Kaida always felt that her presence was strange among others. Too quiet, too snappy, too judgemental. Here, the feelings rose into a fever pitch. She was last here with a woman. Their Charizards had played in the quiet air. She could only wonder if the dead were disturbing her over that, and superstition demanded she avoid any disturbed dirt. She was already strange enough without doing more to incur spirit’s wrath. Perhaps sensing her own unease, Ormr pressed like a comforting scarf on her skin. Pokemon didn’t speak as much as she wished they could. Furthermore, she had no means of understanding a poison-type.

To say that she was unheeding of his worry would be incorrect, however, and she patted the long serpent’s head, noting the way his head tilted suddenly.

“We found someone already?” Her face brightened, and she hurried forward. The Ekans pushed his head forwards, directing her to where he sensed movement.

A Ralts stood upon the dirt of the mountain, and she had the brief thought it was alone before Ormr shook his tail, the rattling directing her to the second presence.

“Ah,” she straightened out, pulling on her shirt to reduce wrinkles in a half-hearted way, putting on an air of professionalism that was about as awkward as a mask, “I thought I’d meet you at the bottom.” He wasn’t her target, but he was welcome.

Trainers were a common sight in Hoenn and were always present. It was no wonder that the League sometimes delegated jobs to them. Although she knew they didn’t train the way Rangers did, she trusted the Pokemon trained for hardships.

“I am Kaida. My partner here is Ormr. We don’t fail.” Her eyes wandered as she talked, looking anywhere but at her target. “Good to meet you.” She seemed to speak at the Ralts than her partner.

She noticed the make-shift grave and sighed. “I could have taken you to visit after the mission.” If she didn't find him this quickly...she wasn't interested in thinking about it. Graves went nowhere, but the living and lost did.

His partner Pokemon seemed to be a great interest to Kaida, her frown deepening at the Ralts.

“Will your partner be ok?” She tilted her head at the Ralts, knowing a psychic-type’s reliability, but nonetheless worried, “There are many ghost-types on Mt. Pyre.”

Mission: A Deadly Job

Pokemon: Ormr, Ekans, Male, Shed Skin. Bite, Glare, Acid Spray, Stockpile, Giga Drain, Swallow. Has Z-move Rattlesnake!
Hema, Seviper, Female, Infiltrator. Poison Fang, Venoshock, Gastro Acid, Night Slash, Infestation, Attract. Shiny!
Orvar, Yanmega, Female, Speed Boost. Ancientpower, Uproar, Detect, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Double Team.

@kobalt

Kaida stopped hard as she felt a tension in the air, one common to her. Reading those in front of her was difficult, but repeated reactions eventually solidified. Ormr was scary. She had to remember that. Fright towards her partner shouldn’t surprise her anymore, but it reminded her to stand away.

“Sorry. He doesn't bite.” Another common reaction. She shouldn’t approach too quickly. Not without reason. She was talking to a stranger, and didn’t even ask if she could approach without permission.

Instead, she focused on the little Ralts, more than comfortable to assume actions in a creature she knew better than humans. She seemed to be a mischievous little creature, and one close to her trainer, if their interactions were any sign. She wondered if they shared emotions of some sort, many psychic-types were capable of connections like that.

“They pull on you if you were in lots of danger, I think.” Ghost-types weren’t her forte, they were too flighty, too unattached. She supposed death wasn’t a concern for those drenched in its influences.

“-What’s this!?” Kaida and Ormr jerked back, pushing against the sudden presence in their mind with a flurry of motion. An alien mind unused to contact, and a poison-type’s natural fear of psychic-types sent them reeling. Their abrupt fear dies down as Kobe explains his Ralts. Ormr relaxed and allowing the contact again, while Kaida fixed her eyes on Kobe. She probably looked at him for the first time.

“You can talk with your Pokemon?” Her eyes glittered, and forgetting that she had Ormr on her shoulders, bounced forward. “Amazing! How did she learn!? Tell her I’m very happy, or am I doing that right now!?” Whipping back to the Ralts, she had a different, bigger idea. “Can you let me feel Ormr? Talk to him!?”

She had forgotten about the mission in her thrill, and with a sudden jerk, trained her face back into neutrality. It was as if a canine remembered not to bark too long.

“I-uh-sorry… we do have a job to do.” She backed up, back into a safe distance, and clicked her tongue. “You heard him, Ormr. Have you smelled anybody else here?” Back in the less upfront hold of a job, she returned to stiffness, and nodded as Ormr turned in a direction uphill.

“Seems he went higher. Idiot. Shall we climb? My Pokemon will fly us if you get tired.”



Mission: A Deadly Job

Pokemon: Ormr, Ekans, Male, Shed Skin. Bite, Glare, Acid Spray, Stockpile, Giga Drain, Swallow. Has Z-move Rattlesnake!
Hema, Seviper, Female, Infiltrator. Poison Fang, Venoshock, Gastro Acid, Night Slash, Infestation, Attract. Shiny!
Orvar, Yanmega, Female, Speed Boost. Ancientpower, Uproar, Detect, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Double Team.

