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"oooh, a doctor?" miyako coos jokingly, suppressing a laugh at howard slayte's boast. "i didn't know they gave out doctorates for being a public menace."[break][break]

she taps her chin thoughtfully. "dr. dumbass... dr. dickhead... dr. doofus..." her voice lilts, as if she's deeply considering these various titles. "nah, doesn't have the same ring to it as dr. slayte."[break][break]

inwardly, though, she's vaguely impressed. it takes a certain kind of idiot to navigate the streets of slateport with such brazen disregard for the rules, and to proudly proclaim it in the midst of a party full of the hoenn elite.[break][break]

guess money and fancy degrees don't buy brains, huh?[break][break]

she's just joking. kind of.[break][break]

thank god clover matamata gives her a distraction! she turns to the teen and offers a wide smile, then she takes clover's hand and gives it a firm shake. "good to meetcha. always nice to meet a fan of the law." her tone's a little sarcastic, but her smile is genuine. it's not every day she meets someone who actually appreciates her line of work! "man, between the war and rampant disregard of traffic laws, my job's been hell. it'd be great to have someone else out there to help keep the streets safe."[break][break]

her mind stumbles a bit at the mention of ultra space rifts, though. "wait, you've actually seen one of those things? damn, kid, you must have balls of steel." she lets out a low whistle, impressed despite herself. "i've only ever heard of them. hey, since you're experienced, you'll give me a tour, right?"[break][break]

she winks surreptitiously. not even she knows if she's really serious right now.

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miyako nearly collapses atop the venusaur's flower as the vine slows to a gentle stop, her legs wobbling like jelly from the intense ride. she takes a moment to catch her breath, her heart still hammering against her chest.[break][break]

"i can see why," miyako pants, her voice wavering slightly. "i don't think i'd survive the full experience without one."[break][break]

she watches with a mix of awe and trepidation as shalin and saria prepare to demonstrate the venusaur's full potential. miyako's eyes widen as the vine begins to glow a brilliant green, the energy pulsing along its length like a living entity. she's familiar enough with the species to know what's coming, and braces herself for the inevitable explosion of sound.[break][break]

as the pulse reaches the end of the vine, a deafening crack echoes through the air, causing miyako to flinch involuntarily. she watches in amazement as shalin is launched forward with incredible speed, the vine whipping through the air like a blur. "holy shit..."

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"fuckin' cool," is all miyako responds when silverio trails off. she's not too pressed about it.[break][break]

that is, of course, until she senses the danger of the two pokemon silverio draws attention to. her eyes snap to them, the magnet that is their liveliness pulling her from the stupor of her boredom like a knee-jerk reaction. her mind immediately starts to devise a plan, a pulse of energy pushing through her muscles and up her spine.[break][break]

in one fluid motion, the camera still in her hand comes down to her side, the strap wrapping around her wrist to keep it from clattering to the ground. her other hand goes to the holster at her hip where her taser rests, smooth black metal chilled in the cool night air. her cigarettes and lighter spill from her pocket and flutter to the ground as she takes up a defensive stance, bracing herself for the impending encounter.[break][break]

but with a sigh, she suddenly stops. what was she planning to do, taze it? then what, arrest it? the first one she gets, sure. but the latter...?[break][break]

"uhhh..." miyako hesitates, shifting uncomfortably as her eyes flick from silverio to the bomb headed their way. as if she wasn't on edge enough before, her adrenaline now spikes through the roof, forcing her to make a split-second decision.[break][break]

she doesn't get paid enough to deal with this shit. in fact, miyako decides, she just won't! tucking her tazer back into her belt, miyako glances back at silverio. "yeah. imma run. see ya around."[break][break]

with that, she absconds, leaving a trail of cigarette ash in her wake. she can't wait to hear the explosion from a safe distance! and she hopes the other guy doesn't stick around to see it up close.

