The lass either pretended they weren’t there, a few meters to her side, or she was entirely unaware. Good. It meant their attack would be all that more guaranteed to succeed. He, Obstagoon, and Bloke all sat in a line, hidden in the shroud of a leafy bush. They simply watched and planned.

These scoundrels never knew when to give up, did they? Not only did the opposite faction try to stop their attempts to capture and experiment on the wild Pokémon, but the wildlife itself opposed their foul actions. Unfortunately for this lone stranger, she’d come to learn that there was a third, even more unpredictable threat to their efforts.

Tavish Rose.

“Are we ready?” He looked at the other two. Bloke signed in agreeance, and Obstagoon held up her makeshift smoke bomb. Perfect. He held up three fingers. Then two. Then, he balled up his fist.

Tavish and Bloke would handle the people and Pokémon, and Obstagoon would free the captured kindred. That’s why she was the one to pull her arm back and launch the pot into a near perfect arc.

Aurelie might hear it as it hit the various leaves that hung from the trees, each one a dead giveaway of its precise location. Unless she had the reaction time and speed of electricity, the pot would finally land about half a meter in front of her. White powder exploded into the air and surrounded the immediate location. Nothing deadly, but distracting.

He really hoped she didn’t see them run up, his own solid yet minimalist combat knife drawn and Bloke ready to attack whichever Pokémon she sent out first. It’d make things a lot messier.

Their footsteps were heavy on the dirt, and he went straight for her without a single jab or taunt.

---

Aurelie Lefevre
TOTAL: 172
  _ABFR5i5

Damn. Tavish’s knife slid cleanly through the fabric of her jacket and missed the mark, saved by the Lucario now at her side. He restrained himself from immediately going for a second attack, as that’d get his head punched cleanly off by the dangerous Pokémon. Instead, he entered a defensive stance and strafed to her left.

Bloke went to her right, his eyes locked with the Lucario. He swung wildly, his fists a mile wide of the target. If anything, it’s like he tried to miss. Like the trainer, the Toxicroak adopted a defensive stance and waited to see how the Lucario would attack. His body hung low to the ground and bobbed to some strange, unheard song. He waited in Anticipation.

“Oi, eyes over here,” he waved a hand to her, “just me an’ you, eh? Let’s dance.”

Tavish didn’t even try to fake-attack. Instead, he kept his guard up and knife parallel to the ground. For a few, dangerously tense seconds, all he did was watch. No attempts, no attacks. Silent as the commotion of action stirred not even two feet from them. His one eye focused squarely on her blade.

Not even the loud roar of a very distant creature could distract him– but he couldn’t put a name to the cry. Strange; he could put a name to all the Paradoxical Pokémon calls by this point. But that one still didn’t have a name for the face, so to speak.

“Fancy knife ya got,” he finally spoke, with a thick, low accent. “Where ya mark yer head count? Etches on the blade or the pommel?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. His blade shot forward, towards her heart. Of course, this wouldn’t get anywhere, and she parried it effortlessly. But he was ready for any counterattack she’d offer, much like she’d be ready for any counter-counter attack. First impressions left them on equal ground, down to the lack of two eyes. Fate was funny indeed.

But it’s not like he needed to win. Obstagoon, in the initial commotion, went straight for the cage. She gave one of the bars a quick tug– strong. She grumbled, but couldn’t afford to waste time on complaints. The first thing that came to mind was to wear the bars away. Her claws extended, and she Furiously Swiped at the bars repeatedly. The clash of keratin on reinforced-steel filled the area and drowned out the roar of far-away beast.

---

Aurelie Lefevre
TOTAL: 360
  62ifOiJ9

Lucario’s Metal Claw slashed into the Toxicroak, a solid blow right into his side. It sent the poisonous frog into a spin, and the world spun several times over. However, it was more theatrical than the actual force of the strike. No, his foe did not hit so hard that he was sent into a literal spiral.

Because he slammed his foot into the ground. From there, it was all too easy to convert the momentum of the spin forward. Straight ahead, both his fists put together and shot forward with all his body weight. This Revenge would be sweet. “Two left feet, eh?!”

On the Tavish side, he pushed Aurelie’s arm back and whipped his head backward. While it did mean he ate a heavy blow to his gut, it also meant his free arm could grab onto hers and keep her squarely in place.

