[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie let out a low, appreciative whistle when Xiura relayed the warning from her Decidueye about two Rangers up ahead, near the ravine. "Arceus, that is useful," she marveled. "I hate to think what could have happened to us without that advance warning."

Following Xiura's lead, she paused and pulled a scarf out of her backpack, wrapping it around the lower half of her face. She'd brought it in case it got chilly, but it doubled as a reasonable improvised mask. Then Aurelie held up a hand just before their little caravan emerged from the shelter of the jungle, halting their progress before they entered the ravine.

"What to do, what to do..." the redhead murmured aloud, pursing her lips unseen behind the scarf. She began counting off the options she could think of on her hand. "We could fight them but... Well, I'm not exactly Zev, you know?"

This wasn't the first time she'd regretted that fact, and she imagined it wouldn't be the last. She sighed and went on, "We could try to sneak past them. If it were just you and me, I think we could manage it! At least, I'd be willing to try. But those carts and Mudbrays are not made for silence, speed, or stealth.

"So, that leaves..." Aurelie paused and then chuckled, the sound rich with amusement and anticipation. "Distracting them. Drawing them off. Yes! I've got it." She rubbed her hands together and then reached out to take Xiura's hand, drawing her closer.

"Argile and I will head out over there," she said, patting her Golurk's massive arm and pointing toward where Xiura had sent her Decidueye to scout ahead. "We'll stomp and shout and maybe I'll start a fire or two. Throw big rocks around. Make it sound like I'm trying to start a fight. In short, I'll be a decoy."

She chuckled again, almost gleefully. "You wait here and keep in touch with your Decidueye. Once it lets you know the coast is clear, take the carts and go! Lead them through the ravine as fast as you can. I'll double back and join you as soon as I can."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie squeezed Xiura's hand reassuringly and nodded. "Don't worry," she told her friend, before reluctantly letting go and beckoning to her Golurk. "I'm certainly not planning to engage the Rangers two-on-one! Just cause a ruckus and then sneak away when they come looking for me. Hopefully, they never even catch a glimpse of me."

Put that way, it sounded so simple, and Aurelie certainly hoped it would happen just that easily. She flashed Xiura another confident smile and then turned away, heading off toward the sides of the ravine. Taking a deep breath, she decided to take a looping route away from the caravan to hopefully make the Rangers think she'd come from the opposite direction.

It took a few minutes and several glances up toward Xiura's Decidueye, hovering high in the air to act as lookout, to make sure Aurelie wasn't going too far off-track. Eventually, she found herself in the middle of a desolate stretch of sand, filled with large rocks and boulders. Aurelie broke into a grin as she looked from the rocks to her Golurk and back again.

"Argile, go wild and smash these rocks," she whispered to her Golurk. "Break them! Bash them! Stomp around as heavily as you can."

As the hulking Pokemon obligingly got to work being loud and destructive, Aurelie pulled out her Rocket communicator. Amid the clash and hubbub—and the need to dodge flying pebbles and rock dust as the Golurk proved its power and effectiveness—she turned on the communicator and slid the volume dial all the way up.

"Rocket Attack Squadron 2, proceed to Area 3B!" blared out from the communicator. She had to wrap one arm awkwardly around both ears at the static crackle. "Defense Team 3, hold your position on Coastline 5A! Help is on the way!"

Unfortunately, with the island being so mountainous and stony, the redhead didn't see anything nearby that could be used to start a fire. Fortunately, at that moment, she heard a sharp two-note cry from above. The Decidueye was signaling to both of them that the Rangers had responded.

"Took the bait," Aurelie whispered happily, "and bought our little deception. Now..."

She quickly turned down the volume and switched off the communicator. Then the red-haired smith doubled back from the field of rocks while withdrawing her Golurk back into its Pokeball, knowing she'd be much faster and quieter without it following her. Moving at a quick jog and trying to watch her footing on the loose rocks, Aurelie hurried back toward the mouth of the ravine. Hopefully, by now Xiura had also rushed the caravan forward. Even with her lead, Aurelie was optimistic that she could catch up on the other side of the ravine.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie had barely made it out of the area before she heard the two Rangers running past at top speed, shouting to each other about getting ready for a Rocket attack. She managed to duck just in time under an overhanging rock formation as one of them paused for breath not two feet away, looking wild-eyed and frantic.

