he can't shake her.

victor's not a man of fate. even less of faith. it's all horse shit made to supplement the denial of the weak. and he's anything but. this was something more. the world was too large for them to be entertwined at the hip. it was something more - she was seeking him out.

why?

he hasn't a clue and he doesn't dare find out. ignorant, yes, but victor is far from naive. even he can tell that she's nothing but trouble. he just doesn't know the extent but he's smart enough not to try and find out. luck is another matter though. up ahead, a lone figure paints an all too familiar curve.

shit.

he doesn't back down, he can't. evasion is one thing but to dread is another. her message is never read so it paints the perfect coincidence that they're bound to meet. victor doesn't shy pulling up. "oh. it's you." he anticipates a detour. this time won't be like the last.

AVA FAIRFAX

caution! her proximity makes him wary. his restraint keeps him still. his heart goes into overdrive, thumping through every pore on his body. the king's engine roars under her touch and for all the wrong reasons. what can easily be misinterpreted for a timidness toward intimacy is a warning that his adrenaline is kept caged.

"why?"

AVA FAIRFAX

it's a trap. he knows it but he can't back down. something tells him that if he doesn't indulge her then she'll force him to. being on the wrong end of the sharp looking doublade is not a place victor wants to find himself. shitter is his only escape. a loud thud announces rhyhorn's entry to the stage. little has changed since the last time they met. shitter recognizes the woman instantly, greeting her with a coarse GROWL.

victor is unfamiliar with the strange pokemon. he can only base his assumptions on its outward appearance. looks alone scream physical attack, forcing him to forfeit shitter's usual fighting style. "maintain distance with EARTHQUAKE." it's a safe, solid move that grants victor a chance to probe. the distance between the pokemon grows ever so slightly, heavy shock waves pulsing from rhyhorn's position. unearthed terrain erupts into a feeble wall. it won't hold but it's still an obstacle, one that will allow them to read and anticipate their approach. it's offense and defense wrapped up all in one.

victor frantically pulls up doublade on his pokedex. their time window is small - fleeting. he doesn't expect ava to stand still and take it. that's why his eyes are divide on both. it's much too early for shitter to navigate the battlefield alone.

AVA FAIRFAX

"fuck."

it's another bad match up. steel and ghost prove impervious to most of their methods. even the pokedex approximates that they only have a 15% chance for victory. not good enough odds. it's up to shitter to defy fate. victor can only watch.

mercy is the only reason this battle doesn't turn into a war of attrition. there's no way rhyhorn can handle both. but, for now, it only has to handle the SACRED SWORD being brought down toward it. a mighty HORN DRILL meets it in resistance, striking the blade the moment it manifests. the moment doublade relinquishes its intangibility in order to strike, is the moment that shitter stands a chance. the impact results in a STRUGGLE. one that last for an instance. then the blow back settles in and physics takes its course. rhyhorn is thrown back by the impact but the spacing is well recieved.

"maintain your distance! it beats you in close combat."

victor can only guide shitter down the right path. anything else proves too complicated for the beast to understand. luckily, their tempo has improved. without a hitch, shitter lets lose an array of stone shards. STONE EDGE is their primary ranged attack, pelting their opponent with rubber bullets in an attempt to stop its inevitable advance.

AVA FAIRFAX

"tch. easy for you to say."

fuck. it's their worst nightmare. now they're acting as two. one is already bad enough but between the both of them, shitter has no chance. victor has nothing else. no plan, no contingency. not yet. it's a week too early for them for brute force their way out of this one. he can only attribute it to being unlucky.

"do you have a fetish for pokemon that hard counter mine?"

doublade separates again but rhyhorn can't take advantage of it. instead, shitter is taken for a spin, driven away by the collision of hard steel. the dent is brutal, cracking rhyhorn's hide in more places than one. there's NO GUARD against the attack. the only option is to strike back, fast and hard. a lack of commands means that shitter's given his own discretion. that only means one thing: EARTHQUAKE.

it's not an attack but a force of nature. shock waves become a funnel SONIC BOOM. the mountain's foundation even feels itself quiver at rhyhorn's feet. earth bends to their will and stalagmites bend to their call. their sortie is abrupt and erratic. there's no predictable pattern. it's wild, unadulterated terraforming.

AVA FAIRFAX

it's enough to down one of them. victor's sated. he won't grant ava the same. what's left of doublade gets way too close, dangerously close. it's then that victor snaps his rhyhorn back up. the pokeball is mightier than the sword and scoops shitter up in an instant. victor too retreats, unwilling to bet that the pokemon can control its momentum.

"congrats."

AVA FAIRFAX

"you're so full of shit," he grumbles. there's no being a good sport about this. not when it's so meticulous. that's twice she's forced his hand. both times held to her advantage. maybe it's time he invests in more than just shitter. how annoying.

his reaction is stone. unbreakable. much like shitter. there's no shyness to be had when he's just a play thing. his only emotion is to question. "why?" he'll never understand her.

AVA FAIRFAX