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CPR?[break][break]

Bailey Cooper stared at the unconscious nerd. “Fuck that,” and she glanced at Bumbo with his massive hands. “You do it—you always had a gentle touch,” and the fire pokemon looked ready to puke.[break][break]

“Listen, I don't know CPR. He'll die. You, on the other hand, can just... uh... smack his chest real good?” Now that made more sense to the Darmanitan as he placed one hand onto the nerd's sternum.[break][break]

One light jab—or, what Bumbo considered to be light, was enough to drive to water out of the kid's mouth... and maybe a little bit extra as he was immediately shocked back to life, coughing and sputtering.[break][break]

“W-what happened?” And the nerd adjusted his glasses as he looked up at the two officers with an expression that made even Bailey Cooper feel pity. “I... Did I pass out?”[break][break]

Did he seriously not remember what had happened? “Uh. You got light headed after your confession and fell and hit your head... and then rolled into the lake. Uh, we fished you out and stuff...” and Cooper handed him back the letter. “And uh, I gotta respectfully decline.”[break][break]

The nerd gave a sad nod. “Sorry bud, I just got out of a relationship that ended pretty badly—don't take it personal,” and the Sergeant took the chance to try and remedy her conduct from earlier, just to make herself feel less... guilty.[break][break]

/end

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[break]

The light was blinding.[break][break]

Even if Bailey Cooper managed to avoid death by a sliver of a breath, she can feel the heat that radiated from the beam. She can hear the sound that followed—louder than anything she had ever heard, droning on and on with a deafening shrill that she would never forget, just as buildings were split asunder.[break][break]

Bailey Cooper can hear their collapse. She can hear the wailing. For one moment, she thought back to the hyper beam in the cave with the Regirock—how the eyes of the Legendary had glowed like spotlights as it directed its attack across those rolling, rocky hills that she had hid behind.[break][break]

This was even worse.[break][break]

She ran—in a desperate attempt to redirect this force of nature, she put all of her strength into her legs and fucking moved. Death had nearly taken her. It would not get the same opportunity.[break][break]

The heat of the beam served as a reminder. Her eyes could not look directly into the light, but she could hear the drag as it changed direction—could feel the ground tremble as the beast gave pursuit. “COME ON, YOU FAT FUCK!” She roared, letting her words reverberate as she withdrew her fairy pokemon back to the safety of her capsule.[break][break]

If Bailey Cooper was eviscerated, would it be fast enough for her pokemon to not even feel it?[break][break]

[break][break]

Her feet failed her—at the curb, the Sergeant tripped and fell into the deep groove that the Ultra Beast had carved through the middle of the street.[break][break]

And the hyper beam and its massive diameter would be launched right over her head—bright, loud, deafening, burning. Her hands slapped to her ears but failed to ease the terror or to stop the attack.[break][break]

There was no way she could stop it. Not on her own.[break][break]

tldr: started running and withdrew sylveon to run better. tripped and fell into the groove in the street that the guzzlord had caused by dragging its fat ass around. she is able to duck under the massive hyper beam by pure, dumb luck.

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[break]

It was another hole.[break][break]

Bailey Cooper disengaged from her motorcycle as the chaos began to unfold—her eyes staring up at the sky, watching as the wormhole swirled in the sky, and knew what was to come. She remembered the creature she had battled in the basement of the Space Center. She knew that the portal lead to places where strange creatures dwelt.[break][break]

She got out her cellphone and began to dial, demanding backup as she ran through the streets of Mossdeep. People were screaming and running for their lives. Others were standing on the rooftops, taking photos and recording this strange phenomenon from a distance that they presumed to be safe. [break][break]

“Send units! Something fucked is going on! There's space pokemon falling from the sky! Get your asses out here—” and that was when she heard laughing on the other line. “I'm being fucking serious! Weird beast things! You need to get backup—” and Bailey almost tripped as she stumbled across broken concrete, wondering why a long groove was now in the middle of the street.[break][break]

Her eyes followed, not listening to the people at the other end of the call as their laughter seemed to change—maybe the news had reached them?[break][break]

