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Michael Navidson

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Going by general description at best, Yuina was sure that she had found the gym leader in question as she and Daikenki moved away from the vessel, just in time to avoid a crowd of people only slightly younger than her (or at least she could assume, still unsure of exactly how old she was) moved through like one giant wave. Off to the side, a man sat at the pier with a fishing rod, and two Pokemon that she was unfamiliar with, but he did look up to acknowledge her, confirming her name. To the best of his ability.[break]
"Yeah, you must be Michael? Ollie said everyone calls you Navy though," she questioned, unsure if she was 'everyone' and if she could use the informality.[break][break]
"Involved could be a strong word, but I was definitely there," Yuina returned, and as the saying went, she had the scars to prove it. She wasn't sure if her 'involvement' had been worth much good though, if anything she was merely present on the island, and perhaps shouldn't have been at all.[break]
He remarked at his Pokemon getting in the way of a potential catch, the crazed feline leaping into the salt water with no shame on the matter, gobbling up anything that may have been on the hook. Leaving the Pokemon to its own devices though, Michael stood from the pier and regarded her fully, Daikenki too who stood just behind her, looking at the man in kind.[break][break]
In his own right, Daikenki was powerful, and it seemed that him and Rasza had become some of her more prominent Pokemon in the things that she'd been doing recently, but he said the quiet part out loud... Powerful if she knew how to work with him...[break]
And then a question, one that Yuina wasn't necessarily expecting, but... if she was going to seek out help, it was one that she needed to be able to answer. One that she couldn't right now...[break][break]
"Well, there's no reason to try and make myself sound good by saying I'm fighting for good and know what I'm doing," she said, a bit pointedly, but it was mostly at herself. Why... was she doing any of this? And what had she actually done thus far to have any meaning...?[break]
"I... Thought I knew why, but anyone can say they have an idea of what they're doing and what their goals are before things get serious... And then when it does...," she returned, she could remember exactly how she felt, just a few short months ago, she thought she was making a difference just doing the odd job here and there, and then she was on that island, facing the real threats, the actual conflicts, she couldn't pretend she actually knew what was going on or how it mattered to her, not when she couldn't figure out why she was doing any of the things that she was doing any more. It was easy to blame it on that feeling, that something inside of her screaming to be heard, that subconscious part of her that made her feel compelled to do anything. But all it ever was was recklessness, and she had already bore the consequences of recklessness without cause.[break][break]
"So, honestly, I don't know right now, but I guess I need to figure it out before things get real again. I can't go in like I did on that island when the next thing happens, it doesn't do anybody any good."

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Michael Navidson

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It seemed, at least for now, that her answer being true might have been correct. She'd gotten good at lying, for better or for worse, she'd been building a fake life these last few months and adding to her 'history' every time she got asked a question. But... To lie about something that mattered, something that affected other lives, not just her own? There... didn't seem like any point to it, and it was already too late anyway...[break]
He regarded her again, now in the more serious tone that she had set, and perhaps for that should could be grateful. She couldn't take herself seriously half the time, so maybe this whole misadventure was going to be exactly what she needed to set things straight. Except for the lying about herself part... Always that...[break][break]
A normal person? Was she a normal person? Could she be now? She had her chance to be then... Did she ruin it? Or would that have been who she wanted to be? That... voice, that whatever it was that was inside of her that pushed her, almost forced her to do all of the things that she had, she still couldn't figure out why. What was she trying to make up for? What was it all for? Then, her dear friend DESIREE BLOOMS's words came to her again... That beacon of light in this hellish darkness that she'd been fumbling through in this new life.[break][break]
"The person that you are now.... I hope this is who you have been meant to become..."[break][break]
"I was... Just a normal person, but it's hard to expect to maintain that with everything going on? If this can still be a path, an opportunity, to work towards change, not just for the region but for myself too, then it's still worth walking on," she offered, it sounded maybe to be a bit more of a question than intended, but she was already in everything that had happened. It would be hard to just go home now regardless...[break][break]
"I... I don't know, who I fought? They all wear masks, except for a woman, in the ocean. Some of them didn't even speak, they... Didn't have to, for me to know what could happen facing them," Yuina returned, and it was one of the most haunting things from being away from that island, knowing that... She could never truly know that she was safe? Any one of those masked individuals, she could cross paths with them at any point again, in the real world, and have no idea who they were, that they had tried to kill her...[break]
Navy made good on his point though, showing her the scar that marred his chest. She wasn't sure what it meant to know an Avatar? She'd only vaguely heard the term before, when Tempest Quinn mentioned it? What kind of power did that really mean?[break][break]
"I've already fought people like that," she returned in kind, adjusting the neck of her shirt, her left shoulder was still freshly bandaged, bruised from the damage caused.[break][break]
"I... don't know what kind of ruthlessness they harbor, but I put my face out there, as a Ranger, they know who I am. I could probably expect at some point, one of them could come after me again," she thought aloud, adjusting her shirt again.[break]
"That's the reality of it, isn't it? I'm not safe any more, I couldn't just 'go home' now and pretend like I didn't put my face on their hit lists? So at this point, I need to make sure that I can actually do something about it, if I do face them again, and not have to put anybody else at risk... I... Already asked too much of some of my Pokemon, it wasn't fair to them. They, or anybody else, shouldn't have to pay for my shortcomings again..."

