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Hailee really had no way to know if this was going to work but she had to try. It was better than waiting for their impending doom. Besides she had her sister here with her. In her moment of weakness her sister reminded her that she wasn't alone. She couldn't repay that kindness and love by abandoning hope. [break][break]

And so Fawkes continued to beat on their way out. At first, she had to admit, it wasn't looking so great but at some point the young ranger could hear audible clicks from beyond the wall. Then something began to rumble and shift. A crack of light from the surface began to show from their exit and Hailee gasped. [break][break]

But just as quickly the gasp turned into panic. More sand was pouring into the room and their exit had gotten stuck when trying to open. Outside she could hear voices and she knew the rest of the team was there. Hailee had to think quickly otherwise her and her sister would be buried underneath. [break][break]

"VAL CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Hailee called out from below. A familiar piercing cry from her Altaria sounded in response shortly after. "FOCUS ON ME! WE'RE GONNA DO LIKE WE TRAINED!" she shouted. "PIERCE THE HEAVENS, VAL. MEGA EVOLVE!" Hailee ordered as she brushed her hand against mega accessory attached to her ears, almost as if she was brushing her hair back. [break][break]

On the surface Valerie roared before she was enveloped into a golden light. In a flash the shiny Altaria had mega evolved, her triumphant cry was all the signal Hailee needed. "Fae, Fawkes, we need to step back. Trust me." she said with a smile before turning her attention back up. "Hit it with all you've got Val! Get us out of here!" she shouted and Valerie soared up into the sky like a bullet.[break][break]

Gaining some distance as to not hurt anyone a bright pool of translucent energy forms and gathers around her beak. White rings of energy begin to charge before Valerie releases the beam of energy towards the halted exit door. A magnificent display of the dragon's might as she executes a practiced DRAGON'S BREATH. [break][break]

The impact is sharp and everywhere around them shakes and trembles as rocks fly inward. Hailee shields her sister while Fawkes kicks some debris away from them. Dust billows into the room as does the sand and all is silent for a moment. Valerie quickly flies down searching for her trainer but sees nothing but mounds of sand. [break][break]

She lets out a worried cry as she inches closer until finally Fawkes, Hailee, and Fae emerge from the sands with a gasp. Valerie excitedly rushes to help them out of the pit as does Fae's Cicero. "You did great Val," Hailee said as she reached to pet her. "Sorry for worrying you." Hailee's eyes then landed on Symon and Lydia. "Thanks you two. I figure the way didn't open up without your help." Hailee said finally once they were all out of immediate danger for the moment.
[break][break]

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[attr="class","samjermain"]
Rough hands—surprisingly so for such delicate limbs—clutch tightly at the pendant around her neck. While not the original, the worn shape of Lugia’s wings still brings the woman comfort. A touch of superstition her normally logical mind would scoff at. An instinct somehow deadened by years of religious study and a single ship crash.

As the Altaria mega evolves, Lydia cannot help but spare a moment to admire its beauty. In this landscape of sand and ruins, the flying type looks like an angel—the final mirage of a dehydrated man. But she is no fool. She slides her feet back and away as the bird gains altitude. Getting caught in the crossfire was not her goal. When the door explodes in a shower of rock, the soldier lifts an arm to cover her face. “Nnngh!?” A slice opens up along one porcelain cheek, blood dripping sluggishly onto the ground below.

The thanks were met with a small, awkward smile. Lydia did not handle praise well, or, at least, elegantly. Her cheeks colored. “You are quite—” A click makes Lydia spin around. In the falling dust, her attention is caught by the swirling eyes of a technicolor emu. A foot slides clumsily forward, a hand reaching out as if to pet the creature’s downy feathers. “Beautiful.” Indecision and stubbornness flickered across her face, her fight against this lure apparent in baby blue eyes. In their hurry to escape the death trap, they’d missed the psychic bird’s approach.

Beneath its feet, the ground swirled. At the center of this miniature vortex, a Trapinch waited to split its meal with the emu. Fortunately, this pair was just as cowardly as it was brazen. A single roar from Minerva was enough to send them scattering. Lydia bent in two, gasping for air. Her mind struggled to put itself back together, tears rising unbidden.

As her blue eyes turned to the horizon, her lips pressed into an even thinner line. Natural disasters did not wait for booby traps. The angry tornado of dust was closer than before. Its vibrations now replacing those of the Orthworm. “We need to find shelter.”

With those final words, Lydia turned forward. A hand reached up to adjust her sports bra, shaking out spare grains of sand. There was only one way to go.

 

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