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miyako struggles to maintain her grip as the venusaur begins to whip her vine back and forth, slowly building up speed. she grits her teeth, fingers clenching around the vine tightly as it moves in erratic, unpredictable patterns. her heart pounds with a mixture of excitement and fear.[break][break]

"holy shit!" miyako yelps as the venusaur begins to whip the vine in circles, each flick sending a jolt through her body. "this is... this is crazy!" she manages to gasp out, her voice trembling with a mix of exhilaration and terror.[break][break]

miyako's breath catches in her throat as the vine reaches the peak of its ascent, only to be flung back down with a vicious snap. the force of the motion rattles her bones, making her feel like a rag doll being tossed around by a hyperactive child. yet, in spite of the discomfort, a small part of her can't help but enjoy the thrill of it all.[break][break]

she turns her head slightly to catch a glimpse of shalin, hooting with joy as she absorbs the jerking motion. "how... how are you not throwing up right now?!" miyako shouts over the wind, her words punctuated by gasps of breath.

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miyako's attention snaps to the man who's approached her, her previous boredom replaced by a sharp, focused curiosity as she scans his features. familiarity nags at her, and after a moment of trying to place him, she recalls a memory from her mental catalogue; a mental snapshot of the aerodactyl keychain flashes across her mind's eye.[break][break]

so the dork (june's boyfriend, maybe? miyako's not too sure on that front) is actually some rich guy? figures. people like him always seem to have the strangest hobbies.[break][break]

"yeow!" slips from her lips, instead of 'you,' and inwardly, she cringes. [break][break]

guess boredom's done a number on her social skills too.[break][break]

clearing her throat, she leans casually against the wall, fumbling through her mental rolodex for a witty remark.[break][break]

"sure, why not?" not exactly the peak of comedy, but it's the best her fried brain can do right now. "and don't call me traffic gal! i have a job in the precinct that's, like, wayyyy more important than babysitting people who don't know red lights from green lights."[break][break]

her gaze flits to the offered bread. she shrugs and takes a slice, biting into it with a loud crunch. sure, she probably shouldn't accept food from guests, but... eh, fuck it. she's hungry, and god knows she's not going to last this entire party without proper sustenance.[break][break]

and then, someone else is there, talking about cheese and whatnot, and miyako immediately hones in on them. she leans in conspiratorially to clover matamata, and lowers her voice to just a whisper. "watch out for this guy," she says with a finger jabbed in howard slayte's direction. "huuuuuuuge criminal. i coulda given him a hundred bucks in traffic fines! dunno why he's still on the streets."

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just as miyako is beginning to lose hope in her efforts to find new pokemon, her keen eyes catch a glimpse of a large, steel-colored bird with sharp, blade-like wings perched on a nearby tree. miyako recognizes the pokemon immediately as a skarmory.[break][break]

"ooh, fuck yeah." she breathes, doing her best to contain her excitement. a skarmory would be an incredible addition to her team—plus it'd be fun to show off to those assholes back at the station.[break][break]

whiskey stomps impatiently beneath her, snorting loudly as miyako tightens her grip on the reigns. "yeah, yeah," she mutters to the stoutland, sliding off his back to approach the skarmory, "keep your pants on."[break][break]

the skarmory doesn't seem to notice miyako until she's a few feet away, and when it does, its steel feathers ruffle in irritation. "oh, don't be a dick." miyako chides, reaching for one of her pokéballs. the bird merely squawks in response, glaring at her with narrowed eyes.[break][break]

just as miyako is about to throw the pokéball, the skarmory takes off into the sky with a powerful flap of its wings. "shit!" miyako curses, already running back to whiskey. "i guess we're doing this the hard way."[break][break]

within moments, miyako and whiskey are off, galloping through the tall grass at breakneck speeds in hot pursuit of the skarmory. the bird is fast—faster than whiskey on an open plain—but whiskey is more maneuverable, able to weave through the trees with practiced ease. miyako pushes him as fast as she dares, keeping her eyes locked on the skarmory the entire time. the bird is really giving her a run for her money, she'll give it that.[break][break]

then—[break][break]

