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Despite the doom descending upon them by the pious hands of some cruel fate-weaver, Stormy is relaxed and happy. Sailing had never been a hobby of hers, but since meeting skyler dross, she had come to appreciate it just a little bit more.[break][break]

It helped, too, that Lance had invited her out for a date.[break][break]

She's wearing a sundress cover-up article of clothing. It masks the swimsuit underneath.[break][break]

"I like this -- seeing you."[break][break]

Despite how captivating Lance is with his glass in hand and his attention on her, she finds herself turning her cheek to watch the sunset for a moment. [break][break]

This is nice.

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he smiles, taking a small sip before setting the glass back down. the waiter returns with their food, serving them their first course of their full course dinner. it's a light salad with some fish glazed in their special sauce. it certainly smells delicious.[break][break]

"we should do this more often," what this is remains ambiguous, at least to him. he's simply enjoying her company and that's more than enough.[break][break]

something looms in the near distance, approaching.

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Compared to the cold revenge to be served later, the piping hot dish set before her is almost too hot to touch. Not for her, obviously, as she twists the plate to face her better, much to the horror of the waiter who had specifically warned her it was extremely hot.[break][break]

She blinks in surprise, pulling her hands away and avoiding eye contact with the waiter as he moves away. She taps her forefinger against her fork, thoughtful.[break][break]

That thoughtfulness only grows at Lance's comment, magnified by the butterflies that come with it.[break][break]

What is this, exactly? What exactly were they doing?[break][break]

It had very quickly become a thought that crossed her mind often. Her focus is wholly on him as she studies his face. She looks thoughtful and remains oblivious to the incoming threat. The music in the background even begins to turn ominous and she picks up zero hints.[break][break]

"I agree, and I look forward to it."

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what remains of the sun eventually disappears under the horizon, replaced by the dark blue hues of the night. the lights on the ship are soft and yellow and they make up the graceful ambiance fit for the finest of dinners.[break][break]

the low rumbling of an engine remains unheard, drowned out by the music that plays indoors. a certain group of men make their approach, climbing their makeshift ladders as they board the yacht.[break][break]

inside, their entrée is served: pan-seared salmon with asparagus complimented by a sauce similar to hollandaise but not quite. he takes another sip of the wine before cutting into the salmon.

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As the sun disappears, so does some of the warmth. Stormy flashes a smile to the waiter as their entree is served, and she takes a deep breath to enjoy the aroma of their food.[break][break]

"You're spoiling me, Lance."[break][break]

However, as she reaches for her utensils to dig in, movement in the corner of her eye catches her attention and she finds herself looking over her shoulder abruptly. The feeling of being watched lingers.[break][break]

"Do you hear that?"[break][break]

A trick question - there was nothing to hear. The ambience of the music was overwhelming now, the murmuring of staff had disappeared.

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"is that such a bad thing?"[break][break]

the sudden shift in her demeanor is barely noticed over the delicious food before him, but when he finally notices, he raises an eyebrow and meets her gaze.[break][break]

"music?"[break][break]

he attempts to play it off as a joke but he can tell how serious she's being, and for that reason, he takes a moment to look around the room, thorough in his search for something off. except he finds nothing. all he sees is a room with people enjoying their dinners.[break][break]

"it looks clear to me."

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Her unease is moderately reduced when Lance takes a look himself and comes up empty. Everything seems fine and so she forces herself to relax into her seat. But her appetite is lost with the worrying pit in her stomach.[break][break]

When the waiter returns, she glances over to him.[break][break]

"Could I get a water plea--"[break][break]

Her brows furrow at how close he gets and the fact that this isn't the same young man from earlier. Though they're wearing the same outfit and name-tag, the face is unmistakably different. And there's blood on his apron.[break][break]

But before she could put the pieces together, his hand is in her hair and ripping her up out of her seat, pressing her close to his chest with a knife to her throat.[break][break]

Pain swallows her sense of direction as she cries out, following his lead and stumbling after him to avoid her hair being scalped and her throat being cut.[break][break]

"What are you doing, let me go!"[break][break]

She receives only a chuckle in response as the guy calls over his shoulder.[break][break]

"Is this the right bitch? The one who set fire to the boss? Fucked up his pretty face?"

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despite his words of reassurance, he never lets his guard down, understanding that while he sees nothing, there could very well be dangers out of his line of sight. or in this case, directly in.[break][break]

the blood on the apron is what gives it away but before he has a chance to react, the man tugs stormy away and presses a knife against her throat. lance stands up immediately, reacting how he was trained to, but stops himself from finding the pokeballs on his belt. [break][break]

'don't even fucking try, pretty boy.'[break][break]

the room descends into chaos as other pirates start to make themselves known. they wave their weapons at the rest of the people and threaten them to stay still and quiet. they naturally oblige, not wanting to die.[break][break]

"stormy—it'll be okay."[break][break]

will it? he can't call out his pokemon. he can't attack the man. he can't do anything but watch, helpless. this is like adding insult to injury.

