The redhead’s eyes danced between the two men. There was a new spark of life in them, a vigor fueld by the extra adrenaline pumping through her arteries. The darkness didn’t help but it was also advantageous if she could just slip away after successfully retrieving Aubie’s pokeball. Lex was trained in basic hand-to-hand combat but she was by no means the physically strongest specimen for her size. Lex had focused on flexibility, agility, and stealth; all qualities highly valued in her line of work.

Time seemed to slow as she calculated her next move. The smaller man looked like he was going to strike first with the large brute lagging behind. They weren’t very coordinated, were they? She needed to dodge, swipe Aubie’s pokeball back then get the fuck outta there. She had absolutely nothing to prove by beating up these thugs.

It came. The smaller man lunged at her greedily grabbing at her long red hair. Lex was quick to duck, his fist closing on thin air above her head. She was low to the ground, a foot sweeping out towards the center of the alley between the two men. The woman’s weight shifted to that leg, drawing her away from the brick wall. The spin turned her towards the larger man. Her hand shot out to snag Aubie’s pokeball when she saw them approaching. Fuck. She withdrew. Last thing she wanted to do was get between the Mightyena and its obvious target.

Lex leapt out of the way just in time for Flynn to lunge at the other guy. With a swift twist her dark knight had the man in an arm lock. That wasn’t what she cared about. Her attention was drawn to the metallic sound of Aubie’s pokeball rolling across the concrete. Her nimble fingers swept it up and tucked it away. Instantly, her heart felt lighter.

R-Rocket the man choked out between grunts of pain. Seeing as Lex knew close to nothing of what had been going on in the region, she didn’t buy it for a second. Sounded like an easy scape goat. But she needed to know if they knew where she was. If so, she had to move on quickly. Lex approached the man Flynn was holding with a wild, vengeful fire in her eyes. Long, elegant fingers laced around his right ear and twisted it, eliciting another squeal of pain, “Who sent you,” she growled, “Was it him?” she twisted harder.

He stammered some words, but nothing was discernible. She let go of the ear and grabbed his face, forcing him to look her in the eyes, “Do you know who I am?” her voice trembled slightly but was softer than before. He shook his head vigorously, “Did he send you?” she repeated firmly, “Lady, we don’t know who the fuck you are,” he admitted and Lex believed it. She let go, taking a step back. Lex got what she wanted. It was Flynn’s turn now.

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As Lex stepped back, she exhaled. Her hands trembled with the adrenaline surge and she clenched her fists to control it. The stranger’s booming voice demanded his own answers from the thug. The word Rocket repeated itself and rang heavy in her ears.

As in Team Rocket?

The woman’s amber eyes lifted from the dark ground and fixed on the man that came to save her, her dark knight. He authoritatively dismissed their association with Team Rocket, speaking as if he knew personally. They scurried away like the little rats they were, picking up their broken self-esteem and licking their wounds. Lex stepped towards the center of the alley, crossing her arms across her chest as they disappeared around the corner. Now it was just her, the stranger, and his Mightyena.

“You shouldn't be wandering in alleyways, ma'am,” he commented, looking towards her. Ma’am? Really? She returned to look with furrowed brows, the fiery side of her adrenaline fueled personality wanted to sarcastically respond but she reminded herself of what he had just risked, so she bit her tongue, “I wasn’t just wandering around in an alley,” she grumbled in defiance, though she understood his point. But it wasn’t like she had a choice in the matter, “But thank you . . . for that,” she motioned vaguely towards the alleyway they stood in, “Is there a way I can thank you? Buy you a drink or somethin?” the Outskirts certainly weren’t lacking in dive bars for them to slip into.

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Upon the stranger’s verification, the Mightyena relaxed, becoming immediately friendly towards the redhead. Lex was surprised to feel the canine’s cold nose press against her bare hand but the gesture made her smile. She let the Mightyena slide her head towards her, placing her hand on top of the beast’s head. She gently rubbed her head, scratching the base of her ears and smiling. There was something about canine pokemon that just made you happy, despite the situation you found yourself in.

Flynn’s abrupt refusal caught her off guard. She stepped forward as he did, watching the man pluck of piece of paper off the ground. She couldn’t make out what it said in the dark alley, but it seemed to peak Flynn’s interest. Lex was immediately concerned for her own wellbeing. What if her old boss got his grimy hands in Rocket over here? Hiring them so he didn’t need to waste any of his goons?

Lost in her erratic thoughts, Flynn tried to slip away. The fact that she didn’t really have a home to go to sort of played into her persistence, but it was also a combination of her own agenda, interest in Team Rocket, and still adrenaline filled veins that propelled her forward. Lex was known for being incredibly quick and agile. It was a few quick strides that caught her up with Flynn. She slide between him and his path as he turned to leave the alley, “You’re stuck with me,” she grinned, her eyes looked towards the paper he picked up, “I gotta make sure that has nothing to do with me,” she was obviously persistent in the fact that she was coming with him. It was either he knew about, or she followed him from the shadows. Either way, Lex was getting involved. It also served the less pressing agenda of learning more about this Team Rocket.

