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Gideon panicked before Nomi had a chance to do pretty much anything. All she had were a few seconds to realize that her favorite professor wasn't just lost in the Ultra Deep Sea: he was injured, too. Then, a DARK PULSE crashed into her, throwing her off her feet and onto the hard ground, sediment kicking up around her at the impact. Miraculously, she had avoiding landing on any of the blade-like Tera crystals jutting out of the seafloor in random patches. The Unown-K that had been floating in front of her disappeared in time to avoid the attack, re-appearing several feet away. Nomi coughed, ears ringing.[break][break]
He doesn't know it's you. And we can't let him know.[break][break]
Gideon was hurt, scared, and confused. What was she to do? Fight him? From the looks of it, he was already in a sorry state. Who did that to him? She wondered. They'd been especially brutal, it seemed. A surge of irritation passed through her, frustrated at the professor for being stupid enough to venture into the Ultra Deep Sea while a major faction conflict was taking place. He wasn't League government, he wasn't a soldier or a fighter. Had he been coerced into this due to his artifact expertise, because it might be useful for finding Seal Stones?[break][break]
He chose this. It's not your responsibility to help him. Rocket needs those Seal Stones.[break][break]
Maybe so, but she didn't have to fight him, either. Just get past him - to the dream mist on the cavern wall behind him.[break][break]
With effort, she got back to her feet and took out a Pokeball. She was about to throw it, then hesitated, a sudden thought crossing her mind. I can't use Val, she realized. Professor Graves will recognize him. Changing her plan on the fly, she selected a different Pokeball instead. The Marshadow she'd caught in The Border manifested next to her, awaiting instruction.

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Nomi ground her teeth in frustration as Gideon somehow managed to think through the pain he was obviously in and swap for a Pokémon that might stand a chance against Shade. The traits that made him her favorite professor - quick thinker, thorough, dedicated, passionate about Pokémon biology - were now working against her. It was impressive and infuriating at the same time. Even as the YAWN managed to hit her and Shade, she found herself lauding Gideon's clever tactics.[break][break]
Nomi shivered, the Slowking's attack momentarily slowing her thinking as a sudden weariness hit her. I'm going to fall asleep, she realized, knowing exactly what a successful YAWN meant. She had some time to act, however.[break][break]
She glanced at the Unown-K that still hovered nearby. Could it hold off the Slowking while Shade teleported her to the dream mist? She knew Unown were stronger in groups, but surely the little Pokémon could do something to help? She waved at it to come back to her; it blinked out of view, then reappeared next to her seconds later.[break][break]
"Distract that Slowking," she told it. Its single eye stared at her, expression unreadable. She didn't have time to decipher the emotional landscape of a creature from a different dimension. All she could do was trust it.[break][break]
"Get us to the dream mist before we fall asleep," She commanded of Shade, who was blinking tired orange eyes. The Marshadow's darkness enveloped Nomi as a PHANTOM FORCE transported them to the other side of Gideon. Meanwhile, the Unown-K floated lazily down to the Slowking as if in slow motion, then began to glow. Moments later, it unleashed a burst of HIDDEN POWER.

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The Unown-K was blown backwards by the force of the explosion, blinking out of existence to avoid additional damage, then re-appearing next to Nomi in retreat. Nomi, however, was also knocked forwards onto her knees - close enough to the blast to be affected despite her successful teleport. Shade, luckily, seemed unaffected.[break][break]
Face full of dream mist, Nomi's eyelids began to droop. The YAWN was taking effect. She would drift off to sleep in moments. Lazily, she rolled into a sitting position, back against a nearby rock. As her eyes closed, she sleepily gazed out at GIDEON GRAVES, anxiety settling in the pit of her stomach as she desperately hoped he would remain too spooked to decide to unmask her. Get out of here, Professor, she willed. Please. It's for your own good...[break][break]
Darkness took her. Beside Nomi, Shade floated to the ground, the Marshadow also falling into a deep sleep. The Unown-K stared down at its companions with its single, watchful eye. Steadfast, it stood its ground, the sole remaining protector of Rocket's head scientist as she succumbed to the YAWN, dream mist coalescing ominously around her inert body.

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Nomi's eyes snapped open.[break][break]
She gasped, sitting up with a jolt. Frantically, she brought her hands to her face, feeling for her mask. The black fabric was still firmly in place, everything she had done to hide her identity holding strong. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. Professor Graves had not attempted to unmask her. She did not have to worry about the fallout of someone from her civilian life finding out she was a member of Team Rocket.[break][break]
But where was Professor Graves? Nomi glanced around, body sore from lying inert for several long minutes on the rocky seafloor. Beside her, Shade was waking up, as well, bright orange eyes blinking sleepily. And above both of them, the Unown-K floated silently, the singular sentinel that had watched over them while they'd slept. Nomi felt a surge of gratitude for the little symbol Pokemon; when given the chance, it had not fled to its own dimension or abandoned her. She had thoroughly earned its trust, it seemed.[break][break]
Droplets of blood were all that remained of GIDEON GRAVES. The museum curator and his Slowking were gone. As she got shakily to her feet, dream mist twirling around her ankles, Nomi wondered if he would survive his trip to the Ultra Deep Sea, find his way to the surface - back to Hoenn.[break][break]
He was a good man, who did not deserve to die alone in a strange, unearthly realm. Unfortunately, his fate was no longer in her hands. And she had more work to do. She would find those Seal Stones, no matter who stood in her way.

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