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"Even Jayden?" Naia asked after a pause.

[break][break] Tori blinked as she paused with a dumpling half in her mouth. What was she saying? Victoria frowned. Was Jayden someone she thought belonged to her? She tilted her head to the side as she finally popped the rest of the dumpling into her mouth and chewed. No, perhaps it was more of their relationship rather than the ownership of a person. That would be the reasonable assumption.

[break][break] Still, her response was a touch too...literal for what Tori meant. Swiftly snatching up another dumpling before Tes could she hummed softly. "Anyone can kill. It's pretty easy." She muttered with her mouth full. "But killing isn't what makes you strong." She said as she glanced towards Naia again.

[break][break] "You're thinking too literally." She commented. "Strength is both tangible and abstract." This was something she had only briefly come to terms with herself. "Being strong is a state of mind as much as it is something physical that you can see." Grabbing an extra pair of chopsticks she offered a visual in addition to her small lecture.

[break][break] "If I take these chopsticks..." she said and placed them between her fingers. "...and add pressure." she said as she demonstrated before a splintering crack was heard. "And the chopsticks snap in half, that means I'm physically strong enough to break this, correct?"

[break][break] Tori rustled around in her pockets before she pulled out a lighter. "But what if I said these chopsticks were my only friends. Sure, it's a bit sad. It's an inanimate object, but I obviously care for them. But what if something happens and one day..." she said as she lit one end of the chopsticks on fire. "...they go up in smoke." she said as she watched the flames eat up the wood in reckless abandon as it slowly inched closer and closer to her fingertips.

[break][break] Tori blew the flame out before it reached her fingers and dropped the singed piece of wood on the table. "With my precious friend now nothing but ash before me, do I crumble along with them, or continue to press on?" She said as she pointed a nail at the burnt chopstick. "Wouldn't the determination to keep going also be called strength?"

[break][break] Tori quickly scooped up more noodles before shoving them in her mouth with a satisfying slurp. "Right now, you're at a cross-roads. Your friends have abandoned you and you found yourself unable to break the surface of the turmoil you're facing." Tori recalls this very feeling. As if she was drowning in a sea of blood with no end in sight.

[break][break] "Before you can even think about being useful you need to decide are you going to sink or swim, Naia?" she said as she fixes a serious gaze on Naia. "You don't have to figure it all out on your own, but the decision to commit to the path is yours alone." she says with a slight shrug. "That's what I meant."

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Adrian Malcolm. That named definitely sounded familiar. But if she was honest it wasn't ringing any bells other than the fact that it sounded familiar. Then again, Tori wasn't too surprised by this. She normally didn't pay much attention unless it involved herself or individuals she involved herself with.

[break][break] Adrian didn't make a point to introduce his pokemon. It wasn't a strange concept, in fact, Tori was probably an outlier. It wasn't that she particularly felt one way or another about pokemon. She definitely recognized them as tools to complete a purpose. A means to an end. But if they were going to be her tools, then she'd care for them properly.

[break][break] That was probably why she and her pokemon worked so well together. They were a team and at this point had grown to be a family, whether she liked to admit it or not. One would think Kanto would've beaten those sorts of needless affections out of her long ago, but it would seem there were still some weaknesses in her that had yet to be ironed out.

[break][break] Then again, when you were strong enough to maintain them, what was the point?

[break][break] Glancing around she rubbed her aching shoulder before a soft sigh escaped her lips. "Honestly...it's probably a sign for me to go ahead and wrap things up. We've been working since the early morning after all." She said as she turned her violet hues back to Adrian. "What about you? Are you going to continuing helping out here?"

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The dull ache of her wounds under pressure was somehow therapeutic and soothing as she attempted to deal with this intense bout of depression. Within the past few days she'd managed to ride on highs and lows. Her emotional fluctuations happening so frequently it left her exhausted. But she was able to sleep, because she would the nightmares would ensue.

[break][break] It was a toxic spiral.

