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[attr="class","samjermain"]The Heliolisk breathed a sigh of relief as the cat and his damnable teeth jumped out of the way. I’d rather not be Swiss cheese. Sorry kitty cat. As the electric-type fell on the spire, the lizard visibly winced. He didn’t have to look behind him to know his trainer did the same. However, Alastor remained where he was at first—wanting to give the guy a chance to give up.

The second he did, the electric-type rocketed toward the cat’s side in another Quick Attack. As he neared, his left hand would be covered with a layer of electric-resistant mud. If connected, he’d try his best to cut his foe’s accuracy with a well-timed Mud-Slap. Smelling figurative blood in the water, the Jumpluff nosedived for the downed feline.

Aubre’s voice—normally so quiet and gentle—cut through the cacophony like a knife.

“No!” The order is surprisingly forceful and only a little panicked. “Stay back, Maggie.” One Ice Fang from the Luxray would be a quadruple hit. And, putting them both in close quarters was just taking too much risk. If it made her a coward, so be it. “Try a Mega Drain, instead!” With a disappointed grumble, the grass type rolled out of the way and returned to the air.

With a cry, she moved to drain the big cat’s vitality.

NOTES

• Alastor rushes in with Quick Attack (Preps Mud Slap)
• Maggie uses Mega Drain

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[attr="class","samjermain"]It wasn’t winning that motivated her. She wanted to do well for them. For the Pokemon who stayed with her after she’d given up. The companions who didn’t mind her hitting the pause button while she wallowed in depression.

As Serena fell, Aubre lunged forward. Everything in her wanted to rush forward and call this off. But she knew that wasn’t an option. And, judging by the water-type’s expression, it wasn’t what she wanted. So, instead, scarred hands returned the axoltol. A gentle, teary-eyed kiss was placed on the ball’s red top. “You did amazing, Serena.”

The announcer’s call received a simple nod in return. Forcing her back to straighten, she let green eyes bore into Josh’s darker ones. “I did watch a few of your battles before coming out here. And, well, he did do it once earlier.” Her cheeks turned a bright pink at his kind words. It wasn’t really a skill thing. It’d just been a bit of simple logic applied at the right time.

“I—” The announcement caught up to her. She chewed gently at her lips. While not one for correcting others, she knew how easy her Jumpluff was to forget. Half the crowd likely thought she’d been knocked out in that hurricane. The screaming of the crowd made her shrink. It almost made her feel guilty to be winning. “That sounds like, well, it seems the people want it.” Aubre swallowed. “But, Alastor isn’t the only Pokemon I have left.”

From her ball, the Jumpluff reemerged with a chipper cry. Its red eyes bore down on the Luxray. It’s good he showed off Ice Fang. That’d shatter Maggie. But hanging back isn’t going to win us anything, is it? Trusting Alastor to manage himself, Aubre turned to the Jumpluff floating in front of her. A sharp series of whistles followed as the little grass-type launched a Fairy Wind.

Alastor, meanwhile, stayed surprisingly still. Blue eyes narrowed to slits as he tightened his grip on the ground beneath him. Now! With a cry, he stomped on the ground before him. Giant shards of rock jutted forward as the Bulldoze took effect.

NOTES

• Swampert is knocked out
• Alastor uses Bulldoze
• Maggie returns to the field
• Maggie uses Fairy Wind on Luxray

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[attr="class","samjermain"]“If you say so, I do appreciate your help." The woman’s smile expands before it stiffens—like a corpse amidst rigor mortis. Sure, they want to spend their time at Funtasia helping a spineless Caterpie, Aubre. What a wonderful way to spend the weekend. At the explanation, Aubre rigorously shakes her head.

The awkward, disbelieving smile is replaced with something that reaches her eyes. She could count the number of times she’d been truly angry on one hand. “I’m no such thing. It takes two people to collide after all.” As the older, more experienced of the two, she should have been paying attention. As a doctor, she was always a little (extremely) hurt. “And, Lucy is far too cute to be mad at—especially when she’s being so helpful.”

In return for the courage, the Cufant received a gentle ruffling of the ears. When Audric’s hand extended, the redhead spun and forced herself to grab his hand. Her grip was inconsistent—ghostly before forcing itself to strengthen. “I’m Aubre Mckenna.” It always felt easier to say that without anything appended to it. Adding the hyphen always felt snotty somehow.

A deep breath served to clear her brain. This is about Maggie. Don’t get distracted. Her eyes lifted to a flag above one of the nearby stands. “She’s—well, she blows with the wind.” Hopefully, it hadn’t changed direction in the last few minutes.

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[attr="class","samjermain"]Another red ring settled onto a Dugtrio. Topped with blonde hair, this one stared down in befuddlement at its newest accessory. The doctor’s grin seemed to wipe the stress from her face. It seemed like the last three years had vanished in an instant. “I really—I think I was just overthinking it before.”

The white-haired toddler turned to face Tsubaki. Her little lips pressed into a thin line. Again, her baby blues flickered between the spider and the stranger. After a moment, she nodded. “Yes.” The toddler’s voice was stiff and robotic. She was as good a liar as her mother. Which is to say absolutely terrible. “Daddy has a rock like that.”

Eyes full of suspicion, Aubre turned to face the pair. That tone of voice sounded off. But as this happened, she sunk the magic third ring on the stand’s Alolan Dugtrio. A cowbell rang happily as the carnival barker announced, “WINNER! WINNER! WE HAVE A WINNER!” The ginger turned back to face the somewhat scruffy man. “Make your choice!” She blinked. Once. Twice. Oh. “I’ll—” With a smile, a scarred finger shifted toward the Forretress.

The toddler brimmed with excitement.“Yay.” Or, at least, as much as Michaela was capable of. Blue eyes turned to Tsubaki. She nodded once to the girl.

Moments later, her daughter’s slim form vanished beneath the thing’s fluffy exterior. With a smile, Aubre turned to face Tsubaki. “Thank you.” The words were soft and full of gratitude. Reaching into her wallet, she slid a few Pokedollars across the counter. “Play a few rounds on us. Please.” As she turned away, she caught sight of the spider on the roof.

For a moment, she wondered if something foul had been afoot. But, like a horse shaking off a fly, she shook her head. Soon enough, she disappeared around the corner of a nearby souvenir stand—unaware she’d cheated her way to a child’s smile.

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[attr="class","samjermain"]As the point was called, Aubre’s eyes widened in surprise. A scarred hand spread questioningly across her chest as if to say: me? Even as the Noivern was withdrawn, she bit at her bottom lip. A sense of guilt welled up—a stark reminder of why she didn’t do this. It didn’t make her feel like a winner; it just made her feel like a bully. Still, she couldn’t say that. It’d be a rude way to counter praise.

“I learned from the best, Mister Devlin.” Mother and father were titans in their field. And, once upon a time, she wanted to stand on their shoulders.

Green eyes stared at the Dragapult as it vanished. You have to time this right. Too early and it won’t work. Too late and, well, it won’t happen.

Blue eyes watched as the phantasmic dragon vanished in a burst of cloying shadow. Great. Now, he had to watch his back too. Still, he figured it was Serena they’d be after. It was the quickest way to even things up. Judging by the look on Aub’s face, she realized it too. All of her attention was focused on the ground type.

Alastor didn’t take long to gloat. As the dragon vanished in a burst of red light, he jerked his head toward the newest combatant. Aww, look. A pussy cat. He’d seen scarier cereal mascots. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself. His frill extended as he raced forward, vanishing in a blur of a Quick Attack. His little legs quickly ate up the ground between him and the Luxray.

She counted down from three. Her eyes looked for any signs of an incoming attack—a shifting shadow, a glimmer in the air—anything. Finally, she just went for it. Now! Aubre’s forced confused expression vanished. “Serena!” The tired Swampert forced herself back on her hind legs. It forced out a bellow. “Rock slide!”

Heavy rocks rained down from above. Tired from the exertion, the Swampert collapsed back onto all fours. But her face wore a smile.

NOTES

• Swampert uses Rock Slide
• Alastor uses Quick Attack to dodge Signal Beam

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[attr="class","samjermain"]In her practice, the senior doctor took every opportunity to remind people of his title. Few things enraged him more quickly than a person referring to him as a sir, or worse yet, calling him by name. Which meant Alastor did so every time they chatted on Slack. The redhead forced a small, shy smile. “I just didn’t want to assume.” Which, in a way, she had. Whoops. “And, I feel the same way. Doctor is just a—it’s a heavy word, you know? I mean, obviously, you know, but…” It held so much promise and pressure.

People said it like just that word—the result of countless sleepless nights—was some kind of spell. That it could somehow stitch together wounds and fix the unfixable with its utterance.

Well, at least the famed researcher had not run away screaming at the sight of her. That was certainly a relief. “You as well, Doctor—Eva.” At her side, the electric type offered a mocking flourish of a bow. If he hadn’t been silenced, it would have been accompanied by a witty remark. Maybe he’d remind her that this situation was exactly what brothers were for. Instead, he just bared needle teeth at the blonde in a teasing grin.

Though her words were forceful, the doctor had been trying to offer the vertigo-prone lizard a way out. Even if the primary motive had been to not offend anyone. Blue and green eyes met. The lizard shrugged. “Well, when you put it like that, how can we refuse?” A forced laugh emerged as the Chimchar made the leak onto her lizard friend’s back. Instead of shocking Kit, his baby blues looked helplessly up at his trainer.

But she was focusing on the fire type. A familiar, distant look now in her eyes. Then, an idea hit him. ‘Guys—’ He slapped the pencil against the paper to break the spell. ‘I’ve got a real monkey on my back.’ When he flipped the pad back, he offered it to the little monkey to play with. This time, the guffaw was real. “It’s alright, Eva.” The emphasis was a reminder to do what she’d been asked. “Alastor still has troubles with that one.”


At the request, the redhead lifted her eyes toward the distant humps of the blue coaster. Even from here, she could see the clouds of a water flume. “The water wouldn’t bother me. It dries off quickly in the heat.” After only a few hours, you could barely tell she’d took a few drops into the dunk tank. Following closely behind Eva, Aubre let her eyes trail across the stalls they passed.

“I won a stuffed Forretress at the Dugtrio Toss. But it’s not right to say I did anything.” A very gracious young woman had stopped to give her advice. Without it, she’d have ended up with nothing but a heaping pile of disappointment and an upset toddler. And, unbeknownst to Aubre, helped her cheat. “Still, my daughter loves it.”

Hopefully, she got tired of it soon. Even in a home as large as theirs, it would be hard to find room for it.

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[attr="class","samjermain"]Calm down, Aubre. The redhead felt like she’d just gotten off a ride on a mechanical Tauros. Panicking would not make it easier to find Maggie. It’d just turn her hair grey and likely annoy the poor young man she had accosted, At the metallic clanking, big green eyes dropped to Audric’s badge. A sigh of relief rolled through her. “I would love the help—” Funtasia was a large place with many hiding places for a tiny Jumpluff. “But only if you want to. I wouldn’t want to bother you on your day off.”

A movement at his feet drew her gaze to the cowering Cufant. Guilt flashed across her expression. A feeling amplified by how much she wanted to ignore it in favor of finding Maggie. Don’t be selfish. You are a doctor for Arceus’s sake. You should be able to walk and chew at the same time. Or, in this case, walk and search. “And, I doubt I made a good first impression—tripping over your friend like that.” With a pained noise, the redhead reached out a hand toward the trembling elephant. Some kind of doctor you are.

“Are you hurt?” She doubted her foot could do much to its iron-hide, but it never hurt to ask.

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[attr="class","samjermain"]The lizard nodded along to Emmett’s explanation. If it was him or Aubre stuck in the barber’s chair, a book would be the last thing the pair needed. That hair dye would probably stay in there forever. Tapping at his pad for a minute, Alastor turned it around with a needle-toothed grin. 'Maybe I’ll get a wig.' The ridiculous statement did its job—his normally solemn trainer’s face splitting open in a smile.

“!?” The sudden jerking leaves Alastor scrabbling for purchase against the glossy metal. He ends up in a sprawl on the floor, the trademark frill twisted like a wind-torn umbrella. His pencil rolled out of sight beneath the seat. The small girl who owned him clung fitfully to the railing. “Alastor, are you all right?” Aubre’s voice shakes him from his dazed stupor. A scarred hand grapes him around his torso and slowly guides him to his feet.

Assured he is uninjured, the doctor turns to face Emmett. “I’m sorry.” Words she used so often that they’d lost their meeting. The redhead’s version of an ‘um’ or a stammer. Last I checked, Aubre, you didn’t sabotage the ride. But why not take credit for it? Brushing the voice away this time was made easier by the sight of tears. With the Sylveon’s fear to distract Aubre, she does her best to quell her own nerves.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out what remained of an earlier cotton candy order. “It’s all right,” The redhead tried her best calming smile.

The ride was stable. They were not about to plummet to their deaths. She would not end up a red stain on the haphazardly packed carnival dirt. There would be no impersonal white sheets or nosy reporters to—breathe. Below, the operator muttered into a walkie-talkie. “Don’t worry folks. It’s just a bit of technical difficulty! We’ll be up and running in no time!” Whether he aimed to calm the nervous riders or the

Green eyes swept over the carnival grounds. “It really is.” Her lips perked up slightly. “Hard to believe how much it’s been through, huh? Hoenn, I mean?” With a clink the carny closed the entrance to the ride.

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[attr="class","samjermain"]As a new business—the merger of three smaller clinics—Zooasis needed all the PR work it could get. So, it’d set up a small booth in the surrounding towns to advertise its premium Pokemon therapies and to raffle off a number of free items. But why the other doctors thought involving her in this endeavor was a fine idea was beyond the junior doctor. Words often escaped her at the most inopportune moments. But she also had difficulty remembering the word ‘no’.

Fortunately, this shift ended with little to no incidents. It likely helped that Alastor had been swapped out in favor of someone more approachable—the woman’s Jumpluff Maggie. The closest they’d come to disaster was a half-smothered laugh when a woman asked her to identify the strange tumors on her purebred Liepard’s belly. “Ma’am, those are—” Take a deep breath. As a doctor, she sometimes struggled with medical terms. Mostly those seen as obscene. “--nipples. I assure you that Mister Crowley is in no danger. Well, not from those, anyway.”

And, of course, the conversation shifted to what things did put her kitty-boo-boo in danger. Which had not been Aubre’s original intention. Fortunately, after a fourth attempt to discuss the feline’s weight subtly, the doctor was grateful when lunch arrived. Even if she knew carnival options were limited in terms of health, her simple salad turned out not to be enough.

The day’s spoils turn out to be an expensive bag of Robin’s egg cotton candy. This is split evenly between Aubreand her Jumpluff as they browse the stalls between the snack stands. A small FUNTASIA FESTIVAL snow globe catches the ginger’s green eyes at the souvenir shop. But any thoughts of that end when a gust rattles the midway.

Suddenly, her Jumpluff is sent rolling up the aisle, bouncing like an underweight pinball. “!?” A gasp erupts from the trainer as she chases after the runaway grass type. Ignoring her back’s protests, Aubre forces herself to run faster. “Maggie—!” A solid thing almost sent her sprawling to the ground.

“Oh, Arceus—” The panicked woman starts. Audric’s apology receives a shake of the head. “I’m so sorry, I should have—I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Her eyes jerked upward to a now empty sky. “Have you—” She panted. “Did you see a Jumpluff?” In her worries, she’d forgotten about the old ball at her waist.

The Jumpluff, meanwhile, had landed in a bouquet of balloons at a nearby stall. Stubby hands clutched at a bright ribbon as they bobbed in the breeze. Judging by her grin, this was more fun than frightful.

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[attr="class","samjermain"]Sure, this lady was liked by some god, but that didn’t intimidate him. If the space noodle wanted to roast him, it wasn’t like Alastor could stop it. So, he’d ‘talk’ to her the same way as everyone else. His bluntness balanced out his trainer’s opposition to saying literally anything. If she didn’t have morals, the Heliolisk would think she was a politician.

