So what if June happened to ‘have’ a delivery the day Annalise ‘happened’ to be there? Maybe she got lost on the way to the recipient. Saw Annalise go into the cave. She knows where people are, right? Best to ask her! But let her do whatever she was here for. It looked rather important.

But who cared? She was just trying to get some information from a specific person. She avoided everyone else, until, very luckily, Annalise entered the rift. And if the people who watched it got distracted by a dozen rocks being thrown to the other end of the room? A coincidence, nothing more.

And the rift would be very secluded from others. June would be saved from the embarrassment of such a silly question. Perhaps, maybe, not the question she would’ve pulled out if she had been caught. But a better, more pertinent question:

“Was Regieleki here?” Grigori Sokolov had given her a confirmation and a location, while Annalise had inadvertently given her the destination of the rift. Things aligned perfectly for her.

June walked down the same path Annalise did. It was dark, so she pulled out her Poke Ball and released Anode. The Galvantula glowed a gentle light, enough to show the way when the lightning didn’t. Given the adrenaline that coursed through her veins and the pep in her step, she caught up to the Head Ranger rather fast.

“Yo, Annalise, what a surprise!” She called out as she quickly closed the distance. “Crazy meeting you here. It’s pretty dark, though. Anode here can help you out!”

On her back was a rather heavy sack, filled to the brim with various objects. None of the identifiable through the fabric that stretched at the very seams. “So, what brings you to… this the Power Plant place, right?”

Strange how she talked so cheerfully. As if this encounter was the most normal thing in the world.

---

annalise henderson
Prompt Complete: Utilize an illumina or shadow Pokémon in an advantageous way.

June tried her best to play off the initial stab of disappointment that pierced her chest. “What am I doing here? I’m technically a part of the Rangers. And it’s not like anyone tried to stop me on the way in…”

A bold-faced lie, in a way. No one stopped her because no one knew.

“Oh, and the bag? Not much. Just some stuff. Delivery, nothing important,” she patted herself on the bag. “Don’t sweat it.”

Anode scuttled forward, around the Mareep. It clicked its mandibles as it investigated the creature, curious and happy to be in the presence of another electrical creature like itself. After a few seconds, it chattered happily and spun in a quick circle. The lightning did not scare it one bit.

June was only slightly more bothered by it, as seen by how she stared deep at the pitch-black mark smoked up a storm. “Listen, I’m not gonna be here long, okay? I promise I’ll stay out of danger, play it safe. The whole nine yards. Hell, it’ll be like I’m a ranger myself!”

Back again was the false bravado. How she managed to pull it out of her ass was a mystery, but it let her follow the alcove to its very edge. She looked outside its safety, like a kid during recess as it rained cats and dogs.

“Listen, you know this place pretty well, right? I’m looking for a specific Pokémon,” she said. A promise, from a long time ago. “Someone told me it’s really big. Tall. Made of pure electricity. Also really really fast.”

Another bolt of lightning struck, against the cliffside above them. Rocks tumbled to the ground, and the sky showed no signs of getting clear. “You know anything about a Pokémon called Regieleki?”

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annalise henderson

“Avatar? I’ve heard about them,” June shrugged. “But it sounds like you had some shitty avatars.”

Of course she wasn’t an actual ranger. That’s why she said she’ll be like a ranger. Rangers dealt with problems, and it sounded like this place had a really big, fast, and shocking problem. All she didn’t have was the badge on her shirt and the name in the registry. Otherwise, she fit the bill.

And as lighting tore the sky in two and thunder boomed every other second in the wake of the storm, June shrugged off Annalise’s grip. “Listen, I’m not actively trying to die, or whatever. Just here to make good on a promise I made. I don’t need you to understand, I just need you to not stop me.”

Based on her cold appearance, she probably couldn’t rely on the head ranger to uphold that. Even the way she stared at her sent a shiver down her spine. Yet the delivery girl pointedly ignored it, and her. All she needed was an opening. When the storm opened its eye to them, she’d be in the perfect place to get out in the open.

And as the storm grew angry, it also relaxed. Anode felt the current grow weaker. "Galv, galv," it called as loud as it could. To be heard above the roar of thunder. June nodded. It was almost time to act. If she didn't, then she'd really be stuck here with a pissed off head ranger. One who held the power to cut all ties and label her an enemy.

“So, Annalise, you coming with?”

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annalise henderson

June grinned, “Whatever you say, ranger! Now, let’s get out there and–”

She did not have to take a single step, as the air filled with electrons. The air felt more electric than a batter, a generator, a power plant– it felt like the pure essence of lighting, the stuff that birthed the bolts of current, had entered their presence.

From the heavens above came… that. A creature, massive and bright yellow, bolted down and made its presence known. Easily as tall as a skyscraper, and perhaps just heavy. She’d seen it once before, depicted in a book she’d found in a musty corner of a library. How round it looked, but how little it compared to the real deal.

Even in the face of a certain death, her mouth opened, and her eyes stared up at the creature with pure excitement. “It’s here! Annalise, that’s it!”

