[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Had Aurelie known she and her Milotic were currently rushing through League-patrolled waters, she most likely would've chosen a longer, more circuitous route. Blissfully ignorant, though, she directed the beautiful Pokemon along what looked like a convenient shortcut along the coast, thinking only of speed.

She'd heard a distress call from a Rocket trainer whose Pokemon was badly hurt in battle. While Aurelie wasn't a skilled healer by any means, she was the closest and she did have some potions and a Pokemon that could help. So, it made sense for her to hurry over.

Focused on her goal, Aurelie was completely blindsided by the huge splash of saltwater that splattered her, thrown up by a roaring Gyarados rampaging across the waves. Spitting out a mouthful of water in consternation, she only saw the Ranger uniform and reacted instinctively. She pulled out her scarf to wipe off her face and then tied it over the lower half of her face, so that her features were effectively hidden behind her oversized sunglasses and scarf.

For now, Aurelie's attention was fixed on the charging Gyarados, which reared up and slapped the water with its tail. I don't have time for this! she thought frantically. Trying to find a way past the Gyarados, Aurelie tried to steer her Milotic in a wide circle away from the aggressive Pokemon, through calmer waters.

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

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]When the Ranger's voice registered with Aurelie, the shock of it struck her with a mental impact that sent her reeling nearly as much as the CRUNCH his Gyarados delivered to her Milotic, which let out a flute-like warble of pain. Wait, this isn't just any Ranger! she thought dizzily. This is Jack! My Jack!

She'd encountered him in his Ranger capacity in the past, of course. But she'd never seen him so angry and vengeful before, whether on a date, an adventure, or an undercover Rocket mission. He was usually such a laidback, patient, and easygoing person that Aurelie had rarely even heard Jack raise his voice.

And now here he was, shouting at her to show her face and snarling that there would be no escape for her. I wonder if something got him riled up? Or has he always been like this when skirmishing against Rockets? she wondered.

Well, he and his Gyarados certainly had effectively cut off her getaway route. Behind her scarf, Aurelie bit her lip and pulled her Milotic back. Now that she knew it was Jack she was facing, she wasn't about to speak a word, let alone trade insults or pleasantries—not when he'd instantly recognize her voice and know her for the Rocket grunt she truly was.

Instead, she leaned forward and whispered to her Milotic, glancing apprehensively toward the wrathful Gyarados and its equally irate rider, "Coralie, try DISARMING VOICE. Maybe the sound of your singing will calm them both down and give us a little breathing room." The Milotic obligingly opened its mouth and let out a captivating, melodious cry meant to both entrance the senses and utilize its beauty as a weapon.

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

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]At first, Aurelie dared hope that Jack and his Gyarados might relent after all when a look of dull lassitude descended on both man and Pokemon. Her hopes were quickly dashed, though, when Jack shook off the effects of the Milotic's DISARMING VOICE and drew himself up in renewed fury. Then those hopes were thoroughly stomped upon and crushed to bits when he Mega-evolved his Gyarados and launched an even more furious attack against her.

Damn it! she thought frantically as her Milotic cried out again in pain, its scaled form trembling in distress. That was probably my best shot. But he just keeps coming at me!

Her Milotic was geared toward healing and support, and water-based attacks didn't do too well into Water-types, so even if Aurelie wanted to hurt Jack, she doubted she'd be able to. The dilemma filled her with confusion and panic, but those emotions, though inconvenient, made sense under the circumstances.

What surprised Aurelie, though, was the growing realization that, while she was bewildered and a little scared by this new side of Jack, she was also...impressed?

She'd never seen him so heated, so passionate before. And while it was frightening to know it was directed at her, there was ever a part of Aurelie—the same part that feared and recoiled from the stone-cold ruthlessness of people like Zev Harcourt—that would always respond to heat and passion and vibe with it.

All this flashed through her mind in the blink of an eye as she desperately sought a way to defeat Jack or just get away. The towering Mega-evolved Gyarados made it an even formidable opponent at sea. So, Aurelie did the only thing she could think of: make toward land instead.

"Try SURF!" she told her Milotic, nudging it toward the shore. "But aimed more toward the beach and rocks, not at him. We can ride the huge wave back to land and hide among the rocks, and maybe the wave crashing will knock him backward just enough to buy us extra time." She had to hope so, because she wasn't sure how much more her Milotic could take.

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

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie's escape effort via the SURF meant that her back was turned to Jack as she and the Milotic rode the rising wave toward the shore. She never saw his attack coming, and the sudden, powerful force of the HYDRO PUMP nearly knocked her off her Milotic's back. The surge of high-pressure water drove all the breath from her body in a huff.

"Oh, Arceus!" she gasped breathlessly, her eyes widening in horror.

Pushed by the massive blast of water, they were being hurtled uncontrollably and violently toward the rocky shore. The land where she'd been hoping to take refuge was approaching far faster than she'd expected, and their touchdown wasn't going to be nearly as gentle or gradual as she'd planned. Her shocked cry mingled with the Milotic's trumpeting plea for help.

There was no help forthcoming. The Milotic slammed mercilessly into a boulder and immediately went limp, its eyes dimming and its sinuous, scaled body curling up piteously along the water's edge. Rocked backward by the impact, Aurelie grunted in pain and slid weakly off her Pokemon.

For a moment, the Rocket grunt could only lie there, dizzy and reeling. It took a moment for Aurelie to remember where she was, let alone recover her senses enough to sit up and reach out toward her unconscious Pokemon. "Coralie, Coralie, I'm sorry," she whispered, guilt-stricken. "I shouldn't have risked you like that. I'm sorry!"

But she knew she couldn't stay there forever. Jack still didn't know it was her there—would never know, if she had her way—and he might still be trying to come after her, to finish her off. She had to hide or get away, before she ended up just as beaten as her Milotic.

With a last effort, Aurelie crawled behind the shelter of the boulder with which her Milotic had collided. Knowing she was too shaky and battered to stand, let alone run, she instead dug downward in the sand with her bare hands to make a hollow big enough for her body. Working quickly and frantically, Aurelie returned her Milotic to its Pokeball and hid herself in the sand, hastily sweeping it back over herself to cover her hiding place.

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

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Huddled in her impromptu bunker of damp, clinging sand, Aurelie waited with bated breath, wondering if Jack was going to follow her onto the rocky beach to pursue her further. Remembering the contorted expression of rage and hostility he wore as he directed his Gyarados to attack, she thought there was at least a chance he wouldn't be content with just knocking her Milotic unconscious.

So, she kept digging slowly but doggedly deeper and further inland, tunneling through the soft sand like an Excadrill. At one point, she paused to count her bruises, catch her breath, and even risk a peek at the beach overhead with her one good eye. Aurelie exhaled a long breath as she saw Jack speeding away atop his Gyarados without a backward glance.

It took all her willpower to count to ten before emerging, but she managed to wait just that long before erupting from below the rocky beach like some eldritch sand-caked horror rising from the deeps. I'm going to need two, maybe three showers after this, she thought ruefully. And...and also a lot of healing for my Milotic.

Clearly, Aurelie was in no shape to help out that other Rocket whose Pokemon had been injured. If anything, she probably needed more help now than they did. Shaking her head, she slowly trudged off the beach. She didn't have any hard feelings lingering against Jack, but she was kicking herself for being so unprepared to fight while in a war zone.

What happened just now... Aurelie sighed, rubbing a hand over her face and flicking clumps of wet sand off her eyepatch. I need to be stronger and smarter than this. I need to do better.

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