[break][break] When her name was called by a familiar voice, the inner voice quieted for once and she finally had a moment of relief. Her whimpers stopped immediately, caught in her throat. Tori froze for a moment as she slowly registered just what was going on. "...Jay?" she whispered, her voice clearly hoarse from hours of crying.

[break][break] How could she feel overwhelmed by emotions while feeling numb to everything at the same time?

[break][break] It didn't make much sense to her, but that was the state of turmoil she was in. She was so exhausted from everything yet she was overwhelmed by the sense of embarrassment that her childhood friend had managed to catch her in a similar position that Beast Neon (mint frost) found her in prior.

[break][break] She bit her lip. Hard. While she was glad that Jay being her quieted the voice she didn't think she could handle him right now. He was more like her father than she would care to admit and...her father had already done enough to get her in this state in the first place. She just wasn't strong enough.

[break][break] ".......Go away, Jay." she said finally after a long bout of silence.

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It was like her tears had somehow managed to intoxicate her into a alcoholic stupor and Neon's presence swiftly managed to sober her up immediately. As she continued to wipe at her tear stained face and as everything else became clearer, she began to steadily realize the situation she was in. With each passing second she could help but desire to shrivel up and die in this very moment.

[break][break] Her cheeks began to color with embarrassment, as did the tips of her ears. Of all the people to catch her like this...no. Perhaps she should consider herself lucky. Her father could've made another unannounced arrival. Him seeing her like this would really throw her over the edge, she couldn't do it.

[break][break] She placed Tes down beside her as she folded her hands in her lap. Her grip on her hands was so tight that her knuckles began to turn white. Tori really didn't feel like roleplaying therapy here in the med bay but what choice did she have? Tori might be a smartass but she wasn't stupid.

[break][break] Kanto had taught her all about respecting authority. If her higher up asked something of her, she was trained to oblige. "I--" she began but immediately trailed off. Was she okay? No, not really, but was that okay to tell an officer? "Um..." she spoke up again. "It's...not exactly about the raid."

[break][break] She fell into silence again as she contemplated just how much to tell Neon. On one hand, it was nice that he was an outsider to this all so he could potentially offer her a fresh perspective. On the other hand, it wouldn't fair nor would it be professional to trauma dump on her superior. It was a tough situation.

[break][break] "Firstly..." Tori began again as she wiped a hand over her tired face. "THEO BECKETT's my father." She felt like that alone would explain a lot. "I just can't figure him out. Or what his strange obsession with that traitorous rat...I mean... Raziel Beckett is." Tori sighed heavily again. "It's so frustrating. I don't understand the purpose of this ludicrous plan anyway."

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Tori offered Roy a shrug and a smug grin at his lighthearted teasing. "I've got luck on my side. After all I'm still the defending champ, big guy." she joked right back. This sort of banter was easy to maintain with Tori. Ask any of her childhood friends, Tori constantly had a reply for almost any and everything. Sass was her middle name at this point.

[break][break] As they stepped into the arcade, trills and cheers from other's playing games filled her ears. The retro vibes from the aesthetics of the place, in addition to the music from the games, stoked her competitive mood and nostalgia.

[break][break] She followed behind Roy as he led her to the boxing machine game. One shot was all you got. But it was all about strength. Tori flashed him a quizzical look with the slight arch of her eyebrow. His choice was...oddly fitting. She couldn't help but attempt to, poorly, hold back a chuckle.

[break][break] With a brief glance back to the machine she smirked, "Sure. Something simple to get the night started, I don't mind." There were obvious advantages for this particular game with Roy. He was obviously bigger than her and potentially stronger than her too. But the cogs in Tori's brain were movin' and she was already cooking up a plan of her own.

[break][break] "So, do you wanna do the honors? Or should we leave it up to chance?" she asked as she plucked a coin from her pocket, holding it up as she suggested a potential coin toss to decide the order.

