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That evening, Luka decides to finally harvest her crop.[break][break]
It's not an ideal day for it; the misty mountaintop seems colder than usual, and the atmosphere feels unsettling and oppressive. And although she'd arrived with plenty of daylight left, the sky seems to darken far sooner than usual. But she'd come here with purpose, so she shakes off the chill and gets to work.[break][break]
The carrots she pulls from the earth are unlike anything she'd ever seen. Their roots are a deep purple and longer than carrots ought to be, curling oddly at the ends. At first she wonders if they'd rotted from being underground so long, but the leaves that grow atop are still green and healthy. Though if she looks closely, she notices that the tips are also turning a purplish hue.[break][break]
She plans to collect the rest of her strange harvest and leave, but the sun is suddenly snuffed out and the mountain is plunged into darkness. Luka staggers to her feet and shivers as more mist billows up around her, illuminated only by the flames Helios provides her to see by.[break][break]
Instinct tells her to turn around, but the sound of a whinny gives her pause. It's hard to tell through the darkness and fog, but an equine shape slowly begins to take form in the distance. Their dark body blends in almost seamlessly with the night, and for a moment Luka wonders if she's imagining things.[break][break]
Her suspicion seems confirmed when the shape vanishes. Just a trick of the fog, surely. But then it materializes right behind her and Luka shrieks in surprise, staggering backwards a few paces as she finally gets a good look at the creature that lurks in the mist.[break][break]

Helios takes an assertive step forward, but she holds up her hand to stop him. Once the initial shock has subsided she can look at the horse more clearly— their ghostly form is a bit spooky, but doesn't appear threatening. "W-woah, hey! It's okay," she assures gently, reaching up to pat her Blaziken on the top of his crested head. He snorts once again but falls back, arms folded as he regards the spectral horse with clear suspicion.[break][break]
"Sorry about that," Luka says softly. "You just caught us by surprise, is all. You're so quiet!"[break][break]
She glances down at the horse's hooves and realizes with a start that they aren't attached to the rest of it. Luka swallows hard and tilts her gaze upwards again, staring into an enigmatic, expressionless face.[break][break]
"Ummm..." She shifts her little satchel of carrots and notices the horse's nostrils flare. Their intent suddenly becomes clear, and she feels a little foolish for taking so long to realize it.[break][break]
"Oh gosh! Sorry, erm...w-would you like a snack?" Luka pulls out one of her dubious looking carrots and offers it, her arm fully outstretched and fingertips buzzing with nerves. The appariton in front of her takes a regal step forwards, sniffs the offered vegetable once, and takes a delicate bite.[break][break]
And then, just as suddenly and mysteriously as they'd arrived, they vanish.

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Matias gets straight to the point, as always. It's part of the reason she'd enjoyed working with him so much: he was blunt but honest, and there was no beating around the bush.[break][break]

But she's never had quite the same conviction and flounders when put on the spot.[break][break] "I—" She swallows, hard, and hugs Toffee a little closer.[break][break]

"Do you want me to quit?"[break][break] she asks, turning the tables on him instead. "I...I heard you already interviewed someone."[break][break]

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High upon Mt. Pyre, there grows a patch of carrots.[break][break]

They've been tended to lovingly for months. Fertalized, watered, and sunned with care, their leafy green foliage stretches towards the sun in a burst of verdant green. The little garden is squared off by a few rocks and kept free of weeds and debris, a quaint spot on top of the mountain for those who know where to look for it.[break][break]

Luka's always taken comfort in the fact that life can grow even in a place like this. Her weekly visits to Mt. Pyre have become more than just visiting the memorials to her father and fallen Pokemon— they're a time of peace, a moment of respite shared between herself and the earth. She doesn't have the greenest of thumbs, but there's still something comforting about digging one's hands into soil and feeling life below your fingertips. [break][break]

Today she's here to weed, though in looking at her little garden patch, she wonders if she should finally harvest her crop. It's so hard to tell! She doesn't really have an eye for this kind of thing, and part of her doesn't want to give up the hobby just yet. But the Steenee that accompanies her seems to think otherwise, tutting as she observes that the carrots have been here so long that they've started to flower.[break][break]

Helios, in the meantime, has gone off on his own to pay respects to his late trainer as usual. So far this afternoon is playing out like any other day— warm sun, a cool breeze, and the smell of greenery and earth. Luka lounges by her garden patch and idly plucks at the stray weeds that have dared to invade, perfectly content to waste a pleasant day away beneath the sun.

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"Eh? G-go through with what?"[break][break]

Luka assumes that he's talking about their war with Rocket, because what else could he mean? In this instance, she's the naive one. "I understand why it feels weird to use...stuff like this against someone," she says, chewing on her lip. She still thinks that he's referring to using weapons in battle.[break][break]

"But Team Rocket...they use things like this too. A-and I know that doing the same thing on the right side doesn't really make us any better, but we've got to do what we can to make sure they don't win, right? I hate it...but what else can we do?"[break][break]

Her brows are furrowed but the corners of her lips upturn into a small smile. She really thinks that she's found a fellow kindred spirit, but she couldn't be farther from the truth.[break][break]

The sudden flurry of movement catches her completely by surprise. She coughs as a clump of sawdust hits her in the face, clouding her vision and filling her nose with the scent of cut wood. At first she thinks it might be an accident, but realization slowly dawns on her when she hears Milo running away.[break][break]

"What are you doing?" she cries after him, jumping to her feet as she wipes sawdust out of her eyes. "Hey, hey! W-where are you going? Those are— w-we need those!"[break][break]

