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miyako's body throbs as she submits to jiwari's gentle but firm grasp, her being effortlessly lifted in his paws as though she weighs nothing at all. the transition from the tyranitar's grip to michiko's chilly back is nearly seamless, and miyako nestles into her powder-white wings, momentarily spellbound by the glassy fractals that shimmer on her velvety coat. she can't help but run her fingers along her slick, cool shell, all thoughts of pain dulled by a fascination for such an odd looking creature. she feels like an icicle nestled into a snowdrift when she presses her flushed face into michiko's silky, snowflake wings.[break][break]

alright, alright. time to go.[break][break]

the cool sensation that emanates from michiko washes over miyako as the frosmoth takes flight alongside sol. miyako's pain, for the most part, dissipates due to the freezing relief; but there's a dull ache that hangs over her when the bone cracks against the pressure of the moth's gentle ascent.[break][break]

it takes effort, immense concentration to ensure she breathes and uses her muscles as little as possible as she looks over to the green-haired trainer. "do me a favor and don't tell anyone about this, yeah?" miyako asks shalin as they begin to descend, though there is a rough sort of mirth in her tone, an effort to protect her pride. "i don't need the whole department knowing that i broke a rib trying to ride a tyranitar like a mechanical bull."

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miyako's grin only widens as the walking wake slows to a stop near the little rocky islet. she hops off with practiced ease, quickly reaching for an empty pokeball in her bag.[break][break]

"that's rad as hell, man," she says to josh over her shoulder as she eyes the little axew cautiously. she knows she's gotta be careful; even cute little dragons can pack a wallop. "it's a pretty dope pokemon you got."[break][break]

she takes a step towards the axew, careful not to startle it, pokeball at the ready. "c'mere, little guy," she coos at the axew. "you wanna come with me, don't you? we'll go on adventures together and you can bite people for me. whaddya say?"[break][break]

the little dragon pokemon tilts its head at her, as if considering the offer. she knows it's a stretch, but who knows, maybe it'll be a pushover, in that respect. she just needs to get a bit closer...[break][break]

yeah. it's not interested. in fact, the axew turns away from her. miyako sighs and straightens, all friendliness gone. if a pokeball isn't broke, don't fix it! with a toss, she throws the pokeball at the axew. regardless of the outcome, she heads back to josh.[break][break]

"alright, back to it!"

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miyako doesn't even have time to react before a fierce battle breaks out, the roars of two formidable ground types clashing together filling the air, one protecting the peace of the interaction, the other advocating against it. jiwari, the reckless tyranitar who had just bucked her off his back, is now engaged in a head-to-head with a massive rhyperior, their powerful bodies slamming into one another with brute force that shakes the very ground beneath miyako's body.[break][break]

she watches as jiwari smashes his opponent into the rock face, only for the rhyperior to retaliate with a vicious megahorn to the midsection. jiwari's pained cry echoes through the cave, and miyako can't help but wince in sympathy.[break][break]

with a throw of an ultra ball, though, the battle is no more. miyako nods, returning to shalin's initial point. "yeah, i dunno how i stayed on either," the cop admits as she braces her arms beneath her. "a miracle, maybe?"[break][break]

as she prepares to rise to her feet, she adds, "i hope i didn't break a rib or something," almost as an afterthought.[break][break]

then, when she's finally up and dares to shift her body in any meaningful way, a lash of sharp pain whips through her abdomen, and miyako winces and grabs at her side. "ooh, yeah, okay, that's broken. fucking ow."

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oh. hmm. june being romantically involved with the stupid hot dork makes everything quite a bit more complicated.[break][break]

were they... were they both trying to seduce miyako to make the other one jealous? or was this a non-consenting polygamy situation? is it all even weirder and stranger than that?[break][break]

oh no. miyako's head is starting to hurt.[break][break]

before she can ponder her dismissal, miyako watches the window roll up, howard's brunette head filling the space one last time before it's completely closed, his lips only mouthing an apology before the glass blocks miyako's view.[break][break]

the car rumbles to life, and miyako, alarmed, stumbles back as the behemoth rolls past her, trying and failing to get a last glimpse at the two. "...uhh, okay." she says aloud, pulling a cigarette from her back pocket with her now free hand. she has never been so thoroughly cucked. anger curls inside her, though she's laughing too, because—oh man, what a fucking disaster.[break][break]

miyako hops back onto her bike, watches howard's car go away like a maiden waving goodbye to her beloved at sea, then goes. she can't think about this anymore, not right now. there's too much to unpack. coffee is needed. brain is fried. wow.[break][break]

at the very least, she's learned three very interesting things about herself from this whole dumpster fire.[break][break]

1. miyako loves both women and men.[break][break]

2. miyako prefers these women and men as stupid, dorky, or pathetic as possible.[break][break]

3. miyako hates her fucking life.

