Chapter 12 – Incapacitated… or is he?

Haunter and Saturn both felt the slash of Krabby’s claws on their achilles’ tendons, and both of them fell in unspeakable pain.

Haunter’s leg was blazing with incredible pain. He took in deep, sharp breaths, unable to move the leg that was slashed. He glanced over at Saturn, who had almost curled up completely into the fetal position and was screaming.

Croconaw and Tangela both turned around to see whatever did this to their masters, and the nimble and quick Krabby leapt up and gouged one of Croconaw’s eyes in with its claws. Croconaw roared as blood spurted out of its right eye. Tangela threw one of its vines at Krabby, who jumped out of the way at the last second. Tangela’s thick vine rammed into Croconaw, tossing it backwards.

Tangela spun around, searching for Krabby, and saw nothing. Krabby, apparently, had disappeared. Croconaw stood up off the ground, eye socket still pouring out blood, and growled menacingly. It took a step forward, stumbled a little bit, but stayed standing.

“Ah what the **** just happened?” asked Saturn in between gasps.

“Some Pokémon just slashed our achilles’ tendon, you moron.”

Tangela and Croconaw surveyed the area, looking for the Krabby and its owner. They stood back to back, and took slow, careful steps. They were ordered to protect their masters, and damn it, that’s what they’d do.

There was a rustling in a tree overhead, and Tangela looked up at the branches. It saw something red up there, but wasn’t sure what it was. Croconaw saw it, and looked at Tangela with its one eye.

Tangela whipped a vine up into the branches, back and forth, hoping that whatever was up there would get hit. Croconaw coughed up some blood, and felt a little woozy, but still managed to aim a blast of water where Tangela’s vines were whipping.

Suddenly, the red thing fell and rolled over to them. Tangela picked it up, and stared at it. It wasn’t a Pokémon. It was just a plain old berry.

With their attention diverted, Krabby attacked from the side. It jumped up, claw raised, and jammed it into Croconaw’s other eye. Blood once again poured out in gallons, and Croconaw roared in a combination of pain and anger.

As soon as Krabby attacked, Kaboobi made his move. He leapt from the bushes and ran over to the incapacitated twosome of Saturn and Haunter, who attempting to crawl over to their Pokémon. Kaboobi’s attack took Saturn and Haunter completely by surprise.

Tangela, preoccupied with Krabby, didn’t see Kaboobi attack. Instead, it violently whipped one of its vines at the Krabby, who was still gouging Croconaw’s eyes out. Krabby once again let go of Croconaw at the last possible second, and Tangela’s vine hit Croconaw square in the jaw with such force that Croconaw’s head spun backward and snapped its neck.

Kaboobi threw a running kick at the back of Saturn’s head, and Saturn yelled in surprise. Haunter rolled around and watched Kaboobi land a vicious kick to Saturn’s ribs. There was a loud crack, and Saturn coughed up some blood.

Haunter rolled back to his stomach, and dragged himself as fast as he could. He tried yelling out to Tangela, but no words came out. The combination of terror and horrible pain had made his throat was as dry as sandpaper, and all that came out was a scratchy and weak cough. He looked ahead at Tangela, who was spinning around, trying to find whatever Pokémon had done this to him.

Kaboobi clamped his hands around Saturn’s thick neck and squeezed as hard as he could. Saturn, still lying on his stomach, tried prying Kaboobi’s hands off of his neck with no avail. Saturn coughed up more blood, and felt that oxygen was quickly becoming an issue. Saturn’s head began to pound as Kaboobi squeezed even tighter. He tried kicking, tried waving his arms, but the pain in his foot was just too much to bear. Just when the pressure in his head became unbearable, the world went black and Saturn went limp.

Haunter glanced back at Kaboobi, and looked up at Tangela. Haunter coughed out, trying to yell for it, and started pounding his fist in the dirt. This apparently got Tangela’s attention, because it turned around and immediately began running towards its master and the contestant approaching it.

Haunter rolled over on his back, and Krabby dropped from the tree branches above with its claw pointed directly at Haunter’s neck. Kaboobi stopped in front of Haunter, and stared at the Tangela.

Haunter coughed and gasped. Kaboobi nodded at Krabby, and Krabby spurted a small stream of water from its mouth into Haunter’s. Haunter eagerly swallowed it, still noticing the close proximity of Krabby’s claw to his neck.

Haunter coughed, and Tangela raised one of its vines into the air.

“That cabbage over there does anything, your neck will resemble your ankle.” Kaboobi said.

Tangela raised another vine into the air, and slithered it over to Krabby.

“You slash my throat, Tangela dispatches of both you and your Krabby.” Haunter said. His voice was still weak, and he worked to convey a sense of menace with it.

“With me this far away, all it’ll do is bruise me.” Kaboobi said.

Haunter nodded, and Tangela’s vine inched closer to Krabby.

“Type advantage here, ass. It may bruise you, but Tangela can turn your Pokémon into a seafood platter before you even feel the pain.”

Haunter and Kaboobi stared each other down. Both were waiting to make a move. Krabby glanced at Kaboobi, who smiled at it and waved it back towards him.

“You’re crippled, anyway. You won’t be able to walk on that. I’ll leave the dirty work for someone else.” Kaboobi said.

Kaboobi began to walk backwards, eyes fixed on Haunter and Tangela. Krabby did the same. Kaboobi stepped over Saturn’s dead body, and when he felt that he was within safe distance, he turned around and bolted with Krabby at his side.

Haunter felt the pain in his ankle roar up again, and he glumly realized Kaboobi was right. He was a sitting duck here. He’d never be able to walk again. He racked his mind for some way to get around this disability. There had to be. He wasn’t going to let himself die this easily. He still had someone to take care of.

Tangela retracted its vines into its body, and Haunter knew exactly what he could do.