But that no longer mattered. There was a loud clatter as her phone slipped from her hand, hitting the concrete and cracking the screen. Her eyes were focused on something else. Something massive. Something that was alive.[break][break]

What the hell was that?[break][break]

She could not avert her eyes from the black, gargantuan mass as it devoured everything in its path. “JUST RUN—!” but the Sergeant was too far back, too far away to intervene as she gazed at the back of this monster as the screams of the children were silenced.[break][break]

Cold, hard, panic.[break][break]

These beasts were stronger than pokemon, but they were not invincible. If Bailey Cooper had seen a legendary die in the depths of the Ruins, then this creature would have to abide by that same rule of nature. It was what kept her moving, it was what made her reach for the pokeball capsule at her waist.[break][break]

Someone had to lead that thing out of the city. “Everyone get back!”[break][break]

Sylveon joined her side. “Moonblast!” The radiant light was concentrated, piercing through the air as it were a hyper beam, aiming for the square of the back of the massive beast.[break][break]

[break][break]

This creature was different from the other one. When Bailey Cooper thought back to the angelic jellyfish, it lacked the presence that this monster exerted. It could not be combatted—not like this.[break][break]

So she grabbed her Sylveon and ran after the move connected, hoping that the pain would be enough to encourage the beast to head in another direction. “RUN. EVERYONE RUN!”[break][break]

It smelled like something was burning. It reminded her of Slateport.[break][break]

tldr: called for help. sylveon used moonblast. ran for life.

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[break]

Bailey watched as another section of hedge fell to the wayside, leaving the Gallade exposed. The Air Slash had hit its mark and achieved the wanted effect. It gave the Sergeant the chance to switch her gaze from the psychic fighter to Tink as the marshmallow pokemon tried to catch her breath. The continued sequence of attacks must have been exhausting.[break][break]

It had served a good purpose.[break][break]

“You still good to go?” Tink scolded Bailey with her eyes. “Aight. Go for it,” and she raised her hands in defeat, letting the fairy do as she pleased.[break][break]

[break][break]

Magic Coat was cast; it shimmered its rainbow-like hue as the energy encased the Togekiss in a tightly fit shell. Extreme Speed to close the distance. Defense and then offense. They couldn't count on the same strategies. It was time to change it up.[break][break]

[break][break]

“Now the real fight can start...” and she can feel her fingers twitch, itching to see how this would progress.

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“Foxtrott yes,” and Bailey Cooper gave a salute as one of the dogs lunged into the calm waters.[break][break]

The Sergeant shouldn't have enjoyed this; yet, her mind was eager to go through the proper gymnastics to justify her actions. She could hear the nerd and his yelling from afar—it seemed like he was more angry than distraught. Good. “Just be thankful I didn't have him chuck you at a tree, you creep!”[break][break]

She waved her fist in a threatening motion. “And don't send weird letters again, alright!” Was this necessary? Was this overboard? Was she kind of a bad person? Yes, yes, and yes. “Or else you might run into another crazy bitch like me!”[break][break]

But at least she acknowledged it.

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Bailey took the letter—her face marred with disapproval as she viewed the pink and the fruity scent that wafted from it.[break][break]

The Sergeant does not flinch at the beam of light that just barely missed the kid; the hyper beam made her admirer screech with such a volume and at such a pitch, she was instantly certain that the boy could not be Rocket.[break][break]

But she snagged him by the collar and yanked him close, uncaring of his allegiance. “The fuck are you thinking?” She held up the envelope between pinched fingers. “No, really? The fuck?”[break][break]

He was babbling out apologies, saying bullshit about how he admired her or some shit. “You do know that my last relationship ended with someone six feet under, right? Like, literally?” And then the excuses seemed to change—she wasn't the only one to get an envelope, she was just the only one to respond.[break][break]

“Are you fucking stupid?” If Bailey Cooper was questioning your choices, something was really going wrong.[break][break]

She whistled to Kyle's hiding spot. “Oy, Lopez? Are you dogs good at playing fetch?”[break][break]

Because she released her Darmanitan from his capsule—the blues of the lake looming behind them. “Bumbo. Give him a good toss. Maybe the fresh air will clear his head.”[break][break]

Bumbo, like a good pokemon, hoisted the nerd from the ground and used SUPERPOWER to chuck him into the air, out towards the water where he would land with a loud splash--gravity did that job.