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"That's her, alright. Such a tiny little thing to cause so much trouble. Boss said to fuck her up as bad as she did him."[break][break]

Stormy's fingers dig into the wrist of the man's hand that holds her hair, but she's shaking. Lance stands on the opposite side of her, unable to react. Weapons are drawn and pointed and she's unable - unwilling to react.[break][break]

"I promised, Lance."[break][break]

Her voice is a whisper, thin with fear. [break][break]

She had promised him she wouldn't hurt anyone again, that she would control whatever power she seemed to have. She had never wanted to hurt anyone, to use her abilities to harm. And yet it seemed the only option in the moment. She couldn't reach Wadjet's pokeball, her purse dangled too far below her hip.[break][break]

The pirate aggressively yanks her hair as punishment for her whispering, pressing the knife tighter to her neck until it draws a thin line of blood.[break][break]

Stormy gasps in pain, holding back the tears that threaten to spill. Her fear makes her blood boil and her skin warm up, but it seems to fluctuate as if she's trying to hold it back.[break][break]

But the reality of the situation is that she can't hold back - they're in danger and out of options.[break][break]

So she ignites her hands, burning the hand that holds her hostage. Her other hand drops to catch the blade before he could harm her further. The metal bites into her skin for only a moment before she's slicing her palm, pulling away in desperation. The man recoils from the burn to his hands, dropping the knife.[break][break]

It gives her a second to reach for Wadjet's pokeball and the black Charizard stands between them, furious.[break][break]

To add insult to injury, it begins to rain, putting out the fire in her hands. Her dress clings to her skin and her hair loses its curl as she works to catch her breath.

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in order to survive, she will have to break her promise.[break][break]

and she does.[break][break]

the moment he catches a mere glimpse of the familiar red is when he bursts into action. stormy can take care of herself so he turns his attention to the rest of the room, to the civilians that just had the bad luck of being on the same yacht as them.[break][break]

"disable them!"[break][break]

porygon 2 emerges from its pokeball and processes the order within nanoseconds. a sudden electrical pulse shoots across the room; MAGNET RISE taking its effects as the pirates start to feel their weapons slip out of their hands, suddenly drawn to the ceiling.[break][break]

calculations are being processed in unimaginable speeds as the porygon 2 uses its LOCK-ON, singling out the pirates before an overwhelming ZAP CANNON paralyzes them. they drop to the ground, stunned.[break][break]

lance turns back to stormy then, ready to react.

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In the time it takes her to disable her attacker, Lance has managed to disarm and drop the rest of the pirates with a Porygon-2. Her pendant glows with imbued power as she recollects herself. Blood drips from her fingertips, staining her dress and the deck of the yacht. But the pain is nothing in the heat of the moment.[break][break]

"Wadjet, I need your help."[break][break]

The Pokemon's body begins to shift an evolve as she takes on her mega-evolved form. Blue flames pour from her mouth and her claws grow wicked sharp. The Pokemon the pirates send out in favor of their missing weapons are quickly overcome by the Charizard's brute strength.[break][break]

"You bitch! You're a witch, a demon, what kind of person is able to do that?"[break][break]

Her attacker lays on the ground, crawling away as Stormy approaches. He's afraid of her, as is evident by the wild look in his eyes. The pirate holds his hands together and they tremble. The burns are severe.

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click, click.[break][break]

a more controlled ZAP CANNON strikes the injured pirate on the ground, sending shockwaves across his body to paralyze him. lance steps in front of stormy then and reaches a hand out for her shoulder to stop her.[break][break]

"i got him."[break][break]

anger is a powerful motivator; and while he trusts stormy to handle the situation, he decides it best to resolve it himself. he approaches the paralyzed pirate and lifts him up, hauling him over to the rest of them. all the pirates are now paralyzed and their pokemon unconscious.[break][break]

lance walks around the room, reassuring the civilians that things are now under control, while also checking them for any injuries.

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She's temporarily blinded with rage and fear, stopped only by Lance's hand on her shoulder. The gesture is warm and grounding and she feels herself relax. Her shoulders sag and she trembles under his hand even after he's gone. Where he takes time to gather up the paralyzed pirates and check the passengers for injuries, Stormy feels nothing but guilt and nausea.[break][break]

It gets so bad that she rushes to the side of the boat to vomit. Her stomach clenches with the effort and she's sobbing.[break][break]

Under her breath she's whispering through her tears:[break][break]

"I promised, I promised, I promised."[break][break]

Wadjet returns to her regular size, blowing smoke from the effort it took to remain so large and in charge. The beast takes up a position next to the pile of pirates and Pokemon, intent on keeping them in line should they recover.

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