[Current Time: Day 2 — 12:45 PM] [Status: Injured (Rib Laceration)] [Active Mission: Resource Retrieval - Return to Base (Timed)]
The walk back from the Crags was a slow descent into agony. Every step sent a jolt of fire through Zeth's left side, where the Sandshrew's claws had carved three distinct furrows into his ribs. He had used a portion of his remaining water to wash the wound and tied his belt tight over the cloth bandage to stem the bleeding, but in the 41°C heat, infection was a greater threat than blood loss.
"System," Zeth thought, his vision swimming slightly. "Estimate time to sepsis without medical intervention."
[Analyzing biological markers...] [Warning: Elevated white blood cell count detected. Foreign bacterial matter from Sandshrew claws is compromising tissue.] [Estimated Time to Fever: 6 hours. Estimated Time to Incapacitation: 14 hours.]
"Great," Zeth rasped.
He looked at the Mission Board projection on his HUD. The 'Stardust' mission was glowing amber.
[Mission Status: 3/10 Slots Remaining.] [Note: Seven recruits have already logged successful retrievals. Reward pool is depleting.]
The "Rush" was on. If he didn't make it back to the base within the next hour, the rewards might be halved—or worse, the mission could close entirely, leaving him with a vial of useless dust and a hole in his side.
Behind him, Houndour was acting differently. Ever since the Justified gene had stirred, the pup's gait had changed. It no longer trotted with a feral, unpredictable energy; it moved with a calculated, rhythmic precision, its eyes scanning the ridges above them for any sign of an ambush.
"You're learning," Zeth muttered, leaning heavily on his makeshift staff.
Suddenly, the System chirped—a different frequency than the usual warnings.
[Breeding Module: First Insight Unlocked.] [Observation: Host's blood has been ingested by Houndour during the 'Justified' awakening.] [Biological Synergy Detected: The 'Bond of Blood' has created a temporary bridge between Host's survivalist instincts and Pokémon's tactical execution.] [Recommendation: Ingesting high-protein, elementally-aligned 'Monster Meat' within 2 hours of a HA awakening can permanently stabilize the potential jump.]
Zeth paused, his hand clutching his side. Breeding wasn't just about mating two Pokémon in a daycare. In this world, it was Biological Engineering. By accidentally feeding the Houndour his own blood during a moment of extreme stress, he had triggered a "Sync" that the System could now exploit.
But he needed more than blood. He needed the Ignis Meat he had seen in the shop.
"We have to get those points," Zeth growled, forcing his legs to move.
The transition from the Desert to the Jungle was even more brutal while injured. The humidity hit Zeth's wound like a wet, dirty rag. The salt in his sweat began to sting the open flesh, and the smell of rot in the jungle air seemed to invite the infection to spread faster.
He was two miles from the base when he heard the sounds of combat ahead.
Zeth dropped into a low crouch behind a moss-covered root, his hand instinctively going to Houndour's muzzle to keep it silent. Through the dense ferns, he saw a group of three recruits—older boys, likely twelve or thirteen—surrounding a fourth who was curled on the ground.
"Hand it over, rat!" one of them yelled, brandishing a lead pipe. "We saw you digging in the Crags. Give us the dust and we'll let you crawl to the base."
The boy on the ground clutched a leather pouch to his chest. He didn't have a Pokémon out; it was likely fainted or dead.
"System. Scans."
[Scanning...] [Target Group: 3 Recruits. Pokémon: Rattata (Lvl 9), Spearow (Lvl 8), Machop (Lvl 11).] [Machop Potential: Red. Ability: Guts.] [Mission Alert: Only 1 Slot Remaining for 'Stardust' Reward.]
Zeth's eyes turned cold. If he waited for them to finish, the last slot would be taken. If he turned back to find a different route, he wouldn't make it before the fever set in.
"Houndour," Zeth whispered, his voice barely audible over the buzzing of the jungle insects. "We don't have time for a duel. We need a slaughter."
He tapped the System to check his Basic TMs.
[Current Tactical Moveset:]
Ember: Low power, high precision.
Smog: Obscuration, poison risk.
Snarl: Sub-sonic debuff (Basic-tier TM).
"Listen," Zeth said, pulling the Houndour close. "The Machop is the threat. Its Guts ability means if you burn it, it gets stronger. We don't use Ember. We use the environment."
Zeth reached into his bag and pulled out the second Sandshrew claw he had harvested. He didn't have the strength to throw it with his injured side, so he handed it to the Houndour. The pup gripped the bone-shard in its teeth.
"Snarl... and run. Don't stop until you're behind them."
Zeth stood up, ignoring the scream of pain from his ribs. He stepped out from behind the tree, looking like a dying child.
"Help..." Zeth gasped, stumbling into the clearing.
The three recruits spun around, startled. They saw a bloody, pale boy who looked like he was about to collapse. The one with the Machop laughed. "Look at this! Another one coming to deliver his loot right to us."
"Please..." Zeth reached out with a trembling hand, drawing their attention to his face—and away from the shadows behind them.
"Get him, Machop! Knock him—"
"Now!" Zeth roared.
Behind the recruits, a sub-sonic boom shattered the silence. The Snarl hit them from the rear, the frequency so intense it made the Spearow drop from the air, its wings paralyzed by the vibration.
The Machop spun around, but it was too late. Houndour, fueled by the lingering 'Justified' adrenaline, leaped. It didn't use a move. It used the Sandshrew claw in its mouth like a dagger, driving the serrated bone into the Machop's thick neck as it passed.
"Gah!" The Machop fell, clutching its throat as blood sprayed onto the ferns.
Zeth didn't wait. He closed the gap with the leader—the one who had been laughing. His survivalist CQC was a blur. He stepped inside the boy's reach, grabbed the arm holding the pipe, and used a brachial stun—a sharp strike to the side of the neck—that dropped the boy instantly.
The other two recruits, seeing their 'Advanced' Machop dying and their leader unconscious, didn't think twice. They fled into the brush, leaving their fallen comrade and the boy they were robbing behind.
Zeth collapsed to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
[Combat Over. Experience Gained.] [Houndour Level 9 -> 10. Shackle Level 'Basic' reached.] [Points Acquired: 30 (2 Recruits + 1 Advanced Pokémon).]
The boy on the ground looked at Zeth with terror. "Thank you... thank you..."
Zeth didn't look at him. He reached out and snatched the leather pouch from the boy's hand.
"Wait! That's mine! I found it!" the boy cried.
"Now it's mine," Zeth said, his voice like ice. "Consider it the cost of your life. If you want to survive Team Rocket, stop crying and start running. The predators are coming for the blood."
Zeth didn't kill the boy. He didn't have the energy to waste. He turned and limped toward the base, his Houndour trotting at his side, the bloody Sandshrew claw still gripped in its teeth like a trophy.
[Current Time: 13:40 PM — Day 2] [Status: Mission Complete (Last Slot Secured)] [New Point Balance: 125]
He reached the bunker doors just as the System flashed a final warning.
[Warning: Host's Body Temperature: 39.2°C. Infection spreading.] [Urgent: Medical intervention required.]
Zeth swiped his card. As the steel doors hissed open, he saw Instructor Viper standing in the hallway, looking at his watch.
"One minute to spare, recruit," Viper said, his eyes scanning Zeth's bloody side and the smoking Houndour. "I suppose you'll be wanting that healing now? It'll cost you."
"Just... give me the points," Zeth rasped, before his world finally went black.