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Annie didn’t realise that they had a challenger until Clamp sped off, greeting the Seismitoad with a claw to the face. “Wha- Clamp, slow down! You don’t go until I until I say so!” He leapt away from the foe’s counterattack, but whether or not her calls had anything to do with that was unclear. Still, at least for the moment, the Pokemon held fire. It wouldn’t last and his trainer knew it. Neither Pokemon would take their eyes off the other, daring them to make the next move.

“Alright… We’ve got this, Clamp. Show me a Swords Dance first.” The beast drew his claws across his chest, charging them with a red aura. The Seismitoad took that as the green light and opened its mouth to fire its next attack. It didn’t get the chance – Clamp was faster, and thanks to his last move, much stronger. An unrequested X-Scissor across its chest was enough to knock the fight out of him, and probably leave some nasty scars.

It was rough. Even with strength boosts, most Pokemon knew how to hold back their attacks. The Scizor, on the other hand, was staring down at his fallen foe, daring him to move so that he could finish the job. “Clamp. Back to me.” The girl’s voice had lost most of its enthusiasm, replaced with a most demanding, and perhaps frustrated tone. He didn’t budge. “Even if he was getting up, you’ve got nothing to learn from beating up the same guy twice.” That seemed to be enough to make him turn away, returning to his trainer’s side.

She sighed. They were going to be there for a while.

❤ wizz

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The next one arrived. Clamp took half a step forward before remembering his master. She showed the ghost of a smile and nodded to him. “Alright, go ahead and attack.” It would take all of two seconds for Annie to regret her words. The bug leapt forward, his Quick Attack leaving the Magnezone without a chance.

His pincers closed on the steel skin. Crushed it like it was foil. The body creaked and groaned. Its host screamed, a metallic cry that would revisit Annie in her nightmares for quite some time. The Scizor, strengthened by the Swords Dance, had made his first blow a killing one, and he hardly seemed to care. Not until he looked to his master for approval, and found only horror on her face. The silent Magnezone hit the ground like a rock, and judging by the girl’s knees, she was soon to follow.

Tears welled in her eyes. She’d seen death before – who in Kanto hadn’t? – but never at the hands of her own Pokemon. Not by the one she was training to be better. Concern and confusion took over his face. The first tear fell, and she returned her monster to its Pokéball. She cried there, alone. Cried at her failure. Cried at a loss of what to do next. Cried more when she realized what she had to do next. The deed was done, and it was terrible, but it didn’t have to go to waste. Cruel as it was, she knew a buyer for a corpse, and she needed the money badly. And so she sent the Scizor out again, and pointed to the body. “Just take it. We’re leaving.”

❤ wizz