Lex didn’t move, the hands on her waist locked her into place lightly pressed against him. She didn’t want to move, anyway. He was holding her together more than he probably knew. The anticipation of hearing the messages weighed heavy on her. A subtle tremble manifested beneath his touch in anticipation of a voice she had only been replaying in her head since she left Johto.

Static filled silence until the sound Kaito’s voice threatened to tear her apart from the very first word. Instinctively, she moved even closer to Killian. The hands that gently rested just above his elbows gripped him tighter. The voice was familiar, but not what she remembered. It was more dangerous. It had lost its playfully sadistic tone and was replaced with one of obvious frustration. It seemed Kaito had lost his patience with Killian.

Panic set in at the mention of Hoenn. A sharp inhale made her chest jump and all strength she thought she had found dissolved. Wildly terrified eyes met Killian’s in stunned silence while the rest of the message played through.

See you soon.

The threat hung idly in the air after the message cut off. He found them, and he was coming.

“Killian,” she choked out, the panic leaking into her voice, “W-what are we supposed to do? He could already be here,” they weren’t ready for this, she wasn’t ready for this, “I know I said we wouldn’t run but -“ she thought the threat implied what she meant. Just those three words had enough power to break her. Moments ago she stood resolute in fighting, and now Killian’s arms were the only thing holding her in place.

Notes: Killian Decker

Lex refused to look at him, stewing in her own frustration until he spoke, “Huh?” she looked towards him with a bit of surprise. Something she said must have struck a chord. His tone fell to a rare pitch, one she didn’t recognize. Her features softened, and much like Killian did for her on Mt. Pyre, she quietly listened.

He was right, it broke her heart to hear him talk like this. Lex knew what it was like to live in fear. It consumed you, running like a poison in your veins that slowly devoured you from the inside out. Lex understood . . . in some way. She’d never understand what it was like to be victim by a deity that literally fed off one’s deepest fears. The thought made her angry again: how careless Lulu Flint had been with her and Darkrai’s powers.

“Killian, look at me,” her hand reached out to gently touch his arm, an attempt at stopping him in his tracks to turn towards her, “You’re not weak, you’re human. If fear is something to be ashamed of then I’m terribly guilty as well. If you’re falling apart let me help you pick up the pieces and hold you together as hard as I can,” the hand that lingered on his arm moved down towards his hand, “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be poisoned by Darkrai,” she admitted in a soft voice. Hopefully, she never would, “But surviving something like that is definitely not weak,” her head shook while her fingertips lightly danced over the bare skin of his hand.

A gentle pressure coaxed his hand towards her chest, a palm laid flat against her beating heart, “I’m real, this is real. And I won’t let you be consumed by that monster’s poison,” Easier said than done, she knew that. After all, what could she really do for him if she was part of the problem?

Killian Decker
Dark/Fairy/Poison
Skipping!
8 pokeballs, 19 premier balls

It was a violent awakening. A sharp gasp for breath, wide, wild eyes, her feet instantly scrambling to try and find themselves beneath her. Instinctively, she attempted to move her arms, only to be impeded by tight handcuffs. At first, she was confused. It took a minute for her fried brain to catch up to her senses. Her entire body ached from the electrocution and her splitting headache didn’t help her make too much sense of what was going on.

After a moment, she calmed down. Long, deep breaths replaced a frantic rhythm. Slowly it came back to her. She remembered standing behind the Gardevoir who was engaged with a curious black Rotom. The next thing she knew she was smacked against the floor, trapped by a paralyzing electricity.

“Hrmph,” she groaned, sitting up to better assess her situation. The first thing she noticed was the heat of strange purple flames triangulated on her position. A prison, she assumed. The looming threat of getting burned didn’t make escape ideal at the moment. If anything, Lex was patient. She’d bide her time.

That sixth sense of feeling like your being watched turned her attention towards the Ranger. Her sealed pokeballs and mask were at his feet. Fuck.

