SO SHE THINKS SHE CAN WIN...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

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this time the hunger in his smile doesn't disappear, it simply widens. the skin tingles with the surge of energy that races through him. he recognizes it — one part alcohol, one part excitement.
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king drags his glass across the wood, picking it up  near the edge. he holds it between them, idly thumbing the condensation. he's left wanting for something to wet his lips with, but, he doesn't move to satisfy the craving. not yet.
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"that depends on how confident ye are. i won't settle for just a drink, this time."
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Lulu Flint

SO SHE THINKS SHE CAN WIN...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

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king was no less confident; he'd forged his will and body through fire — literally. his gut told him he had a chance, and, that was all he needed.
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he could ask for any number of things, and, they crossed his mind. he was tempted, too, by the allure of it. but even he had standards.
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"your story."
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eyes narrow, head tilting to give concession. the thumb stills on the glass.
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"all of it."

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Lulu Flint

SO SHE THINKS SHE CAN WIN...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

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her answer was too quick; too casual. she thought him a moron, that much was obvious. but he knew better than to trust the she-devil.
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"don' worry, xen 'll tell me whether or not you're lying as he reads yer aura. i've got experience with snakes, after all."
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king snorts in the face of her unwavering confidence.
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"even if yer not-"
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and he wasn't convinced she wasn't.
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"-i'm sure there's something ye want."
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Lulu Flint

SO SHE THINKS SHE CAN WIN...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

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"mm."
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of course he doesn't buy it. her dismissiveness only clues him in further to the fact. she'd taken nearly every opportunity to rebuke him, so, why would this be any different? he smiles, relishing in silence at what he considered another small victory.
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her contemplation gives room to indulge in another puff of nicotine. it lingers, filling a void; scratching at his throat on its way out.
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"professor?"
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as a tongue traces the edge of his lips, they turn-upwards into an immodest grin.
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"didn't peg you for that type'a woman."
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another, final intake of the cigarette, is all he needs. he crushes the end of it into the dirtied glass.
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"drink up. we'll need more 'fore we... exercise."
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Lulu Flint

SO SHE THINKS SHE CAN WIN...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
what was it with women that wanted to beat his ass that gave him such a thrill? turns out red was his color.
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he can't suppress the laugh that crawls up through his chest.
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"ay', told ye it's the little things."
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king goes to stand, downing the shot he poured moments earlier. if he had his way, the liquor would be as bitter as tonight gets.
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"fuck if i know. find'n empty street somewhere n' and call it ours."
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what good was the chaos of rocket if they couldn't indulge?
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Lulu Flint

SO SHE THINKS SHE CAN WIN...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
the two hit the street, pushing through an incoming group with little care for their gripes, or complaints. a look from king tells them a little inconvenience isn't worth a hospital stay. the air was nice, despite the summer heat; a cooling sensation brought on by the late breeze.
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the city ambiance rubbed him the wrong way. he was used to the overwhelming scent of gutters as well as drug addicted homeless, shuffling around like reanimated corpses.
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a side-long glance confirms lulu is still around.
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"pick any street. don't want ye cryin' foul when i whoop yer ass."

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Lulu Flint

SO SHE THINKS SHE CAN WIN...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
king grabs the base of the bottle as it was handed to him, quickly transferring his grip to the neck. the more they walked the more his demeanor shifts. it was subtle enough to the naked eye; only those who'd been to war would be able to pick-up it up. it was the releasing of tension in the neck; the steady, rhythmic breathing, as if to a memorized beat; a clear focus in his eyes. an unease crept up in him by an unseen pressure, his hackles raising in alarm. but, he suppressed even that.
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it was the little things. in victory, and defeat, the smallest of things mattered. even now. he exceled in focusing on the things many disregarded. it's how he survived as long as he have. when they finally stopped he appraised the area in a single, cursory glance.
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it would do.
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king mimic'd her motions, finding a comfortable spot to stare down the raven-haired vixen. the change in her too, had been subtle, though more visually apparent. long gone were the lustrous ambers, replaced by pits of obsidian. whether it was confidence, or arrogance, she wasted little time in revealing her choice. one he was intimately familiar with. but, king didn't need to choose carefully. there had always been a single option.
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a lucario forms from the glittering ivory energy. immediately his gaze shifts, body tensing. a flicker of an aura so dark, and dense, he'd reacted on instinct. an endless darkness that dwarfed even his own power, resided somewhere nearby, lurking in the shadows. he eased slightly when he came to the realization that it was not an aura of ill-intent.
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yet.
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"xen."
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the cobalt canine's steel gaze met kings. how many battles had they fought together? how many lives were extinguished through their actions alone? king didn't need to speak to convey the message to his oldest friend.
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no games. no quarter. yet, that wasn't all.
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"do not kill him."
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king's voice carried a resolve — a confidence — that felt as if it had been forged of iron. the lucario nodded curtly, turning a stoic expression onto the dual-type. its aura was strong, and well developed. he could sense the bond between trainer and pokemon, and knew on a deeper level than most, how difficult an opponent he had before him. but it mattered not. winning wasn't a choice, or an option — it was a inevitability.
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the sound of a cork popping behind him doesn't shake the lucario's focus. his SWORD DANCE is but a mere thought, as the ethereal blades form around him, empowering his attack. 
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after a healthy swig of liquor, and an exhale of satisfaction, a simple command is all that is needed.
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"go."
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asphalt cracks beneath the explosive power of his EXTREME SPEED. before the lingering taste of bitterness could settle on king's lips, xen is standing before the blaziken, an empowered kick aimed at the larger pokemon's midsection.
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the adrenaline that surged through his body in the wake of combat woke the memory of flames burning his flesh. king unbuttons his shirt just enough to allow the scar to feel the cool wind, all the while never taking his eyes off of the battle.

Lulu Flint