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is she okay? oh, definitely not, miyako thinks to herself as she slowly picks herself up off the ground, her muscles protesting every movement. but she doesn't show it—she straightens up to her full height, offering shalin a quick salute before running her hands through her tousled black and white hair. "aah, yeah, i'm chill, it was fun," she says with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "just gotta learn to hang on better next time, right?"[break][break]

miyako flashes shalin a grin, a mischievous glint in her slate blue eyes. "you wild, girl," she admits, her adrenaline still surging through her veins. "a little crazy, too. but i think it's dope."[break][break]

shalin wonders what miyako is doing out here, and miyako wonders the same thing. yeah, what is she doing out here? miyako gets the creeping feeling that might've lost the plot in the process of getting bucked off of the strongest rodeo she's ever experienced. after a moment of deliberation, she just shrugs.[break][break]

"mmm, yeah, i dunno," she admits, then fixes shalin with a pressing look. she girl seems like a wildcard, and miyako wants in on the action. "what, you doin' something cool? take me with you!"

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holy shit. what a fucking dork.[break][break]

...hm. a hot dork? miyako is suddenly very confused. mostly with herself.[break][break]

then, her eyes slide over to june in the passenger seat, who seems a little bit too interested in the driver getting a ticket. and then miyako's eyes slide back to howard, who is a little bit too interested in not getting a ticket. her attention then comes back to herself, where she comes to the sudden verdict that she really just wants to go home and get shitty paldean takeout.[break][break]

after a moment's deliberation, her stomach wins out. feeling bad for kind-of-sort-of-not tazing howard helps. howard being a stupid hot dork also helps. generally just not wanting to do her job punches the most of all.[break][break]

miyako hands the papers back to howard. "yeah, okay. i'll let you off with a warning." she smirks, and asks the next question mostly because she finds it hilarious. "wanna grab coffee after i'm done pulling you over?"[break][break]

a beat.[break][break]

"just kidding. you're good to go."[break][break]

unless...

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holy shit, a topless lady? miyako has to investigate. because it's against the law. obviously.[break][break]

"where?" she chirps, lifting her head to inspect the surrounding area, only to find a suspicious lack of topless ladies. no, it couldn't be... was she just lied to?[break][break]

miyako's attention snaps back to the car at howard's wail, and there, her eyes find purchase on the still-convulsing body of the man who had been driving the car, with thin tendrils of smoke rising from his neck, and the scent of electrified flesh emanating therein. betrayal, felt deep in her stomach, makes way for pure, unadulterated confusion.[break][break]

"oh." miyako's face goes through many emotions at once as the shock of the situation warps her usually snarky demeanor into something akin to stupidity. "what the fuck."[break][break]

her hands, though occupied with papers and devices, wildly pat at her belt, where her taser remains unused and untouched. her mind struggles to grasp the situation, lagging many miles behind the present time, as she does her best to piece together an explanation for what she's seeing. what just happened? how did it just happen? why?[break][break]

miyako leans down and reaches her hand through the window to try to gently pat howard's face in a shortsighted attempt to rouse him. "hey, man, you okay?" miyako wonders aloud as confusion now makes way for anxiety. "did i... taze you? somehow? some way?"

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miyako's lips quirk in amusement as june unleashes an explosive barrage of words in howard's general direction, and she adjusts her ruby red sunglasses on her face.[break][break]

"alright, hot shot," miyako drawls to june. "does it matter if you're both running red lights like your lives depend on it?"[break][break]

then, howard shifts his gaze over to her, shooting that little conversational dagger at june, a shard—so thin and nearly imperceptible.[break][break]

miyako grins, and she leans in close to howard. "can't really talk about it, but..." time to incite a little chaos. miyako languidly licks her lips, savoring that anticipatory beat right before she'd set june alight. "did you know that showing your, ahem, assets, to an officer in the hopes of getting out of a ticket can be a felony?"[break][break]

miyako leans back from the window, and takes howard's papers with her. "but none of that is pertinent to this present shit-show. put it all behind us or whatever," she continues. "gonna run the papers real quick."[break][break]

she pulls a small device from her pocket and begins fiddling with it at the window, celebrating the whole time that this traffic stop turned out to be worth her while.

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miyako is coming off the tail end of a long, tumultuous shift when she spots what she assumes will be the last traffic stop of the day. a car swerving wildly through a busy intersection, missing a minivan by a hair, churning burnt rubber into the asphalt. miyako, already feeling the first light of sleep begin to tug at her eyelids, releases a heavy sigh as she flips on the siren of her patrol bike. why do people always have to be idiots when she's just about to clock out?[break][break]

regardless, she has a job to do, and she's already been reprimanded twice this week for laziness—a judgement that is correct and valid, mind you. she can't handle another writeup, or she's definitely not going to be able to afford this month's rent if they dock her pay any further.[break][break]

so she skids to a stop behind the car. after a moment of fumbling with her radio, she swings off of her bike and strides up to the driver's side of the car, her face impassive behind her tinted, red-tinted glasses. she taps the driver's door sharply with her knuckles. "license and—"[break][break]

miyako's eyes flick to the passenger side, and she freezes. the woman in the front seat is all too familiar—june (as she learned from the booking documents), the woman she busted just the other day for bribery and solicitation.[break][break]

miyako looks at howard. "no wonder i pulled you over," miyako begins, trying to keep a straight face even as the hilarity of the other day slowly swims back into her addled mind. "if you're getting driving tips from her."[break][break]

miyako directs this next question to june in particular. "your face okay?"