A pair of narrowed, amber orbs peered at him through fallen scarlet hair. Her lips pulled into a tight frown. Her shoulders rolled, moving gently while her hands explored the limitations of the handcuffs, “Bondage, kinky,” the frown pulled into a grin, “Can I help you with something or ya just gonna stare?”

Razz Kingsman

The Infernape spotted the Beldum before Lex had. She was surprised to watch the ape leap forward in a blaze of fiery light. He bathed the route in an orange glow while spinning himself into a cartwheel. Kip was lost in flames as he barreled towards the young Beldum. The psychic-type was caught by surprise. Experience gave Kip the upper hand. As the Beldum rolled across the path, Kip skidded to a halt, opening his wide mouth as the sea of flames on his head danced wildly.

Beldum was then masked in a sea of flames as Kip finished it off with a Flamethrower. The Beldum’s metallic body glowed a hot red as the flames subsided. Lex tossed her pokeball at psychic beast.

Catch Attempt!

Killian’s reaction to her touch made her gasp. There wasn’t a single time she could recall that he had ever recoiled from it, not even when they fought so hard it looked like they wanted to rip each other’s throats out. Her heart shattered. The way he trembled and failed to acknowledge Loveless, even dismiss her own presence was heartbreaking. Lex slowly pulled away, unsure of what to do.

He wouldn’t even acknowledge Lex’s presence, but he would talk to her.

Lex’s head snapped towards Lulu Flint, a frigid and bitter glare. Killian asked for this, but she did it. Her and that fucking monster. She should be mad at Killian for proposing such a reckless idea, but now wasn’t the time. The heartbreak and fear she was drowning in the past week needed an outlet. Lulu’s apparent apathy didn’t help her case. The desire to wipe the floor with her smug face was tantalizing. Not that she could, she’d seen Lulu Flint at work on their most recent mission. Trying would still be satisfying.

“What the hell were you thinking?” she growled, slowly rising from the bed. Tension gripped her figure, resembling an angry Pyroar ready to pounce, a lioness guarding her fallen mate, “Your monster isn’t part of a fucking game and Killian’s not a fucking experiment. How dare you be so irresponsible.”

Killian Decker & Lulu Flint

The first thing Lex noticed when she found herself at the meeting coordinates was just how ridiculous Rowan Wrynn looked in his ghillie suit. Did he not know how to just hide? A pair of tight red lips accompanied her critical glare. The only reason she didn’t say anything was because she didn’t know what to say. Her silence may have been mistaken as bitterness towards her companion. Their previous mission had certainly not gone well for either of them. But Lex held no ill-will towards Rowan Wrynn. She told the Gardevoir to get them and get the fuck out.

Like she said, she’d die before she let The League get their filthy hands on her companions.

Amber eyes were quickly drawn to the massive chest Chu-e had brought with him for the particular mission. Lex leaned over the open case, a bit overwhelmed by the massive selection of . . . weapons?

“What the hell am I supposed to do with any of this?” she growled, leaning over to gingerly pick up a throwing knife to inspect it. Lex had never used a weapon in her life. Never needed to. If she couldn’t deal with it with her fists then she could outrun it. Simple as that.

Maybe that’s why they assigned her here. Rocket was in no way pleased with her capture. Although she ensured them she remained loyal and silent, they no doubt didn’t want this to happen again.

So, this was either a mission to teach her a thing or two about combat or . . . it was meant to get her killed and thin out the weak ones, Rowan Wrynn included. A suspicious gaze glanced over at the grunt.

notes: Rowan Wrynn & Chu-e Choi

tl;dr: Lex doesn’t know wtf to do with any of this lol

So, he wanted to play that game.

June dutifully retrieved the pokeball and climbed back onto Lex’s shoulder as she stood in silence, burning holes into the back of Killian’s head with an icy glare. A rational part of her brain told her not to push it. He was healing, much like she had been and still was. But . . .

