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Stormy is already through the changing room and outside. She's taking a deep breath and truly living in the moment and enjoying the warmth of the ground beneath her bare feet. It's nice, to just be able to sit back and relax after a really tough battle. [break][break]

Arcanine is running behind, probably following the Lycanroc he had befriended and taken down in their last battle. He follows the smell of him into the boys changing room and stumbles upon something he probably shouldn't have.[break][break]

Kazimir and Lycanroc had bolted ahead after struggling to close a locker door. Turns out, the only reason it slammed closed was because the man's helmet had fallen out of it. It goes unnoticed as it drops down onto something soft, cushioning the sound of it clattering to the ground.[break][break]

Which means, of course, that Arcanine's curiosity can get the better of him. He steals the helmet like some sort of trophy and runs to meet up with Stormy.[break][break]

So, by the time Kazimir bumps into Stormy, she's holding his mask in her hands and appearing confused.[break][break]

"Uhh.. hey, Kazimir."[break][break]

She's distracted, and at the sight of Kazimir the Arcanine lunges for the helmet in her hands, taking it away from her so that Kazimir couldn't get it back. It was a game of chase now.[break][break]

"Arcanine!"[break][break]

She shouts, surprised and hurt that he had so roughly snatched something she'd been holding. Where were his manners? Wait, had Kazimir asked her something? What a weird interaction.[break][break]

"Sorry, yeah, that was a super intense battle. I'm still blown away by how strong your Lycanroc is. He's impressive!"[break][break]

The gym leader smiles.[break][break]

"Stormy is fine, yeah! I'm not that uptight to be called 'Miss Silph', am I?"[break][break]

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Stormy catches on quickly to Kazimir's distracted speech patterns. His attention is focused on Arcanine with the new chew-toy he's found. While the man responds to her, it isn't distinct or super well-thought-out.[break][break]

She frowns a bit at this, before glancing back at Arcanine, who has now set the helmet between his paws and sits in a downward dog position. He's waiting for someone to try and take it from him.[break][break]

Kazimir shouts and hurries after the dog, suggesting her Pokemon had stolen something from someone. She hesitates, genuinely surprised at how concerned he seemed for someone else's belonging.[break][break]

And then it occurs to her - Arcanine only really steals things to play with from people he knows. And.. the way he's playing keep-away with Kazimir just now suggests that the item in question belongs to him.[break][break]

"That's.. interesting."[break][break]

Stormy furrows her brow and considers her train of thought before chasing after Kazimir chasing after Arcanine.[break][break]

"Hey! Arcanine! Give it back to him!"[break][break]

The dog barks between the object in his teeth, growling playfully as he continues to lunge and jump away from any attempt at his face.[break][break]

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Stormy chases after Kazimir chasing after Arcanine. There's something vaguely familiar or uncomfortably ironic about the situation that she can't quite put her finger on. Arcanine continues to bolt back and forth, even going so far as to

extreme speed

back and forth over active geysers that spray hot hot water - albeit not gigantic fountains of it.[break][break]

The woman begins to repeat the same few lines of apology to the passersby as they shriek and squeal at the sight of such a large and unruly dog blasting through their quiet space. [break][break]

Eventually, however, Kazimir's Lycanroc manages to corner and tackle Arcanine to the ground. The dog yelps and flails as he attempts to shake off his pursuer. The man himself even joins in, his hands digging through thick fur as he latches onto the helmet to pull it away.[break][break]

"He's not a dumb dog. He's actually quite smart. He knows it belongs to you."[break][break]

Stormy stands in front of him, arms crossed over her chest as she squints at him. She's still putting the pieces together. [break][break]

Arcanine eventually admits defeat, letting the helmet go as he scrambles away to cough and sputter over the altercation. His tail continues to wag, however.[break][break]

"It's your helmet, isn't it?"[break][break]

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She's not sure she expected him to respond so easily, to crumble under her pressure. Damn, she was good.[break][break]

Except, the shock that settles on her fair face is quite a contrast to her normal, confident one. The moment he slips the helmet over his eyes she's hit with the foggy, concussion-buried memories of the end of the ultra beast explosion.[break][break]

