of her wound, and now she stabs it in my left leg, forcing me to let go of her as I scream in pain. This is the last thing I need, as even if her leg hurts her far too much to drive with it, she can still use her other leg to drive and get to her destination, which I need to prevent from happening at all costs.
At least it shouldn't be as difficult for me to get the knife out of my painful leg, as it was for her to do the same thing, though she is shooting at me while she's driving and I am shooting at her back in return, in hopes of wounding her significantly enough so it starts to take a toll on her. I soon manage to pull the knife out of my leg which is bleeding quite a bit, but not before being shot at by an enemy grunt with a Type 99, which is mounted on a jeep whose engine produces a distinctive sound.
I shoot him down quickly but already all of the damage I have taken so far is starting to take its toll on me, as plenty of parts of my body ache rather badly and I know my health to be almost a quarter. This is not looking good for me as all of the grunt's attacks will eventually add up to me dying, and there's going to be more and more of them the further we go down this road. It makes me wonder how much more distance there is until we reach Viridian City, its best not to think about that right now but I need to do something drastic.
I therefore throw my knife at her other leg which like before pushes her leg off and slows the trailer down. Unlike last time where I strangle her and pull her away from the wheel and pedals, this time I steer the wheel in hopes that I can get it to crash into something, or at least make it so that due to the size and position of the trailer, it will be difficult for her to move the trailer again. Although I manage to do so, by this time she has successfully pulled the knife out despite the amount of pain that she was in, judging from her body language, the amount of blood on her legs and chest, and her screams of agony.
Not only this but she quickly stabs my chest with one hand while trying to steer, and use her right leg and other hand to navigate the trailer so it's no longer stuck, despite how much her leg hurts her from the knife. At least she only has one hand on the knife making it easier for me to get out this situation. While she squeezes the knife as hard as she can so it stays in my chest, I then squeeze her hand with both of my hands as well as to pull it out which thanks to my two hands against her one is working quite a bit.
I then manage to pull the blade out of my chest that's covered in my blood, but not before suffering with agonising pain as well as seeing enemies from each side from the open doors, as well as even a few from the front window of the trailer, in which the glass has already been destroyed. I am successful in shooting the enemies without so much as getting shot by any of them, but this is no easy feat as I have to do this one handed while conserving ammo, and at the same time using my other hand to keep the blade away from my chest.
The thing is just as I have finished shooting the small groups of enemies that come from the driver's side, the passenger side and the bonnet, she's already attempting to drive off even though it clearly hurts her to do so, while trying so hard to keep hold of that knife in her hand.
Knowing that she may end up winning this fight for Gameindustri, I still continue to fight to the death and so I decide to attempt to prevent her from driving the trailer again, though this time I pull her with her arm away from the driving seat, only for me to then coil my legs around her neck before strangling it, while trying so hard to keep her hand with the knife in it away from my chest, and using my pistol to shoot at any enemies who dare to try and attack me, as my Type 100 is out of bullets, and it's impractical for me to reload it right now.
Even if I have 2 pistols worth of ammunition, I need to preserve them and only fire if I know I'll kill the enemy by firing at them. It really starts to get to me that I have got to watch a lot of places so that I don't get hurt or worse, end up failing this crucial part as there are the two doors on opposite sides, the bonnet, and the enemy boss herself who I can hear choking and struggling to breathe, even if it does little to stop her from carrying on. I just hope that the enemy does not distract me from keeping her pinned, and making sure that she doesn't do anything to get out my submission hold. I also hope that even at this section of the route there are no alerted bosses as this thought does worry me a lot, it worries me even more as we get closer and closer to her destination.
Just as I expected, more enemies come by though there seems to be a few more of them this time, and unfortunately I get shot at a few times by them. They come from different places one after another, and it isn't easy for me to keep them at bay. Worse still is that this is ending up being the distraction that she needed, to get the knife from her hand which holds it into her other hand and by the time I find out that she did this, she then stabs me in the leg, forcing me to let go and forcing my body to start showing signs of wanting to give in.
Oh no not this again, it means that she'll eventually reach Viridian City with the rate we're going, it's hard to tell as although I've managed to stop the trailer a few times, at best I've only managed to turn it around and have never been able to reverse it or drive it in the opposite direction due to having to deal with this troublesome enemy. What makes this worse is how she appears to be in a better shape than me and have more health as well.
As I quickly remove the knife from my leg which now has even more blood on it as quickly as possible, I look around to see that there are about a few jeeps escorting the trailer and shooting at me, forcing me to hide in the trailer as best as I could given the circumstances. I really start to feel that it is a battle of attrition between myself and her, as she's still going even though both of her legs which are completely covered in her blood hurt her very much from being stabbed, hoping that she can make it to Viridian City as she heads closer and closer to the destination, and the number of escorts start to increase.
