Another small job to fend off the storm. Just another distraction. Unfortunately, that’s all this was to her. The woman she’d been assigned with mattered little, she barely knew her name. Spring? Summer? One of the two. It was a season.

For being quite distraught, Lex seemed to be holding it together rather well during her time at work. At home . . . she’d rather not be home. Unlike Summer, she was happy to drag this mission on as long as possible before she was forced to stop for the day. Maybe she would sleep on the submarine tonight, there had to be plenty of empty dorms now that Sootopolis promised more comforting quarters.

Summer’s voice tore her away from her thoughts. Amber hues jolted up to look around them. Instinctively she tensed, a hand hovering over a pokeball that hugged her belt. It didn’t take long for Lex to recognize what was happening – she’d seen this once before.

The stoic face twisted into something dark, angry, “Fuck, I’ve seen this before” she cursed, spinning on her heels to survey the visible horizon. It came on quickly, darkening the sky and stirring up winds strong enough to drown out her words, “This way,” she frantically grabs for Summer’s wrist, tugging her in a direction that looks vague lighter than the dark blue and purple sky that surrounds them.

There it is again, that funny weight. It bears down on them, the invisible pressure of time and space itself being torn apart.

Summer Atreides

Darkness descended and with each step towards the light, the feeling of hope disappeared. Summer confirmed Lex’s fears: They’re trapped. Her fingers uncurled from around the woman’s wrist and instead of escape, she turned her focus onto survival.

“If this is anything like last time, it’s only temporary,” her voice was barely audible, lost beneath the thunderous winds that whipped around them. As her amber eyes scanned the unfamiliar new plane of reality they found themselves in, she hoped what she said was true.

A brief flash of light emitted from the sphere in her hand. From it, a strange, ghostly Zoroark appears. The last distortion she was trapped in, Nova died and came back to life as this version of herself. As far as Lex could tell, nothing had changed too much except for the fact that she was now part ghost. She wasn’t willing to risk any of her other pokemon in this chaos.

The shrieks and snarls of wild pokemon erupted around them though none made their move, “Be ready, there are violent pokemon in these things,” her warning was loud so Summer could hear it above the whistle of the turbulent wind.

Summer Atreides

Lex found herself thankful that the girl wasn’t completely useless. Summer was quick to spring into action, two pokemon at the ready to defend them from the monster that lurked inside of the distortion. Lex silently prayed to whatever deity was listening. Hopefully, this was temporary as she promised. The last thing she needed was to be stuck in a strange world. Memories flashed back to the Tree of Life. That was enough time and space travel for her.

A LYCANROC lunged from the shadows, bearing its fangs and claws. Lex’s own H!Lycanroc turned its ghostly head, a snarl escaping from its curled lips. Nova too lunged, tackling it’s counterpart to ground. The two engaged is a flurry of teeth, claws, and dark mist.

“Watch out!” she pointed behind Summer, another H!Zoroark lunged, “It must have spawned a whole pack,” she growled between clenched teeth. Lex snatched another pokeball from her side, hesitant to release another pokemon into the fray after what happened to Nova the last time they were caught in one of these.

Summer Atreides

It’s hard to say which Lycanroc is which. It made Lex nervous, knowing Nova was trapped somewhere amongst the pack where all the other pokemon were focusing their attacks. Her gaze quickly scanned the crowd. White and scarlet fur is blurred as it all tumbles together to maintain the semblance of a pack.

“Nova! Return!” taking her pokemon off the field doesn’t seem like the right thing to do, but she replaces the Lycanroc with something better.

A flash of light reveals the mythical stallion. The Spectreir whinnies, rearing up as a GRIM NEIGH echoes across the field. There’s the thunderous clatter of hooves as War takes off towards the pack, BULLDOZING its way through before pivoting to turn back for more.

A way out?

Lex frantically looks around, “These things are contained, we gotta find the edge,” A sharp whistle brings the stallion back to her. In one practiced move she’s up on his back. A hand reaches down to offer Summer assistance. War could outrun these fools.

Summer Atreides