"now!"[break][break]

whiskey snorts in response to miyako's shout, suddenly throwing his weight to the side to follow the skarmory as it makes a sharp turn to avoid a particularly large tree. the sudden shift throws miyako off balance, nearly sending her tumbling to the ground, but she manages to cling on to the reigns for dear life. her heart pounds wildly as she rights herself in the saddle, glaring daggers at the back of whiskey's head.[break][break]

eventually, they manage to corner the skarmory against a cliff face, and miyako wastes no time in throwing the pokéball, watching with rapt attention as it collides with the pokemon's steel body and sucks it inside in a flash of light.[break][break]

the pokéball rocks back and forth for a few tense moments before finally going still with a soft ding. miyako releases a sigh of relief, sweat pouring down her face as she hops off whiskey to collect the pokéball.[break][break]

she smirks down at the ball, which feels warm to the touch.[break][break]

"welcome to the team, motherfucker."

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miyako is relieved to be doing something as mundane as looking for pokemon to catch on route 113, given all of the chaos her job tends to bring her. six cases in the last three days—her boss wants to kill her. the boring crap is a welcome reprieve. miyako lazily leans back on whiskey's reigns, basking in the heat of the sun beating down on her tanned skin. her fingers fiddle with the pokéballs she brought, which vary from traditional to great in make. as she examines one great pokéball, she does her best to focus on her goal of finding new pokemon instead of the depressing thoughts that threaten to bubble up every time she finds herself alone.[break][break]

she refuses to think about aiko.[break][break]

that is not happening. not right now.[break][break]

miyako reaches for her back pocket, then frowns when she realizes her cigarettes aren't there. she left them at home. the thought of going back to grab them leaves a bad taste in her mouth, so she settles for aggressively chewing the edge of her jacket sleeve, almost as if it were some sort of nicotine gum.[break][break]

it doesn't work nearly as well.[break][break]

an aggravated sigh escapes her lips, and she shifts her focus to the long grass that surrounds them, which sways rhythmically in the warm breeze, producing a near silent ruffling noise. it's peaceful out here, miyako decides, scanning the area for rustling that's not produced by the wind. it's even a little bit calming. she wouldn't mind staying out here for a few hours.

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god, why did miyako agree to this? it's not like she's got any sort of personal investment in this city or its politics. sootopolis is just the next logical place to search for aiko after slateport turned up nothing. but, the higher-ups decided to post her at this party and now she's stuck guarding the entrance like a glorified bouncer.[break][break]

all she wants to do is smoke a cigarette (or five), kick back with a stiff drink, and forget the league's fucking war ever existed. instead, she's been standing around in this stuffy manor, surrounded by people she could really care less about.[break][break]

war or not, life goes on as it always does. guess that applies to her work too. oh well.[break][break]

miyako yawns widely and stretches her arms above her head, hoping to shake off her growing restlessness. dull chatter washes over her as people weave past, their voices merging into a never-ending stream of nonsense.[break][break]

'they say the resistance—'[break]
'—killed her family, poor girl—'[break]
'—have you tried the canapés—'[break][break]

just once, she'd love to attend one of these shindigs as a guest. she'd stuff her face full of cake, down some expensive wine, and maybe cause a scene with a snooty politician or two for good measure. hell, maybe she'd even get herself kicked out—anything to avoid dying of boredom.[break][break]

her mind wanders, mostly as a defense mechanism to keep herself awake.

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miyako is silent for a moment as she tries to connect the dots of what shalin is implying. does she mean that she... rides the thing's whip?[break][break]

yeah, that's probably the craziest thing miyako has ever even thought about. a tempting ride, though...[break][break]

alas, the past still aches in the form of a sharp pang sent rippling through her abdomen. even without a broken rib, she doesn't think she can handle riding a venusaur vine.[break][break]

"you mean you ride the vine?" miyako asks, mouth agape. "i can't say i've ever heard of anything like that before. and to think i thought you riding a tyranitar was crazy!"[break][break]

she chuckles softly at shalin's mention of the sygna suit, shaking her head slightly. her eyes incline towards the venusaur's outstretched vine. "it'll be gentler, right?" miyako wonders aloud as she settles atop the outstrecthed vine with a shift of her arms. "not as fast as when you do it, right?"

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