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Between Nemo and Gunner's Steelix and Baltoy, what could have been the catastrophic revelation of numerous Poison-types hiding beneath the muck instead turned into a one-sided free-for-all, and the offenders didn't stand a chance.
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When the fighting was complete and the unconscious sludges had been loosely herded into a singular pile, Beau grinned and offered Gunner a fistbump, shaking his head. "Nah, brah, I got it from here. Thanks for the help, that coulda gotten hairy!"
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Nemo grunted in assent, though a wide smile split the Swampert's features as he surveyed the results of his work, thumping one huge arm on the ground in satisfaction. Beau, for his part, cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders experimentally, as though readying for the work ahead.
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"I got the report too, no worries. Man, we oughtta grab a drink sometime," he chuckled ruefully, elbowing the other man good-naturedly. "You seem like a cool guy an' all, but it'd be nice to hang out without somethin' or other tryin' t'kill us, you think?"
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He thought so, anyway, and with that thought began the slow process of collecting the remaining Poison-types for processing and rehoming. This was, he figured, the kind of thing he could get used to.

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Beau had to admit, he'd been enjoying the steady stream of missions being directed his way lately. Helping the SS Tidal back to port had been a major highlight of his year so far, and fortunately the highs of successes like that kept him insulated from the ominous lows of missions like this.
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When he'd been told to engage in another extraction mission, he balked, recalling his last foray into the Ultra Deep Sea. To say it hadn't been smooth would be an understatement. He'd been given two quick shots of relief, however, in the form of finding out that this particular mission was centered around the Power Spot on Route 105 instead of the strange realm within Granite Cave, and that Jack would once again be partnered with him.
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His anxiety shifted to excitement as they made their way from Dewford to the small island on Route 105, because he knew if nothing else his buddy would have his back. Dismounting, he recalled his Swampert and approached the glowing Power Spot slowly, the circle of stones easily the main feature of the small islet.
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He peered at the Spot thoughtfully, eyeing the energy pooled within, and glanced to Jack with a raised eyebrow. "We're just supposed to go in?" he inquired. He wasn't one to question directions as a rule, but this seemed a little strange even for him. Swallowing, he shrugged and shook off his nervousness with a laugh. "Guess we won't get anything done up here, anyway!"
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Before he could talk himself out of it, he jumped feet-first into the Spot, vanishing into the depths below.
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Beau rolled his eyes at Eddie's rejoinder, ready to bite back that it was in fact the best kind of logic, duh, but wisely held his tongue when he saw his own stalwart frustration mirrored on the other man's face. It was a common turn of phrase to refer to unstoppable forces meeting immovable objects, but when two immovable objects were pitted against each other, they got nowhere fast.
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He instead busied himself smoothing down his clean clothes and giving an experimental stretch to soothe his aching back. At Eddie's suggestion, he turned to regard the older man, only moderately nonplussed to find him already on the cot, and - yes - with just enough room left, apparently.
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He eyed the cot dubiously; while he wouldn't mind not being able to stretch out, because he had a feeling he'd sleep like a rock if he managed to get any sleep at all, it didn't allow Eddie much room for any comfort, either. Still, the determined set of Eddie's jaw told him he'd be right back to talking the other man in circles if he refused, so he capitulated with a sigh. "Fine, brah, but if you get t'hurtin', you gotta tell me. I figure it's not gonna get any better in this place, feel me?"
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A lingering sense of concern for the other man and that telltale frisson of anxiety about their overall situation that he still couldn't shake had him ready to do anything but fall asleep. Despite it, though, if only to forestall more of Eddie's protests, he settled in next to his cotmate for the night.
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---

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Beau jolted awake, snapping his head around and blinking blearily as he took in his surroundings. He'd fallen asleep at his table, and the cafe was empty. No - he hadn't been in a cafe, he'd been in a doggone cell, and there was no Eddie or anyone else, for that matter, to be seen. He had to be dreaming, but he never dreamed this vividly.
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He stood and made his way outside the small cafe cautiously. The city was unfamiliar, the bright neon of the surroundings almost garish in comparison to what he was used to. Soft, hushed voices reached his ears, and he reacted immediately, launching into a jog down the block toward the source of the sound.
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Coming upon the alleyway, the wind immediately left his sails as he found the small passage completely empty. Sighing, he turned his attention to the structures surrounding him and immediately froze. Torben, his Pangoro, floated in a glass display nearby, unmoving and suspended within the strange liquid.
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The familiar lance of fear shot down his spine as here, even in his dream, he'd failed his companions.
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Tearing toward the display, he beat his fists against the glass, a series of hollow thunks echoing from the impact, magnified weirdly by the solution in which the bear floated. His breath coming rapidly, panic seizing him, Beau looked around frantically. No - there was his Gallade, and across from that his Runerigus, and even-
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He stared at Orson, the diminutive Kubfu he'd tried so hard to save from a fate as grim as this, suspended in the smallest case of them all. With an incoherent sob, he beat against the glass, drawing his arm back and punching, hammering, kicking at the enclosure as the strength left him, his blows growing weaker, until he could only lift his arm to place a hand against the glass, next to the unmoving cub's head.
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"I'll bring you home," he whispered hoarsely, the nameless fear tightening his throat. "I'll bring you all home."

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Yes, Beau was still up, not that his carefully steadied breathing would have clued Eddie in on the fact. Like his cellmate, his mind was racing, but for different reasons. His vantage point allowed for him to look out through the bars of their cell, and he found he couldn't tear his eyes away, or even close them. On some level, he wondered if their captors would decide to issue another form of punishment arbitrarily, because he figured it might be the sort of thing they'd do while everyone was vulnerable and unsuspecting.
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The cot wasn't especially comfortable, as cots went, but he had to admit it beat the hell out of the stone floor, and he was glad that he'd allowed Eddie to cajole him into sharing. He couldn't see the man currently wedged between his back and the wall, but as best as he could determine while remaining deathly still to avoid disturbing the other man's sleep, Eddie still seemed a little tense. Or maybe he didn't, and that was all muscle.
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The awkwardness of the situation was not lost even to him, and he pondered for a moment vacating the cot to allow Eddie more space in the hope that he might actually get some rest. He had to admit, though, that the warmth of the other man was doing a lot to relax him, and keep him from going stir-crazy and climbing the bars of their cell searching futilely for a means of escape.
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Plus, he wasn't used to being the little spoon, and it...felt kinda nice.
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Eddie's whisper caused him to jolt against the other man, startling him from his thoughts, and he hissed an apology. "Yeah, brah. You okay?" He turned his head only slightly, as though the angle might help Eddie hear him better. The usual boisterousness and energy associated with his enthusiastic tone was entirely absent in a whisper, lending a tentative quality to his words. Because what wasn't tentative about any of this?

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Although Beau couldn't think of anywhere he'd less like to be than his current situation, he could neither help but feel a pang of something - sympathy? - for the creature stalking the chamber and assaulting prisoners indiscriminately as it was, at length, chained up and dragged off. The profusion of Toxic Chains obscuring its head from view made him feel that the thing was no more at its own liberty than he was, and he wondered - not for the first time - what exactly the aim of these people was? Were they all going to end up like that thing?
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Eddie's presence at his side was quiet and reassuring, much like the man himself, as Beau continued to throw himself into shoveling mochi, slop, and who-knew-what else into the bowl at the center of the area. It was probably wrong of him to take comfort from the notion that his friend was here too, but, somewhat selfishly, he was more scared at the thought of the state he'd be in if the other man weren't here.
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Better never let that one slip, brah.
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The voice sounded from above, startling Beau out of his stupor, and he could have cried. A shower? He'd never wanted one more in his life. Granted, he swiftly discovered that the water was icy, the pressure intense, and the whole affair felt more like needles trying to flay his skin than an opportunity to cleanse himself of the absolute filth he'd accumulated, but he couldn't care less. The uniform they'd been supplied was so thin it did laughably little to keep him from getting wet, so he scrubbed on and through it - he needed to feel fresh, or at least fresher, and he wasn't going to walk around in clothes that smelled of this place's offal.
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He can't help but look around as the group is herded callously back through the revealed hallway, though looking does his sodden self no more good than if he'd been completely blind. What the hell were those things, and where were they, actually? He wasn't a geographer by any means, but he knew of no place in Hoenn that was riddled with pulshing, fleshy tubes. Were they in another one of the Ultra Wilds? They'd really be in for it, if that was the case.
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The fresh uniforms were a blessing he hadn't expected, and the soft peach scent buoyed him so much that he didn't even mind being corralled back into his cell, only too ready to shuck his dirty, sopping pants and kick them into the corner with a wet 'thwack'. He dropped the freshly-laundered bundle of clothing to perform the same action with his shirt, and - the wet fabric hanging off one arm - turned his head at Eddie's voice, snapped from his scented reverie to realize that he was not, in fact, alone.
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"Hell no, brah," he countered, chucking the sodden shirt into the same corner as his cast-off trousers. He was already mid-change, anyway, and figured his mask would do a fine job of hiding the warmth in his cheeks as he tugged on fresh pants. "You take the cot, I'll take the floor, I'm the one that tackled you down there, remember?"
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He shrugged his shirt on and gave a conciliatory tilt of his head. Sleeping on the floor was the least of his beef with this place, if it meant he could actually sleep, and he wasn't about to have the other man undergo the same when there was a perfectly serviceable cot ready for an Eddie-shaped sleeper.

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Eddie's impish grin was met with a bemused blink from Beau as he considered the other man's suggestion. "Whoa, you think?" He lifted a hand to shade his eyes as he peered at the enormous insects currently engaged in battle with their respective pokemon.
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"Are those things even, like, actual pokemon?" Beau's nascent interest in the biological acumen of the invaders was abruptly halted as Eddie let fly with a pokeball, and the younger man could only gape as the Buzzwole dissolved into a spray of light that was swiftly ensconced in the capsule. It landed on the ground and wobbled - once, twice, a third time that nearly knocked itself off of the platform edge - and then lay still.
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"Holy crap, brah, that was AWESOME!" Beau whooped, punching Eddie in the shoulder encouragingly. His attention was drawn to Torben as the big bear let out a guttural growl, pummeling his antagonist with a series of BULLET PUNCHES that had the bug staggering dangerously back. Emboldened by his partner's success, Beau threw a ball of his own that scored a direct hit on the buff mosquito, capturing it with no more difficulty than Eddie had.
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Torben let out a relaxed sigh, shoulders slumping, as the threat was literally contained, and Beau cautiously wandered over to his prize, picking up the pokeball and turning it over in his hand. It seemed heavy, or...well, more rowdy than usual, he couldn't really explain the feeling, but it miniaturised and went into his belt pouch as easy as any of his close companions.
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He pumped his fist in the air with another cheer and then offered Torben a satisfied clap on the back, turning to Eddie and offering a beaming grin that could've lit up the entire area. "Alright! Now we just gotta find the way out and I think we can call that a successful expedition, brah! The eggheads'll probably want to hear about this, 'cause that was weird," he pronounced very sensibly.

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Beau supposed that this was what it felt like to really train a pokemon from the ground up, rather than simply have them accompany him on his various hijinks. Orson's progress was undeniable, and Beau felt something like pride swell in his chest as he watched the little cub lead Torben through the muck, dispatching the pokemon they found on their way.
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When he got close enough to Gunner's position to hear the man shout, he glanced around, frowning. "You're right," he called back before turning to survey the area he'd already cleared. Not a Poison-type in sight, and yet the sludge and muck remained as though pooling from some other source.
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He wheeled back around and jogged to catch up to his pokemon as they reached the center of the area, brow furrowed. "Hang on, kids," he murmured to his bears, recalling them into their respective pokeballs before tossing another, his Swampert materializing.
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"What if they're hiding?" he inquired almost absently, turning his head toward Gunner and nudging his chin toward Nemo questioningly. "Come on, brah, let's shake it up a little."
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He lifted his arm, the bracelet around his wrist shimmering, and a cocoon of energy surrounded Nemo before he burst forth with a Mega Evolution. Rearing back, he unleashed an EARTHQUAKE that rumbled through the ground forward and away from their current position, causing the earth and sand to crack and buckle as the accumulated pools of poison bubbled. As the sands parted, the sludge suddenly seemed to grow eyes. Gross.
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Wait, it wasn't growing eyes, those were Grimer and Muk revealed by the upset of the earth, flailing and flowing amorphously in foul conglomerations.
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"Eugh," Beau commented, wrinkling his nose. "Hit 'em again, brah!"
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Nemo let out a satisfied grunt before bounding forward to repeat his attack. This ought to be fun.

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Beau let his pokemon lead, bringing up the rear of their trio as they made their way inward from the edge of the newly-blighted swamp. He couldn't help but grin as he watched the two bears, one large and one small, work in tandem to incapacitate the sudden influx of Poison-type pokemon responsible for the drastic shift in environment.
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Orson would strike with an inexpert punch or chop, and though mostly effective, Torben would inevitably draw up behind the smaller bear, nudging the Kubfu's leg or arm to correct his form before he struck again. It was heartwarming to see the older teach the younger, and for a moment Beau was able to quash that niggling voice at the back of his mind that said he wasn't good for more than teaching his pokemon bench presses, and that a cast-off pokemon like Orson would have been better off wandering into some frozen warren in the mountains than being given a home with him.
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Well, Orson had a family, and they were doing just fine, so take that, you stupid voice.
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Beau wandered behind the pair as they steadily and methodically cut a path through the swamp, tossing pokeballs at the fallen Poison-types and dropping them into his satchel. He'd relocate them after the mission was complete to a more compatible biome, because leaving them here wasn't an option.
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Across the way, Beau could see Gunner and his pokemon doing the same, and he grinned - chores were always more fun when you could make them a game, and he was for sure gonna win this one.
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As Torben laid into a particularly vicious Arbok, a Weepinbell leapt up from the sludge toward Orson. Unable to reorient in time, the little bear opened his jaws to yelp and exhaled a cloud of FROST BREATH that crackled across the offender's surface, sending it toppling to the ground, frozen solid.
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"Whoa," Beau commented, swiftly capturing the fallen Weepinbell and depositing it with its wayward fellows, "Brah, that's a heck of a trick. You learn that up in all the snow?"
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Orson nodded affirmatively, his eyebrows furrowed with focused determination before turning to continue his battle, jogging to catch up with Torben.
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Beau sighed, unable to keep his proud grin from persisting. They really did grow up so fast.

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What the heck was with this place? If it wasn't ghosts, it was freaky broken seals. If it wasn't freaky broken seals, it was...giant bugs with biceps bigger than his?
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Beau was ready to go head to head against the thing lunging toward him nonetheless, as much to keep from being bug food as to keep the thing from zipping into the cavern behind him and taking Eddie unawares before he could see the thing and mount his own defense. For the first time since he'd been taking these trips into the Border with Eddie, he let a genuine grin curl the corner of his mouth - he didn't know which of the two would come out the victor, but there was a refreshing simplicity in a physical face-off, where he didn't have to think, didn't have to pick the right words.
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He was spared - or denied - the opportunity as Beau the bull launched forward from somewhere behind him, slamming into his aggressor with electricity crackling across his body. When Eddie was at his side, scarcely behind his Tauros, Beau couldn't help but laugh - though whether from the excitement of the battle or the absurdity of the situation could've been anyone's guess.
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"Got me, brah!" he answered in response to Eddie's query. "Look like they don't belong here, so figure we're doin' the place a favor by cleanin' 'em up, what do you think?" On the far side of the platform, Torben's opponent seemed to BULK UP, and the big bear countered by swinging his arm forward in a DARKEST LARIAT that sent the bug crashing to the ground once more. "Dang, these things can take a beating!"

