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"if i'm so close to death then why the fuck am i not shaking yet?"[break][break]

her words, sharp as knives, pierce the air between them, a cutting wind that does nothing to douse the furious flames burning all around her. but even as she speaks, her mind is reeling, the gears turning at a thousand miles a minute as she struggles to figure her way out of this mess. she doesn't even know this guy, and already, she hates him.[break][break]

and if he thinks that insulting her uniform - one she despises, no less - would make her back down, then he doesn't know who he's fucking dealing with.[break][break]

her hand tightens around the strap of her camera, the knuckles going white with a force borne of anger and, yes, maybe just a little bit of fear. but fear has always been her greatest motivator, her fuel, the thing that's kept her running all these years, and she's not about to stop now.[break][break]

she takes a deep breath, gathering her wits about her like a shield, even as her free hand reaches for bokeh's pokeball at her hip. if she's going down, she's going down swinging, and she'll be damned if she goes alone.[break][break]

"bokeh, let's go!" she snaps, the rotom materializing at her side with a crackle of electricity, the air around it shimmering with barely contained power. a thunderwave goes off just as quickly as the ghost appears.[break][break]

and then, in a flash, they're off, her laughter wild and reckless on her lips as she feels the grass beneath her feet, the wind in her hair, the thrill of danger, of the chase, and the thunderwave's crackling, snapping in the air all around her. whatever happens now, she's ready for it. because if there's one thing she knows, it's that she won't go down without a fight.

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"you're an absolute weirdo, you know that?" she retorts, and if her words have no effect on him, then at least they serve to make her feel a little bit better about her current situation. because as much as she's trying to play it cool, as much as she's trying to act like this is just another day at the office, the truth is that she's scared.[break][break]

but she's also angry. angry at this guy, this weirdo who she's never even met before, for coming out of nowhere and attacking her like she's some kind of threat. and while part of her, the more rational part, knows that there's probably a reason for it, that she's probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time, the other part of her, the part that's fueled by adrenaline and pure spite, just doesn't give a shit.[break][break]

so when bokeh goes down, when that armor cannon slams into her rotom like a ton of bricks, she's not just upset. she's pissed.[break][break]

"alright, death roll," she snarls, throwing the pokeball with a force born of frustration and, yeah, maybe just a little bit of fear. the krookodile materializes in a flash of red light, his eyes blazing with a fury to match her own, and she can't help but feel a surge of pride as she watches him take in the scene before him, his muscles tensing beneath his skin as he prepares to fight.[break][break]

"earthquake!" she commands, her voice low and dangerous, and she watches as he rears back on his hind legs, his tail lashing the ground as he gathers his power. then, with a roar that shakes the earth, he brings his massive body slamming down onto the ground, and the very world seems to quake and shudder around them as the shockwaves ripple outwards, catching both dorian and his pokemon in their unrelenting grip.[break][break]

miyako is not spared from it either. the earth ripples beneath her feet, and she's quick to fall to the ground, now incapable of rising for as long as the earthquake continues.

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"yeah, well, you're not the nicest person i've ever fought either!" she snaps back, her temper rising with every passing second. she knows she should be scared, knows that she's outmatched and outgunned, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins just makes her reckless. makes her bold. makes her stupid.[break][break]

and maybe that's a good thing, because when death roll goes down, when that flamethrower reduces him to nothing more than a charred husk, she's too caught up in the moment to really process what's happening. all she knows is that she can't give up now. not when she's come this far. death roll is recalled in a burst of light.[break][break]

so she reaches for fancy-pants' pokeball, and with a quick throw, the togekiss appears in a flash of dazzling light, her feathers shimmering like jewels in the harsh sunlight. miyako doesn't hesitate. with a running start, she leaps onto her back, her arms wrapping around the togekiss' neck as she feels the powerful muscles beneath her ripple with anticipation.[break][break]

"alright, fancy-pants," she growls, her voice muffled against the soft down of her companion's feathers. "double-edge!"[break][break]

and then they're off, the wind whipping around them as they soar through the air, faster and faster until the world blurs around them and all that's left is the mega charizard and the goal. fancy-pants tucks her wings in close to her body, making herself as aerodynamic as possible as she rockets towards her target.