"W-wait."[break][break]

Her breath hitches and her hand rises to her cheek, to the brief but sweet gesture he had offered. How humiliating.[break][break]

"Take it off before someone sees!"[break][break]

She glances over her shoulder, relieved to find no one's watching or at all paying attention - and launches herself at the young man to pull the helmet off.[break][break]

"Are you crazy? You can't just announce that sort of thing out loud."[break][break]

But there's a glint in her eye, a mischievous sort of curiosity. She's intrigued.[break][break]

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She relents in surprise, genuinely worried for a moment she might actually stretch his neck. Once he's freed, she stands close enough that together, their two bodies would block the sight of the helmet in question from any prying eyes.[break][break]

"They might be have been dense before, but so much has happened lately that's just as unbelievable. You'd be surprised how many people might actually believe you right now - me included."[break][break]

The woman's eyes widen in surprise and perhaps, mild horror, when Kazimir lets on to a serious tone followed by a smirk. Was he being serious? Should she run?[break][break]

He gestures for his Pokemon to join in on his intimidation efforts and she takes a step back. They look like they're joking, but she's also been threatened before. Kidnapped, actually, and tortured, for less. For literally getting cranky with some dude at a party who ate the entire table of cream puffs.[break][break]

She laughs a little bit, a wobble to her voice.[break][break]

"You're cute, real cute. I'm sooo scared."[break][break]

Stormy chews the inside of her lip thoughtfully as she takes in his appearance.[break][break]

"What made you wanna be a superhero?"[break][break]

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Thank God, he was only joking about the 'you know I can't let you live' part. The bead of sweat that threatened to fall disappears as she takes in a quick breath to calm her rattled nerves.[break][break]

Kazimir stands up straighter and she mimics, smiling awkwardly while he wraps the helmet in a towel. It still looks like a helmet but could be easily mistaken for a motorcycle helmet or something. It's much less suspicious now.[break][break]

Stormy listens carefully and quietly while he speaks, and, despite the rapid beat of her heart at the mention of Kanto and the traumatic events that he speaks of, she manages to keep herself calm. Kanto has always been a touchy subject, a blotch in her life that she wishes she could have changed. [break][break]

Maybe if she had been home, maybe if she hadn't stormed off because she was a shit kid, she might have been around to protect her adopted parents. Maybe then they wouldn't have died and she wouldn't be alone.[break][break]

Her eyes grow a little glassy and she looks away, forcing the swell of emotion that sits heavy in her throat.[break][break]

Kazimir addresses her, then, with a similar question and she manages to find her voice and confidence again.[break][break]

"Oh, you know, just the cliche story. Some young punk desperate to prove herself and get stronger the only way she knows how, by training hard and fighting for recognition and approval. The works."[break][break]

She laughs awkwardly, but the truth of her words takes her breath away and makes her laugh feel strained.[break][break]

"And yet.. I still don't feel strong enough."[break][break]

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Stormy blinks at his statement. She'd never considered herself humble, had never heard those words come out of anyone's mouth that described her, specifically. She has always been described as stupid, rash, reckless, and over-confident. But never 'humble.'[break][break]

It sort of made her belly grow warm with relief. Like maybe someone actually saw what she wanted them to see, what she was desperate to become.[break][break]

That, and Kazimir continues to lay on the charm and the praise by insisting that she's strong, bringing up their intense gym battle.[break][break]

"N-no, no I didn't. Thank you, Kazimir."[break][break]

Her hand rises absently to rub her arm as warmth tickles her cheeks as she fights to maintain her cool and confident visage. That embarrassment deepens when his hand adds pressure to her shoulder. She emits an awkward chuckle before side-stepping and, in the process, removes his hand from her shoulder as she breathes distance between them.[break][break]

"Yeah, sure. That'd be cool. Super cool."[break][break]

He unfurls the helmet and she stares at it. Her heartrate seems to pick up and she feels that familiar tingle of anticipation and passion. Maybe this had been what she was looking for - a way to get stronger.[break][break]

"Like really super cool."[break][break]