Chapter 4- Cry Me a River
The undercurrent pulled on Lynn hard. Her bag was causing her to quickly sink, and she was now tumbling. It was difficult to understand which way was up, and her mind was panicking. The cold water had now become freezing, making her want to gasp for air; her lungs were already exhausted from the long chase, furthering her need for oxygen. The only reason she hadn't wasted her oxygen was because Cheyenne's scout training echoed in her mind.
"Calm yourself. If you panic in the water, you will die faster. To get your swimming patch, you need to remain calm underwater." Cheyenne's swim coach was a brutal woman, but the girl took these lessons to heart.
Cheyenne's body was the only reason Lynn hadn't died. Lynn relied on Cheyenne's memories of swimming and the outdoors to gradually pull herself together. When she laid herself as flat as possible, she figured out which way the current was taking her.
When she got some semblance of direction, she opened her eyes to notice the edges of her vision were darkening fast. Figuring she should swim with the current, she tucked the moon ball into her magnetic belt and did her best to swim. As she paddled, the arm that scabbed while running broke and bled into the river. Lynn thought nothing of it, considering Carvana was a sea fish. That all changed when strobing red lights from the darkness below made their presence known.
Lynn's heart started panicking harder when the strobing lights began disorienting her. They would flash incredibly fast before changing back to slow. Lynn's movements were beginning to slow, and her eyes were rolling back into her head. The process forced Lynn to close her eyes, which is exactly what the fluther of Pokémon wanted. The dizzy feeling from the lights waned after she closed her eyes, so she opened them to a face of poisonous ink. A foreboding sense of death ran up her spine.
This is bad. This is really bad. I thought Pokémon would be cutesy like in the anime. These things are aiming for my life. As those thoughts crossed her mind, Lynn managed to get a decent look at the Pokémon in the ink cloud, Tentacool.
The moment the Tentacool in front of her face saw her eyes, it radiated red light directly into them. At this distance, it was equivalent to getting a laser pointer right in the eye. Lynn was once again forced to close her eyes; they now stung horribly. Noticing this, the Tentacool made a high-pitched squeal, calling for its friends.
Lynn did not know how many Tentacool surrounded her, but there were at least three she sensed from the change in water. She thought she was alright as the Tentacool floated nearby, checking on her. Lynn figured they were checking to see if she was still alive, so she tried to remain incredibly still. The current was still carrying her further. When her bleeding hand twitched slightly, they reacted instantly by constricting her movement.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Cheyenne, is there anything I can do to escape this situation? No memories surfaced in response to Lynn's thoughts. Cheyenne was a normal scout, not a god. So this is it?
The first set of tentacles wrapped around her bleeding hand and shoulder, restricting circulation to her arm. Another set of tentacles wrapped around her legs, making swimming away all but impossible. A third set of tentacles constricted her chest, threatening to crush all the remaining air out of Lynn's body. The only thing saving her from broken bones was her bag, which took the brunt of the damage. Lynn figured she had all the Tentacool she sensed attacking her, but a surprise set of tentacles wrapped around her.
This one was the most dangerous, as it wrapped around the base of her neck. In combination with the one crushing her chest, Lynn could feel the remaining air in her body stick itself between the two sets of tentacles. It was actively burning her throat, and she wanted to scream. The other Tentacool had also tightened their appendages. While it did little to her legs, her arm was now crunching in a slightly unnatural direction.
Lynn was struggling to keep herself conscious by this point. She was looking at the water, pleading for anything to come and save her. Lynn's muscles started becoming rigid; her vision only had a narrow point of view as the brain started to prioritize itself over other organs. Lynn thought the pain couldn't get any worse, but the Tentacool wasn't done.
A small purple light emanated from the tips of the Tentacool's tentacles. Lynn felt a small sense of pins and needles before freezing cold. Her arm could no longer resist the crushing, and her legs stopped moving. The poison in her chest relaxed her muscles, making the constriction tighter. The one in her neck made her head feel cold and drowsy, and one eye had gone dark.
This is it, huh? That was all Lynn could think of in these final moments. As the last of her consciousness and vision faded, she saw a small silver light. Damn, I'm already seeing the light. I guess I better grab it.
