Cornered

The pounding footfalls follow you down the stairs. You need to get out of here, now that Team Rocket has been alerted of your presence you won’t be able to achieve your goal. You know that your best chance is to get out of the hideout as fast as possible. Unfortunately, you don’t know where you are or how to actually leave. But down doesn’t seem like the right way, so you look for anywhere you can to get turned around.

You skid to a stop as you round a corner, another grunt stands in your way. “Hey, stop!” he shouts.

Shit. With the other 3 close on your heels, you know it’s time to fight. You grab a pair of balls, Wartortle and Runt appear at your side. “Water pulse,” you command. Wartortle’s water attack collides with the flamethrower coming up behind you. The two attacks fizzle in the air.

The other grunts toss out their partners. Arcanine, Mankey, and Corphish are behind you, with Koffing from the front. You send Runt to charge the Koffing, if you can clear your front you can resume your retreat. The enemy is hurling attacks your way, showing no concern for hitting you. Heat passing by with the near misses of Arcanine’s attacks.

3v1 might be too much for Wartortle. You throw out Bellossom and Tingle to help. You’re knocked back as a stream of bubbles pound against your chest. The full **** pokemon attack takes your breath away. Your team doesn’t miss a beat, they realize how serious this battle is.

Bellossom’s impeccable aim shines through as she hits Mankey with a solid moonblast. “That’s my girl,” you wheeze, rubbing your chest where you were hit. “Runt, bite,” you command.

The Team Rocket members shout their commands. You’re thankful that they don’t seem to actually be working together. It might be your saving grace.

Runt flinches as she passes through a cloud of poison, her teeth making contact with the floating orb.

Wartortle and Arcanine’s attacks continue to collide in midair. The corridor is becoming muggy as more and more steam is created.

“Tingle, thunderbolt.” Your Joltik unleashes a stream of electricity, the Corphish stumbles at the shocking attack.

“Arcanine, fire blast!” The enemy fire-type’s mouth fills with a blazing fury. All of the previous attacks not even coming close to the next attack. The entire hallway is filled with the crackling roar of fire. You cower trying to protect yourself, when you feel yourself being doused in a stream of water.

You look over to see Wartortle giving you a veil of water, as the fire blast overtakes your team. The water fizzles as the immense heat passes over you. You pat out a burning patch of your clothing, and you can feel a couple burns on your arm. It would’ve been much worse if Wartortle hadn’t protected you. Neither Tingle or Bellossom are standing, Wartortle looks to barely be standing. The attack faded before it reached Runt on the other end of the corridor.

Returning Tingle and Bellossom, you reach for another pokeball. You didn’t want it to come to this. You hadn’t had a real chance to train with him. But you knew his power might come in handy if everything went wrong. “Slaking! I need you,” you shout, releasing the behemoth of a pokemon.

The slothful giant slumps to the ground, it’s lax nature shining through as it faces the enemy. Wartortle struggles to fire more water pulses. Slaking doesn’t act, your fears about relying upon him coming true. At the very least, he should act as a shield against incoming attacks.

The thought of surrendering crosses your mind. Would it be safer for your team, for yourself if you just give up? Maybe, but they did just hit you with a fire blast, so who’s to say they wouldn’t take you out when you forfeit.

“Dammit, Slaking do something!” you plead with the apathetic pokemon. He looks back at you, a snarl across his face. He rolls over, slamming his fist into the ground between you and him. Yikes, yet another pokemon attacking you.

Slaking shouts as a flamethrower connects with his back. He turns back towards the enemy, his mouth glowing as he charges a hyper beam. Yes! The enemy doesn’t have the time to react or the space to retreat. Slaking’s laser like attack fills the hallway. A flash of light blinds you, and when all is said and done the enemy is collapsed behind you.

Three down, one to go! Runt is still fighting the Koffing, but she looks hurt. The poison from earlier slowly ticks away at her health.

You’re about to call out your next command when the grunt commands Koffing to selfdestruct. The purple orb begins glowing as it charges forward. You trip over rubble from Slaking’s punch as you attempt to back up.

This is it. This is how you go, is the only thought that runs through your head when the glowing Koffing hovers over your head.

Wartortle comes into view as he dives at the enemy. His aqua tail slamming into the living explosive. The **** sending the levitating pokemon back down the hall. It explodes as it flies back. Runt runs from the explosion, the grunt doesn’t succeed in doing the same. The far wall is crumbling from the blast, the grunt knocked out by the **** of the shockwave.

Runt and Wartortle are at your side, Slaking’s snores behind you. You quickly grab the potions from your bag, trying to quickly heal up your team. You don’t want to take too long, with your pursuants gone this is your best chance to retreat and escape with your friends and lovers.

You recall your pokemon, not quite happy with the amount of healing you were able to manage. But hopefully you won’t need to battle any more before you all escape the Rocket Hideout.

Your hopes are quickly dashed as a voice calls out from the newly formed hole in the wall. “Leaving already?” a shadowy form is shrouded by the dust in the air. The dust settles, and you’re appalled when you recognize the mysterious figure.