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The knock caught her off guard, freezing Tori in place with a spoon stuck in her mouth and cake crumbs on the corner of her lips. However, it was who followed after the brief rap on the door that really through her for a loop. Violet hues stretched wide as she felt the immediate urge to hide the goods she'd been enjoying as if she had been caught red handed.

[break][break] But it was too late.

[break][break] She watched his gaze lower to the cake on her plate before meeting her own again. She gulped, quickly swallowing the bite she had taken and placed the cake on the beside table next to her. For the second time that day she was stunned to silence as her father gifted her with a box of cookies.

[break][break] Tori looked at him with blatant bewilderment. Her facial expression reading 'is this a test?'. Holding the box in her lap she pursed her lips at the question. It was...strange how such a simple question thrust her into a session of intense overthinking. How exactly was she supposed to answer that? After a moment of silence, she decided with just the truth.

[break][break] "Fine. Good, even, as long as I'm medicated." She offered him a small shrug. "But you know me, I'm made of sturdier stuff. So you don't have to worry about me." She paused for a second more before lifting the box. "Thanks." It was awkward but it was genuine.

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Victoria and the kid continued to wrestle and fight one another grunts and hissing and curses were being slung around as they continued to wrestle for dominance over the other. Neither one relenting in this petty scrabble. Each spat of venom laced words further pushed the kids even deeper into their rage.

[break][break] What was Tori ungrateful about? What was this kid even yappin' about. He'd been handed a golden ticket and didn't even want it. If anyone was ungrateful it was him. How often could it be said that a Rocket official had high expectations for someone? At least it was better than none!

[break][break] Theo wanted her as far away from this life as possible. That was the highest form of disrespect to her. Tori was born in this, she was made for this. Why couldn't he just take a chance on her? Did he hate her that much?

[break][break] Tori didn't even register that the cheers and roars around her had died down. Instead, her heart was still thumping wildly in her chest and tears threatened to spill from her swollen eye. Still, she had a fierce determination not to give up. With all the hatred and burning jealously she could mustered she put every ounce of her strength into the last strike aimed at Razz.

[break][break] Panting, clearly worn out after the ideal, was when she finally managed to see what the cause of the eerie silence was. She gasped as she pulled away from the boy, immediately opting to hide her face despite the fact that he had already clearly seen it all. She hadn't expected her father to get here so quickly. But that wasn't all...his silence filled her with...fear.

[break][break] Always used to his quiet chastising, she wasn't quite sure what to do with his burning anger. Confused and clearly still emotional she could only wonder. If he truly hated her, perhaps this was the last straw.

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Raziel Beckett & THEO BECKETT[break]
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His exasperated retort left Tori in her theatrical bag. She gasped as her small fingers flew to her lips in surprise before she raised her hands in mock defeat. The expression on her face said 'oh I'm so scared' but it was clear it was all sarcasm. The boys certainly seemed perfect for each other with their boring responses. If anything, this kid was slightly more entertaining than Jayden simply because he 'gave in' to the bit, unlike Jay.

[break][break] With a roll of her eyes, she noticed something in peripheral. With little effort she caught the pillow and used to further prop her head up while on Jayden's bed. "Unfortunately for you, princess, in life you don't always get what you want." she said in response to him attempting to shut her up.

[break][break] If it was one thing Tori was good at, it was getting under people's skin. Oh, and being chatty.

[break][break] After a few moments of silence, the kid spoke up again. This time it seemed like her provocations had struck a nerve. "Oh?" she said as she turned and laid on her side, propping her head up with her arm. "Haha, since when did you know me so well?" she said with heavy sarcasm and amusement dripping in her tone. "I wasn't aware I had an admirer, how cute."

[break][break] Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a piece of candy and began to unwrap it. "Unfortunately for you, you missed the mark a bit. I think I know what I want more than you. And I know how to get it too. The one who seems to be projecting here is you. Hurt dogs holler after all." she flashed a smug grin in his direction.