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Coming to his feet, Beau kept his head down and his ears closed, for all the whirling his head was doing. When the platform rose, he was alarmed to notice the number of prisoners already riding it, and as he was herded on board - a tight squeeze that had him fighting not to jump back off of the platform or forcibly clear out those around him so he could just breathe for one minute - he had to wonder how many people had ended up here, all told, and whether any of them knew anything better about their reasons for being abducted.
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When the platform stopped and he was forcibly shoved from the platform with the others, he looked around - there wasn't anything here, what on earth were they talking about cleaning up?
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Then Okidogi hooked one mitt around his bicep and hurled him unceremoniously through the hole where the platform had been moments prior, and he landed with a squelch in a pile of...well, he'd rather not think about it. The melange of potent scents hit his nose, and he immediately gagged, a primal, visceral revulsion shuddering through him as he recalled the remains of the deceased prisoners and their ultimate destination.
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He'd thought about it.
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Scooping a double handful of the disgusting substances, he cast about for the bowl in question before locating it in the darkness, hurling his chore into the basin with a groan.
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As something non-prisoner began making its presence known, with the sounds of strikes and wooden beatings, Beau looked up in alarm. The creature - visible only in flashes of light from above - flailed blindly toward him, and he dove out of the way to narrowly avoid being struck by the heavy cudgel the thing was carrying. Wait - it looked like...that thing from the RKS simulation? Where did they actually get their data from, that thing was real?
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The chain-infested creature turned and growled lowly, lunging this time for a brawny figure to Beau's left, nearly his height - Eddie, damn it. With the man distracted by his work, Beau could only throw himself to the left, taking Eddie to the ground to avoid the cudgel whipping through the air where his torso had been. He landed in the refuse with another wet impact, adrenaline pulsing through him.
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"You okay, brah?" he echoed lowly, feeling Eddie for any injuries.
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Beau could not possibly agree any more with Eddie's assessment of the situation if he tried, so he said so.
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Yeah, no, we are not touchin' that," he affirms, skirting the seal in the center of the chamber and moving to examine the walls on the far side of the enclave. Blinking, he peers at something before turning to wave his companion over. "Hey, brah, over here!"
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The walls of the cavern sweep inward to a narrow crevice, comfortable enough for the group to pass single-file if they wanted, but not much wider past that.
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Beau examined the small passage carefully, only a bit more tentative than he had been in reaching the cavern in the first place. "Well, looks like this is the way forward. 'Least it isn't shaped like a person, I read that comic," he shivered. Setting his jaw, he dug into his satchel for a flashlight, clicked it on, and set off down the much smaller passage, Torben just behind him.
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Fortunately for Beau, Eddie, and their pokemon, the passage was relatively short, if winding, and soon opened up onto the cliffside of another platform beneath the strange sky of the Border. Beau sighed in relief to see the light again, even if it wasn't a real sun, and let some of his fear and unease trickle away.
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This respite was quickly disturbed by a gust of cold wind from an unknown source, and as he turned his head to look in the direction of the gust, he could hardly see anything beyond the battalion of spectral warriors that marched a lengthy parade in the air scarcely a dozen feet above him. Cringing - but not running - he took a step back as the group passed above, not even sparing a glance to anything below them, Beau and Eddie and their entourage included.
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Two enormous percussive sounds ripped through the still air, space seeming to bend and tear in the middle of this progression as a pair of ruddy insectoid pokemon burst out of nothing, scattering the procession of spirits with a loud, droning buzz. Beau cried out in alarm, and the pokemon snapped their heads down toward him in unison, their pointed probosci zeroing in on him like target markers.
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Wings buzzing in unison, they surged downward in an attack, and Torben leapt forward from behind Beau to meet the first with a DRAIN PUNCH that sent the strange pokemon skidding back on the end of the platform.
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The second was homing in on Beau unchecked, however, and for lack of other options he squared up, raising his fists in a boxing stance and setting his feet firmly against the ground. "Alright, come on, brah, let's do this!"

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