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Desiree was in the wrong place at the wrong time, surrounded by strife against two rival forces. At first, she wished to make it to the safe haven across the finish line of her day's journey, a trip between Petalburg and Dewford- but curiosity accompanied her concern, spotting one of her dear friends, Yuina Higashi, conclude an aerial battle against a masked foe. Running through the treeline upon the new landmass's shore she'd already shot through in the opposite direction, she wanted nothing more but to protect that quaint friend of hers. But she had not seen the battle conclude, there was too much chaos.[break][break]

And there was no friend in sight, just the masked individual in her path who had pursued her accompanied by threatening commands and a violet beast. "I saw you facing off against my friend, she's a ranger- and we look out for one another, as friends do." She'd flick the ash off a cigarette, giving a firm tap on a rose-hued pokeball resting upon her belt. There was hurt in her voice, being that she had not been able to spot the brunette; just what could this stranger behind a mask have done to her?[break][break]

One hand extended to rest on the bobbing Phione's head as it floated beside her, Desiree's eyes looked him up and down, that booming fear of the worst echoing through her mind as if it were an endless tunnel. "Why? Why this place, why against all of these wonderful people? Phione, release the rain, my dear." Her lip quivered as the mythical pokemon conducted its RAIN DANCE, wavering the clouds above to bring forth a glistening downpour.[break][break]

All she wanted was for this territorial dispute to end, but she refused to get out of his way. It was too numbing to think of such potential tragedy if he took one more step into the trees.

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A discordant chill emanated against her skin alongside the droplets of rain, frustrated at the masked foe's unwillingness to exhibit empathy. Were they too far gone to feel such things when thinking of others who wished for nothing other than the good of the world? Desiree hated it, almost as much as she hated those that were unable to take accountability for their actions and hid behind masks. In this case, literally, though that hatred wasn't enough to nullify her fears.[break][break]

They ignored their questions, allowing hostility to take root. "I will never take orders from those I don't know the names of, the faces of- you're a stranger, unqualified." She said while taking a few steps back, spitting into the sand. That instinctual urge to back up proved to be fruitful when the rivaling Nidoking rapidly approached, horn extended. Taking the brunt of the attack head-on due to the sudden burst, Phione thrashed backward amidst their float before catching themself in midair, quickly shooting forward to bridge the gap between their trainer and the masked individual.[break][break]

Basking in the downpour, Phione raised her appendages outward and released a swirling HYDRO PUMP, aimed at the violet-hued poison-type pokemon.

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The silence emanating within the rain accompanied by the mask foe's veiled face made the mood feel quite ominous, appearing devoid of any emotion. All there happened to be was the ability to watch the battle unfold, just as he was; and the ability to consume nicotine, numbing the stress that crept up with each passing second. Despite the intent to wash away the hostile man's pokemon with a pump of oceania, the mythical water type's dance of success was soon marked by an electrifying horn attack, crackling amidst the downpour.[break][break]

Desiree gasped as Phione let out a devastating cry once the horn had made contact, digging into their side and causing them to tumble through the immediate skies and into the sand. It seemed to have dealt quite a harsh blow, but not enough to cause them to fall into a state of unconsciousness- picking themself back up and returning to their float before the pinkette, they would float with a slant, pain manifesting around their affliction.[break][break]

How dare they. Blowing bubbles with their mouth, the water type pokemon created a stream of BUBBLE BEAM and pushed it through the rainy air towards the masked man's Nidoking- the bubbles popping and replicating within the downpour.

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The manifestations of physical pain were the only thing keeping the Phione from not feeling at peace within the rain, amidst the ongoing battles that dotted the newly appeared landscape. All the mythical pokemon could do was float there, wanting above else to protect their trainer that rested behind them; but with the crackles and sparks against the foe's pokemon's skin, their wish would soon be halted, taking the brute of GIGAVOLT HAVOC and flying backward with a devastating shriek.[break][break]

Embedded in the sand and the small trench it had formed during its pained slide, Phione's faltering gaze would close right before Desiree and would be the prelude to their falling unconscious, battle lost. Lowering her shaky hand to her belt and clicking the button on the bedazzled pokeball, the water type would soon be retracted back into its safe haven of an orb. Not only a strike to her ego but a strike to her heart, her cigarette would fall into a sand-ridden puddle and fizzle out, accompanied by the subsiding of the rainfall.[break][break]

But Desiree was just as angry as she was scared for her wellbeing now that her companion had fallen unconscious, eyes darting around for any possible exit routes; and perhaps the friend that she wished to save, the one that she had turned around from her flight for. From her purse manifested a bedazzled pink stun gun, wavering back and forth as her quivering hands met its grip.[break][break]

"Let me leave, please- I made a mistake coming here!" She exclaimed, raising the stun gun's end toward the masked man and his pokemon. All she wanted was to protect her friend, not be the one that needed protection- she did not wish to shoot him with the electrified gun's ammunition in the slightest but was unhesitant if he even considered pushing his victory past what he'd already achieved.

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All of her fear and anger boiled down into the shakiness of her hands on the stun gun's grip. It was too outlandish to think for a second that the man behind the mask would express fear when she revealed her long-range taser; his mask caused him to appear devoid of emotion, still within the gaze of the ongoing civil dispute. Her curiosity wished to know just who resided behind that facade, but it was far too late, far too crucial of a situation to even consider pulling a scooby doo.[break][break]

There seemed to be no organized trail leading in the opposite direction, only the disheveled treeline. This was a freshly emerged landmass, after all. But his command was one that she would not be too prideful to take- he growled at her to run, and within her shakiness, she would. Kicking up sand as she sprinted with all her might in the direction of where the trees met the beach, she quickly pressed the button of one of her pokeballs upon her belt and released her Altaria.[break][break]

Desiree wished to keep living, to bury herself in the cover that was the glimmering canopies. Hopping on the back of her dragon type and shooting into the skies, just below where the trees met the open sky, she continued to look for the brunette that she had yet to spot. Eyes shooting behind her, she could not see the masked man anymore- and with that, her heartbeat would finally start to ease.[break][break]

Above all else, she hoped that one day the masked man would meet someone capable of teaching him empathy. To see into the minds of others and understand just how they feel; if Team Rocket were to take this landmass with violence, who would be left to truly respect them in their endeavors? To rule by striking fear into people's hearts.. would never be respected by the common folk, or she wanted to think. It all seemed so dumb, so immoral.[break][break]

So terrifying.

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