Sootopolis was fine, if you liked the smell of limestone and birdshit. She much preferred Petalburg. But that was probably her privilege talking-- a lot of people couldn’t leave Sootopolis, especially now, with it being under Rocket control; or because, you know, their livelihoods and family and everything were here.

That meant a lot of debris got caught up here, too. Stupid debris. Debris with no brains.

“Oh, are we having a party? My invite must’ve got lost.”

For as much as she wanted to rush in and destroy everything (and look cool doing it) she had to be cautious. Most of her team would end up catabolizing half a city block if released in such close quarters. The other half would eviscerate them on the spot. There would be a lot of blood.

She stepped up slightly ahead of and to the side of Isaac.

“Anyone who wants to keep all their limbs should probably leave. Though feel free to not take that suggestion." Her grin was just a hint unhinged.

Isaac Merlo Aki Kumori Ashley Shepard

☉

Fear crept up Aki's back like a vice. Feeling herself starting to shut down as she crouched down and clung to the box. whimpering loudly- not realizing what happened until she looked up. Blinking, was that Ash? And Isaac? Who was the pretty lady? Green eyes were huge, jaw dropped at what she witnessed.

Gulping, she backed into the wall, clinging to her box still. Trembling as she tried to find a way out from between the people. Feeling like she really was a rock in a hard place. But with the others surrounding them...

One rushed Aki and grabbed her. Aki screamed, dropping the box and frantically tugging at her wrist. He brought out a knife to her and Aki only did the most logical thing in her flight or fight brain.

She bit the ever loving fuck out of his arm. So hard blood came, as the man screamed and shoved her off. Aki soon dashed, running right past Ash and diving behind him, crawling away as she hugged herself. Looking like she was traumatized- which... wasn't far off.

But it still left the other idiots in the alleyway.
Ashley Shepard Isaac Merlo ana fell

TW EYE TRAUMA

She grinned at the loving PDA, absolutely elated that she and Isaac could share this experience. She’d feel so lonely if she was out here and crazy on her own.

The poor girl looked terrified. That made Cyg angrier than anything.

Then they touched her and, look. Look. Cyg had dialed it back. From murder to brutal force to limb loss to just the threat of limb loss.

“That is more than enough.”

So as Ash tagged out to spirit her away, Cyg had decided that enough was enough. Two of them charged Isaac. Two of them charged her. She rolled her eyes.

Honestly. She loved a good fight as much as the next bitch but what was with all this hand to hand combat in a world where you literally had demons on a leash?

She turned to the traumatized girl. “Might want to close your eyes for this one,” she cautioned, dropping two Pokeballs from her hands.

One erupted into the giant, hulking form of her Golisopod, who put himself protectively between Aki, Ash, and the scene that was about to unfold. Delicate sensibilities, and all that.

Meanwhile, Eulalia was a lavender streak in the air. She upended the two charging Isaac, grabbing each by their ankles and spinning them so they landed on their faces.

Snicker-snack went the shiny Hisuian Zoroark, and the hand holding the knife was gone, sliced cleanly just above the wrist joint. It was so clean a cut it barely bled.

A dash forward made her incorporeal and she intercepted the two who charged Cyg with an almost imperceptible night slash, splattering the Sootopolis stones with small blood droplets and sending them falling to the ground clutching at their now empty eye sockets.

Cyg frowned at the tiny red stains.

"Eh, if you squint, they just look like little stones. Not bad, ‘lalia.”

The ‘mon in question neatly slid the circular organs off her claws and into a nearby trashcan.

Isaac Merlo Aki Kumori Ashley Shepard
golisopod makes a wall between aki and gore!
eulalia does what she does best.

☉

Aki was just in her own world. Eyes blank as she slowly looked up towards Ash. Whining as she trembled, slowly standing up and burying her face into his chest. It was the only comfort she could grab a hold of right now. Burying her face and hiding from all the things going on around her.

"I-- I'm sorry" She started, speaking fast as she was obviously in a panic.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't- I'm sorry." Babbling as she started to feel around for her bag- it had her anxiety meds in it. Grabbing it out and unable to get the cap off as she started to cry. "I'm sorry"

Cyg didn’t think she was unnecessarily cruel-- but she also didn’t believe in beating around the bush. Maybe her idea of what constituted a proper punishment differed from the quote-unquote ‘norm’.

Maybe it was because she was a woman and she felt there wasn’t enough punishment for men who preyed on women like Aki. But that was something the boys wouldn’t ever really understand. Maybe she felt like someone needed to show Aki that they had her back, more so than empty threats and (admittedly very handsome) posturing. That someone was going to be in her corner, no matter what.

Anyway. They lived in a world with magic dragons and rainbow unicorns. They might not be able to grow an eye back but there was going to be some workaround out there.

“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” she said, shrugging, turning to put a hand on Stirling’s carapace and peek around at Aki Kumori , who was currently having a bit of a breakdown. A well-deserved one, at that: she’d just lived through a terrifying, potentially life-threatening experience.

This is the part where Cyg sort of… struggled. The emotions part. The follow-up part. She felt everything so strongly, and so physically, she didn’t know how not to do that. Isaac was easy. You grabbed him, you shook him, you put his feet back underneath him. He regulated himself okay, like an idling motor.

There was a reason they got along so well.

She did wonder, a little, if maybe she’d crossed a line, because she’d never heard Isaac’s voice get so chilly. But there would be a time and place for that discussion and it wasn’t now.

Cyg pressed Stirling back with a gentle hand to give Aki some room now that her attackers had split.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. You didn’t do anything wrong. And you’re safe now.”

That was the important part, in the end.

Isaac Merlo Aki Kumori Ashley Shepard

☉

Grateful for Ash's assistance, she took a deep breath and managed to get the pills popped. Reaching into her bag, she withdrew a pokeball, letting out her furret. The massive ferret curled around Ash and Aki, nuzzling Aki's face and purring. Once her nose twitched and smelled blood, s he was instantly looking Aki over. Checking for any scrapes or bruises- just the blood on her face from biting the guy earlier.

Techu frowned, snapping her head around to try to find some reason to all this. Seeing Ash and... leaning over to see the carnage behind the huge pokemon. Ears pinned back, nuzzling Aki to help soothe her.

"I'm sorry I caused y'all trouble.." She said quietly, shuffling her feet, no t daring look past the giant bug blocking her view. "Was.. kind of dumb of me to come out on my own.."