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A simple nod served as her initial response. “I am glad to hear it.” If the avatar of a god died on her watch, Lydia was not certain she could handle that. She had failed her squad once. That feeling was not one she wanted to repeat.
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Only after being certain he is safe does Lydia move to pull herself back onto the walkway. She grips Matias’s hand tightly as she pulls herself up the last two rungs. Just as her feet touch down, a raucous clang sounds just above the water’s surface. Turning to face the ruckus, she finds a Sharpedo’s red eyes staring back. I am sorry you are deprived of a meal, friend..
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At the Silph’s curiosity, Lydia’s narrowed eyes swept up the walkway. "Do not worry, sir." The Rocket operative sneered at the two soldiers. The wolf snarled at him again, her rocky growths now pressing against his threat. “Minerva’s watching him.” Bright blues swept across the surrounding area. She spotted at least five other people in a similar state of dampness. But, no one seemed hurt.
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“Thank Arceus.” The woman muttered a quiet prayer under her breath.
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The bomber grinned cheekily. “Have a nice swim, Blondie?” Blue eyes slid toward him as her jaw set. “Sad that bastard didn’t drown with you.” Bare feet slid toward the detonator, The normally icy countenance was white hot. After she finished with him, she'd go teach these yokels how to properly restrain a prisoner.

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The woman’s lips pursed together. A blonde brow rose until it disappeared in her mess of tow bangs. This man seemed—or at least his words implied—to think they had been manufactured on an assembly line. The very idea of such sacrilege raised her figurative hackles. A series of beeps came from the steel type next to her. What its exact thoughts were was difficult to extrapolate. A single question emerged from Lydia’s lips. “Who or what is they?”[break][break]

The noblewoman blinked. There was not much she could say to a comment like that. The sheer ease with which this man accepted his fate-to play pincushion to the world—was astounding. “Huh.” A meaningless, little gasp of air emerged between pale lips. It gave her time to think of a response. If there was one thing Lydia disliked, it was leaving a conversation open-ended. Loose ends were not something the soldier was comfortable with. “Well, you seem to have been fortunate so far.” The man was not in the hospital nor did he seem to be missing any fingers or toes. “With Arceus’s blessing, that luck may hold.”[break][break]

As his hand reached forward, Lydia would do the same. Her fingers offered an obligatory squeeze as she acknowledged his name with a nod.
“Lydia. Magnusson.” After a moment, she pulls back. Perhaps it would help to get a different perspective. I must not be so inflexible. A tiny hand ushers the steel paladin forward. Its blade now rests easily in its jointed steel fingers. Its head tilts as it stares down at Raphael.[break][break]

Mimicking its trainer, the Paradox Pokemon offered a hand. But it was turned the wrong way and still curled into a fist. Gears whir as its head tilts. “We haven’t been able to settle on a name.” A resigned breath followed. “Do you have any suggestions, monsieur?”

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[attr="class","bisc"]The blonde bobbed her head in agreement. While not familiar with this species of Pokemon, the Kalosian could not deny an urge to squeeze it. Embarrassed by her earlier laugh—knowing it’d disappoint her mother—Lydia quickly sought to right it. She did not wish the bird to take offense. “The courage to wear such a name proudly is to be applauded.” Her own name was nothing particularly remarkable, nor was it common. At the talk of changing with age, the blonde nodded. “Some things are just part of us.” Just like how—in her eyes—no one could ever truly be redeemed.

Again, the slightly awkward smile rears its head. “And the world could do with more humor, Monsieur Artichoke.” While proud of her time in the service, she sometimes wondered what her work had actually accomplished. The terrorists often looked like scared children, and bombs didn’t discriminate against civilian structures. “It is not for everyone.” His words made her sigh. While Kalos had its charms, she was not certain she would share them so readily. “I wish I was as passionate about my home.” But her origins—and numerous cries of ‘bastard’--made it difficult to enjoy the scenery.

As the snake reared anew, Lydia shifted herself into a defensive position. The wolf at her side did the same. There is no such thing as a tactical retreat. There is cowardice and perseverance. Jerking her hand back down the slope, the woman nodded. “Go.” She narrowed her eyes at the poison type as her hand slid to a gun. The woman did not retreat easily. “We will be right behind you.” A lie.

But she also did not wish death upon the serpent. It was one of Arceus’s creatures and deserved her respect.

With a deafening hiss, the Arbok lunged at the woman. Poison dripped from translucent fangs. This sprayed across her sleeves as the beast grabbed the edge of her sleeve and shook. “Nnngh! Get back!” The woman’s fist slammed into the snake’s eyes. But, it felt like a rock. Blood dripped from skinned knuckles as the soldier retreated. The bullets she rained on it proved just as ineffective. Stained glass shards littered the ground beneath them. “Minerva!”




