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Aubre does not get the chance to see her husband return to form. She is too busy trying to trend to Azelf and dodge the attacks ranging around them. But, when she looks up, As Leon crushes her against his chest anew, two sets of stimuli flow in. One is comforting: the smell of their detergent and home. The other is acrid and unwelcome. It’s the reek of burnt flesh and air. When they finally separate, she offers him another soft smile. But this one is strained. As if there’s something in her mouth that’s fighting to get out.
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As he turns to retrieve his possessions, it finally forces its way out. It tastes of frustration.
"I'm not a child, Leon." Her voice is resigned and small.
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She listens to the Megalopan’s words with pinched lips. The announcement that they’re hurtling through Ultra Space gives her a momentary start, but it’s far less concerning than what’s hurtling down from the floors above them.
So much for a grand escape. She thinks irritably to herself. Then, another realization strikes her.
“We’re in a ship.” Which meant they were one popped screw from a crushed tin can.
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With wide eyes, she watches as the cloned Pokemon shuffle toward their new masters. Any sense of concern vanishes as she sees an old lady reaching a withered hand to the chained Heliolisk. The fingers are still broken.
“Good luck.” Aubre murmurs to them both. Even Alastor offers a nod to his clone.
‘Guy’s going to have it rough with a mug like that.’ He signs to his worn trainer. Though she glares, Aubre can’t resist a laugh.
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“Thank you,” Aubre murmurs to Leon’s Pokemon as the Bisharp steps up alongside Serena. Her lips twist at the use of the word ‘lady.’ The shy Swampert turns away, embarrassed. The water type greets the steel type with a nod.
Again, her husband moves to pull her away from the fray. She searches for a way out (as much for the Megalopans as for herself). But her panicked mind doesn't spot anything.
“We won’t get a better shot.” The area is a crush of Pokemon and equipment. Any viable escape route will soon be blocked.
“!?” The ground shakes as the Lousy Three make themselves known. Immediately, the doctor lifts her head. Normally kind, sweet eyes bore into those of Munkidori.
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A nervous, half-mad laugh spills out. They were in trouble. Giant, red-lined trouble. She swallowed.
"At least they're easier to hit now."Whereas earlier memories made her cower, these gave her strength. She remembers each
thunk as her husband was crushed against the floor. Again. Again. The pain in her face as the poor, beseeched Ogrepon slammed its cudgel into her. That same curl of the lips that predicated the attack is there now. It’s the expression of a bully smashing people together like toys.
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During this angry contemplation, a chunk of Pecharunt’s mochi slams into the doctor’s cheek. Her face burns as she wipes furiously at the stain, the poison already sinking into her eye. The right side of her world swims in a sickening, unnatural violet. This blinds her to the entry of a Houndoom and a good look at Okidogi's face.
She understood wanting to go home. She’d felt nothing but that all week. Hell, she even knew the urge to make someone pay. The burden of leadership and decisions? It was something every parent knew. But the General’s words ring hollow. She shook her head. All week, she’d been secretly hoping for something to make this travesty make sense. Maybe a reason that took the
hurt and anger away.
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But all she’d gotten were empty platitudes and another step in this endless cycle of hate. Some part of her almost feels pity as the leader unleashes a torrent of verbal abuse on those before her. As she turns, a bit of that same poison splashes into the room the Megalopans are sheltered in. It's this area she retreats into as she shouts around a corner.
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“What’s the point of going home if your people can’t go with you?” These words probably can’t be heard above the fray. But she screams them anyway as Munkidori’s mask slices through a pillar beside her.
"This fight will kill all of us if you're not careful!" Green eyes shift to where she knows the aliens hide. She wants to beg them for help, but the words don't come out. It feels like a waste of breath. They didn’t stop them from being beaten and poisoned. They didn’t
care. But she didn't want to let them die either.
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She glared at
freya morningstar and
ameena abadi as she remembers the bridges burnt.
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With a noise of frustration, the doctor peers back at the fight. The empty-hearted politician wasn’t the threat right now. Her entire being narrows to the shield before the monkey. It was time to neutralize that poison. Come hell or high, well
dirty water.
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Knowing the earlier Screech is useless, Aubre makes a gesture to Serena. With a nod, the axolotl dug deep within and unleashed a torrent of
Muddy Water at the Munkidori. It slammed into one of the red panels, splattering those nearby with a cloudy layer of pond muck. A blind spot that anyone could turn into an opening.
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Though it isn’t as wide as the spot of purple slowly spreading across her eye.
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