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Michael Navidson

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He wasn't sparing her at all, the way that he spoke, the things that he spoke to, the confidence in which he spoke... But, there would be no point to sparing her, to trying and salvage her feelings when it meant what it did now, the difference between life and death in a way. She hadn't lied to him, she'd been very honest and set the tone for their meeting. Yuina could appreciate that he was giving her the same regard.[break]
Navy wasn't sugar coating anything either, maybe his reality that he could see in the future was a little different than hers, but, was it really? Not by a lot... It really came down to face them now as things happen, or she would have to know in the back of her head that that day would come for the rest of... Who knows?[break][break]
"Well, that's it then, isn't it? Safe for now, or not at all are my two options. Either way its already too late to take back my opposition towards them. I... Can't live a life pretending like none of this ever happened, pretending like nothing will ever happen to me, I'd rather face them as they come, knowing that they will," Yuina returned, and with that, there was nothing she could take back. She was already living a fake life, pretending every day... Any more layers to that, and she might just go insane over not having a real life at all...[break][break]
"I don't know that I contributed much to the swamp problem, but I get what you're saying... Which is the other reason why I'm here. I want to be a better operative, I want to be able to take charge of a situation and make sure that everyone there can get through it. I... Want to make sure that Ollie's decision to promote me wasn't a waste of his authority either," she returned, and it was true. Being presented her blue armband felt more burdensome than anything else, she had little confidence to say that she actually did anything worth merit to earn it. She needed to do whatever she could.[break][break]
"I do, have my Pokemon with me, so consider me as ready as I'll never be."

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Michael Navidson

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It felt like both a huge weight had been lifted from her, but the weight of reality was replacing it, knowing that she would never be safe now. She'd thought about it, while out on the island, she donned her ranger's uniform as most every rocket she faced wore their masks to hide their identity... But none of the other league operatives that she had come across did anything more than display exactly who they were and which side they stood for. She just hoped that she could live up to and stand up to being a face for the league if she ever came to be recognized by rockets, though Yuina couldn't imagine that she was anything more than a foot note to them... They all made it very clear that she was nothing to be afraid of, or concerned about...[break][break]
"Uhm, yeah, I have a handful of Pokemon that are capable of those things. I'm not an expert on the concepts themselves... But I'm familiar with what my particular Pokemon can do with those abilities," she answered, that had to count for something at least? She didn't know why some Pokemon could mega evolve but others couldn't, a z move was still fairly new to her, and she was kind of riding by the seat of her pants on terastalization since she couldn't quite figure out how some Pokemon were only their type and others weren't... But she at least knew how to work with the things that her Pokemon were capable of... For the most part...[break][break]
Maybe she shouldn't have said familiar... Familiar may have been a strong word, for as Navy released two Pokemon to start a battle, familiar felt like too confident of a thing to say.[break][break]
Yuina started to try to think fast, at the very least being able to recognize the two Pokemon, and what's more she recognized the form that his Charizard took. She still hadn't much idea over what Amor Rose's Charizard was capable of, but Rasza's form she was intimately familiar with given that the dragon spent so much time with her on the island. And then he had one of those beasts... The Great Tusks that raged through the mists on the island... Okay... She could do this...[break][break]
Tapping the orb that she had at her belt, Yuina sent Daikenki forward as he took on the shimmering blue energy of his Water Tera, and the Samurott unsheathed his seamitars to prepare a Swords Dance for his physical attacks. And as Daikenki readied himself, Yuina released Nimbus, knowing indefinitely that she would need to be able to match the Charizard's speed. Taking the open opportunity that she had, having seen Nimbus' true speed before, Yuina was as ready to face a gym leader as she could be.[break][break]
"Nimbus, go," Yuina called, and the Raichu surged with electricity as he unleashed his power, turning the field into Electric Terrain, and his fur bristled with the rush of energy as he surged forward along the crackling electric surface, bringing a wave from the water beside them to strike with Surf heading for both of the now opposing Pokemon.