Lynn's free arm moved incredibly slowly. The Tentacool tightened the noose around her neck even more when it saw her move her arm. Lynn grasped the light hard, and when her consciousness was gone, her entire body stiffened.
?
Route 205.
"Ah fuck, the fish aren't biting today. Those bastards up north are so stingy with their spot." A frustrated plume of cigarette smoke left the man's mouth.
Fisherman Leroy inhaled deeply on his cigarette before scratching his blue stubble. It had gotten late, yet he stayed there, hoping to get a single bite for the day. He adjusted his orange fisherman's cap to block his bald head from the sun and looked down at his partner.
"Oi Payout, anything you can see down there?" The Chinchou surfaced in a bubble. Its bulbs flickered to adjust to the light from the sun. It looked extremely happy when it shook its head.
Leroy sighed, letting a large amount of cigarette smoke out as he did. "Payout, we have to find something quickly. You know who will come after me if I don't get them something soon. I need to get them off my tail." The middle-aged man spoke, absentmindedly touching the locket dangling around his neck.
When Leroy finished his cigarette, he tossed the butt into the water. Payout's cutesy demeanor changed as its cheeks swelled, launching a small stream of water directly into his face. The cold water and cigarette butt slid down his face.
Leroy grumbled, unamused. "Right, right, I am trying to make a change. I'll put it in my pocket." Leroy grabbed the soggy cigarette butt and put it in one of his fisherman's jacket pockets. Payout giggled, very amused, as it descended into the water.
Leroy went back to staring at the three rods. He tried to imagine them as the slot machines he pulled every day. Right now, they were duds, but he knew he would win big. Chinchou had helped him game the system in Veilstone, and it would help him turn his life around now. Leroy closed his eyes, feeling the energy in the air. He could taste the jackpot; the triple red sevens were calling to him.
Right as the sensation hit, a large pull came from his center rod. Leroy seized the rod and felt the large amount of weight. He was worried about this rod in particular, and the weight only served to worry him more as it went the deepest. The cast was for some higher-level Pokémon or, hopefully, rarer Pokémon.
Leroy contemplated, trying to gauge whether to reel in this pull based on experience. His mind trembled with the thought of it being a triple seven; his mouth was watering just thinking about it. The instinct to let it go was also high, as the weight felt similar to a Whiscash.
Leroy groaned, trying to keep the rod steady as he weighed his options again. "Fuck, even if cash is in the name, it isn't worth much. I don't think Payout could handle a Whiscash either." Leroy began letting go as he finished.
Before he could fully let the line go, Payout surfaced and started paddling in circles. The Chinchou was screaming excitedly to reel it in. The little plus sign eyes looked so happy, and Leroy could feel the stare hit straight into his heart.
Leroy sighed, looking at his partner. "You haven't let me down yet, buddy. As they always say in Veilstone, most gamblers quit before they hit it big!" Leroy got a fierce look as he shouted.
Leroy recalled the feeling of pulling on the slot crank as he pulled on the rod repeatedly to pull the Pokémon up. He was reeling in hard, but the weight was really working against him. Leroy moved further back on the bridge to keep himself steady and to get a good angle. The line was getting reeled in quickly, taking all of Leroy's strength. His muscles bulged, tensing under the pressure, with his veins becoming more apparent.
With one last slot crank— pull from the rod—he shouted, "Jackpot!" The silhouette of what came out made him yell in confusion. "What the fuck?"
A twisted tangle of Tentacool and a person lay on the bridge. The person was twitching frequently, and the group of Tentacool were unamused at the fact they were interrupted. Leroy finally realized what he had just pulled up and gasped. The group of Tentacool locked on to Leroy.
The Tentacool around the girl's legs had its mouth turn a blue hue. A large sticky mass oozed out of the Tentacool and towards Leroy. He backed up to see the globule change from blue to a pitch black. Once it hit the ground, it exploded in a mass of black ink.
Leroy yelled, "Payout quickly. We have to save her!"
In response, Chinchou jumped out of the water and hopped onto the bridge; its lower body became sticky as it landed on the thick sludge of ink. The group of Tentacool locked in on the bigger threat, and a few of their mouths turned a blue hue.