Only when she heard him start running again did she emerge from cover and sprint for the ravine. She burst forth from cover, intent on catching up with Xiura. Unfortunately, with its greater bulk and weight, her Golurk was several steps behind her, still navigating the rocky terrain with care.

The red-haired smith breathed a grateful sigh of relief when she saw Xiura urging the Mudbrays and their caravan of wagons to the other side. Her Poliwrath was actually pushing the wagons forward with brute force, getting the awkward transport past the slippery rocks and flowing stream. Even though a stitch was developing in her side from rushing about so much, Aurelie dashed forward with renewed vigor toward her lovely Rocket comrade.

"Good job, Xiura!" she called as loudly as she dared, feeling a warm glow of pride that her friend had trusted in her plan to pull off the distraction and had done her own part so well.

Then the Decidueye whistled again, sending a cold chill of panic shooting down Aurelie's spine. Are the Rangers coming back? she wondered, gritting her teeth in frustration. Damn it, I thought we'd have more time!

When she looked up, though, she didn't see the Rangers but instead a Fletchinder that had belonged to one of the Rangers, circling back. "Keep going!" she urged Xiura, her mind racing. "Let's get out of here before they even realize anyone came through the ravine."

As Aurelie's Golurk lumbered toward her, she beckoned toward it and pointed at the Fletchinder high in the sky. "Argile, use PHANTOM FORCE on that bird!" she ordered him. "Strike it down before it can catch sight of us and raise the alarm."

With an unsettling ghostly shudder, the Golurk obediently vanished from sight, only to reappear in mid-air right underneath the Fletchinder. The avian Pokemon barely had time to squawk in surprise before it was struck with the Golurk's phantasmal attack and swiftly incapacitated. It was harsh but swift.

When the Golurk stomped back toward her, Aurelie ran the rest of the way to catch up with Xiura on the far side of the ravine. Now gasping for breath, she impulsively reached out to hug the other woman, her face aglow with exertion and triumph.

"Nice...work...out there," she puffed breathlessly. Chuckling a little, she added in a soft voice, "We make...a good team, don't…we? In the kitchen…or out in the field."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Though she couldn't see too much of Xiura's expression behind her face mask and tactical gear, Aurelie was grateful as ever that her friend never took her spontaneous gestures of affection and emotion amiss. Sometimes, she wondered how someone so demure and dignified could even endure a friend as demonstrative and impulsive as Aurelie. But she was grateful for it.

If anything, ever since the carnival date with jack wainwright, Xiura had been acting surprisingly warmly and even more fondly toward Aurelie than before. It made Aurelie wonder if she'd appreciated the chance to get to know Jack better. Or...maybe...she actually liked sitting in my lap on the merry-go-round, she thought wistfully, her single eye growing briefly misty with remembrance.

When Xiura suggested they should keep moving, though, Aurelie snapped back to full alertness. "Right, yes, of course," she agreed. "We still have to get this supply drop to its destination before we can rest on our laurels and celebrate. Let's see..."

She gave Xiura's hand a final, gentle squeeze, before letting go and walking forward. Standing beside the Poliwrath, she flashed a quick, grateful smile at the Fighting-type Pokemon and then peered through the shadows of the forest for the cave entrance. She rolled her eye in annoyance.

"Ugh, I can't see much of anything right now," she grumbled, eyeing the dense canopy of thick, leafy tree branches spreading overhead. Picturesque and shady they might be, but they also blocked out the sunlight quite effectively.

As her Golurk finally caught up to them, Aurelie perked up with a new idea. Breaking off a long branch from a nearby tree, she hurried back toward her Pokemon and held up the branch toward its nearby arm. "Time to improvise! Argile, try FIRE PUNCH on the end here. Let's see if we can devise a crude torch or two to light the way."

The resulting punch was so powerful it knocked the branch out of Aurelie's grip entirely, but it also ignited quite satisfactorily. Hastily scooping the new torch off the ground, she held it aloft and waved it forward. The waxy leaves on the end sent off pale, fragrant smoke but also burned evenly and brightly, illuminating a narrow trail through the forest toward a wide, stony outcropping.

Craning her head around, she beamed at Xiura. "Maybe afterward, we can toast some marshmallows on the branch. Sweets to the sweet, after all."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT