a new campsite was the perfect location for their hunt. though campers were usually alert and prepared for wildlife threats, and prowling covens of hypno were becoming a public concern, they were still isolating themselves from other humans. often alone, in the dark, with no back-up should things go awry.[break][break]

and they would that night for the former elite four. the scientist was feeling bold.[break][break]

she had spied him through the dark, under the cover of leaf-edged shadows, before tucking herself away deeper, and allowing her pokemon to do the first of their work.[break][break]

a musharna levitated closer to kazimir, hypnotic dream mist pulling him deeper into the world of dreams.[break][break]

when lulu was sure kazimir was fully and safely under the tapir’s spell, she crept out of her hiding place and watched for signs that it was time. beside her, a porygon-z waited for its turn.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Kazimir Wynter [break]
mission: pied pipers (dd)[break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-porygon-z"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-musharna"][break]

for a long moment, lulu did nothing but stare down at kazimir, wondering what was happening behind his eyelids. with the infinity energy of avatarship having left her, she could only guess.[break][break]

how she missed the invigorating feeling of eating dreams. the taste of memories and desires, energizing in a way nothing else had ever been. now, she felt tired and hollow.[break][break]

she nodded to her porygon-z, a signal for the pokemon to begin. a psychic pink glow of its z-move: dream waver softly lit up the immediate area, and wisps of dream began to be pulled towards the bright center of a vortex in front of the porygon-z.[break][break]

her musharna levitated nearby, prepared to deliver more dream mist when there were the inevitable signs of waking. however, the power of a z-move was painful to experience, and hypnosis was not always immediately effective a second time. he could fight it, if he tried.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Kazimir Wynter [break]
mission: pied pipers (dd)[break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-porygon-z"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-musharna"][break]

despite the mist, he came to with a start, tears and all. it was interesting to see him in such a state, for the elite four had always appeared to be the epitome of strength and dignity.[break][break]

with no more dream to steal, the z-move's vortex abruptly stopped and faded, the porygon-z’s glowing magenta halo dissipating like a fog. around them in the woods, it was utterly dark again–but had he recognized her in those briefly alit seconds?[break][break]

his question was answered simply, ”leaving.”[break][break]

quickly, she reached for pokeballs. one returned her porygon-z and the other released her would-be escape–a shadow alakazam he might find recognizable.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Kazimir Wynter [break]
mission: pied pipers (dd)[break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-alakazam"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-musharna"][break]

he was definitely awake. some people could fight the aftereffects of such a psychic attack better than others, she found. perhaps this had been a bad idea.[break][break]

though powerful, the incineroar’s thunder punch came down on a mysterious, shadowy barrier of beast block that mitigated the damage. with unnaturally heightened defenses, it was especially difficult to take down.[break][break]

the fox locked eyes with the cat, raising two glowing spoons challengingly. however, its attention shifted to the woman it had reluctantly agreed to protect.[break][break]

lulu was successfully tackled to the ground, pinned beneath weight she struggled against with a defiant growl.[break][break]

the alakazam’s eyes glowed red, the deep purple of its aura reaching out to throw kazimir off of her with a psychic.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Kazimir Wynter [break]
mission: pied pipers (dd)[break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-alakazam"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-musharna"][break]

it was lucky that he seemed not to remember her from the glass shop incident. she hoped that his confusion would persist until she could escape. when the opportunity presented itself to do so, she was quick to act on it.[break][break]

kazimir was tossed off into a tree, and she scrambled up from the ground, returning the musharna and hastily reaching to the arm of her alakazam to teleport away in a bright flash of light.[break][break]

then they were gone, leaving him there in the dark to recover from whatever confusion still might have lingered. another valuable dream had been successfully taken.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Kazimir Wynter [break]
mission: pied pipers (dd)[break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-alakazam"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-musharna"][break]