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rhian has some problems

of her own. after all that talk about hacking leo, she ended up being the one getting hacked by a pokémon. oh, the irony. at least it isn't another person, she supposes. that would have been way more humiliating, in hindsight. not that she enjoys the experience of being on the receiving end of such tricks as a whole.

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she stares down at her screen. based on the shape and color of the eyes staring back, she thinks she knows what kind of pokémon is responsible for this attack: a rotom. they're known to be big trolls, and this one doesn't seem to be the exception.

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"if i ask nicely, would you leave my pokénav and show me your true form?" she asks. the rotom shakes its head. yes, shakes its head no. this is all so surreal. she tilts her head, thinking. if the rotom refused to stop possessing her pokénav, rhian couldn't do much about it. by the time she got to the closest power plant to force it out, leo might be in trouble, not to mention the force of thousands of volts would be painful even for the electric type. she really would rather not have to resort to that.

[break][break]

she takes out a small battery from her bag. fresh out of the factory, a graphene battery could just be the most delicious snack an electric type could hope for. "do you like graphene batteries? this one could be all yours." she watches the rotom hesitate, and for a moment she thinks bribery really is going to work.

[break][break]

"vanadium oxide for extra durability and a smooth ease-in to that voltage, coupled with graphene for extra conductivity. sounds pretty good, doesn't it?" it does, but the rotom's willpower surpasses its appeal. back to the sketching board for her.

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another idea comes to mind. even if it did refuse her request, the rotom at least answered in its own way. it isn't completely uncooperative; it simply did not want to do the specific thing she asked for. in that case, it was worth formulating a different request. "if i let you stay in there, would you help me look for my boyfriend? it's kind of important."

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at this, the rotom winks and opens up the more familiar interface of her maps feature. a map of the city serves as background for two blinking dots: one representing her and the rotom, and the other... "they went that way."

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pokénav in hand, she follows the blue blinking dot. on the way, rhian finds more than one annoyed civilian, which both confirms leo's passage through there and slows her down. annoyed people can be very petty and unhelpful if they wish to be.

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when she finally finds him, leo is battling the scizor at the very edge of the forest. smart location. "leo! there you are," she says, huffing. "is there anything i can help with?"

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it's a little hard to

tell if she's crying or if she's fallen asleep. every few seconds, her head bobs ever so slightly: the only indication that she's not a piece of inanimate furniture. actually, bundled up against the balcony's rail as she is, she looks more a pokémon than the actual pokémon about to interrupt her muffled sobbing.

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a change in the atmosphere of the place is what alerts her of something being off. gone was the numbing comfort of the chilly night, replaced by a feeling of heaviness, the air pressure rising up go uncomfortable levels.

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rhian looks up.

[break][break]

a very pale version of a pikachu stands mere inches from her face. greeting her, watching her, studying her? more like scaring the hell out of her. behind it looms a huge shadow with two angry eyes. "eeek!" she whimpers and yelps and falls back on her ass —not necessarily in that order— at the sight, taken straight out of a horror movie.

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now, the most sensible course of action would be to crawl back inside the room and shut both doors behind her, but clearly we're not following a sensible teenager in her right mind at the moment. something stops her. something about the way it's hiding itself under a blanket both intrigues and terrifies her. it reminds her a little of how she felt the first time she saw a fairy, all the way back home.

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"h-hello," she greets tentatively. no new attacks yet; good. "you're not gonna eat me, are you?" probably not the best thing to ask a potential killer, but hey. the pokémon's only reply is to tilt its head even more than it already was. if the initial crookedness was unnerving, the new angle from which it stares back at her gives off more of a broken feel. like that of a proper ghost.

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wait a minute... rhian recognizes this pokémon. now recovered from the shock, she steadies herself into a crouch.

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the ghostly fairy inspired many fairy tales meant to scare children into behaving. the lonely mimikyu covers itself in a disguise highly reminiscent of a pikachu, one of the most popular and beloved species out there. looking at it now, she has no doubt it is hoping to receive the attention and love that pikachus do. rhian knows loneliness too. she does now.

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she reaches out. slowly, gently, she rests her hand on its head to show she means no harm. of course, given that its head is fake and there is only empty air underneath, the blanket falls farther down, and the girl freaks out. the mimikyu doesn't move, though, doesn't shy away. that's what gives her the confidence to try again. "do you want to keep me company tonight?"

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judging from the way he's teasing her, rhian decides that leo must be in good spirits today. she smiles inwardly, making a mental note to ask him about it on their way home. surely, their short descent wouldn't offer enough time to answer such a question, and she doesn't want to make him cut himself short in the middle of an excited narration.

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instead, she focuses on his highly aggravating invitation to verbal sparring. "that hardly counts, i wasn't working here yet!" she answers defensively. "besides, those were different times!"

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she really doesn't know how he does this, but bantering with leo always makes her feel a little lighter. like nothing is really as bad as she thinks, like life is so much better than fairy tales.

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rhian does her best

to contain the little giggles threatening to bubble out of her mouth. she's still holding onto him, her face making direct contact with his back, helping her muffle out most of the sound coming from her. his comment about her finding a way to hack him is very true, but she's not about to admit that.

