[center][color=82ca9d][h1][u][b]Ivy Aspen[/b][/u][/h1][/color]
[h2]“Girl vs. Bird-Fuckers, Part 2”[/h2]

Sometimes, people make decisions that they regret afterwards. There are plenty of them to make — like forgetting to do your homework, or driving while drunk,  or getting Donald Trump’s face tattooed onto your ass.

Ivy Aspen was regretting a decision right now.

But it wasn’t picking up a bat and smacking some Hoothoots a good one. Those assholes deserved it.

It was becoming a trainer in the first place: obviously, her parents were [i]insane[/i]. 

Character building? Yeah, that was bullshit. First the Onix, then the earthquake, and now [i]this[/i]? Nature was evil and out to get them. Why on earth would [i]anyone[/i] want to do this as a career?

[color=a2d39c]“Stay close, Tesla,”[/color] she said, sending a paralyzed Hoothoot careening into a tree. She was bleeding from her cheek and her arm and about a dozen different places on her abdomen: the bottom half of her shirt had basically been ripped to shreds by this point. [color=a2d39c]“I don’t want you to get hur—“[/color]

And then… eyes. Terrifying, evil eyes. 

A dark shape swooped down. She had one second to take a step back, flaming tent-stick held out protectively, but it was too late -- it crashed into its target with a resounding crack.

But it wasn’t Ivy that the Noctowl had hit. It was…

[color=82ca9d]“Tesla,”[/color] Ivy breathed.

Oh hell no.

…

…

Tesla was lying crumpled on the ground, his white fur matted with blood. He… was he even still breathing?

Ivy started forwards without thinking. She had— she had to get to him. Tesla couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t.

But the Noctowl wasn’t finished, landing in front of her with a squawk. It stared at her, red eyes glinting with malice. And Ivy…

Ivy wasn’t scared.

Actually, Ivy was angrier than she’d ever been in her life.

Blood pounded in her ears. Her stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots. This was the disgusting, filthy [i]monster[/i] that had hurt Tesla… and rational decision or not, it was going to pay.

Eyes wide and ferocious, she raised her stick.

And then…

And then she wasn’t in front of the Noctowl at all. She was hovering — about five feet in the air, next to Abigail and some red-haired chick that she’d never seen before.

She had about two seconds to process this new information before she went crashing into the ground.

[h3]SMASH![/h3]

Impact hurt. A lot. She landed knees first on the ground, stick clattering uselessly away. Later, she’d probably have a few nasty bruises (or maybe a hairline fracture) along with, well… all those cuts. Hoothoot claws were sharp.

But for now— she was no longer in the immediate range of Noctowl attack.

More importantly…

[h3]Tesla.[/h3]

Where was he?

But suddenly everything was on fire, even more so than before — this was a full-scale forest fire. Even the trees were on fire, raining down a shower of flaming leaves. Hoothoots shrieked together in panic.

Ivy’s blood turned to ice. She pictured, briefly, Tesla lying crumpled on the ground as the fire roared and crackled, trapped in the inferno.

She sat up abruptly, ignoring the stinging of her cuts or the aching in her knees. Third degree burns? Fuck it, she’d risk it. She had to get Tesla out of there. She had to get him out of there [i]now[/i].

And then Noah ran past her, something white and fluffy in her arms.

Tesla.

Tesla…?

[color=82ca9d]"I'm out,"[/color] she said, very calmly.[color=82ca9d] "You should probably run too."[/color]

Because, well... screw the Hoothoots. Seriously, screw them. But also screw everyone else, and her tent, and any supplies. She had some money tucked into her pockets. She’d just buy some stuff when she got to Cherrygrove.

Let everyone else worry about getting their clothes, or their bags, or whatever. The whole forest was burning down, and Noah had Tesla safe and sound.

Ivy Aspen was outta here.

So she ran, chasing down Noah like a Zubat out of hell. He had her Tesla, after all.

She ran, and ran, and ran, and ran…
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