From behind the thief, the rumble of the HYPER BEAM echoes through to her position. Her heart drops, the sound stops her in her tracks, forcing her to peer over her shoulder toward the dark tunnel she came down. She had traveled pretty far at this point, would the Orbeetle’s TELEPATHY still work through layers of rock?

Killian? If her voice could reach the others it may sound muffled in static, broken like a radio too far from it’s counterpart, Is everything ok? Hello?

Fuck. Her eyes fall on the Zororak who looks back towards her, she can sense her worry. Tension rose in Lex’s chest. He’s probably fine, nothing to worry about. He’s much stronger than her, after all. Still . . . Her fingers curl into the Zororak’s fur, “Go to him,” Nova probably wouldn’t be able to help much, but she could at least provide cover for him if things went south.

Nova obeyed, pulling her ILLUSION from Lex and striking off back from where they came on the swiftness of an AGILITY. Lex was exposed, but there was no one else in this part of the cave . . . yet.

“Alright, Baby,” Lex turned back towards the crystal, the same greedy hunger in her eyes that any thief would have for a shiny object. But there’s something more to this crystal, it radiates an energy that reminded her of her first excursion in the Cave of Origin. It’s intriguing, pulling her forward without much thought to anything else. She needed it, had to have it.

Lex climbed the stairs, drawing closer and closer. The energy washed over her, bathing her in a sense of primal urges. She felt energized, greedy, violent. The tight black chocker that clung to Lex’s neck began grew tighter as the jewel in the center began to pulse. It hungrily devoured the energy. Lex barely noticed; she was entranced in the crystal. It bathed her face in a purple light, casting sinister shadows across her features. Before she took note, a pokeball on her waist exploded open and the shriek of a surprised Gengar echoed through the large cavern.

Smoke was frantically flying through the air, bouncing off rocks and pillars like a pinball. He too was bathed in a similar energy that glowed from Lex’s chocker. The specter slammed into the alter, gripping it tightly before the energy consumed him. A light exploded from his center, causing Lex to shield her eyes. The form of a Mega Gengar took his place, a violent wild look in his eyes from the sudden intoxication of energy.

They didn’t have much time to register what happened. The crystal cracked in two and another light exploded from the alter. A loud, thunderous BOOM echoed through the caves as a beam shot up into the sky through the opening of the cave. The burst of energy pushed them back. Lex and Baby tumbled down the stairs, landing at the foot of them in a daze. Smoke was forced into the air, but he was able to steady himself before slamming into a nearby pillar.

With a groan Lex lifted her head as she looked in shock at the beam of light that fizzled out, leaving two shard of a crystal and an eerie silence, a void to be filled by something more sinister.

All Rocket Allies have -25% Damage (Baby’s Friend Guard Ability)

tl;dr: Lex can’t hear them in her mind so she send Nova back, leaving herself with an Illusion (gives an opening for someone to come oppose her, get her). She approaches the crystal to take it but her Gengar bursts out of the pokeball and mega evolves. The crystal is activated and breaks into two pieces. A beam of light shoots into the sky. Minior shower incoming (y’all can rp that while I’m gone).

She smiles, a small shake of her head before taking a sip of her whiskey. She too is amused, “And what could I possibly need from you that I don't already have, Beckett: The loyal servant of Rocket?” She leans forward slightly, curiosity sparks in her eyes.

THEO BECKETT

The grip around her glass tightens, “That little, fucking rat,” she growls between clenched teeth. Consumed in replaying her “interrogation” with Razz, she barely notices the comment about Killian. Barely. An icy glare does flash towards Theo. It wasn’t hard to find Lex’s switch. Honestly, she was surprised as well. But in his defense, he had been very . . . distracted as of late with other projects and keeping himself sane after Lulu’s mind-fuck.

THEO BECKETT

Her eyes narrow in contempt. She knew where to bloody look. Killian Decker was the head of intel and she spent years stealing information for him. Still, she came out empty handed which was . . . frustrating, “The Sootopolis Police?” She recalls her conversation with Raziel Beckett. She doubts what he told her was the truth.

THEO BECKETT

“Yep,” The P pops with the sharp movement of her lips. That wasn’t hard to deduce. There was more to the story, but revenge was the keystone in the arc, “How did you find out about Aoi?” Gavin may not have cared during the interrogation, but as someone fully invested in finding the real rat with nothing to show for it, Lex did.

THEO BECKETT

Not too long ago she might have feared he was going to break away from their embrace as she feels him shift beneath her touch. Now, it doesn’t even cross her mind. It will always be a welcome feeling to be pulled into his embrace. She smiles beneath the cascade of water before her eyes open to look back at Killian. Even the warm water can’t wash away the lingering of his kiss on her neck.

Her hands glide up to curl around his neck, just as invested in staying entangled together as he is. He apologies, and he’s right to think he doesn’t need to say what for. She knows. Lex doesn’t let him move far. A hand slides forward to cup his cheek in her palm, “I know,” she smiles softly. It’s a promise she knows he’ll keep.