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well. shit.[break][break]

miyako's heart pounds in her chest as she watches the charizard and his trainer struggle to maintain their balance, knowing that this could be her only chance. and so, even though she's terrified, even though every instinct in her body is screaming at her to turn back, to run away, to give up, she urges fancy-pants forward, faster and faster until they're a blur.[break][break]

when they collide, the impact is like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of her and making her vision go black around the edges. but she grits her teeth and holds on, her fingers tangled in fancy-pants' feathers as the togekiss bucks and thrashes beneath her, trying to throw off the charizard's grip.[break][break]

but it's no use. with a final, brutal slam, fancy-pants hits the ground hard, and miyako feels something in her side crack with the impact. she cries out in pain, reaching for her broken ribs with one hand even as the other scrabbles for fancy-pants' pokeball. "ow, ow, ow..." why does she always break her ribs again right after they heal? "i'll have you know that i'm both brave and stupid. fuck, ow!"[break][break]

togekiss is recalled in a burst of light.[break][break]

and then there's nothing between miyako and the mega charizard but a few feet of empty space. she's beaten. she knows it, and from the triumphant look in the charizard's eyes, so do they.[break][break]

with a shaking hand, miyako reaches into her pocket and pulls out the last pokeball she has. she looks at it for a long moment, her vision blurring with tears of pain and defeat. and then, with a flick of her wrist, she sends out her favorite—the dog she raised from a damn puppy, her always loyal stoutland.[break][break]

for a moment, miyako buries her hands into the mutt's fur, breathing deep a nostalgic smell, before using the canine as leverage to rise back to her feet. she meets whiskey's eyes for a moment and frowns. he's worried about her. he always is. but miyako never knows when to quit.[break][break]

then, her eyes go towards the charizard, and whiskey knows exactly what to do. his teeth laced in lightning, he lunges for the charizard with a brutal thunder fang.

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it's like everything is happening in slow motion. miyako hears herself scream, hears whiskey's whine of pain, and then there's silence.[break][break]

for a moment, there's nothing but the pounding of her heart in her ears, the ache in her ribs, the sting of sweat in her eyes. and then, slowly, she becomes aware of other things. the heat of the sun on her skin, the scent of smoke and blood in the air, the feel of whiskey's fur beneath her fingers.[break][break]

why the hell hadn't she just ran? what the hell is wrong with her? how desperate is she to prove herself that she would send her closest companion into an unwinnable fight?

and the weight of the gouging fire's gaze on her, heavy and expecting.[break][break]

with shaking hands, miyako reaches for whiskey's pokeball, recalling him with a soft click. she feels so empty, so completely and utterly defeated.[break][break]

she's felt like this before. she feels it often, actually. every day. her life is a big carousel ride of failure. around and around she goes, wondering when she can finally get off this wild damn ride. and she never does. the man's just too strong for her. a capable fighter, the kind miyako always kind-of wanted to be, but would have never admitted to.[break][break]

she could cry. she could scream and yell and run and hide. but she won't. that's the kind of vulnerability she would only show in the throes of death, or while under the influence of an entire bottle of bourbon.[break][break]

instead of all of that, the woman instead stands up, dusts herself off, and raises the only hand that is not cradling her broken rib. "alright, alright," she manages, though her voice sounds almost as if she's choking. "i get it. you have the bigger dick between us. you win."[break][break]

miyako briefly glances over her shoulder, then looks back to the rocket.[break][break]

"can you just... let me go? and forget i was here? bro to bro?"

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she doesn't need to be told twice. with a nod, miyako turns on her heel and takes off, her heart pounding in her chest as she runs as fast as her legs can carry her. she knows it's not a smart idea to run with broken ribs, but what other choice does she have?[break][break]

she can hear the sound of dorian's laughter fading behind her, and it makes her skin crawl. she hates him. she hates him so much. but she also knows that she's lucky to be alive. if it hadn't been for his "generosity," she would probably be dead right now.[break][break]

as she runs, miyako tries to focus on her breathing, tried to keep it slow and steady even as her lungs burn with the effort. she focuses on the feel of the wind against her skin, the pounding of her feet against the ground. anything to keep her mind off the pain in her side.[break][break]

after what feels like an eternity, miyako finally collapses in a clearing, her chest heaving with exertion. she curls into a ball, her arms wrapped around her waist as she tries to catch her breath. it's only then that she realizes she's crying, big, ugly tears that streak down her face and make her nose run.[break][break]

she cries for her pokemon, for herself, for the futility of it all. she cries because she's exhausted, and in pain, and completely and utterly defeated.[break][break]

it's not fair. none of this is fair. but what is she going to do about it? she's just one person, one messed up cop with more issues than pokemon.
slowly, miyako pushes herself up into a sitting position, wincing as the movement sends fresh waves of pain through her side. she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a cigarette, lighting it with shaking hands. she takes a long drag, savoring the taste of the smoke as it fills her lungs.[break][break]

and then, she starts to laugh. it's a high-pitched, slightly hysterical sound, but it's also full of genuine amusement. because when you think about it, the whole situation is just ridiculous. here she is, a cop, running from a battle with team rocket like a criminal on the streets she knows so well. and all because of some stupid rivalry she got caught up in.[break][break]

this whole region is such a fucking joke.[break][break]

miyako stands up, wincing, and begins the long trek home.

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