She couldn’t control herself. Her bag fell off her back and onto the earth as she surged forward. Anode quickly followed along, and they both exited the alcove. The top of the bag released some contents to reveal various books, from Pokémon Catching Advice to an ancient Hoenn history book. The final piece of equipment was an entire fabric bag with a picture of the tent on the front.

June released another Poke Ball from her belt. Out came a Talonflame, which she wasted no time mounting as they climbed into the sky. Anode remained on the ground and scurried away from the pair. What was its–

Lighting never struck the same place twice. Unless it came from an ancient being made of the stuff– then all bets were off. Naturally, streams of jagged streaked off of the Regieleki and right to the Galvantula. It was consumed by the power, but it notably didn’t perish.

It continued its path away from them all, a Spotlight on it as June entered the domain of the gods. “Annalise, Anode will try and distract it! We gotta weaken it if we ever wanna catch it!”

The pair had caught the attention of the towering Pokémon. “REGIELEKI-EELELEKI-REGI-REGIELEKI!”

Even more power arced off its body, and they flew with the wind as they entered a deadly dance with the bolts. It would only take one mistake to die– better not fuck this up.

---

annalise henderson
Prompt Complete: Utilize an illumina or shadow pokemon in an advantageous way (go my child, hold down the neutral).

From the combination of the Thunder Cage, the previous attacks, and the rumbling of the earth underneath its legs, the Galvantula looked something awful. Covered in dirt and scorch marks, it's no surprise that as one more Thunderbolt strikes its abdomen, it cries weakly as it falls to the ground.

“Damn it!” June quickly recalled the shiny insect. So much for a distraction– the world flips as Matchstick rolled out of the way of another deadly yellow bolt. Things were not going the best, even if it had only just started. The first plan failed spectacularly, and Annalise sent out a Quagsire of all things.

Water type? Was she crazy? Wait, no— it was part ground too! “You had me worried there for a sec! Keep attacking it, and I’ll distract it from you!”

And on the topic of types, she was woefully underprepared on that front. A flying type against an electric one? That could only spell disaster if a single attack landed. But so far, the plan of ‘not getting hit’ was working out, even if the intensity of electricity nearly doubled in the loss of the decoy.

Especially one that never backed down from a fight. Suddenly, they rushed forward, the air around the Talonflame’s wings growing hot. “Matchstick, now isn’t the time! Back off!”

“SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Not an option. They shot forward, getting too close to the big ball. Shots of lighting went right past them, nearly clipping her wings. The air electrified, and her hair started to stand up on its own. If they got much closer, they’d get electrocuted to death. It became hard to breath in the presence of both awful heat that engulfed feathers or crackles of pure power.

And then, an after-image of the Talonflame skyrocketed forward as they pulled back and away. The Flare Blitz struck the creature and left a scorch mark on its upper half. A blemish, though. Almost invisible as they flew away and around the massive Pokémon. Not nearly as far as June would've liked, but the Thunder Cage held them hostage with a strict, confided area.

At least her companion's attack did something. Probably more than hers, all thing considered. "Keep it up down there! If we keep this up, it'll be weak enough to try and capture!"

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annalise henderson

“ANNALISE!”

June looked uselessly towards the head ranger, who looked much worse for wear in the few seconds she took her eyes off her. Fuck, that wasn’t good. They needed to either hit it harder, go for the catch, or retreat. And retreat wasn’t an option– not yet, anyway.

But neither her nor the Talonflame noticed the flash of yellow that went straight for them. The bird didn’t have time to dodge. but it did pull upward to prevent June from befalling the same fate as Annalise.

“MATCHSTICK!” June cried out uselessly. The bird immediately fainted, giving one last cry as it too had to be retreated. Suddenly, she found herself in a free fall. Not a new feeling, yet its not every day she does so in the presence of a creature as fast as light itself. “fuck fuck FUCK FUCK–”

The ground got closer and closer, and she flailed against the wind. The world spun rapidly, and the ground got closer. Dirt wouldn’t cushion her bones. She needed another bird, fast. But she’d left Noivern at home, and Knight would fair just as poorly as Talonflame in a fraction of the time. Arceus, why didn’t she bring more ground types?!

But another flash of light erupted, and something caught her mid-fall. Something directly from a storybook, a mimic of the real living thing that took the air from her lungs. It unfurled its massive, crimson-red wings and angled downward, then downward. From below, it might’ve looked like a blood moon as it flew down to the ground and threw June right next to Annalise.

Roaring Moon. With a roar, it set the conditions for it to thrive. The air grew warmer, and the Sunny Day beat down on everyone present. It wasn’t going to wait around– this massive beast was now its enemy, and the humans its young. And Arceus help those who messed with its young. It flew back into the sky, leaving June and Annalise to fend for themselves.

The Regieleki looked at the new creature with its multitude of eyes. It let out another call of... some emotion, and sent a flurry of bolts towards the dragon. But in the sun, it was too fast. Boosted to incredible velocities, they entered another dance of death.

“Annalise, are you–” June pulled herself up and almost hugged the girl. Almost. A useful piece of information flashed in her head: humans were excellent conductors. “Fuck. Can you move? I think–”

“Fuck. Alright, here’s the plan. Quagsire hits one more time, that… thing I have, will distract and attack. I throw the ball, I catch it, we go home. Sound good?”

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annalise henderson