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Well, that wasn’t hard. Honestly, she expected the man to put up more of a fight. He seemed like a lone wolf, much like the pokemon companion he chose, “Ooook then,” Lex said with a hint of delight, promptly stepping aside to allow the man to continue in the direction he was determined to go in. Lex followed pace, her long legs keeping up easily. The canine dropped the crumpled piece of paper in her hand. It was hard to make out in the dark streets of the Outskirts but it seemed to have a place and time. Lex didn’t have a watch, but that time was probably soon. Being new to the area, she wasn’t familiar with the place either but the way the man was rushing out of the alley made Lex assume he knew exactly where that was.

His demeanor change at the thought of a hunt, throwing her a smirk, “How fun,” she echoed, with a smile. But getting her feet wet? What was that suppose to mean? She furrowed her brows in curiosity. Wasn’t the phrase ‘get your hands dirty’? She brushed off the thought, he probably just got it wrong. She didn’t assume that meant they were going to actually get wet (and she was probably assuming wrong), “Isn’t that half the fun?” she purred, following Flynn through the streets of Slateport.

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Lex didn’t mind the silence of the rest of the walk. It gave her time to stew in her own anxiety and insecurity. However uncomfortable it was for her, it made the walk go by quickly. The two turned down an alley where the neon lights of a strip club bathed her confused feature, “Ugh, of course it’s a strip club,” she murmured in distaste. Pigs were always gonna be pigs I guess. Now the crumpled note reading “Cherubi Poppers” made more sense. Lex would be lying if she said she hadn’t been to a strip club – it came with the territory – but she found them vulgar and pitied the women forced to demoralize themselves at the pleasure of pathetic excuses for men like the two that accosted her earlier.

But Lex’s distaste soon turned to curiosity at the figure of the curvaceous man. The curiosity soon turned to surprise then fear as the familiar platinum blonde hair and sharp voice stopped her in her tracks. It couldn’t be. Lex took a cautious step back as Flynn wasted no time brutally forcing them against the wall. The blonde’s attention was on Flynn, but as Lex creeped back into view, a vengeful fire burning in her eyes, their attention was soon focused on her.

“My oh my, Lex. This, I wasn’t expecting,” a sharp laugh escaped their lips, “Boy do I know someone who would be thrilled to see you,” they choked out through Flynn’s tight grip. Adrenaline poured through Lex’s veins. Her heart rate spiked in both fear and fury.

“Madam Kane,” the redhead spat, narrowing her eyes. The creature’s harem wasn’t restricted to Hoenn. There were several occasions Madam Kane’s ladies visited her old boss and his business associates. Lex was even lent to them by her old boss to “acquire” the logs of a competing operation. They didn’t know each other well, but enough to be familiar with each other’s work. Instinctively, Lex had grabbed Aubie’s pokeball from her belt, squeezing it in her grip. The sphere vibrated with energy, the Braviary sensing the fear and anger emanating from his trainer.

“It’s a pity you won’t get to tell him,” she growled, assuming they meant the new boss over in Johto and not her ex-boyfriend. Lex was not a violent person, but in a situation like this she was backed into a corner – kill or be killed, quite literally.

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Overall, Lex wasn’t surprised Madam Kane was causing trouble in regions other than Johto. His surprise to see Lex made it obvious that he didn’t follow her here, this just happened to be an awful coincidence. Plus, the bounty hunting trade really wasn’t part of the work he did contracted out. But bringing word of Lex’s whereabouts would probably be quite lucrative and also put him in better favor with the low lives of Johto.

Lex was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t think about Flynn starting to put pieces of the picture together until he flashed Lex a curious look before quickly turning his attention back to Madam Kane. Suddenly, the fury that filled Lex turned into an overwhelming dread. Was Flynn going to get in the way of her prioritizing her own protection? Flynn seemed formidable and Lex dreaded having to do something about him too if it came to that. She honestly wasn’t quite sure if she could take him on and she really didn’t want to. He seemed a better ally than enemy.

“Holy shit,” Lex mumbled to herself as the man came tumbling limply to the ground. That was something she really wasn’t expecting. Flynn quickly barked orders at her to find some rope. Her brows pinched in frustration, did he think she just carried it around?

Lex quickly moved to the pile of storage boxes by the club’s entrance. She flipped off the first lid and rolled her eyes, ”Fucking A,” she growled, pulling out a large, phallic prop. At least they knew how to have a good time. She quickly threw it to the ground, trying not to think of where that has been. Hopefully, it was brand new. Luckily these kinky bastards liked to get tied up. Lex pulled out leather straps and fluffy handcuffs, “Take your pick,” she threw them both towards Flynn and stood over the crumpled body, waiting to see how should could assist. She wasn’t quite sure what this guy’s plan was but she was here for it if it involved getting rid of Madam Kane.

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