[PRP] Bump in the Night

[Tori Honoo]

When her volunteering hours were over at the downtown pokemon center, Dove stepped out onto the streets, glad for the warmth. The inside of the building had been a bit too chilly, and the summer night's air around her, cooled by the disappearance of the sun, was more than she could have asked for.

With a quick glance around the streets, the young woman headed toward her home, wary of the darkness around her, but unwilling to let her unease show. The darkness could have been avoided, had she chosen to come in at an earlier hour, but part of her wanted the challenge... She was sure there would be other times when she had no choice but to be alone in the dark, and for now, things looked safe. And she was sure Team Rocket would be wise enough not to send in more of their criminals after the disaster with PokeCon. Hopefully.

With Lovey padding along at her side, she walked along the sidewalk, refusing the chillbumps along her skin, and after a short few minutes, she had relaxed, though the silence bothered her still. With a few short seconds of digging through the bag on her shoulder, she located her headphones and slid one into her ear. There. The silence would be gone, she thought as she set her phone's volume level to low music--piano, played by her brother-- and she would still be able to hear anything unexpected in the night around her, with only one ear distracted. Perfect.

Little did she know, as she bagan to relax, that a man followed after her, smirking at her antics. Arceaus, what an easy target... With a nod to his companion, he continued to follow, sticking to the shadows, but walking at an easy pace.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The second man offered a similar smirk before walking as well, though at a quicker pace to catch up with their target - and she had an earbud in too, perfect. It didn't take long for him to catch up to her at a brisk, quiet walk, and when he reached her he touched her shoulder, adding with a wry smile and an appraising look that could almost be described as predatory, "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's dangerous to be out alone at night?" As he spoke his hand slipped down to firmly grasp the strap of her purse to take it from her.  

[Tori Honoo]

While the calm music had done well to soothe her of her final worries, the tap on her shoulder made her jump, and as she tugged the earphone from her ear and turned, her eyes widened and she gasped at the man's expression and proximity.

Crap

The tugging on her bag was reacted to with a reflexive stronger grip of her own, and she pulled back from him, attempting a kick at him until another stranger, the first man, appeared and slid an arm around her neck, the other wound about her waist, pulling her back and stifling most of her free movement and most chance of successful vocal attempt to draw attention. Panicked, she continued to struggle against both, and Lovey, though she stood frozen and clearly more panicked than her trainer, began to dart around the men's legs, barking as loudly as her little lungs could handle between attempted bites at their feet.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

He fully expected resistance, but luckily for him his partner arrived to take half of her attention, so he pulled the purse itself from her and then grabbed her hand with his free one so that he could pry her fingers off. What he hadn't expected was the Eevee to start racing all around their feet, which made it both hard to concentrate and hard to move without stepping on the thing. With an irritated grunt, he first attempted to nudge it before he stopped caring and aimed a sharp kick at its side instead.  

[Tori Honoo]

With the man's hold on her, it was difficult to provide any more resistance than she had already exerted, and the man would find it getting easier to pull her fingers from the stap of the purse after a few more moments of struggling. With her bag nearly gone-- though she was far less concerned about her belongings as she was her own physical safety at the moment-- she began to twist, wincing as the man tightened his grip to give the other man more time.

Though the small pokemon had done her best to defend her trainer--though really, she had done very little but annoy them-- she was easily disabled, and yelped in pain as the man kicked her aside, sending her flying a good distance away, where she hit the street and rolled, toppling onto her side and remaining motionless for now as her trainer continued to struggle.

At her pokemon's cry of pain, Dove paused, then became more aggressive as she tried to fight the man behind her off, her eyes frantically searching for sight of her companion.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

With the girl's attention fully focused elsewhere, he grinned and easily pulled the bag from her. That done, his eyes traced the earbud cord to its source and pulled that from her too, then stuffed it into the purse as he took a few steps back, then turned to jog forward a few more with the thought his partner would follow suit.

From directly behind the second man, though, a third person seemingly stepped out of nowhere as his linked hands slammed into the side of his head to get him away from Dove.

A Zoroark similarly appeared out of nowhere near the fallen Eevee, and quickly but carefully scooped the normal-type up from the pavement.  

[Tori Honoo]

The man holding the girl back grinned stupidly and chuckled in her ear with a bitingly low word of thanks before he reeled sideways at the blow the third man gave. With a loud yell, he fell to the ground, releasing the young woman who fell the opposite way and pushed herself a distance from the man as she looked up to the person who had saved her--at least, she assumed he was saving her. "A-Abel!?"