“Fat chance–”

His headshot forward, and their skulls collided. The world shook, and he recoiled from his own blow. His feet felt unsteady, but he powered through the initial regret and pain from their forced mutual pain. “In… hell… whoah!”

No, that was not in his mind; the trees vibrated in place, and the entire landscaped vibrated in place. Like the world wanted to join in on the fight, the chemist tried to fight back and keep himself upright. It worked– barely. In the confusion of the sudden earthquake shaking the world and his own world being shaken, he swung rather blindly in her direction.

The earthquake didn’t matter much for Obstagoon, but it was annoying. Almost as much as the waste of time her Fury Swipes were. She growled at the strong metal bars. All of that effort, just to put a few scratches into them. It was time to get serious. Instead of her paltry normal attacks. she lifted both her arms far apart in the sky.

And then brought hem down into an X-formation, straight onto the bars. But not even the Cross Chop could put a dent into the reinforced steel.

But, perhaps, there was a third option. A sudden flash of light caught her attention. Lights from the Iron Thorns. They flickered, but did not stay active. It wanted to come to life, but couldn’t find the strength. Maybe if she… healed it, somehow…

---

Aurelie Lefevre
TOTAL: 444
  w_w0CpCG

If Aurelie managed to turn around fast enough, she might’ve seen Tavish close the distance fast and furious. Through the headache that was the headbutt, he planted his foot straight into her back. With any luck, she’d go straight through the cage and free the Iron Thorns from its prison.

Bloke, who saw the creature try to come to life and put the numbers together, kept the pressure on Lucario. He hopped to the left but feinted back to center faster than fast, like the boxers on TV. His fist went straight for his foe's chest with a Feint Attack. “C’mon, just feels like bullyin’ if ya don’t talk back!”

Obstagoon saw Iron Thorns continue its best to wake up, but to no avail. They needed to get it healthy, and they needed it to be awake. If it got pissed off, then even better.

“Obsta, Obstagoon!” She dashed to the side of the cage and moved her paws in a rushed manner. Sign language; one he understood well enough.

“Aye, good thinkin’!” He reached into his vest and pulled out an Oran berry, much like his opponent. This could help get that poor Pokémon behind bars in proper shape, and it’d be able to free itself at that point.

But how?

… It’d be risky, but it was one of their only chances to get the thing back in order. “Obstagoon, get the thing right angry! Bloke, to me!”

Together, Tavish and Bloke pushed forward, sides pressed together tight and ready to claw, bite, punch, and stab their way through the opposition. Obstagoon reached through the bars and Fury Swiped the Iron Thorns instead.

And its lights shot on. Dim and still unsteady, but they were certainly on. A faint rumble filled the air, through all the commotion. The beast awakened, even if only barely. If Tavish could get the Oran berry to it, then it’d be more than capable of making its own way out.

---

Aurelie Lefevre
TOTAL: 517
  8JJ9du7b

Just as the Obstagoon started to back away from the very angry creature, it came to life violently. Viciously. Its roar rivaled the one they heard earlier, and all its lights came on at full power. Tavish grinned, and Bloke did so too (albeit weaker, as that Lucario did indeed pack a punch). Maybe they didn’t even need to feed it.

Such was evidenced when it leaned backward, then forwards. Back and forth, side to side, and rocked the cage itself. The bars started to bend, break, tear, and–

As day turned to night and shadows resisted the sun’s rays, the cage finally tipped over. The entire structure came apart at the seams. Metal snapped like twigs underneath the massive weight, and the creature fumbled around in the darkness.

Tavish cursed and put his hands to his mouth, “DON’T THINK YE CAN HIDE FROM ME FEREVER! YE AND ROCKET WILL FEEL MY WRATH IN TIME, YA HEAR ME!”

Thank goodness for Obstagoon. She had run past the Iron Thorns earlier, and now pulled Tavish out of the way of the still very pissed Iron Thorns. It stomped just where he’d been and left a half-meter indent into the earth.

Right. He cursed and tapped Bloke on the shoulder, “Mission accomplished! To the right!”

The small trio ran away, hearts full of adrenaline and pride. They’d done what they’d set out to do and made a difference. Even if only a minor one, it was progress. Castles were not built in a day, and neither were they felled.

Brick by brick, Rocket would be dismantled.

---

Aurelie Lefevre
TOTAL: 596
  fB04hzuF