@kobalt

Kaida watched as Kobe vanished and reappeared some ways away, silently stretching and puffing out a breath. If his reaction to her previous words was obvious, she hadn’t noticed it. She couldn’t notice most things. Not for strangers.

“I wasn’t aware we were racing.” A drawl escaped her maw, shiny enamel showing through her lips. It was not quite a smile, yet not quite a snarl. As if unworried, she let the Ralts make her way back, leaning back a little to not loom over the smaller Pokemon.

An image. Hello. An Ekans. In her thoughts, it seemed Kaida preferred the quickness of images, and she received such psychic connection in the same way. She attempted to make use of the Ralts gift, her mind bubbling with thoughts. Have he sent to make my dreams come true? She could only smirk at her own excitement as the little Ralts seemed to giggle at her. It was so unlike her.

On her shoulders, Ormr leaned down, shaking with anticipation. It appeared that she was not the only one who wished for ways to communicate.

An alien mind touched hers, and two beings that never walked apart talked for the first time. Ormr.

Kaida.

That’s my name, you know my name. I was worried you didn't.

An image drifted through the connection, a smaller her. A more rough her. A memory of when they were lost and together. It was a happier time. I always knew who you were.

She couldn’t help but to beam, the ghosts she felt all around her seemed to vanish at the feeling swelling in her chest. A brief, dark memory stabbed at her side, and she spoke freely. Maybe too free.

I’m glad I didn’t die before this.

—————————————————————————————————

Her partner would not have such a merry time.

Sableye roamed the mountaintop, usually under the surface. Jewels and minerals were their trade and foodstuffs. Today was the day they came to the surface, prancing across the deathly dirt and rocks before coming to a halt. Many figures were on this mountain today, and the pack swarmed together, hissing and spitting. Their shy nature did not mean they were harmless and humans on their feeding grounds agitated them.

One was driven to fury by the situation, and pitched downhill, a crackling yowl ripping through the air. The quick movement and charge emboldened the rest of the pack, who rushed after the brave one, their precious jewels and minerals driving them towards the first human they saw. A man with a Yamask, seeming to be solo, their charge only frenzied more. A Shadow Ball charged and crackled in one’s claws, the Sableye snickering as it closed in on what it thought was easy prey.

And down the mountain, Kaida did not know the sudden change that shook up their situation. The previous offer to Teleport would soon become very important to everyone present, it seemed.

Mission: A Deadly Job

Pokemon: Ormr, Ekans, Male, Shed Skin. Bite, Glare, Acid Spray, Stockpile, Giga Drain, Swallow. Has Z-move Rattlesnake!
Hema, Seviper, Female, Infiltrator. Poison Fang, Venoshock, Gastro Acid, Night Slash, Infestation, Attract. Shiny!
Orvar, Yanmega, Female, Speed Boost. Ancientpower, Uproar, Detect, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Double Team.

@kobalt

Kaida jumped as their connection became tangible again, informing her the something was going wrong up the mountain. She turned towards the Ralts, and the Pokemon’s mind confirmed the predicament. A group of Pokemon were on the verge of attacking Kobe. Negotiations were breaking down. Most did not seem hostile, however. She started to jog away from Kobe’s Ralts, an idea coming to mind.

Go save your human. I’ll see what I can do with the Sableye.

If they could sense and chase Kobe, not even far up the mountain, she had the suspicion they had some inkling of their target’s position. As the Ralts teleported away, she tossed a Pokeball down, the ensuing light exploding into the shape of a Yamega.

“Orvar. Let’s go up. High and quiet.” She spoke quickly, allowing the bug-type to grab her torso in its limbs, buzzing quickly up. At the height they reached, the buzzing would soon be a non-issue.

Kobe took his leap of fate at the same moment she could see the Sableye, clicking her tongue to signal Orvar to stop. The Sableye chased only for a second, scrambling to a halt before chattering together. One, aggressive and demanding, held the other’s attention. Kaida held her breath, understanding even without words as the Sableye pointed up the mountain, directing the other’s back up.

They are going after their next target. I think it must be the man we were sent to save. We’re connected, right? If you can come and save him when I see him, that would finish everything, my partner.

She directed her Yamega to follow, just high enough to stay out of sight, scanning the mountainside to find the man before the territorial Pokemon did.

Mission: A Deadly Job

Pokemon: Ormr, Ekans, Male, Shed Skin. Bite, Glare, Acid Spray, Stockpile, Giga Drain, Swallow. Has Z-move Rattlesnake!
Hema, Seviper, Female, Infiltrator. Poison Fang, Venoshock, Gastro Acid, Night Slash, Infestation, Attract. Shiny!
Orvar, Yanmega, Female, Speed Boost. Ancientpower, Uproar, Detect, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Double Team.

