stubborn as they both were perhaps, in the end, neither of them took the cot. she slept sitting up against the wall, joined by Shred Zeppelin who did the same once she’d drifted off.[break][break]

but as they both fell into that strange, collective dream, they did not wind up in the same place. shred was nowhere around, and though she soon realized the dreamlike qualities of her surroundings through obscuring details, she also realized that she was not alone there.[break][break]

most of that too-short time was spent exploring and theorizing with Naomi Sato , before they’d been separated by a crowd of megalopolans moving through their bustling city. she’d managed to warn her about Greyson Connors .[break][break]

after their separation, lulu continued on through what they presumed to be ultra megalopolis, believing they were in a dream not of their own, but that of the prison guards.[break][break]

and then, she came upon a sight she could have never prepared herself for.[break][break]

”djall!”[break][break]

she ran towards the daycare display, her hands going to the bizarre container as though she could reach through it to simply pull him out – but she was helpless there, banging on it uselessly a few times.[break][break]

For a moment, she forgot it was a dream. and when she remembered, she began to question everything.[break][break]

”please be alright…”[break][break]

her fist curled against the glass, tears beginning to form in her eyes amidst her rage. this was certainly no dream of hers.[break][break]

a sound from behind then startled her enough that she could no longer hold back those tears. they streamed down her cheeks when she turned to see who was there.[break][break]

”shred?” not in the crispy, weakened body she shared a cell with, but as well and lively as she'd seen him at the swamp – even blessed with beauty.[break][break]

striking as it was, it could not distract her from the absolute tragedy she'd stumbled upon. she wiped her face and sniffed, explaining pitifully, ”they have my dog...”[break][break]

and remembering the tubes from the hallway, and the sight of pokemon being smashed, including shred’s meltan, her panic was rising. it all felt too real.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

tldr:[break]

∙ related threads: markov chain with shred, horn and ivory with nomi (in progress)[break]
∙ lulu runs into nomi first in the dream world but gets separated from her[break]
∙ believes they are in a dream shared by the megalopolan prison guards[break]
∙ is very upset upon seeing her houndoom unconscious[break]
∙ shred and lulu reunite in the dream world at pokemon daycare[break]

“i’m sorry…” she said quietly, as the lunala screeched in pain above them.[break][break]

there was no way to know if it was from their universe. it was too risky to heal it, give it more power and try to gain its trust. they were fighting for their lives.[break][break]

however, perhaps there was a chance of escape if they weakened it just a little more. oleg’s power split offered them a opportunity.[break][break]

marshadow sunk into a dark, ghostly portal and reappeared, inflicting a phantom force midair before being knocked back to the ground again.[break][break]

”saskia, new plan! we’re leaving!”[break][break]

she could report back to team rocket that it had been spotted. they would return for it.[break][break]

”celesteela, get ready. shade, smog!”[break][break]

clouds of toxic black began to fill the air from the dog, and lulu turned to the ranger, covering her face with her sleeve before moving quickly towards her ultra beast preparing for liftoff. however, around them through the clouds, the lights of celesteela lit up.[break][break]

it was as though the entire moon had been awakened and disturbed by the battle, and they watched ominously. fire exploded in the distance, again and again…[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]saskia volosenkova [break]

the unown were not real.[break][break]

”good,” the word slipped out to their avatar without much thought. the only unown with an ounce of her trust were those that had worked with team rocket. the ones bound to the visionary beside her. even then, lulu still wondered about their motives, and their elusive god.[break][break]

did this dream belong to this little girl? she assumed so, for she looked so much like a younger eris halla. looking over at nomi, she gave a subtle nod to affirm so.[break][break]

who was he? it? ”i’m afraid i’m not sure what you mean...”[break][break]

she looked around for the source of all the metallic clanks and strange wailing, and the ghost of a question that cut short. when something suddenly fell among fiery autumn leaves, she turned toward it.[break][break]

”is there someone else here, too?”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Naomi Sato Eris Halla [break]
mission: a tera test[break]
[break]

there was surprise in the tilt of her head.[break][break]

”unacceptable? no, ameena, on the contrary. our research is very important, at this moment in time especially. it’s why i reached out to you – though i am glad to hear about your other interests. there’s a lot to get sucked into here, that's for sure.” her own plate stayed full, in any role. no fires, but no breaks either.[break][break]

while the leaking of the interdream zone was exciting for many, considering all the power that poured from it, there were reasons to be cautious. reasons to keep studying, even as other threats loomed. reasons she wondered if ameena was aware of yet.[break][break]

”has rose told you any more about the drk triad? maybe their scientist nisa holo, in particular?”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]ameena abadi

she smiled at his memory. while her work had taken other directions within rocket, she’d been recruited as intel – for good reason.[break][break]

”it’s alright. it feels so long ago…” so much had happened since. ”it does sound like a fun project.” but even after finishing the dream machine, there was still so much on her plate.[break][break]

when had that ever stopped her, though? she couldn’t say ‘no’ to oscar clayton. she would always find time. somehow. maybe. hopefully.[break][break]

her brow raised again at the long string of beeps from prime. full sentences, maybe?[break][break]