The audacity of this man astounded her sometimes.

“That’s not how this fucking works anymore, Killian,” Their days of burying their trauma were over, “You can’t keep hiding shit from me,” If they were truly in this together, the burden had to be shared. She bore her soul to him, reopened painful wounds that showed just how broken she was, so he could help put the pieces back together stronger than they were before. Even though she knew it would hurt him which was the last thing she wanted. She expected the same in return.

“How am I supposed to understand anything if you won’t talk to me . . . That’s not fair,” Swift steps brought her back to his side, intentionally leaving a cold distance between them, “I’m sick of waking up alone and not knowing why,” Her own low-blow back.

But she wasn’t finished there, not paying any attention to the Joltik that leap off her shoulder to zap a nearby Mandibuzz with DISCHARGE, “But if that’s how you want to play this little game, fine,” a bitter tone spat the word back out at him, “Everything I had to say about the Cave of Origin is in the report,” It was a flat tone that mimicked his earlier one before she attempted to nonchalantly end the conversation with a wave of her hand.

How did he like it?

Killian Decker
Dark/Fairy/Poison
Capture attempt of the Mandibuzz!
8 pokeballs, 19 premier balls

”Fuck” was right. This night had taken a turn down a road she had certainly not expected. For better or for worse had yet to be decided.

The Braviary remained closer to the sedan than the Mandibuzz, just behind it. The strong beat of his wings was lost in the rumble of the old sedan but Lex could spot tailfeathers in the rearview every now and then which gave a sense of comfort.

The anxious beat of fingers against the steering wheel called to her. A familiar, hesitant twitch, “My shit is my shit and your shit is yours,” she frowned, attempting to find eyes that avoided hers, “I don’t see why it has to leech into our business,” Another swig of whiskey burned down her throat before she offered it out to Roach, “I’m not hiding behind anyone,” Quite literally – she was utterly alone. There was a bitterness in her tone, she took mild offense to being accused of hiding. Well, one may consider joining Rocket was an attempt. Even with them she wasn’t hiding, just trying to put herself in a position of enough power that Kaito would think twice about crossing the organization, “And what makes you think I’m trying to hide behind you?” A hint of a tease behind genuine curiosity. What made him think this was about anything more than just money? A pokemon black market dealer versus a Johto mobster? That would be a terrible choice on her part (although she wasn’t quite sure what Roach was capable of), “And, look, if you don’t wanna make a deal just tell me to fuck off.”

virgil roach

He was avoiding the subject, and she could see through his bullshit. The pang of annoyance was clear to see by the pinch in her brows when she turned towards him, “You’re changing the subject,” A Houndoom stepped into their path. Lex gave June the signal to proceed without taking her eyes off Killian.

The Joltik’s AGILITY brought her swiftly off the thief’s shoulder. A spark of electricity cracked through the air before the zap of an ELECTROWEB entangled the Houndoom which growled ferociously. Her gaze darkened, the attack reminding her of the subject Killian was trying to breech. Lex found her resolve and casually tossed a pokeball towards the canine.

“I asked you first,” she reminded him, “And I said no lies,” There was no way Killian was just fine.

Killian Decker
Dark/Fairy/Poison
Capture attempt of the Houndoom!
9 pokeballs, 19 premier balls

Furrowed brows accompanied tight lips. The last thing she wanted was to impose her suffering onto him. Although, wasn’t that a part of sharing her issues? Was his self-loathing something she would have to accept? Lex wasn’t quite sure she could. For now, she wouldn’t push it. Lex recognized the pain of a fresh wound that would rather not be agitated.

Admittedly, Killian did have a tendency to see the strength she failed to see in herself. She was thankful he wasn’t there to see her at her lowest. A part of her couldn’t help but wonder if his love for her would have changed if he had seen the malleable mess Kaito had made of her. She met his smile with a small one of her own.