Her eyes wide, she looked to the other man, then over to the Zoroark that had picked Lovey up from the ground, her heart stopping as she realized the eevee wasn't moving.

The man who had fallen was slow to recover, but attempted to set his sights on his own attacker.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

When the man released Dove and hit the ground, Abel paused over him with his hands lowered, pleased with the effects his blow had and not moving to deliver more while he was down. He'd let her go, and that was what he'd been hoping for. She said his name and his gaze snapped to her, his whole form tense as he gave her a small nod of confirmation. "You okay?"

He didn't have time for anything further before the man with Dove's purse was on them again, this time grabbing Abel's shoulder to force him, and using his momentum to throw a punch. It was rather effective, as Abel stumbled back at first before the blow to the face caused him to fall backwards, and the man seized the opportunity to jump him.

Sonia had quickly moved to Dove's side when her owner was assaulted, and her ears suddenly perked straight up. Practically shoving the Eevee at the girl, the dark-type released a vicious, enraged snarl before lunging for the man on her owner, forgetting all about the other man who Abel had hit first.  

[Tori Honoo]

She looked at Abel, startled again by how tense his body appeared to be, and quickly nodded, about to ask if he was alright, until the other man returned and jumped him, turning her words into a sharp cry of his name.

When the Zoroark dropped Lovey to her, the girl reached out immediately to take her, cuddling the eevee's small form to her chest as she watched in horror. Lovey would be okay. She had to be. And Abel. Abel was okay.

The second man, finally recovered, rose to his feet with a groan, and looked to her with a glare before moving to where his partner was no assaulting the man who had stepped in, ready to help. A hand moved to his belt, and he produced a small knife, with every intent to harm the Pokemon.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The man atop Abel had been forcefully displaced by the dark-type's actions, knocked away from him and onto the ground. Abel had quickly raised himself to his knees before the flash of metal caught his Zoroark's attention, and with another angry snarl she forgot the man with the purse and instead launched herself at the armed man, aiming to sink her fangs into his arm and tear it off if she had to.

Suddenly freed of the dark-type, the first man half-rose hastily as his target did. When his partner had pulled out a knife from his belt, he lunged for the blonde again and pinned him down beneath him with a hand on his throat while the other reached for his own knife. At first, Abel had every intention of getting this guy's hand off his throat immediately, but the sight of the knife in his hand invoked a different response. His dominant hand flew to down to quickly pull his gun from its hiding place, but instead of aiming it or anything he swung it to strike the man in the head, effectively making him let go as well as removing him from his person. This wasn't at all what he'd been planning to do on his way home - and seriously, this was the second time this week.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove sat half frozen as she watched the Zoroark throw the man off of Abel, relieved that the Pokemon had been able to free her master. In the next instant, though, she covered we mouth with the hand not helping to cradle Lovey, feeling as though she might be sick as the second man, the man who had held we still, wasnt quick enough and found the pokemon's teeth sinking into his flesh. While the man dropped the knife immediately, the blood stilling scream he released, paired with a flash of memories of her own experience and the stress of the situation anyway nearly made the girl sick. The man all but flailed t the creature, a string of swears escaping as he decided to run, were he given the chance.

Adrenaline coursing through her, Dove struggled to her feet as turned again to Abel, panicking an starting forward when the man pinned him and tightened his hold on his throat, drawing the knife as his partner had. The glint of razor sharp steel and the knowledge that she had no means to physically overpower him herself changed her tactic, and instead, she drew a ball from her belt, releasing both Sparky and Aurora onto the street next to her, even as Abel succeeded in knocking the man of of him yet again. This was beyond ridiculous, and her fear had begun to melt into a bubbling pool of pure anger instead.

After a split second of assessing the scene, both Pokemon tensed and stood in battle ready stance,low growls emmenating from their chests. With a glance to his trainer, the typhlosion put himself between the girl an all three men to shield her and the eevee as the arcanine, fur gleaming in the dim glow of the street lights moved forward over Abel, eyes piercing and set on the man he had just knocked awy, her teeth bared.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

When the knife clattered to the ground, Sonia grabbed the man's shirt, his arm still clamped firmly in her jaws, and she spun in a half-circle before releasing his limb and shoving him forcefully away from her, aiming to throw him in the street or at least away from the small group. Whether he left or not, the instant that was done her head snapped to the man by her owner.

