HARD TO TALK SHIT WHEN
YOUR MOUTH IS TOOTHLESS ―

People's motivations were like rocks; not one is identical to another. Some are rough around the edges, uncomfortable to hold. Others were smooth and shined under the light. They were tricky, slippery things. It was easy to lose sight of one's motivation if they were weak-willed and immature. Luckily, Fran was not. She clung to her reasoning like dog and its chew toy. 

Leaving out all the twists and terns of her story did not necessarily detract from her explanation. Though Vivian did not get the tale she may have desired, she appeared more or less satisfied with what she was served. 

Even if her next comment did not express as such. The corner of Fran's mouth twitched and she quickly turned her head to glare back at the brunette brat. Before she could respond with her own brash counter, Vivian expressed her more-or-less lighthearted intentions. Fran blinked; it was strange to see such a change. When the two had first met, there was nothing but hostility. Now the air was spread with a thin layer of respect? "I don't make a habit of robbing corpses," the dark-haired woman shrugged, deciding it best not to begin another round of banter. 

It hadn't been long before another pair of wild creatures entered the fray. Fran sized up the opponents. She realized there would be no type-advantage to her magmar, yet she didn't switch pokemon. It would be could for Al to be pushed a little harder. 

Vivian's large dinosaur brushed past Fran. The raven-haired woman simply allowed the thing to teeter her, though she did kept her feet planted. That beast had an attitude to match its trainer. Fran didn't spend her time playing witness to its fight. Instead, she focused on Al's opponent; a low-to-the-ground poisonous thing. Her magmar shook his claws quickly, flicking off any residual dirtiness from his previous fight. He braced himself. 

The battle began with brevity; the nidorina dug at the ground, launching itself at its opponent. With a twist of its body, the beast threw its bottom into the magmar. The TAIL WHIP collided with Al's arm as he moved to block, pushing him back. "Ember!" His trainer called. While the two pokemon were still only a few steps from one another, a blooming air of flames erupted from Al's throat. The attack enveloped the nidorina fully, leaving burns across its spiky hide. The two beasts moved against each other once more. Al threw his weight into his opponent with a FEINT ATTACK, only to receive the sharp BITE to his shoulder. They moved away from each other, breathing unevenly. 

It was a struggle, and it was exactly what Fran wanted. If she only picked allowed her team to fight against enemies that they had a clear advantage over, they would never grow stronger. She grabbed her pokemon's attention with only a look, and threw her fist across her chest; a nonverbal command. 

Al swallowed, took a deep breath, and stepped up to the nidorina for the last time. The poison-type bared its claws, moving in for a SCRATCH. It was met and overpowered by Albuquerque's FIRE PUNCH, knocking the attack away, and shattering the beast's jaw. The nidorina fell to the ground, defeated. Al also fell to his ass, exhausted from his battle. 

Fran was about to call her beast back to her side, but Vivian's exit drew her attention. If you get stronger, she said. The dark-haired woman ground her molars together, staring at the slim back of the brunette. "You bet your ass I will, brat," she retorted. Perhaps she had an adversary worth chasing. 

The two women would part ways, both with their respective pokemon. Until next time...

617 words. albuquerque +2. Vivian Valestein

by sixsmith.