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The glowing eyes of the Iron Valiant stared down Raphael. It beeped intermittently, the sound reminiscent of a fax machine. Its expression remained flat—a task made easier by its metal exterior. The man’s assertions merely received a tilted head in response. [break][break]


Peace could only be obtained through victory. The hierarchy must be established and friendships formed by the blade. “Gal!” Hermes locked muscular arms around the creature, moving to pull it away. The fairy-fighting Pokemon's arm remained extended even as the Gallade pulled it away. [break][break]



“I won't let them to harm you. I, again, apologize for their uncouth behavior.” While there was nothing wrong with a chivalrous battle, it was something to be willingly entered into by both parties. Though she was grateful that the automaton had stopped challenging toddlers to armed combat. That had made yesterday’s outing quite awkward. Now standing at full height—a very diminutive 5’0”--Lydia would walk toward Raphael.[break][break]



His use of a nickname drew a subtle wrinkling of the nose—a decidedly rabbit-like expression. Sweet titles were reserved for lovers and grandparents. They were not to be shed “Lydia.” She stressed. After allowing a moment for the request to set in, she turned to answer the question. “I'm doing better.” She rotated the shoulder, ignoring the pain that flared. “A bullet chipped the bone and tore some muscle.” Her hand lifted briefly to the pendant “I am fortunate his aim was so poor.”[break][break]



Though, as neither had erased the other, it would be more accurate to say everyone’s aim was subpar.

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The woman expected a scolding or a burst of fear. What she did not expect was Raphael’s strange sense of curiosity. For a moment, she stuttered like a dial-up connection. Big blue eyes blinked a few times as Lydia tried to process what he was asking. “I—I do not believe so, no.” The noises increased in volume at the word ‘beast,’ its digital eyes shiting into something displeased. “Nor is it...wi-fi enabled.” Or, at least, she did not believe it was. It was not as if she had tried to connect to it.[break][break]




Thin lips pursed into a tight line. If this was an attempt at minimizing the situation, it seemed strangely flippant. “Does that not…concern you?” It reminded her of a similar conversation she had with her cousin. Somehow she doubted his reasons for being targeted were as noble as those of Thomas Benoit . At the acknowledgment of her name, she returned a small smile of acknowledgment. She no longer wish she had waited to call the Paradox Pokemon back.[break][break]





“I did.” The woman responded. Though she was not certain chip was the proper word for it. It was merely something she did not wish to seem like a big deal. “The surgeons had to take the bullet out.” Fortunately, after her previous discharge, she had grown experienced with medical stays. Though maddening—leaving her pacing like a caged Arcanine—she could now tolerate the boredom. In her sling, muscular fingers flexed at the edge. Almost as if to prove they were working.[break][break]


Then, her nose wrinkled. Cigarettes were a nasty habit. “I do not believe I caught your name, Mister—?” She slid her gaze over to her Gallade and Iron Valiant. She really needed to come up with a name for the strange creature. It made meetings like this much more awkward.

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The woman’s lips pursed together. A blonde brow rose until it disappeared in her mess of tow bangs. This man seemed—or at least his words implied—to think they had been manufactured on an assembly line. The very idea of such sacrilege raised her figurative hackles. A series of beeps came from the steel type next to her. What its exact thoughts were was difficult to extrapolate. A single question emerged from Lydia’s lips. “Who or what is they?”[break][break]

The noblewoman blinked. There was not much she could say to a comment like that. The sheer ease with which this man accepted his fate-to play pincushion to the world—was astounding. “Huh.” A meaningless, little gasp of air emerged between pale lips. It gave her time to think of a response. If there was one thing Lydia disliked, it was leaving a conversation open-ended. Loose ends were not something the soldier was comfortable with. “Well, you seem to have been fortunate so far.” The man was not in the hospital nor did he seem to be missing any fingers or toes. “With Arceus’s blessing, that luck may hold.”[break][break]

As his hand reached forward, Lydia would do the same. Her fingers offered an obligatory squeeze as she acknowledged his name with a nod.
“Lydia. Magnusson.” After a moment, she pulls back. Perhaps it would help to get a different perspective. I must not be so inflexible. A tiny hand ushers the steel paladin forward. Its blade now rests easily in its jointed steel fingers. Its head tilts as it stares down at Raphael.[break][break]

Mimicking its trainer, the Paradox Pokemon offered a hand. But it was turned the wrong way and still curled into a fist. Gears whir as its head tilts. “We haven’t been able to settle on a name.” A resigned breath followed. “Do you have any suggestions, monsieur?”

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The blonde blinked. This was a truly odd man. Most people she was acquainted with possessed a very clear view of the universe’s order. Whether that be acknowledging the truthful light of Arceus’s guiding hand or complete denial of deities and their powers. For a moment, the veteran is pensive. Then, in an attempt at cordiality, she settled for a vague, emphatic response. “I see.”
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Still, she supposed there was something to be admired in his ignorance. It took a strong soul to admit a fault. It is admittedly something she herself struggles with. The insistence on making his fate draws a single nod. She bows slightly from the waist. “If that is what comforts you, I have no issue with it.” Her God was a kind one. He encouraged the roots to grow per his plan, but he did not prune them as a gardener might an unruly branch. Free will was a thing of beauty.

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LED screens blinked out as knuckles met steel. For an instant, it seems like the gesture shortcircuited the Iron Valiant. But the magenta irises soon return with a flash. “Brzzt?” It pulls its hand back with a mechanical frown. It turns its limb over curiously as if expecting damage. With a noise of consternation, the psychic type begins gently tapping its knuckles together.


Blue eyes slid toward the awkward automaton. “I believe pretty is the precise opposite of what I need, monsieur.”