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and then, as suddenly as her surprise attack came, another one does too. if she hadn't noticed the poké puffs in leo's hands before, the wild scizor made sure she would see them before it took off in the direction of the forest— and her boyfriend with it.

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"leo!" she calls after him. it's futile: he's hurrying after the scizor, dodging waves of shoppers on his way. soon, his mop of brunette hair disappears from sight. just great.

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luckily, as long as leo kept his pokénav on his person, rhian would be able to locate him just as easily as she had already done. with this thought in mind, she opens the device and taps on the brunette's picture. then she waits.

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what's going on? she frowns, confused at how long the gps is taking to load, and even more confused when the screen suddenly goes blank. is this broken?

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relief washes over her face when the pokénav beeps back on. it is short-lived relief, though, as the screen blinks again and an unfamiliar face greets her, replacing her usual background.

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"no way."

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it's not hard to spot him in the small crowd forming in slateport's market. he may not have large distinctive features like her own golden locks, but she'd be able to recognize his hard jaw and the bags under his eyes anywhere. also, he's kind of like a giant.

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rhian prepares her attack. positioning is key. finally, she leaps at him with a sing-song "surprise!" she's prepared for the outcome, too. even if she gets reprimanded later, she at least knows leo loves his hugs from behind. and if her plans fail, she can just run away really quickly. being shorter gives her the advantage of speed.

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"i think this is the

first time we take the elevator together at work," rhian comments idly as the doors close behind her. not that she can complain, really. she loves being with leo; even a minute longer by his side is a happier minute in her life.

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rhian takes a spot opposite him in the box of steel they're riding. she'd really rather stand close to him, maybe hold his hand, but she's also aware that someone could be joining them in the elevator anytime soon, and she obviously doesn't want to trouble him. after all, he was pretty adamant on establishing a rule not to publicize their relationship here as soon as she got the job.

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for now, she would have to exercise self-restraint.

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Rhian McArthur

is getting stuck in an elevator with

@leonardo

.

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she's left all alone.

again. she doesn't mean to let it, but the thought creeps into the deepest, best buried parts of her being. she blinks once. the second one turns into more of a grimace. rhian can feel a tightness in her throat until now unfamiliar to her. she has half the mind to call for her happiny's help, but that thought too is linked to the source of her problem.

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is it possible to feel numb and a chill at the same time?

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the lonely meowls of a stray cat somewhere down the street, or maybe even the park, barely register over the sound of her own beating heart. no— thumping would be a more accurate term.

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rhian knows. she knows she shouldn't resent aunt claire for putting her in this situation. however, she can't help but think that, no matter the conditions, she would be better off back home with her daddy. despite everything. so what if some evil syndicate of organized crime took over kanto? so what if daddy had started homeschooling after a confrontation he had with her teacher? so what if he sometimes drank a little too much?

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what if, what if. rhian tries to take a deep breath, to steel herself somehow and, honestly, kind of failing. she'd take anything over losing the only family she has left.

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Rhian McArthur +

gotta be swift and collect as many sweets as possible before the boyfriend gets approved (๑ •̀ω•́)و✧

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purchasing a

type i evolution

for my happiny! with the heart to heart 50% off promotion going on, that should be

50 poké

, right?

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it's been almost an

entire day since the news arrived and rhian still can't contain her excitement. she'd never been as smart as leo, or as ambitious as the other girls in her year, or as charismatic as her cousin. really, it is a wonder she decided to pursue this career instead of just sitting back, relaxing and living off her remaining family's— moving on. rhian is just surprised and exhilarated all at once, standing where she is, a bundle of nerves trembling in front of the elevator.

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she glances at the time. ten minutes early still, but that number would soon become five, and then one, and then —arceus forbid— minus one. with renewed determination, rhian passes through the metallic doors and takes in the sight of... an already occupied desk?

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is this mr. lane? a pause. he looks shorter and, admittedly, more effeminate than i expected if so. but if this is mr. lane, then what of the doors behind? her mind is refusing to see the obvious, trying to make head and tail of the situation in the most roundabout ways. "i'm sorry, i think maybe i got off at the wrong floor," she finally says, gesturing back at the elevator. "i was looking for mr. lucas lane's office."

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mossdeep is only a

short boat ride away from her shared apartment in lilycove, but rhian can't help but wonder if her boyfriend will worry about her coming home late today. she checks her pokénav plus one last time. two grey check marks stare back at her. she sighs.

[break][break]

the frown marring her face quickly morphs into an expression of alert when she hears footsteps approach. "miss amavi!" rhian greets, pretty much gasps rather, sliding her phone back into her pocket and standing upright. though this is her first time speaking to the woman, it would be impossible not to recognize one of the league's youngest head scientists in recent years.

[break][break]

"cadet mcarthur here; pleased to meet you," she adds, the scripted lines coming easily to her lips. three pokéballs hang neatly from her belt, as if to show she's ready for the mission. wouldn't do to give her superior a bad first impression, after all... despite having literally zero experience outside of desk and lab tasks.

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Rhian McArthur

will be supporting

persephone amavi

in this mission!