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miyako lets out a puff of smoke as the mawile goes into the empty pokeball. boring. she's seen so many mawiles already. hell, her parentss had one for a while.[break][break]

"me?" miyako laughs, the sound cracking through the quiet night like shattering ice. "eh, maybe. i'm just a freelancer. i take my own pictures, mostly."[break][break]

she tilts her head back, peering at the sky. "i could pass the message along though. the market for exotic models is always there. they may even make me the photographer anyways. i've done it before."[break][break]

she taps the ash off her cigarette before returning it to her lips for another long drag. "though you'd have to ask around about the kind of... contract you'd be signing. a lot of companies play fast and loose with the rules. i'd hate for anything to happen to your big fluffy friend here."[break][break]

she raises her camera in front of her again, but doesn't snap any pictures this time. instead, she looks through it like a peephole, zooming the focus in and out, pretending to look at the world in a different light. like silverio is her next big photo. which he isn't. she has no idea who he is, really. but that doesn't mean she can't pretend. doesn't mean she can't make up a story and past about him for the fun of it. she does it often to the people or things she takes pictures of. they always seem to be much more interesting than she is. all she really does is drink, smoke, and ruin shit. this guy probably has a lot more going for him. she can't help but imagine.[break][break]

so miyako keeps zooming in and out, panning across the scene, taking it all in like she's watching a movie unfold before her eyes, before finally lowering the camera. she flicks her cigarette into the darkness, where it disappears like a meteor streaking through the night sky. "what's your story, man?" she asks finally, the question floating into the silence like a bubble, popping almost as soon as it's spoken. "you look like the kinda guy that's got some big tragedy tucked away back there. or, hmm, naive and bright-eyed, maybe? like the hero at the beginning of some big action flick."[break][break]

she's not even looking at him, instead fiddling with the controls of her camera, even despite the personal nature of her random question.

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for a brief moment, miyako feels a rush of exhilaration as jiwari begins to run—the wind in her hair, the power of the beast beneath her, the raw energy crackling through the air. it feels almost… spiritual, like she is one with the pokemon, connected in a way that transcends words.[break][break]

but then, ever so gradually, jiwari begins to pick up speed, his massive legs pounding against the rock floor with increasing intensity. miyako can feel the reins slipping from her fingers as the tyranitar's movements become more erratic, his control over his own powerful body starting to unravel. she yanks on the reins, trying to regain some semblance of command, but it is too late. a particularly rough landing after leaping over a rock throws his rider to the ground with a painful thud.[break][break]

"oof..." miyako groans, her body aching from such powerful contact as she lies there on the rocky floor. she blinks slowly, her vision swimming for a moment before clarity returns. it's not too dissimilar from some particularly bad falls from her bike, but its definitely more painful. she can already feel a bruise blooming across the length of her back. "okay... i see what you meant now. that guy is nuts."[break][break]

she looks back up at jiwari, who is now calmly standing a few feet away, his powerful form rippling with muscle, and she offers him a haphazard thumbs up. "thanks for the ride, buddy."

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"woo!" miyako shouts as they take off from the dock. she's never ridden a pokemon as powerful and fast-moving as the walking wake. it's exhilarating to feel the wind in her face, the rush of speed, and the way her heart pounds with adrenaline. it's all she could expect from the master of faster, really.[break][break]

"this is fucking awesome!" she yells over the wind to josh, her hands gripping tightly to his shirt as they race over water. she glances back at the city of pacifidlog as it grows smaller and smaller in the background, and then looks ahead to where the sky pillar looms.[break][break]

"how fast do you think we're goin'?" she asks, squinting her eyes as the wind whips at her face, threatening to displace her red-tinted sunglasses. "i bet way over one hundred an hour!"[break][break]

she grins widely as she takes in the scenery, her mind racing with thoughts of how she could capture this moment with her camera. she'll have to remember this feeling, the thrill and the rush, so that she can try to capture it in her photographs. speaking of capturing...[break][break]

"woah, wait, wait!" miyako shouts over the wind, eyes catching upon the silhouette of a small, dinosaur-esque pokemon milling about upon a small cleft of jagged rocks rising from the water. "that thing! i want it! slow down!"

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miyako's eyes widen at the name of the pokemon—suicune, she repeats to herself. she hadn't heard of it before, but apparently there's multiple forms of it, like the other two legendary ones, if the champion is to be taken seriously. she makes a mental note to look into it later. she may be lazy as hell at her actual job, but she finds the world of pokemon fascinating.[break][break]

she looks at the steam gathering beneath the walking wake and at the way it's crouching, preparing to let her ride. "whoa," she breathes, clambering onto it with a grin. it's so much bigger up here than it seems from the ground.[break][break]

miyako sits behind josh, and she places her hands on his shoulders. "yeah, i don't have a water-type," she calls over the noise of the steam and the wind. "but, really, i just wanted to ride!"[break][break]

she lets out a boisterous laugh as she prepares for the ride, her muscles tensing in her body, though she keeps a lookout on the horizon. maybe there will be cool pokemon to catch on the way there...?

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