BitcrushDragon

Hiya! You guys are awesome; thanks for reading this far. It's so cool that you participate in these little polls - I love checking the results.

Spoiler

I'm glad that I got the driver across as unlikable. ^_^

Also, thanks for the kind feedback regarding the AR combat! I'll try a different type of fight soon - and I look forward to hearing what you think. Hehe.

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Cheers!

We hurried further down the road. About half a dozen street lamps behind us, Attis dialed a number.

"You can play while running, right?" I suggested, wishing I could do the same. "Do your thing, and I'll tell you where to go." 

"I won't be as fast," Norah replied, "but it seems like the best option to win the fight and save Litwick."

She pulled her hand away from mine, turning on her phone. "Let's do this, Ace!"

Even while she was playing, it was hard to keep up with her. The traffic lights ahead turned red.

Dragonair was fleeing through a tight valley, with an angry Onix on its tail.

"Norah, 20 steps, square left!"

"Gotcha."

As we dashed around the corner, Attis was still immersed in his call. In front of us, a guy taking his dog for a morning walk was getting closer.

"Careful, there's a dog up ahead!", I warned.

Norah kept tapping and swiping her screen. "...What?"

"The leash! Jump in 3… 2… 1…"

Both of us cleared the hazard, with the man looking after us in surprise. "Calculated." I said.

"Ace. Where are we actually going?"

"The next bus station. I know the schedule, so we can use that to our advantage!"

Attis had finished his call and we still didn't shake him off. We heard a dog's yelp as we approached the next junction. No cars in sight.

"Intersection clear! Square right."

"M-hm."

Norah and I rushed the crosswalk, dashing past a grocery store and some nice little gardens.

"Let's take a shortcut!" I suggested. "Attis can't see us, so let's use that to gain an edge. Easy left, on my mark."

"Is this the right way?" Norah queried after both of us jumped through a line of bushes unscathed.

"Just following my gut," I replied truthfully.

The upcoming road seemed safe enough, so it was possible to risk a peek onto her screen. Dragonair was fleeing through a winding, rocky canyon with a still glowing Onix on its tail. Even if we couldn't see our pursuer, the game made it clear that we were still in range.

The extended run started to take its toll, but leaving Norah to herself was out of the question.

We followed a long-winded curve that led us past adjacent houses and should have led us to the next bus stop as an armored, menacing SUV appeared ahead of us.

"No, no, no!" I wheezed. "We need to find cover!"

Norah had to look up from her screen, trying to orient herself.

"Looks bad. It's not like we can just break into a random - Eeeeeek!"

Both vibrations and alert sounds confirmed that Onix had successfully landed a quick attack, taking Dragonair down to critical HP.

We were caught in their pincer movement. Attis had regained sight contact behind us by now; there was nothing but exterior walls left and right, and with the car ahead of us, our options were limited.

There were so many front doors, but all of them closed. Had we tried a locked door, precious time would have been lost. Acrylic colors turned into a blur, as I flicked my eyes rapidly over each house, from one entrance to the next.

WE'RE OPEN yelled a billboard advertisement in its mute way, next to a crude drawing of a happy meat killer jumping after a smiling, masochistic pig.

"Norah, the butcher's shop is our only chance. Square right in 30 steps. I'll get the door." I urged, hoping I wasn't violating any of the gender mainstreaming rules that only guys had to worry about. We darted inside, and the screeching of tyres echoed through the street.

"Jump!", I added promptly, as we closed in on the counter; the cashier rolled to the side in reflex. Norah cleared it with ease. A string of sausages wrapped around my torso as I followed suit. I made a mental note to pay for them later.

Glass shattered behind us as we navigated through dark, narrow corridors, passing cooling chambers and slaughter halls. As we ended up spurting between hanging beef and pork, with bloody meat brushing over my shoulders, smacking into my face, I intently hoped Norah would remain focused on the game.

Finally, there was light at the end of the meat tunnel. A smooth conveyor belt connected the slaughterhouse to the outside. Transparent bands of plastic hung down to cover the hole. The warning sign above indicated that humans weren't allowed to pass.

There was only one possible word to describe the maneuver we needed to perform. Gliding over the moist conveyor on my knees, I felt like a rock star. "POWERSLIDE!"

We emerged outside in the blinding sun, our 2 meter fall cushioned by cardboard, on a giant square of asphalt that served as the loading area.

Onix was for once struggling to keep up, it apparently got stuck in the narrow valley, and we, just like Dragonair, took a short moment to catch our breaths.

"That. was. AWESOME!", I yelled out in excitement and relief, gasping for air with deep breaths, my fists extended towards the sky.

Norah tilted her head. "You've got red on you."

Both of us started laughing, and Norah helped me get back on my feet.

The bus station wasn't far now, we just needed to follow the approach road.

"The next bus will arrive in two minutes," I let Norah know as we jogged next to each other. "We'll have to skip the hot-spot, I'm afraid. But at least you'll get to keep your Litwick."

We advanced towards the last intersection between us and the bus stop, and Norah charged both Dragonair's quick and special attacks, just in case we couldn't escape physically.

The bus arrived according to schedule, as it approached the intersection.

At the same time, we heard the armored SUV skidding towards Norah, revving up its engine. "This is for Team SPECTRE!" the driver screamed maniacally. Onix freed itself from the canyon and charged Dragonair. Norah double-swiped her screen, still relying on my guidance.

In my mind, Norah's body became my own again.

I was going to keep my Litwick! Ace had saved me. I just needed to evade one attack and hit my own - no problem for such an amazing girl as myself! The intersection was clear, else he'd have warned me; so I could fully focus on the game.

I chuckled happily, as Onix's attack missed. It was time to finish this. The approaching lights got brighter and took away my vision.

This outcome wasn't realistic, I had to do something else.

Onix tackled Dragonair. I tackled Norah. The car struck me.