Chapter 7: Just keep Cool

'I am absolutely fucked. I've never fought anything bigger than a trout, let alone an actual pokemon! My health is… well, I don't know how to translate injuries into game terms. My face stings a lot and I'm tired from digging so much.'

'But not fighting isn't an option anymore. This jerk was never gonna let me escape without a fight. It's looking at me like a juicy snack. Jellyfish aren't very nutrient rich, genius! We're the plastic bags of the ocean!'

-"Krabby." *snip snip*

'And why am I the only pokemon talking?! Is this guy just dumb? Do dumb pokemon not know how to talk? Am I dumb for not knowing how to talk pokemon? Ah whatever, no time to think about it. Fight's on!'

The Krabby sticks out it's claws with a mighty Vicegrip, but Tentacool manages to skid to a stop just in time.

"Have a taste of this move, I've been practicing!" Stingers dug into the soft ground, Tentacool whips up a bunch of mud, flinging it directly at the opponent. The Mud Slap lands dead on, blinding the target!

Flailing about, it snips left and right, direct hit! Of course, even blind, it's not hard to hit an opponent that can't move easily. But at least it was only a glancing blow.

Retaliating, Tentacool thrusts a stinger at the thrashing crab. *CRITICAL* Poison Sting lands, sending a venomous shock through it's system!

"How about that? Ready to give up yet?"

-"Krab-Krabby!"

"What did you say about my mother?!" 'Oh hey, I guess it's not all that hard to understand these guys after all. Just gotta go with it.'

Waving to it's companions, the other fish pokemon start sliding towards the water. It doesn't take the ornery crab to catch on to their ploy. Washing out it's eyes with bubbles, it spies the others making a break for it and scuttles after the bunch!

"Hey! Coward! Where do you think you're going?" 'Damnit, come on you jelly arms, move! Move! MOVE!' *slide*

'Okay, now move FASTER!' Unable to keep up, Tentacool scoots along, one wet slide at a time. The Magikarp at the bank shout and splash like hell, but Krabby pays them no mind.

It's grabbed one of the escapees at the front of the pack, stopping all the others in their tracks.

'Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on.' "Come. OOOOOOOOOON!"

-"Krabby?" The Magikarp splashes one last time, somehow managing to wriggle out of the confused crab's claws. That piercing scream, Supersonic, managed to stun it!

For the second time today, it's prey escaped.

-"Kra-Kra-Kra-Kra-Kra!" It stomped it's feet, snipped it's claws, gnashed it's mandibles, and threw the mother of all tantrums! The pokemon turned it's full attention on the now exhausted Tentacool, rushing him down and delivering a killer Vicegrip. *CRITICAL*

Grabbing him by the tentacles, Krabby viciously unleashed a torrent of Bubble at point blank range!

The other pokemon looked on in horror, with the rain dying down, there was no chance for escape this time. He was simply too far for anyone to reach. The party had no other option than to continue to the river before the slick grass dried out…

"ABOUT DAMN TIME!" -"Krab!" A second Supersonic screech rang through the crab's carapace, forcing it to let go for the third time today!

Constrict! Both of Krabby's claws were suddenly pinched closed.

"Took long enough for the rain to let up. A powered up bubble attack is no joke you know?!"

-"K-Krab?"

"Wondering about your claws? Yeah, they're pretty strong, but they're built for closing with a lot of force, not opening. But my tentacles, they don't need to be strong. They just have to make contact!"

-"Kra-" Poison sting continued to deal damage, easily outpacing Bubble's now reduced firepower. With both sides faltering, a surprise attack is launched from behind!

"Guys!" A line of Magikarp… and two Goldeen (how did I not notice them in our group?), trail from the direction of the stream. Each one seems to have pushed the one ahead just a bit closer to the action. The final attack came from a brave little fish's splash attack which seems to have launched it's companion for one final Tackle!

Under the weight of both poison and blunt force trauma, Krabby faints!