Bubbles poured in like a machine gun with three Tentacools using bubblebeam. Chinchou chirped excitedly as the bubbles acted like its own personal spa bath. Chinchou moved around to clean itself among the bubbles, getting rid of the ink on its underbelly. The Tentacool were shocked that their moves did nothing to the bundle of joy. A couple of them unwound themselves from the girl's body to fight the new threat.
Leroy felt a bit embarrassed by the display and knew what he would have to say as his next command. "Payout, show them how loveable you are."
Payout chirped excitedly again, flopping towards the Tentacool. When it got close, the Tentacool around the girl's neck let go of its hold and tried to attach itself to Payout. The ends of its tentacles turned purple as it tried to grasp Chinchou. The girl's face finally started losing its dark blue shade.
Chinchou assumed this to be a display of happiness and consent from Tentacool. It rolled backwards with the Tentacool as if they were playing. When the Tentacool attached to Payout, the latter hardly noticed. It excitedly hugged the Tentacool with its antennae, rubbing its cheeks into it. The Tentacool stiffened in response, falling off the side of the fish and losing the color in its tentacles.
Chinchou looked a little confused at the Pokémon. Tentacool used this chance to flash its lights in a deceptive display. Payout, who was still looking at the Pokémon, had its vision doubled. Leroy went to reach out in worry to stabilize the confusion, but Chinchou only became more excited. Sighing, he examined the rest of the battlefield.
Leroy looked over at the stiffened Tentacool lying on the bridge. It seems to have a rare move. His thoughts were making the payout sound like a lottery. This might just be what I need. He threw out a net ball, unworried about his confused partner. The blue and black poke ball shook three times before stopping.
Payout seemed to think it had more friends as it waddled over to the girl's body, wanting to double the number of friends. One of the Tentacool was shocked, releasing a thick, cool air that made it difficult to see its body. Leroy noticed another Tentacool seemed to use the light from the sunset to charge something.
"Payout, they don't want your hugs yet. Shock them into submission and show them your love. Be careful, though. Control your power, like when you do when I'm passed out from alcohol." The long command gave time for the Tentacool to react.
The Tentacool that charged energy from the sun had a dazzling display of green and blue lights come from his mouth. Payout began charging electricity; both antenna and cheeks illuminated the bridge and mist in a yellow light. The beam of light from Tentacool crashed at the end of Chinchou's antenna, causing a slight freezing effect. Payout's charge took longer in response, allowing for another Tentacool to charge something.
Leroy couldn't quite make out what the hidden Tentacool was planning as the inside of the mist became a bright white light. Payout's electricity was discharged into the general area. The aurora-beaming Tentacool took the attack the worst, falling onto the bridge and twitching. The one in the mist took the hit and released an opalescent light the moment the attack hit. The light struck Payout in the head, causing a dizzying effect from the damage.
Payout was no longer happy. Excitement turned to anger at the thought that the Tentacool did not want to play. It went through the mist and grabbed the hidden Tentacool with its antenna and face and used it as a conductor for spark. It then threw Tentacool outside the haze, allowing Leroy to see the fainted Pokémon. Leroy was excited as he threw two more net balls. Both balls clicked instantly, which made Leroy joyous.
This could be the jackpot I've been waiting for. This girl is a lucky charm. Leroy looked at the unconscious girl, who was now a normal color. Oh, wait, the girl! Leroy snapped out of his money thoughts and finally ran over to the girl.
In the scuffle, the last Tentacool decided to hide itself between the girl and the bag unbeknownst to Leroy and Payout who hadn't checked how many Tentacool were around originally. Leroy went to check on the girl's condition. He put two fingers on the girl's neck and realized he felt nothing.
"Oh fuck, oh fuck. Don't die on me yet, girl. I can't afford the time and money it would cost if you died." Leroy was still worried about the money.
The man started doing chest compressions on the girl's body, which squeezed the hidden Tentacool. It squirmed out of its spot with a tentacle that absorbed the light. The pitch-black tip quickly slapped the man's hands away from the girl, shocking him greatly.