Killian Decker

In other words, hold back. Fine. She acknowledges Cillian Quinn with a nod.

Revenge. Hopefully it would be satisfying.

The first is a swift punch to the gut, an inkling of the feeling of the paralyzing pressure of the ELECTROWEB that captured her.

The same hand shoots out like the strike of an Arbok, fingers aiming to curl around Aoi’s throat. Tight, oppressive, like the SHADOW HOLD that bound her when Gavin didn’t believe her story. She holds it there, fingers curling tighter as she lifts to look Aoi in the eye. Lex’s eyes are wild, angry, lost in searching for a sense of peace that will never come.

The next strike comes across her face as a powerful, merciless blow. A taste of the beating she took when having to defend herself from a stranger she wound up killing.

She holds herself back from more and steps away. Unfortunately, she feels unsatisfied.

@consequences

There it is again, a sense of satisfaction. She leans back slightly, taking a sip of her whiskey as it sinks in but it doesn’t wash away the smile, “Do you know why I was so invested in @aoi?” Did Gavin tell him?

THEO BECKETT

Her gaze doesn’t waiver, and smile never faulters. She senses the threat trying to force compliance, but that’s not something she gives easily. Stupid question, THEO BECKETT. Of course the answer is “Yes.”

THEO BECKETT

There they are, already waiting for them when they returned to Mt. Pyre. The horses keep surprising her, “Yeah, I wonder what they got up to,” she laughs lightly. Couple of troublemakers? Right up Lex’s alley, “Yeah, maybe,” she thinks for a moment before extracting a pokeball. A flash of light brings forward her Purrloin, a gift from Killian.

The redhead scoops the kitten up in her arms and slowly approaches the horses, “Alright, let’s be gentle” she coos to the kitten, “Let’s try a Shadow Claw to untangle this mess,” Lex stands beside one of the Spectrier while the Purrloin gently combed out the mess with dark claws, “Here, you do the other,” she smiled, handing Killian the kitten.

As soon as the last tangles of Killian’s Spectrier were combed out the two horses faded away . . . again. Lex sighed, expecting it at this point, “Tomorrow it is.”

Killian Decker

“Hm,” the few words tell her all she needs to know about THEO BECKETT. A brow rises curiously, a fingernail tapping rhythmically against the glass. She’s debating the line she walks. How close to the edge can she thread with a former Rocket admin?

Hierarchy in Hoenn wins out, “You’re here to answer my questions. Perhaps I’ll indulge you with some answers later if you play nice,” Her smile grows, it's almost playful, “Are you going to play nice?”

THEO BECKETT

Killian trembles beneath her lips, and for a brief moment she feels powerful. It’s intoxicating, he is intoxicating. She wants more, he wants more. She can feel it.

He lifts her into his arms, and she wraps her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, submitting fully to the moment as her eyes close and his lips touch her skin. They paint a trail towards her own that dissolves any lingering tension left in her body by the spike of adrenaline. Instead, her heart races for different reasons: passion, longing, desire, love.

Lex meets his kiss with equal passion. Arm curled tighter around his neck and fingers tangle themselves in his dark hair. She fills it with the love she hasn’t been able to show him over the past few weeks and the longing for him she was forced to bury deep down while he recovered. For the first time, she feels her Killian in the kiss, the one she lost when the nightmares poisoned him. She deepens it passionately, hungry for what she has been starved of.

Not even the chill of the cool tile on her back or the hot water wetting their skin can tear an ounce of her attention away from him. She lets the passion sink deep into the broken crevices of her soul, flushing out the pain and mending the fissures.

They blend together into one, a seamless mixture, an unbreakable bond. The emotions and passion are so visceral that Lex is happy the water is there to wash away the tears that she cries.

---

Even when it’s all over, she hesitates to let go. Her hands never leave him even as she leans back to rinse the last bit of soap from her hair. Despite the length of their shower, the water never runs cold in Lavaridge.

Killian Decker

Johto. Goldenrod Casino. Flashback

It had been 2 weeks since the diagnosis and 1 week and 6 days since he had put her to work. Kaito didn’t spare an hour before sinking his claws into an opportunity and milking it for all it was worth. Slinging drinks, ass grabs, and fake smiles were her new normal.

Realty hit Lex fast and hard. A difficult to piece together childhood suddenly became clear. A monster loomed over her family she didn’t even know was there until it was too late.

Another miserable shift, sore back, and battered pride later she shot down another healthy bit of cheap whiskey snuck back by the bartender.

”Lex,” a familiar deep voice rumbled from behind her. Her hand curled around the glass so hard she was surprised it didn’t shatter, “Whaddya want, Levi?” It took a considerable amount of effort to keep the bitterness in her voice, she was just so tired, but she refused to show defeat.

Levi had always been one of the more sympathetic goons, friendly almost. She could normally spot the pain in his eyes in the right light when Kaito asked too much of him. But he always obeyed. Lex wondered what Kaito hung over his head.

”He wants to see you,” It wasn’t a request.