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Notes are scribbled carefully regarding the Sapphire project, and Luka wonders idly if this is something they should broadcast more flashily to the rest of the Rangers. But after a moment's thought, she decides that this would be a bad idea. Discretion is key in operations like this, right? So every bit of information shared should be kept in meetings like these.[break][break]

She continues to take notes of other Ranger's observations, though some are more relevant than others. Luka herself has her own opinions about legendaries, and her own leads that she hopes to seek out. But these strings are tenuous at best, and she doesn't want to make a spectacle of herself by boldy declaring some silly kind of lead towards a Pokemon that matters to no one else but her.[break][break]

It seems foolish at best, selfish at worst. Luka taps her pen against her notebook, watching the clefairy-shaped topper on it wiggle with the motion.[break][break]

"I-I think, um," she says at last, speaking up for the first time in this meeting, "Well, I think it's a really good initiative! It's good for the Rangers to be on top of something like this. And besides, even though we're sponsored by the League, I think a lot of civilians trust the Rangers more than the government. If it's us, I think people will see it less as the League trying to get it's hands on powerful Pokemon, and more like concerned Rangers looking out for the region."[break][break]

That seems the best way to spin things, in her opinion. But of course, she's open to ideas!

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"Oof. Yeah...t-that's probably a good idea."[break][break]

She can wait that long, she thinks. The cut hurts but thankfully it's not as deep as it could be. Frankly, Luka is lucky that an arrow to the gut didn't take her out entirely.[break][break]

With a deep breath, she gingerly clambers onto Razz's back. It's slow going— she's careful not to jostle the wound too much, lest it open again and spill out onto Razz. She clings to him tightly once she's on, though perhaps a little too tight. He'll have to forgive her, for it's not done out of any kind of malice. She's just hurt and scared and eager to get out of here.[break][break]

"Thank you, by the way," she says once they begin their slow ascent out of the interdream zone. "For coming so fast...I don't know what I'd have done without you, honestly." She tucks her head against Razz's shoulder and lets out a sigh. "Gosh...ugh. When this is all over, I'll buy you some sweets, okay? A-and a new shirt. It's the least I can do!"[break][break]

Whether or not she's able to keep that promise will depend on how the rest of the night goes. But for now at least, Luka means every word.

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The answer to their questions hangs around her neck.[break][break]
Luka's lunar wing is tucked inside her shirt but she can still feel it against her skin. It's presence has always been a comfort to her, though now it's become a liability. She has no idea if the man who'd grabbed her knows about it, but she can only assume that that's the case.[break][break]
Why else would he have come for her? He's right— she has a few connections but is mostly useless to Rocket. There's no one that would pay a high ransom for her, no information she possesses that is integral to their conquest of Hoenn. In terms of battle prowess or intelligence, she's about as threatening as the Togepi she collects.[break][break]
As a hostage, the best she can do in retaliation is bleed on the Dusknoir. She flinches back when it's fist catches fire— the heat against her skin threatens to singe immediately, and she can smell burnt fabric and hair. A muffled shout can be heard around the hand that grips her face, but any words are unintelligible.[break][break]
And Helios, already enraged, loses it.[break][break]
With a furious screech the Blaziken launches himself towards the enemy. He ignores Theo and the Gothitelle and closes the distance between himself and Dusknoir in the blink of an eye, his speed boost making every move faster and faster. Though he knows the risks involved he chooses to attack directly— luckily, Dusknoir is such a large target that there's plenty of room for him to try and land a thunder punch without hitting Luka.

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Normally Luka might protest against someone ruining their clothes for her, but right now she has no qualms. She accepts the sleeve and disinfectant gratefully, and starts to remove her old, stained bandages.[break][break]

She hikes her shirt most of the way up her torso so it doesn't get in the way while she changes bandages. It might be embarrassing if the situation weren't so dire, but given the circumstances she's sure Razz will forgive a bit of skin showing.[break][break]

"I-I think it might need stitches," she says, hissing from the sting of soaking her wound in disinfectant. "Do you...know how to do that?"[break][break]

She doesn't want to pressure him though, so Luka tries to smile despite the pain and wraps the sleeve tightly around her waist. "I-it's okay if you don't! There's...I know the League has been setting up base camps around here. S-so if we can get to one soon, that would be best."[break][break]

She takes a step forward and immediately winces. "Yeah, um. Sorry, b-but I think you'll have to carry me."

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"Eh? Wh- leave?"[break][break]

Luka sounds flabberghasted, and she is. Derek's decision comes suddenly and without prompting, and it immediately has her wondering why. Was it something she said? Something she did? What did she do wrong?[break][break]

When she turns to look at him, she almost looks heartbroken.[break][break]

"You're going to leave me here?"[break][break]

Her voice sounds pitiful and small. But Luka quickly shakes her head, pink curls bobbing around her shoulders. "S-sorry, um, I mean...right, yeah. There's...t-there's probably a lot of people who need help, huh? And we're just like, standing around and talking about what we want..."[break][break]

She feels silly and selfish. Stupid. She forces a smile that she doesn't feel and sends Derek off with a smile. "Yeah, um...I'll be okay! Please take care of yourself too, Monsieur. If you need anything, erm..."[break][break]

She can't exactly do anything for him, can she? "I mean, be careful!"[break][break]

He flies off into the mist, and Luka goes her separate way as well. She spins the lunar wing around and around in her palm, hoping that something might actually appear to her in the interdream zone like last time— but it seems that all she's managed to do is waste time.

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