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Serena's chest rose and fell rapidly as she attempted to catch her breath. Joker, who had been doing his beast to endure this entire time for the sake of saving Serena's friend finally fainted due to the poison. Recalling her Shadow Mime Jr. , Serena offers a soft smile before placing his pokeball back on her belt. "You did well big guy." she whispered.
Once Serena caught her breath and saw everything around them was being resolved quite nicely, she decided to check up on and . The latter had attempted assisting her with Rowan's rescue only to need to be rescued himself. The process ended up putting more strain on Joker but that was all in the past now.
This entire dream they were in was fucking with her nerve and clearly the psyche of those around her. The sooner they could find their way out of this hellscape the better. But for now, they had a job to do. Cheers could be heard as the locals surrounded the heroes of the day. A familiar face, , and some fresh ones, , we're crowned King and Queen respectively
ONE YEAR LATER
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They lost the baby.[break][break]
After their abrupt breakup on the day the Galarian Zapdos had attacked, Gunner had avoided Summer, stubbornly refusing to speak with her if he had to be in her presence. He'd made an exception when he heard news she was at the hospital. That she had miscarried.[break][break]
Their conversation had not gone well. Gunner's first reaction had not been horror or concern for her safety, but relief that he didn't have to be a father. The guilt was enough for him to drive them further apart from each other.[break][break]
Months passed. Gigantic Pokémon continued to appear and assault the city. Gunner ended up organizing and running the city watch with . Working together with , who scouted the area outside Circhester, and , who helped repair and reinforce the ice walls with Kyogre, they kept themselves busy.[break][break]
TEN YEARS LATER
[break]
Gunner eventually got to know everyone who'd also come to this false Galar through Zacian's Sword, including other members of Team Rocket. He'd even had a fleeting dalliance with , but it ended when he realized nothing could repair the hole in his heart.[break][break]
He spent the next decade commanding the city guard, catching moments of normalcy with his friends or brother , and wondering what mischief was up to. The peasant woman who spent nights with him looked a little bit like her, but she didn't know him like Mila did. It made him miss her even more.[break][break]
On one overcast day, Gunner stood on the city wall overlooking the destruction Necrozma had left in its wake. His men were still tallying the body count, but it was already tremendous. Frustration built up inside him, but ten years had taught him how to keep his head cool despite whatever anger brewed beneath the surface.[break][break]
He turned to . Over the last ten years, they had adapted well to being the city's leaders. And as captain of the city watch, Gunner reported to them. Thankfully, the rift between him and Summer had mended, at least to the point where they could converse amicably.[break][break]
"It will take some time to rebuild. We lost a lot of good men and women in the attack," he told them, bitterness in his tone.
"I'll be reworking shifts and wall coverage today while patches up the holes in our defenses."[break][break]
After delivering the rest of his report, he excused himself. A short walk to the city's market square brought him to the forges where blacksmiths worked tirelessly to create new weapons and armor to replace what had been lost or damaged. There, stood among them.[break][break]
The woman had once been his worst enemy as a Head Scientist for Team Rocket, but circumstances had forced both sides to put aside their animosities. Her recent work designing special weapons and defensive equipment had proven valuable.[break][break]
Gunner smiled at her as he approached, but before he could say anything, one of the blacksmiths interrupted, carrying a shield. Large enough to protect his entire torso, it was styled like the shield of a knight from legend.[break][break]
"It's done, sir, as you requested," the older man said, handing it to Gunner.[break][break]
He took the shield and strapped it to his arm. It was strangely light but seemed sturdy.
"Thank you," Gunner said. He smashed his fist against the front of it, and a
WIDE GUARD activated, shimmering briefly around everyone present.[break][break]
Gunner smiled.
"It's perfect."[break][break]