"Payout, please take care of our visitor!" Leroy yelled with great urgency.
Payout was panting heavily, trying to quickly make its way over, exhaustion getting the better of it. Tentacool realized its awkward position and latched onto Leroy's arm. It then oozed mucus from the pores onto its body, which caused Leroy horrible stinging pain.
He wanted to grab it and pry it off, but the girl's chest compressions took precedent. With some quick thinking, Leroy grabbed a net ball from his pocket and tapped it on the Tentacool. It left the man's arm in a flash of red light, rolling away. Payout stood ready if it popped out. One shake. Two shakes. It escaped on the third shake in a flash of white. Leroy was so pissed he missed the rhythm.
"Fuck, take care of it, Payout." Leroy didn't have time to focus on the battle.
Leroy could see the tentacles trail burned into his arm from the acid. He didn't have enough time to care as he went back to chest compressions. When he finally got back into a rhythm, he looked back at the two Pokémon.
Payout had lost some of its seriousness as this Tentacool kept tickling it every time it came near. It would try to jump towards the jellyfish, and in response, the jellyfish would glow with a slight white hue and rub its sides, causing Payout to laugh. After a couple of rounds of this, Payout was laughing and had forgotten what it was doing.
"Payout, focus. That Tentacool killed someone." Leroy huffed between words.
Payout seemed to have received a jolt to the brain at Leroy's words. It stopped playing around and squinted at the opponent. Tentacool seemed to take great joy in the struggling fish. Payout got angry that the Pokémon was laughing at it, not with it, and started charging electricity.
"Wait, no, you'll hit me too!" Leroy yelled at his partner.
Payout did not stop charging the electricity. Tentacool tried its best to hop off to the water, but it wasn't fast enough on the bridge. It scurried, trying to slither its tentacles between floor boards for grip. Payout finished charging and sent an electric beam directly toward Tentacool. The beam crashed into the Pokémon, causing it to spasm. Leftover electricity scattered upward, some of it going back to recharge Chinchou, who was preparing another attack.
Leroy's mouth was agape at the new move Chinchou had used. Payout was never able to use Charge Beam, but here he used it so easily. He didn't really have time to be happy, as the battle was still ongoing and Leroy was running out of breath.
Leroy tried to use a lull in chest compressions to throw a net ball. It undershot as he rushed, going directly next to Payout. Payout held its charge and slapped the ball with its fin. The ball touched Tentacool, surrounding it in a red light. One shake, chest compression. Two shakes, chest compression. Three shakes, another chest compression. Leroy's focus on the battle was waning. When the Tentacool was caught, a gasping breath came out of Lynn's mouth.
Leroy wanted to sigh in relief but was too exhausted. He got up to grab the net balls and attach them to his belt.
"Nice job, buddy." Payout squeaked in between huffs. Leroy returned it as he did.
When he looked back at the girl, he finally saw the red tinge a person would have underneath their skin. That was, until he made his way back over, when he saw multiple purple marks on her neck and arm.
"Fuck, I'm too old for this shit." Leroy grumbled, grabbing the girl's backpack and looking for antidotes.
He found two and sprayed them on the marks. The deep purple color desaturated slightly, but it was still there. In its place, Leroy could see the redness of a fever progressing, deepening the color in her cheeks and causing her to sweat. Leroy debated calling the rangers; they could arrive quickly, but very few could transport the sickly girl much faster or safer than he could if he ran.
Leroy noticed the moon ball on her waist. He tapped the top three times to see its health. The circle blinked a red light, displaying critical health.
Leroy was exasperated. "Fuck, you couldn't throw me a bone here?"
The fisherman grabbed the girl's bag, swinging it over his shoulder, rounded up his rods, and attached them to the girl's bag.
I won't forget my stuff. After all, I am just a helpful citizen. Leroy's thoughts lied to himself internally. He touched his anklet for a bit before grabbing the girl. C'mon, former track star, let's do this. Girl, you better be worth it. Leroy hurled the girl over his shoulder as he began running.
After only about 5 minutes, he began huffing. Man, I should quit smoking after this.
Authors Notes: Sorry for taking a bit. Hope you enjoy.