With the man off of him and the sudden appearance of two new pokemon, Abel hastily scrambled to his feet, his gun pointed low and held tightly in both hands with the safety on and his finger off the trigger for now. A quick glance revealed the Typhlosion and Arcanine to be protecting them and not aiding the men attacking them, which gave him at least a bit of solace. Speaking of their attackers, his gaze quickly moved to the one who had jumped him as the man half-stood, but he refrained from pointing the gun at him. He didn't feel the need to, even if he did want this to be over immediately; he was sore from being knocked to the ground, he could feel a slight throbbing in his head from where he'd been punched, and a painful warmth on his arms where he'd landed on the pavement. He was also pretty sure he was bleeding a little in some places.

While Dove's pokemon were content to stand and growl, Sonia snarled again as she lunged for the remaining man. She jumped too late, as he had seen her about to pounce and had grabbed the purse once more before standing and moved to run away from the group entirely.  

[Tori Honoo]

As the man was thrown, he felt both relieved and terrified, and chose to lift himself from the ground and run immediately--the freaking Zoroark was bad enough, but hell if he was going to stick around and become a squeaky toy or the massive dog that had just been released. Fully prepared to abandon his partner, the man took off as best he could down the street for any sort of cover.

Sparky stood tall as he watched the brawl, determined his charge would be safe. When she attempted to move toward Abel, he growled in warning at her, his back flaring when she ignored him and moved to the man's side anyway.

Aurora and the girl--as she made her way to Abel-- watched as Sonia lunged for the man and missed. Dove, as she finally halted,growled herself as the man risked a few seconds to snatch her purse from the ground and ran. Seriously???? Without taking her eyes off of the man as he moved to retreat, she talked up at the Arcanine, her voice flat. "Aurora, bring me my bag."

With a smirk, the arcanine nodded and bounded after the man, jaws snapping in attempt to grab him, if scaring the hell out of him didn't work first.

Her Pokemon after the first man, she looked to Abel, concern replacing narrowed eyes. "Are you okay? You're hurt!" She continued to hold Lovey gently to her.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

With a frightened yell, the man just barely escaped the snapping jaws of the Arcanine, and quickly disappeared around the nearest corner to try and escape, purse still in hand.

As the threat beat a hasty retreat in two directions, giving absolutely zero indications that either man had any desire to regroup and try again, Abel's tension ebbed away. Thieves. But they were gone, and everything was fine now. He turned to Dove, much more relaxed now that the threat of danger was gone, and though her question and statement prompted a quick rundown of his own status, he didn't give voice to an answer. Instead, he asked, "Are you okay?" She was the one who was targeted, after all, not him - though he didn't know the extent of her injuries, if any. At the very least she didn't look too bad off. His gaze shifted down to the normal-type in her arms, and his brows furrowed. "Ah - and your Eevee?"

When both men departed, Sonia had absolutely no desire nor inclination to go chasing after either of them. As far as she was concerned, the threat had been nullified and driven off, and would not bother them again - thus she had no need to go after them. She moved to stand next to Abel, an impassive silence replacing the growling and fang-baring she'd been doing before as her gaze drifted from Dove to the Typhlosion and then finally to Lovey. She wasn't as concerned as her human, though.  

[Tori Honoo]

Aurora smirked and picked up her pace to easily overpower the thief. She would return shortly, purse safely in her jaws.

Dove's face twisted into a frown. "I asked you first." In all honestly, she was shaken up by the attack, but he had stepped in and her response only amounted to, "Trust me, I've been through worse." His addition of her eevee to his question drew a much more concerned look to her face, and she shifted the little creature in her arms carefully, stroking her ears back. A faint whine peeped from the little bundle that was Lovey, and the girl sighed in relief, though the incredibly concerned look didn't leave her features. "I don't know... She got hurt, but I think she'll be okay...I'm not sure what happened. I'll take her back to the Pokemon center..." She looked over her shoulder, suddenly much more uneasy. Walking back to the Pokemon center... In the dark. She took a deep breath an looked back to him, forcing the stress back down. She'd deal with it later. "Are you okay?"

Sparky situated alert, and moved to Dove's side, eyeing Abel cautiously. That human had stepped in... He had seen him before and his trainer had seemed pleased to have his company, but the morning after the fact--though he was still not sure what had transpired after he had been quickly returned upon their arrival--something had been distressin his girl. Tonight, though, Abel would be regarded only with caution by the fire type. At least, for the time being.