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Michael Navidson

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In an instant, the battle was waging on full force, and Yuina was doing all that she could to keep herself focused, to keep working out everything that was happening. For better or for worse, having already gone through the warzone just north of them where she had to learn trial by fire, she became far more familiar with battling than she was before, and was very familiar with the capabilities of her particular Pokemon. If she hadn't already gone through what she had, it was likely that she wouldn't have had the gall to be able to start this battle at all.[break][break]
Nimbus' electric terrain surged and crackled over the ground while the Charizard's power brought on the burning intensity of the sun, and if she knew anything it was that the Charizard's attacks were going to be devastating. Navy was calling out across the way, he was analyzing her, studying her now that they were in the thick of it, but she was only going to take his comments in stride, she couldn't take credit for things so soon, they'd only just barely gotten started.[break][break]
With Daikenki primed and ready, and Nimbus starting on the offensive, the battlefield erupted into the sheer power of the clash as the GREAT TUSK shook the very ground that they stood on while Nimbus sent forward the waves of the ocean. The field was going to change drastically, and Daikenki needed to be able to get within range...[break]
"Daikenki, hanzai," Yuina called out, a handful of words from her life in Hisui having come back to her, and she knew the Samurott remembered well. The water type barked at the command, and rushed forward as Nimbus sent the waves of his Surf across the battlefield, riding the water as it rushed forward. As the ground shook and burst with spikes of rock from below, the tide began to break, the water rushed over a spike that shot up from the ground but Daikenki took the vantage point in stride. The Samurott leaped into the air, leaving the subsiding water behind, and bearing his seamitars came down on the GREAT TUSK to strike with Razor Shell.[break][break]
On the other side of the field, Nimbus too moved to ride the water he summoned across the battlefield, using his speed to surf along the waves, but as the spikes of rock began to protrude upwards, the Raichu narrowly missed being struck as he wavered above the water, stumbling off to the side only to then be caught in the throws of the Hurricane that was whipping around. The electric type struggled, now being tossed around within the heavy winds, but Yuina was far from trying to count him out.[break]
"Nimbus, ride the wind," Yuina shouted, unsure if the Raichu could hear her entirely, but as he struggled to right himself at least managing to stay on his tail, the electric type surged with electricity again as he started to try and follow the path of the swirling winds.[break][break]
Swirling and keeping speed with the wind he now rode on, Nimbus gathered electricity as he charged himself, and timing it the best that he could, surging with the Electric Terrain beneath him, Nimbus propelled himself through the wind wall of the hurricane towards the CHARIZARD to strike with a heavy Thunderbolt.

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Michael Navidson

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The clash of power was awesome as each set of Pokemon came forward and really initiated battle with each other, both of Yuina's Pokemon had advanced and closed the gap and now it was truly a frenzy. Yuina tried to keep her calm, thinking as fast as she could, many of the battles that took place on that island, she had to have more than one Pokemon out to defend and gain ground in the fight... It was a lot to keep tabs on, and she was starting to feel a little frantic, but she wasn't sure why...?[break]
There were no stakes in this battle, at least, none that she was aware of. This wasn't a battle for her life, a battle for resources, a battle for maintaining an arbitrary line that couldn't be crossed... But those were the only kinds of battles that she had ever faced within just the few short months she could recall...[break][break]
And even then, regaining some of her memories from that life in Hisui, every day was a battle for her survival, to make sure she could get back within the village gatese before it was too late... Yuina had yet to experience a battle for what it could truly be, for what they were meant for... but, what was that exactly? If she wasn't battling for her life right now, did that mean that the intensity in which she commanded her Pokemon needed to change, did they understand that this was not a matter of life or death...? She... She needed to tell them that this was okay, that they were going to be okay...[break][break]
Daikenki clashed with the GREAT TUSK, his blades coming down on its tusks and hide as the water crashed over it, but given the intensity of the sun simmering above them it was clear that wouldn't be the only blow he'd need to deal. The paradox huffed and stomped forward at Navy's call, and soon started to shake the very ground with its trembling charge. Daikenki was caught in the line of the charge, it was nearly impossible to dodge out from the elephant's great speed and ferocity, and the Samurott hissed as he was knocked full force and up into the air. Yuina gasped, that was a terrible hit... But... They could do this, they could, they were stronger together...[break][break]
"Daikenki, don't falter, you can do it," Yuina called out, growing frantic still, but she needed her Pokemon to know that she was watching, that she was here, and if she was okay, they were going to be okay. There were no threats here, she couldn't call on them out on that island when she too was running for her life, this was a completely different environment. The Samurott wavered as he fell back through the air, but he heard Yuina's call, and he barked as he bore his seamitars again with bared fangs. His dexterity was great, he leveraged himself, and moved to come back down on the GREAT TUSK again with another Razor Shell.[break][break]
Just as Daikenki righted himself, Nimbus' electricity from his Thunderbolt dissipated, and the CHARIZARD was far from done. In a brilliant flash of heat that Yuina could feel from the other side of the field, the fire type became alight with blazing fire. The blaze engulfed its entire figure, and soon it looked like a comet was coming down from the sky... And Nimbus was right in its path.[break][break]
"Give it everything Nimbus! Meet it in the air," Yuina shouted, and as the Electric Terrain still crackled along the ground, Nimbus sparked to life again as he rushed around on his tail. Moving at a fantastic speed, he too became alight with a massive electrical surge of energy, where the CHARIZARD looked like a comet, Nimbus rushed forward encompassed in a brilliant lightning strike as he rushed to meet the dragon with his Stoked Sparksurfer.

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