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Lopez it was, then. Gunner didn't like the lessened formality, but it would be ruder to insist that the way he wished to address his superiors was better.[break][break]

"I'm Agent Gunner Graves," he replied by way of introduction. "Graves is fine, too." It was what his superiors generally called him.[break][break]

Kyle's mention of the Interdream Zone sparked memories. After all, Gunner had played the Niso Holo route in that mobile game, RONDEZ-VIEW OF LUV. She had mentioned the Interdream Zone then, too.[break][break]

What had she said, exactly?[break][break]

Gunner shook his head. "No, but I know it's the place between dreams and reality. Things are made there and unmade there."[break][break]

A shiver crawled up his spine as he said those words, though he had no reason to fear such a place. He cast a nervous glance around the area, wondering if something deadly approached, triggering his instincts. But nothing came.[break][break]

Turning back to Kyle, Gunner asked, "Have you ever been before?"

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At the mention of nightmares, Gunner stiffened. "Cross your fingers, then," he said quietly, unaware that Kyle was doing exactly that behind his back.[break][break]

The mist around them flickered, taking the form of a train station that loomed over them. Gunner inhaled sharply; he recognized the shape of it from all the times he'd passed it in Cerulean City. It looked so real that for a moment, he forgot he was in the Ultra Deep Sea.[break][break]

"Uh, do you see that too?" he asked, raising a head to gesture up at the building.[break][break]

Then it exploded with a deafening roar, spraying stone, glass, and metal in all directions. Gunner threw himself to the ground, an instinctual reaction. Screams filled his ears, though when he lifted his head, all he saw were indistinct, blurry shapes running past him. Their features were fuzzy, lacking details.[break][break]

Above the building descended a creature Gunner had never seen before, though it reminded him strongly of a Hydreigon. But it was all wrong, from the metallic sheen of its skin to the unnatural segmentation of its body.[break][break]

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Quickly, Gunner scrambled to his feet, even as his Aromatisse resolutely placed herself between him and the massive beast. "What the fuck is that?" he yelled, bewildered.

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Running seemed like a good idea, but before Gunner could agree with the suggestion, the quasi-Hydreigon opened its three mouths and blasted at the two men with DRAGON PULSE.[break][break]

Gunner threw himself to the side, hoping to dodge the attack. It grazed against his leg, however, sending searing pain through his body. He stumbled, then flew a few feet as the ground blasted apart where it'd been hit.[break][break]

"Lopez!" he yelled, looking around wildly to see if Kyle had been hit. The last thing the League needed right now was to lose their Top Champion. Then he turned to his Aromatisse, who had rushed to his side. "Nimue, cast MISTY TERRAIN here."[break][break]

She obeyed, releasing a pink mist that coated the immediate area — including the stretch of ground where the strange creature landed.

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Gunner gaped as the strange, three-headed Pokémon shrugged off the Mightyena's attack and then swatted away the dog as if it were a mere infant. As much as Kyle stated he was fine, Gunner was torn between having Nimue attack their assailant or heal the other man.[break][break]

He was too slow. The AIR CUTTER blasted his Aromatisse aside, sending her tumbling across the ground.[break][break]

"Nimue!" Gunner yelled, chasing after her. She slowly lifted herself back into the air, battered but not broken. In fact, she zipped between her trainer and the Paradox Pokémon once more, striking back with MOONBLAST.[break][break]

Unfortunately, it took wing again to fly above the battlefield, opened its mouths, and used HYPER VOICE. Gunner winced, clamping his hands over his ears, the pain bouncing around his head like an awful migraine. Nimue fell to the ground once more, unconscious this time.

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"Must be!" Gunner yelled back, bewildered. He recalled his Aromatisse into her Pokéball and hesitated, unsure which new Pokémon to release. Then a moment of genius struck him.[break][break]

His Ditto emerged in a flash of light, a small pink blob amidst an electrified field.[break][break]

"Dagonet, TRANSFORM!" Gunner ordered. It obeyed in an instant, its pale flex expanding to incredible proportions. Three fanged heads on long, serpentine necks emerged from a muscular body. Two wings flapped, stirring dirt and dust.[break][break]

But when Dagonet finished, Gunner immediately saw that the transformation was wrong — no, it was incomplete. Having never seen this massive steel beast before, the Ditto had not gotten the segmentation right, and the sheen of metal lacked the right luster. Its form was a mockery of the real thing, a mere shade.[break][break]

Still, Gunner was not about to be deterred. "Attack!"[break][break]

The Ditto opened its primary mouth and fired off a beam of something dark and shadowy — something that looked like DARK PULSE. It fizzled in the air, however, before reaching its target.[break][break]

The agent swore under his breath, turning to Kyle. "We're — well, I thought we were in Ultra Deep Sea, but the buildings look like Cerulean City in Kanto."[break][break]

Gunner's pale eyes darted around quickly, seeking shelter.[break][break]

"There's a 7-11 over there. Let's go!"

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Of course. The Pokédex. Gunner whipped out his phone and pulled up the app. However, the screen froze as it scanned the Ditto. "Shit, it's not working," Gunner said to Kyle as the sense of bewilderment and panic grew within him. "It's never done this before!"[break][break]

A HYPER BEAM sliced through their hiding place, shattering glass and ripping apart steel. Instinctively, Gunner threw himself at Kyle to shield the other man from the debris. Shrapnel tore into his clothing and bit into his flesh, drawing blood.[break][break]

"We should retreat!" Gunner yelled, knowing from years of field experience that sometimes one had to accept losses if it meant living to fight another day.[break][break]

His Ditto tried another attack, mimicking the HYPER BEAM. Despite being familiar with the move, however, the energy beam merely fizzled out.

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