Lex leaned into his kiss, deepening it as she wrapped an arm around his neck, savoring the comfort it brought. A new sense of gratitude for his unwavering love made her heart beat faster. It manifested as a slow, passionate kiss that ended with a soft brush of her lips against his as she gently broke away. Her lips remained there for a moment while his taste lingered on her tongue, “I love you, Killian. Thank you,” she whispered, knowing that ‘thank you’ would never be enough to describe her appreciation for loving her – baggage and all.

Pulling back further, her look grew stern, “Now, about those calls . . “ she frowned with a raised brow. There were more time pressing matters to dwell on than her past.

And Killian wasn’t out of the woods quite yet.

Notes: Killian Decker

WHICH REPORT ARE YOU SIGNING UP FOR?: B![break]
PARTICIPATING CHARACTERS: Alexandra Briarwood[break]
OTHER COMMENTS: Another cave? What is Lex thinking?

Lex walked with her hands shoved in her pockets, head down, amber eyes lost in thought as they fixated on the path in front of them. Distracted was an understatement. Her mind hadn’t stopped reeling since Mt. Pyre. Getting locked up didn’t help either. Where there was supposed to be her newfound strength, there was a sense of helplessness.

Self-pity was a luxury she couldn’t afford. It felt like Kaito was right behind them. Sometimes she swore she could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck, laced with the stale stench of vodka, piney aftershave, and pungent cigars.

She tensed, immediately pushing the thought from her mind. Her gaze turned towards Killian, a welcome distraction although her heart hurt for him. The nightmares he experienced under Lulu's Hypnosis felt far too real. No matter what Lex did, she felt she couldn't comfort him. There had been too many nights where she woke up alone in bed.

The small Joltik that clung to her back peeked over her shoulder, its chelicerae clicked quietly as it smacked them together. June wasn’t her strongest pokemon, but she was one of the best when it came to capturing things. Plus, the Joltik still had a lot of making up to do from her stunt on the submarine with Genesect.

“How are you doing?” she asked sincerely, the concern was apparent in way she looked him up and down. She worried about him, his nightmares, and his recent insomnia, "No lies," she reminded him with a frown.

Killian Decker
Dark/Fairy/Poison
10 pokeballs, 19 premier balls

Lex swore she’d never sleep on this stupid submarine. But here she was, one week in, passed out on the bed of an empty dorm with Loveless curled up in the crook of her arm. She had been restless and terrified. Quite frankly, it was exhausting. The only reason sleep had finally found her was because her body had finally given out and she needed to pass the time between visiting hours somehow. It was painful every time they ripped her and Loveless away from Killian’s side. She wasn’t allowed to remain because she was just “the girlfriend”, after all. At least, that’s how they put it.

Loveless jolted awake and stood up, her tail twitching anxiously for whatever reason. Lex peeled her eyes open, a soft groan encouraging the psychic-type to go back to bed. Instead, Loveless bolted towards the door just before the frantic knocking.

The Espeon didn’t wait for Lex to get up. Her PSYCHIC gripped the door and tore it open before she sprinted off down the hall. That could only mean one thing. Before the nurse could get a word in edgewise, Lex was quick to follow Loveless, knocking the woman aside in favor of sprinting after the pokemon.

Up to this point, Lex had been avoiding Lulu Flint. Controlling the urge to punch her right in the fucking face was exhausting. Lex knew Killian agreed to this stupid idea, but she needed someone to be mad at, and she wasn’t about to take it out on the man that just woke up from a coma. Loveless weaved between the woman’s legs but Lex paused, the sight of Darkrai’s avatar making her fists curl into tight balls, “Excuse me,” she hissed, forcibly pushing past Lulu to get into the room.

The attitude took a 180 when was finally able to look into his blue eyes, “Killian,” she smiled, taking his hand into hers as she sat beside him on the bed.

Killian Decker & Lulu Flint