I need to try again to stop the trailer, and keep trying until I either succeed or die trying. It is then I quickly realise something, that at times when she was driving, she has to turn right or left and in fact the route isn't just a simple straight line. I then come up with a new strategy and rather than to simply throw my knife at her leg like last time, I decide to throw it at her arm but the other moves I'll do will be the same as before. I just hope that I'll be able to hit her arm as it's a smaller target and it's constantly moving due to having to steer a fair amount on these roads.
I then throw the knife at her left arm with my left hand, only for me to then grab her injured arm with the blade inside, causing more of her blood to spill out and to pull her away from the driving seat, while I shoot at her with my Type 100 after having quickly reloading it as soon as I've pulled the knife out. My gut tells me that this is my last chance as I do get the feeling that Viridian City is not far away. Even though I just remembered how there is a small allied force at the border between Viridian City and Viridian Forest, they're probably wiped out after having been spotted by enemy patrols and have already engaged in a long skirmish.
Hopefully this time she won't be able to get out of this one as I use my legs to choke her once again, since this time the knife is in her arm which is close to me, and I like to think it'll be more difficult for her to get out this position. Yes indeed it is hopefully, as now it's just a short straight drive between here and Viridian City, and already I see a few dozen of enemy troops approaching our location, at least it isn't bosses but I get the feeling that they are closer than I think.
If only I was able to reverse back, but I guess I'll just have to deal with the enemies when they come. I like to think they won't shoot at me too many times but even then I doubt it. There is also the matter of her being able to use her other hand to free the one I've got trapped when I'm distracted, I guess I'll just have to wait for that to happen and to plan accordingly.
I keep my eyes open, waiting for the enemies to come as well as for my captive to try and use her other hand to free her trapped one, but nothing seems to happen at least for a short while before one by one, the enemy pops out from either door or the bonnet at different times and in different orders. They must be deliberately unpredictable in hopes of distracting me, and hopes of getting a shot at me before they die by me.
I must say this isn't ideal as I need both of my hands to reload my gun, and I only have one hand meaning I only have my pistol to use, and even if I manage to maintain 100% accuracy will I still have enough bullets to wipe out all of these grunts?
After shooting at a couple of rifle users who try to enter the trailer, I then see her trying to grab my left hand with her right hand while I was distracted. I notice this however and so in response, I grab her right arm squeezing it as tightly as possible before I then as quickly as I could, pull the knife out of her arm and into her other one with my left hand, only for me to then grab her left arm with my left hand before she can try and pull the blade out, before grabbing it with my right hand and then pulling it away. After which, I then keep her arm restrained with my left hand after reloading my guns, while trapping her left hand with my left arm.
I then shoot at her again with my Type 100 which causes her to scream loudly in serious agony, even though she's screamed quite a bit before whenever the blade is inside a part of her weakened body, which is now covered in her blood. If I can just keep her pinned down and hold of the enemies for just a short while longer, I might able to kill her and finally be able to take the supply trailer back to our base.
With this thought though, it then dawns upon me that is the base still standing considering how there was still plenty of enemies there, in contrast to there not being that many allies? I guess all I can do is to continue in my mission to prevent the trailer from falling into enemy hands, but with the amount of enemies that are sure to come soon I'm not sure. I somehow feel that each second is crucial, as I intend to do my best to hold off enemy after enemy.
Once again, enemies pop up in different locations though at least I don't get shot and I manage to spot them first, although this tactic like last time results in me being distracted, as I notice that the knife is no longer in the bosses' right arm, but in her right hand. What makes this worse is that it's too late for me to do anything as she then stabs the knife into my right leg, forcing me to let go as I need to get the knife out of me and back into her, if I am to stand a chance.
I can tell that she's ever so exhausted from this, due to the injuries she has sustained as well as her body language telling me this, but she still gets up and drives on even if her legs and arms are killing her. This isn't good, especially with how in front of me I see what must be the checkpoint indicating the border between Viridian City and Viridian Forest.
The checkpoint consists of what looks like a complex consisting of a dozen buildings which are probably for supplies, communications and quarters for the troops, as well as numerous towers and a petrol station. All of this appears to be under one gigantic tall roof, I guess as a landmark to show that this is the checkpoint. I wouldn't be surprised at all if there are more than one in this province, and this does remind me of the buildings the player has to go through to get from a main city to a route, such as Viridian City to Viridian Forest.
What concerns me even more is how well defended this place is as it consists of about a dozen machine gun nests, snipers in the towers as well as hundreds of troops which includes a dozen bosses, along with about a dozen jeeps. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm in a trailer that's moving, I'd probably be dead by now especially with the lack of health that I have right now. It frightens me to think that if this is what's at the checkpoint, what will be at Viridian City especially with how it is an important location for Team Rocket?