@kobalt

Orvar was a dear of a Pokemon, and incredibly crucial to the team. Kaida was not one to diverge from her preferred Pokemon. Animalistic, easy to read, and quick to learn were among her preferred partners. Bug-types were just barely within one category, and yet here Orvar was. A dear friend, and a fast one too.

Maybe it would have been kinder for her to buzz on ahead, get Kaida far away from the scene that spontaneously spawned in mind. Kaida’s yell was too heartbreaking, and too furious, for the Yamega to do something so selfish, however. She overcame the desire to run from the scene by one simple fact. Kaida loved Pokemon too much to leave the body there, and her team would never defy her on that matter.

I need to see it.

Orvar knew what she meant.

Kobe could see the Yamega wrench away from her path, Kaida’s expression hidden by strands of white hair as they dove beyond the cliff-side.

Kaida had a habit of hoping. She hoped for a friend who fell in an attack to survive. Hoped another still would meet with her again. Today she hoped for a miracle, one she knew wouldn’t happen.

Feet landing on unsteady ground, she felt the world start to spin. She stared with dumb disbelief at the rusted purple and scarlet upon rocky debris. She didn’t yell again, shifting her body to the side. Her loyal serpent felt her thoughts struggle to sound out in a turmoil of emotions.

Ormr. Get off me. I am about to vomit.

So she did, an acidic taste burning through her throat. Her stomach churned with contents not yet upchucked, and her organs pounded against her skin. That acid worked into her mind and became snakebite, venomous and lethal.

—-

Kaida emerged within a few minutes, clutched in the limbs of her Yamega. The insectoid eyes fixated on Kobe, gleaming in the sunlight, as she landed nearby. Back in his proper place on her neck, Ormr’s serpent eyes gazed through the man and his Pokemon. The same could not be said for Kaida, eyes fixed anywhere but Kobe, sweeping over the Sableye before sinking to the ground.

Even though her heart felt like it was rupturing, her face was a deathly white, drained of all blood as she searched for words.

“They-they are dead.”

She noticed a wave of emotion among the Sableye, confused mixtures of relief and condolences. Her head turned towards them, and she raised her lips in a smile, careful to keep her teeth hidden. It was not their fault.

Almost as quick as her attempt to relieve the Sableye started, she whipped over to Kobe, snarl twisting the well-constructed expression she could no longer wear.

“What in Arceus' name were you doing!? I was gone for a minute, no, not even!”

Her howl carried on the wind, her own throat rejecting such volume as she doubled over coughing. She sucked down more burning gulps of air, and she spat the acid at Kobe with impunity.

“Gone that long, and a Pokemon manages to die!? I didn’t know I had such a useless, despiteful human of a partner! You escaped, why did you go back, what was happening!?”

Kaida had a habit of hoping. She hoped today that there would be a simple answer, one that she could accept.

Mission: A Deadly Job

Pokemon: Ormr, Ekans, Male, Shed Skin. Bite, Glare, Acid Spray, Stockpile, Giga Drain, Swallow. Has Z-move Rattlesnake!
Hema, Seviper, Female, Infiltrator. Poison Fang, Venoshock, Gastro Acid, Night Slash, Infestation, Attract. Shiny!
Orvar, Yanmega, Female, Speed Boost. Ancientpower, Uproar, Detect, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Double Team.

@kobalt

She could scarcely believe her ears...her mind? A trainer not having control over his Pokemon, yet possessing a strong bond with was...rare to say the least. Her own Pokemon had acted with liberty before, but only when her life was in danger. She suspected they didn't want her to face death a second time. She almost faltered in sympathy for them.

Almost.

"Can he hear us?"

Regardless whether he could or not, she continued, fangs bared in her words.

"You aren't human, but I know you think, same as me and Kobe. I know you heard me when I said we don't fail. I meant it, in missions, protecting my partners, protecting pokemon. Its all I ever am. A Ranger."

Her teeth grinded, and she jerked her head as if towards the Sableye.

"That includes every Pokemon, even if they attack me. I thought you'd be the same, to be working with me."

She was a Ranger, here, saving a human who got into this situation of his own volition. She would have thought they could be a trainer, protecting Pokemon like a Ranger.

"Never, ever work with me and kill a Pokemon that I can protect you from. I won't stand for it."

She could release herself from her anger, not quickly. Clutching at her sleeves as if to strangle it away, she nonetheless turned to follow the Sableye.

"No. I will finish this with you. So that we can bury our enemy here...and-" She sighed, "And so I can make my apologies. People tell me it's rude to leave things unsaid, or let friends tell of an apology."

Mission: A Deadly Job

Pokemon: Ormr, Ekans, Male, Shed Skin. Bite, Glare, Acid Spray, Stockpile, Giga Drain, Swallow. Has Z-move Rattlesnake!
Hema, Seviper, Female, Infiltrator. Poison Fang, Venoshock, Gastro Acid, Night Slash, Infestation, Attract. Shiny!
Orvar, Yanmega, Female, Speed Boost. Ancientpower, Uproar, Detect, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Double Team.

@kobalt