A sturdy gloss rope holds the wire-bound stenographer’s pad in place. The handwriting is crisp and clean but tiny. As the pair turned to talk, the lizard settled back with a smug, know-it-all expression. Blue eyes dart briefly up to the Chimchar on the professor’s shoulder. He offers the simian a wave, trying his best to adopt the same bored expression. Even if he was paying rapt attention to the conversation.

The instant Eva spoke, Aubre and Alastor’s shenanigans screeched to a halt.

Any thoughts of securing him vanished. Her injured back forced itself straight. A few fingers lifted to try and tuck away an errant strand. It had been some time since she cared as much about impressing someone as she did not offend them. What do I say in a scenario like this? Is an introduction enough? Introduce yourself first. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on something concrete. The sensation of wind in her hair. The unevenness of the ground beneath her feet.

The pencil she’d confiscated passed back into its master’s hand without notice.
Speak, you braindead lout. Finally, her words and mind reached a consensus. “Eva, sorry. I just—I know how much work that title is. I did not want to just throw it aside like that.” Not that she was uppity about it. Her hand grasped the other woman’s, scarred fingers tightening inconsistently. “I’m Aubre. The Heliolisk goes by Alastor.” A scream from the swinging ride above drew her attention to the pirate ship swinging like a scythe above.

She thought about the statistics. The risk involved in such rides and the driving force of carnival efficiency. Banishing these things with a shake of her head, Aubre moved to take a place in like. “I would love to join you. And, Alastor—” The piece of paper stared at her like an unblinking unknown.

‘I’ll leave you lovebirds to it.’ Aubre did her best to laugh it off. Or, to be more accurate, ignore it. She toyed with the plastic wristband as the line dwindled. “--will stay here."

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[attr="class","samjermain"]Though nothing here struck the ginger as healthy, the redhead did not have the luxury of an organic grocery store here. Her choices were limited to deep-fried things and sugary things. But she knew that she couldn’t skip another meal. Between the Zooasis booth’s work and attending to the show Pokemon, she was exhausted. The heat was turning her skin the same shade as her hair.

So, after a few moments of pointless debating, she settled for a simple cup of french fries. Or, to be more accurate, two of them. Alastor was a bit of a germaphobe. Nobody could touch his food without the frilled lizard throwing a fit. As they munched their way through the cup of fries, the two lost themselves in thought. Aubre’s mind lingered on the injuries left behind by the earlier rodeo. A Mudsdale with an angry gash across its side.
]
The doctor wondered if she could have pulled the stitches a little tighter. Alastor, meanwhile, was pondering his next round at Magikarp fishing. That golden Magikarp would be his and so would that Gatling NERF gun. It’d be perfect for shooting at annoying customers. So engrossed was he in these fantasies, that he didn’t notice his trainer’s gasp.

That’s Professor Morales. A fry stopped halfway to her mouth. Green eyes fixated a second too long before becoming intent on the whorls of wood beneath scarred fingers. When it came to admiration, Aubre typically took a subtle approach. The idea of approaching someone whose work she enjoyed seemed intrusive. It was like some kind of secret eleventh sin.

Perhaps it was simply that admiration was like a poison to her. A strange, foreign substance her body didn’t know how to process.

Suddenly, his trainer’s aura changed. A brow went up as the Heliolisk turned to the crowd. A side glance at Aubre told him all he needed to know. And, he did what he always did. When they skipped over her for dodgeball or team sports. When she wanted to stay in bed. He took care of it. His pen scribbling on his notepad, the lizard darted after the doctor through a tangle of limbs.

“Alastor, wait!” Abandoning her flies to steely-eyed scavengers, the younger doctor took after her pushy lizard. She reached Eva just in time to come face to face with her—the pair at the bottom of a thrill ride. A clawed hand lifted to tug at the other academic’s sleeve.


Up went his stenopad, ‘Aren’t you the Rayquaza lady?’ With a noise of alarm, Aubre scooped him up into her arms. His frill exploded as he squirmed away. ‘The Doc wants your autograph.’ The pencil vanished into the redhead’s sleeve. Red-cheeked, she offered up an apologetic smile.


“I’m sorry, Miss--Doctor Morales.” She sighed. Her heart pounded. “The pen really is dangerous, huh?” Green eyes narrowed at her ‘brother’. “Especially in the wrong hands."

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