This trailer cannot enter Viridian City, and I realise that it's best to just keep shooting at her, and then to take control of the trailer and to get out of here before more enemies show up. But before I can do so, I then see a few grunts including a boss with a Type 99 standing on the bonnet. This is just what I need; I'm never going to prevent the trailer from arriving at Viridian City at this rate. I suppose it was inevitable for me to encounter a boss from the route, but I still would have liked to have not had to face one, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had a good amount of health. No I must stop thinking like this, I will make sure that Team Rocket does not get their hands on these supplies even with the trio's help, or I'll die trying.
I shoot the grunts quickly before shooting at the boss, although unfortunately he is shooting at me in return, doing quite a bit of damage which is very hard for my own body to take, and this in turn motivates me to quit even though I do my best to ignore this. At least thanks to the perk a colas, I eventually manage to shoot him down which is a huge relief, though by this time we have passed the checkpoint and now we'll reach Viridian City in a matter of seconds, where it'll be crawling with who knows how many grunts, a fair amount of bosses, snipers, gunners along with jeeps, not to mention there'll probably be fortified buildings ready to attack this trailer the moment they see it.
I'm in no fit state to take them all on, and my body calls doing that to be insanity, in fact I'd need a decent sized force of my own if I am to stand a chance against them. I guess all I can do is to just try and kill the enemy boss who's in control of this trailer, despite her not being in the best shape to drive this vehicle. As I shoot at her I then hear the sound of jeeps close behind, who'll probably intend to drive up to this trailer before trying to take me down. I hope that doesn't happen as a few good shots from them and I'll be dead.
After constantly firing my weapon and constantly shooting at her, she then stops driving the trailer before screaming in agonising pain for a long while quite loudly. Her body language screams in pain as well, and her wounds and blood speaks louder than words. Eventually she collapses and ends up falling out of the trailer, as it must have been far too much for her, and her body can take no more of it.
Despite the clear signs and the fact that she's fallen and is no more, I get the feeling that I haven't actually killed her. As a matter of fact I almost feel like I'm some sort of griffin fighting a large chicken for a long time, doing a lot of damage and though I've done the final blow and the chicken has fallen, and has suffered damage that should kill it and is lying on the floor, it's eye opens a bit indicating life and the desire for revenge.
I get the feeling that I may encounter her again in Lowee, I just hope that next time I'll be in a better shape to fight her and I'll have an edge, though I have a sneaky feeling that it may not be the case and it might even last longer than this fight. I soon notice that although she has been defeated, I'm not out of the woods yet excuse the pun, as now I'm in Viridian City and I need to get out of here which I'm sure will be very, very, tough and the sight of this place worries me and concerns me even more than before.
Viridian City is the biggest area I've seen in Lowee consisting of lots of barbed wire surrounding the area, as well as lots of towers consisting of snipers and machine gun nests. Just as I expected and feared the place has thousands of grunts, a couple of dozen bosses and about a few dozen jeeps, armed with mounted machine guns.
There are even about a dozen trucks as well. All of this fire power to protect relatively few buildings consisting of a couple of houses, a couple of supply depos as well as one gigantic heavily fortified building, which must be their headquarters and must be where the brain washing is being developed, and no doubt that will be the place where the missile will be assembled and launched. Interestingly enough if it wasn't for all of the military personnel here, it looks a lot like how it was in the Pokémon games.
It makes me wonder that even if we take Viridian Forest, will all the fire power they have at the City, will we be able to capture it? In fact it makes me wonder if we can hold the checkpoint or even ensure the supplies will eventually reach Lastation hands. I'm even wondering when will Viridian Forest finally be under our control, especially with the amount of troops Team Rocket seems to have in the area in contrast to our troops. I can't help but feel worried about how my allies are doing in the checkpoint, I hope they're ok especially with the amount of enemies they have to fight and this does not include the surrounding areas.
But I need to focus on the situation right now and just get through this, because if I can then I can help those at the checkpoint, and perhaps finally we will have then taken the first steps towards victory in Lowee. Although I am surrounded by plenty of enemies and the odds look to be impossible in getting out alive, I can only do my best and use the best tactics even if my body now desires for me to quit, as well as my fears and concerns. In any case I've been through this much; I cannot give up now especially not after finally taking control of the truck, and defeating that boss who must have been my most difficult opponent to beat yet.
And so while I think of these various thoughts, I quickly get into the driving seat and start driving, hoping that my knowledge of Viridian City from the Pokémon games will serve me well in navigating this place, hoping that the trailer will protect me enough so that the enemy doesn't shoot me, and hoping that I won't have many pursuers or at least be able to lose them, when I get back into the forest. I also hope that there won't be any bosses boarding my trailer because if they do, then I'm sure to die as they just have far too much health for me to take on right now.
I guess all I can do is my best as it has gotten me this far. With this amount of enemy fire power, it makes me wonder if I can get out of this in one piece let alone eventually take this city, because if I can't even evade capture, then Gameindustri will be forced to say goodbye to eventual peace, prosperity, freedom and justice for all.