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The warmth of the tunnels was something she frequently sought.[break][break]

On a cold morning like this, it was an escape. Bailey Cooper could warm her bones. There were patrols to be done, but for the moment, she could travel down the length of these tunnels and see if there were any pokemon that dwelt inside. A few pokemon battles could wake her up, and it'd be a good chance for Turtonator to stretch out his muscles.[break][break]

The large Blastoise followed behind his trainer, scowling even if he was actually enjoying himself—he was always so austere.

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[break]

the splash barely registered.[break][break]

Unable to speak, the Feebas must convey information through thoughts—a message would be clear in Guppi's mind for the star pokemon to read. “That's just my face,” and the fish sniffled, trying to keep from crying as other young pokemon continued to ignore its existence.[break][break]

The company of the older pokemon must have came from a sense of pity. Was he really that hideous? “Who are you?” Or so the fish would express through his thoughts, unable to speak like his trainer. “Don't... don't you want to hang out with someone else?”[break][break]

“It's okay if you do,” and the Feebas continued to blow bubbles, wallowing in his own self-misery.

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Wait, was everyone here for the gym?[break][break]

Bailey Cooper could have groaned at that realization—there was probably a line wrapped around the gym, wherever the hell it was. The Sergeant could feel her combativeness vanish with one fell swoop. Who would want to wait in a fucking line to challenge a gym? It took the fun out of it. It made it seem like she was standing in an assembly line.[break][break]

What happened to the good old days where a trainer could walk up to a fire gym with a water-type and just sweep the joint? Nowadays, gym leaders were hellbent on dragging out fights to the bitter end—maybe they were hoping it could yield a new Champion that could be ready for Rocket, but Bailey just saw it as another reason to find any possible exploit to secure a victory.[break][break]

“Sup, Alison?” What a coincidence.[break][break]

The Sergeant turned her attention back to the group, just as a...wait, was that a chick? Bailey Cooper squinted at the woman and her concerns after losing her... Cutiefly? The woman's voice sounded too gravely, but only for one split second. “Hey kid, you shouldn't smoke. It's bad for you,” and the Sergeant had to stand on the tips of her toes to peer at Fernando's pokedex.[break][break]

A new objective and familiar faces managed to disperse her bad mood—she was happy to latch onto the distraction.[break][break]

“Look at that dumb face—I want one,” and the Councilman would know how dangerous that statement was, even if Bailey had no intention of treating this bug to the “delibird” treatment. “Fuck that is small. No wonder it got lost.”[break][break]

She would whistle up to the skies. “Ay Tink! You're a fairy, right? Use your fairy senses and find your kin!” She joked, only for the marshmallow to flip her off with one of her feathers. “Hah, she hates that.”[break][break]

“Anyway, I got an idea,” and this was supposed to be the part where everyone lunged to Bailey to keep her from doing something stupid. “One of my pokemon knows Sweet Scent—might help coax the little thing out from where it's hiding?”[break][break]

She summoned her Tsareena. “This is Fruity Tooty,” and Bailey held out a hand for the grass queen as they engaged in a complex handshake, slapping hands and bumping knuckles as if they were old friends. “She's a bad bitch.”

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[break]

They had to push it back into the portal.[break][break]

“I got an idea!” She shouted to Arian, eyeing his injured Alakazam as their pokemon unleashed their furry of blows. “The portal!” Some of the scientists were still in the room, despite the risks. If the portal lead to that thing's home, then they just had to put it back where it belonged. [break][break]

“Can one of you shut this down?” The Sergeant addressed the scientists with a pointed finger, putting them on the spot.[break][break]

They seemed hesitant, but nod after a moment of deliberation—and that was when the poison was unleashed, ready to flood the room as it began to overpower the Misty Terrain. “No way.” That was possible? Her thoughts are interrupted by a cry of pain—pain from both of her pokemon.[break][break]

Her Krookodile and Aggron had been scorched by the poison. The Krookodile easily retreating after his legs were briefly splashed, having kept its distance after using Sand Tomb—but for the Aggron? He had been too close.[break][break]