Just as the snake lunged again, the Lycanroc unleashed a Stone Age, Sharp shards of stone erupted around the snake. Instead of skewering it, however, they trapped its hood between them. A victory in many senses of the word. “Let’s move.” With that done, she retreated down the slope.[break][break]

lam logan

☉

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An anklet? What a good storage method. It is not the first place an assailant would look. It would be a good response to the many assailants who started by trying to rip off your belt. As the Sharpedo drew within nose length, the Cloyster’s icicle punched through its gut. Blood clouded the water around it as the fish began to thrash. Instantly, other predators turn toward it. May Arceus be with you. She could not begrudge a predator for doing its job. [break][break]


At his nod, the woman kicks off the ground with a powerful burst of her back legs. Tiny hands tighten around Mathias’s fingers as she rockets toward the surface. [break][break]


If they looked behind them, they would see the Sharpedo fighting against its former allies. Its movements are sluggish and desperate, impeded by the shard of ice in its side. The Kingdra—Lydia’s—bounces from one target to another to try and preserve the lives of those who’d fallen in. Merlot eyes fill with relief as it spots its trainer heading toward the surface.[break][break]


As they near the water’s surface, the worried visage of her Lycanroc becomes visible. Even though her lungs burn, the woman cannot resist a smile. It is truly a wonderful thing to have such a devoted companion—a being whose loyalty knows no bounds.[break][break]


With a gasp, her head bursts through the water. A few desperate breaths give her lungs some needed relief. “Are you all right, sir?” The woman turns to face Matthias. A hand grasps the ladder behind her.

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Lydia did not believe man held dominion over Pokemon. Such power belonged solely to Father Arceus and his children. The idea of forcing Pokemon into servitude and subservience struck her as a grievous sin. Every Pokemon she owned had joined her willingly. The Iron Valiant had been impressed by her fortitude. Her Druddigon joined after she had cleared a rock slide from around it. [break][break]

The fact that she was in the Safari Zone may seem counterproductive to her beliefs. But the woman felt compelled to purchase a ticket. She had seen the ball of a whale and felt her heart fill with uncharacteristic joy. It was one of the most perfect creatures she had ever seen. Its toothy smile was light incarnate. Its trunk-like feet were sturdy and resilient. Lydia just hoped one would willingly join her squad. The bait in her pocket, far outside her normal budget, was designed to help with that.[break][break]


At her side, her Iron Violent let out a series of beeps. She recognized this particular trill as a noise of intrusion. Metal fingers tightened reflexively around its spear. “Beep. Brrzzzt.” LED panels shifted toward its shorter trainer. “Hold.” Lydia’s hands locked around her Pokeball as she waited for something to come waddling out of the nearby bush.

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The blonde did not seem amused. Icy eyes fixated on their destination, her jaw tightening into a bar of steel. “I am no longer your—or anyone’s—Captain.” She finally managed to grit out. A hand tugged her shirt lower, displaying signs of a surgery long past. The result of an ambush that had almost eradicated her squad. “I survived the bombing.” A stiff nod of thanks followed. Then, with a sigh, the veteran shook her head. “My career did not.” They had not thought she would walk again. And, yet, here she stood.[break][break]

But reenlisting had seemed like such a strange decision. Then, of course, those mysterious letters began to arrive. Dozens of cards—supposedly from her father—begging for a reunion. One that had left her in much the same pain as the earlier ambush. Fortunately, they did not talk of her current status—a sore point. Instead, their chatter turned to Axel’s allegiances.[break][break]

Lydia knew what sort of person availed themselves of Axel’s services. A person who would buy a soldier—instead of drawing them to a worthy cause—rarely fell on the moral side of the law. “I do not care who your master is, just that your fangs will not be bared at me.” A bald-faced lie. Again, she seemed unimpressed. “At least not today.” This place was dangerous enough without factoring in betrayal and treachery.[break][break]
The thump earned an icy glare in return. That mitten of a hand was almost enough to make her stumble. “I believe I should be saying that to you, Mister Steele.” Though pretending not to care about the taunting, she was soon leaping across the sands after him with the grace of a small gazelle.

As they neared their destination, Lydia slowed. She brushed sandy bangs from her face. She did not enjoy hot sand it seems. "Is this your first desert mission?" Her Pokemon moved to adopt flanking positions, their eyes kept peeled on the sand before them.[break][break]

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‘Its seismic abilities warn the Lycanroc as the shaking erupts. But the world shifts before Minerva can find the threat. Thick claws dig ruts into the wooden boards. Splash! “Sir!” When she looks up, her trainer is poised on the edge of the floating platform. Her shirt has been discarded to show a criss-crossed bra underneath. The gun drops beside it. “Watch him!” [break][break]

Then, wondering if this act of avatar in his waters violates Lord Kyogre's domain, the blonde dives into the water.[break][break]

With an irritable snarl, the wolf does as directed. The man’s comfortable seat is now surrounded by rings of pointed stone. The remote detonator now smashed beneath the faithful lupine’s foot. Why do humans not just kill the sick ones and be done with it? Any noises surrounding them—panicked citizens bucked from the city’s walkways—are ignored in favor of a singular focus.[break][break]


Beneath the azure waves, Lydia does not take long to find Matias. As she approaches, she moves as if to loop a muscled bicep under his shoulders. She does not know if he can swim, but she knows how surprising a sudden submersion can be. As she nears, she notices a shadow in the water. If she'd been thinking, she might have thought this attack an astute metaphor for the region itself.[break][break]


All the confusion and screaming have drawn the attention of underwater predators. "Shar!" A Sharpedo, a Carvana, and a Veluza appear from the deep waters beneath them. A few platforms away, her Kingdra surges to intersect. An Aqua Jet allows him to knock the leading Pokemon into a support pillar. But that's just one of their many toothy problems.[break][break]

With a free hand, Lydia draws a vicious knife from the side of her pants. She allows her eyes to drift up toward the light-speckled surface above. Getting there was possible, but there are risks. Blue eyes shift to the drenched man next to her: Are you ready?