”TRUE NAME? I AM…” genesect looked around, and at the backpack over lulu's shoulders, noticing a labeled ‘sample’ tube that was turned so only a few letters could be seen. looking back to prime, it announced proudly, ”I AM SAM.”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]skipping![break][break]
duo wild — rock / fire / electric[break]
oscar clayton [break]

perhaps it was the different phase of this alien moon, but this time, when she landed, it was not with the pleasant feeling she’d had during explorations with saskia volosenkova . a sense of wariness never faded.[break][break]

at the altar, she was joined by a celesteela. she nodded to nenet, ”of course. this moon fascinates me.” it did more than that. it pulled her in, calling her to stay. through notes, she’d come to realize it was not just her that felt the bizarre pull.[break][break]

she looked up at the symbols that faced them.[break][break]

”that sun…. it’s the same symbol beast harcourt showed me.” her eyes shifted to the other, reminiscent of the wings of lunala. ”perhaps the megalopolans' ‘ultimate weapon’ is a pokemon.”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Neffatari Nzingha [break]

her eyes were wide as she searched the waves for yet another lover of the past surely swallowed whole by kyogre. what a terrible idea this had been. her emotions ran wild: anger, fear, regret.[break][break]

and then, the second origin pulse hit, and the boat split in two. she screamed as the two ends shifted vertical. the zarude was left splashing desperately in the water, and eventually, she was pulled down violently with it.[break][break]

while the boat disappeared, the honchkrow still circled above with a small rider: the shaymin it had scooped up that had been floating down the deck previously.[break][break]

lulu opened her eyes, burning from the salt and watching as she was dragged deeper, unable to kick free of the wreckage’s pull. her ditto!bruxish noticed and headed down in brave pursuit, abandoning the god it had tried to bite.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]mission: the lawless sea[break]
THEO BECKETT [break]

on second thought, with another glance at his crispy skin, maybe burning had been the wrong metaphor – but he hardly seemed offended. he would let her burn, and he would invite her to bed.[break][break]

”it’s fine. i don’t sleep.”[break][break]

and yet, the fatigue she felt from the day’s stress was far greater than she’d felt in so long. in fact, behind those bars, it was as though her sleepless weeks had hit her all at once. her eyelids became heavy.[break][break]

insomnia was not a power. it was a scar on her mind, but that too, somehow, faded away.[break][break]

”don’t worry about me.”[break][break]

a soft echo of his own sentiment, as the dream world began to take hold.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Shred Zeppelin

was it her mind playing tricks? maybe, maybe not. but one thing was almost certainly true: she was dreaming.[break][break]

”yes,” she was there from the prison. the prison did exist – or was it just another trick of minds through way of the crystal? did it even matter what was real anymore, now that it all flowed together?[break][break]

”i’m fine.” i think. more or less.[break][break]

she pulled away to look at their surroundings again. the megalopolan she’d met eyes with had lost interest, walking away with their children in an act of utter abnormality.[break][break]

”i think so… but not ours. dreams are made from memories and desires.” the pieces began to fall together. ”i’ll bet this dream belongs to the guards. it's what they all want: to return home.”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Naomi Sato

he went to the desk, and she finished off her share of poison as she listened to his self-deprecation and praise. her eyes lingered on kaleidoscope reflections until he was finished.[break][break]

”you thought you were free outside these bars?”[break][break]

she thought back to that terrible mirage island with its blood-drenched sand. back to her brother’s scornful laugh, as she’d tried to stand up to him.[break][break]

she thought of the hole where she’d hidden for months in the tundra, before returning to hoenn, for there could be no gone for good above ground, and she’d had to come up for air eventually. had to tend to things.[break][break]

she knew the weight of her chain. could hear it drag behind her as she approached him, and it screeched like demons in her wake, unforgettable.[break][break]

beside the desk, she squatted down so as to not tower, and tried to look him dead in the eye.[break][break]

this man did not know her.[break][break]

”i’m not wise.” her mistakes piled up like the bodies in kanto. ”it’s why my power left me.” and what power had it been but that of darkness, shared with the devil they’d sold their souls to?[break][break]

”i am far uglier than you could possibly know.”[break][break]

after another moment, she rose again, and her eyes fell away with her steps and her chains. she lowered to the floor, slumping down with her back against the wall.[break][break]

what could he do?[break][break]

”take the cot and get some sleep, please — and when we find ourselves in hell tomorrow, let me burn, because i can take it, and you promised you wouldn’t leave.”[break][break]

what other escape did he have but death?[break][break]

”i’ll keep thinking.”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Shred Zeppelin

a drink for punishment with her superior. worded like that, she regretted her impulsive response. oh, how very far she’d fallen.[break][break]

at the mention of her home, she shook her head with a tight smile, ”no.” she absolutely had tequila at her home, but that would not be their destination. a beat passed, before another idea popped into her head. ”i know the perfect place, actually.”[break][break]

it was owned by rocket’s upper brass, and a place she felt at least mostly safe in.[break][break]

as the powerful, mysterious message entered their minds, she knew the simulation would end. instead of warning him, she watched, hoping to see some kind of fear on his face at the staircase disappearing beneath them.[break][break]

when they returned to the submarine, instead of asking him what he’d learned, she only replied simply, ”of course.”[break][break]

she turned to leave, then, imagining head scientist amor would reach out about said punishment if he truly meant it. with luck, he’d forget.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Amor Rose [break]