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the sky is his sanctuary, the wind his guide, but today, they have led him astray. the masked rider looms above him like an omen of death, their moltres blotting out the sun with its terrible wings. in that moment, nick knows fear, the kind that settles deep into the bones, the kind he hadn't felt since the darkest days of his past.[break][break]

he is no stranger to team rocket, no stranger to the horrors they inflict upon the world. he had been one of them, once, a lifetime ago, before he had found his way to the light. but that was the past, and this is the present, and the present is dark and full of terror. a ritualistic sacrifice is demanded.[break][break]

nick's grip tightens on his mount, the fierce and proud braviary that has been his companion through so many battles. he could feel the bird's tension, its readiness to fight, but nick knew that they were outmatched. the moltres is a legendary creature, a force of nature made flesh, and nick and his braviary are little more than insects before its might.[break][break]

but he has a duty. the league counts on him to scout. to be cowed by this beast is to admit defeat.[break][break]

nick bids his braviary to ascend to face the moltres and its masked rider. "neither you nor rocket own the skies," he calls out, his voice ringing with a confidence he does not feel. "i intend to finish my duty."[break][break]

his knuckles go white, every muscle tensed for a confrontation.

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