The protection may have helped, but something sizzled from the steel pokemon's forearm. “Alpha!” She shouted, feeling something protective flare in her chest—he had been entrusted to her. “You okay?” And she caught sight of injury, seeing how steel had been so easily stripped from his arm to expose the skin underneath.[break][break]

Both of them had taken damage that was sure to worsen—this had to end. “One last gamble, huh?” She said to Arian. “Well, let's do it.”[break][break]

Aggron and Krookodile knew what to do when they glanced back to the Sergeant—she dragged a finger across her throat. “Put that thing back where it belongs.”[break][break]

Disable would hopefully slow the stream just enough for them to find an opening.[break][break]

Her two Meowstics stood in front of her—the male with a hand on the female's shoulder. The effects of Mean Look were released, but only so the male could dedicate everything to prepping for what would come next.[break][break]

Aggron flanked from the left, Krookodile from the right—they unleashed both of their attacks, intending to inflict the damage done to them back onto the creature.[break][break]



And they would try to use the collective force to try and push the strange beast back towards the portal. If that force was not enough, the Meowstics would chime in with their own double assault. Another blast of Psychic energy, just as the last of the Misty Terrain seemed to be lost.[break][break]

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She squinted.[break][break]

Bailey Cooper was no pokemon expert—she only knew of the pokemon that she had caught, learning from one species to another when it was necessary. Every observation she made was inferred or guessed. Some people went out of their way to accumulate as much trivia as possible about pokemon. She could never see the point.[break][break]

“Well, fine. Maybe its a rock. I dunno. Some rocks look like steel types,” or vice versa. “Like a fucking Aggron, or something--but that don't look like a dark-type.” and her pride motivated her to reach for an empty capsule, wanting to be right as she chucked it at the shiny cocoon. The thing had looked like it was sleeping. Why bother getting into a fight and waking it up?[break][break]

The Sergeant pulled out her cellphone, opening the pokedex app while she waited for the capture to process.

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The capture had been a success.[break][break]

Bailey Cooper brushed the dirt from the newly filled capsule. What would be a good nickname for a Graveler? Granite? No, that was too literal... the Sergeant bounced the pokeball in her palm, knowing that something would have to come to mind eventually. Until then, she would just have to focus on this current moment—on her bike and on the stranger.[break][break]

Getting into dark-types to fulfill the urges of teenage rebellion? Yep. Bailey could relate to that. “I feel that.”[break][break]

A Ryhorn was drawn into the conflict—it was probably enticed by the sound of conflict. The Sergeant does not bother to acknowledge it as she returned Bumbo back to his capsule, where the fire-type could save his brute strength for an actual threat—the capsule still bouncing in her hand. [break][break]

Bailey would have to deposit the rock-type when she got to the closest Pokemon Center; but, who knew how long that would take? She still had a tire to fix. [break][break]

“Hm?” Her eyes snapped back to the man as he gestured to the shadows, to something that shone silver when a hint of light caught the outline of its shell—that was supposed to be a challenge? It looked like a glorified Metapod.[break][break]

...Did this guy actually know what he was talking about? She looked back to Dominic. “Dude. That's a steel-type.”

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[break]

They could not relent.[break][break]

Bailey Cooper cannot tell if her Togekiss' succession of attacks were successful. As long as the Gallade played defensively and used the maze as cover, she would just have to guess. “You can't let up,” and her eyes narrowed as she scanned the line of hedges, noting which hedges were struck down.[break][break]

If they could chop down the entire maze, then... there would be nothing for the Gallade to hide behind.[break][break]

Something burst from the maze, catching Bailey's eye as it soared toward her fairy-type. After executing the two consecutive AIR SLASHES, the fairy was only barely able to maneuver out of the way of the second Psycho Cut, wincing as a portion of her wing is clipped.[break][break]

But it would take more than that to stop this assault.[break][break]



“Don't leave anything standing,” and Bailey Cooper felt a tinge of sympathy as another wave of air sliced through a row of the maze.[break][break]



Tink ignored the blood that oozed from the slow accumulation of cuts that raked her white, pale flesh. She could take it. She could push through it.

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