[break][break] "I take back what I said earlier." Tori said as she popped the piece of candy in her mouth. "You and Jay are perfect for each other." She said with a pause, "Perfectly boring." she snorted softly. They were too soft. Rocket wasn't meant for making friends, it was for amassing power. Survival of the fittest. Who had time to waste playing house like this.

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Asriel Pryde [break]
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Indeed, backing off didn't seem to be in Victoria's plans. She watched them all carefully, especially her partner. Violet hues narrowing on the masked woman as she engaged with the Leaguers.

[break][break] It was too soon to tell at the moment, but she couldn't help but find the exchange a touch strange. Then again, not all Rocket's had clear loyalties like Tori. Not all of them were raised here or brought up in the same environment as she had been in Kanto. Then again, not all of them had the connections she had to Rocket top brass either.

[break][break] But that didn't change the fact that this was war and unless this was some form of new fighting tactic, she wasn't quite sure what her play was getting 'friendly' with the enemy. But it was no matter, she'd continue to keep her eyes on her and if she caught wind of even the slightest hint of betrayal, Tori would deal with her swiftly and face the repercussions later.

[break][break] After all, Rocket has had too many...deserters as of late.

[break][break] While she swings her chain scythes, the blades sing in the air as her gaze narrows on the pair huddled close to one another. It was clear one was more protective of the other as they had positioned themselves in front of the other as if to act as a human shield.

[break][break] That was good to know.

[break][break] She felt his presence before she saw him. But she couldn't help the smirk that formed on her lips once she realized he'd made an appearance of his own volition. You see, Tori had done more than most in the small break time that she had between the battle of Sootopolis and now.

[break][break] After tasting power she now actively pursued it even more than she had before. If there was a way she could get an edge over her opponent she was prepared to do anything to get it. So when she had the opportunity to gain more power presented in front of her on a silver platter, of course she jumped at it.

[break][break] With an ultra beast now in her hands, and access to Nihilego toxin, she offered up one of her pokemon for the process of 'shadowfication'. Zero was actually the one that was itching to go forward with this process, perhaps even more than she was. Being her second ever pokemon, their bound was something that couldn't be copied of fabricated at this point.

[break][break] They often seemed like twins in the way their personalities echoed one another. While Osiris would often keep them in check when they ended up getting into no good, Tori had found a kindred spirit in her zorua. So, it was no surprise that, despite the clear risks and complications, Zero was determined to see this through just like she was.

[break][break] But for every worry, Zero constantly made her eat her words. Not only surprise evolving due to sheer willpower and determination, but by become a successful dual type shadow & ghost pokemon. Of course, this...new version of Zero took some getting used to. The aggression and the sheer need for violence becoming a part of his 'dietary' needs, was a lot to take in all at once. Yet still, somewhere in there, he was still the same Zero that she knew from her childhood.

[break][break] A lot of training with him was needed and it seemed now he was willing to step forward for a bit of a test run. She wouldn't stop him. With a low growl as he lurked behind her, shadowy purple aura pulsating as her hurled clear hatred was directed towards the enemy. His eyes seemed to glow red momentarily as Zero lowered himself low to the ground and marked his target.

[break][break] "And so it begins..." she mutters to herself. Her opponent's lickilicky charged forward intending to interrupt whatever she had planned with a KNOCK OFF but Raiden was quick to interfere. Her Zeraora's fists began to glow blue before they launched their PLASMA FISTS into the ground. Blue lightning sparked from the ground and barreled towards the lickilicky with intense speeds.

[break][break] Meanwhile, Zero vanished into the shadows himself, while utilizing his shadows to stretch out and target his prey, the garbodor. His hunt had just begun and Tori could almost feel his excitement. With a crack of her neck she began to twirl her blades even more before finally smirking as her gaze locked onto the man behind the most vocal one. "Time's up." she said as she dashed off in their direction.

[break][break] The way she handled the chain scythes was like an extension of her body. Speed and accuracy were her strong suits as she used one of them as a decoy while the other lashed forward intending to strike Ikarus Rook from his blind spot.





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