"So, which one is it?"

It was strange. She had thought it would only happen just the one time. But a one time fluke had led to another had led to another. It was strange. Elaine had solved 12 major cases by the time she had turned twelve. That was not to speak of all of the minor cases that she ended up being caught up in.

Detectives in novels often seemed cursed to run into a crime scene, but she finally understood just how draining that curse was. And yet, she could not pull herself away from it. She sought the truth. She sought to prevent the castigation of the innocent who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"The candelabra was..."

---

It was strange. She hated the fact that she was at her best when a victim had already been created. But it was hardly like she hadn't prevented the birth of a victim either.

"Thanks for your help, young Miss Highland." The officer who had met her the first time spoke to her. "Thanks to you, we caught another would be criminal who would have obfuscated the truth."

Even if he had killed the murderer and taken the role of the murderer himself, it would have meant nothing. All of the evidence would have pointed towards him, just as it always had any other wary killers.

But, even so, that was hardly important. The fact that she had revealed him prevented another needless casualty and the fact that he had not shed blood meant that he could recover.

It was a win-win.

Even if she was cursed, that was the reason she could still continue down this path. Straight till the end.

---

Theme: Revelation
Word Count: 288
Sleep score: +200 (400)

"You wanna come up for some air? You look like you're drowning in all of those pages." A voice came from over the towers of books and binders the girl in red hair had built around her. The sudden voice was enough to make Elaine lift her head up. "I'd offer you a cup of coffee, but I would rather not see a good cup spilled on important police records."

A seventeen year old Elaine stuck out her tongue at the young man who had so rudely interrupted her. "Not like I'd want any of that garbage you'd call a brew. What are you even doing here? I thought you had off today?"

The young man with the hair over one eye and the bandana was a partner in crime of sorts for her. "I could say the same for you."

Elaine frowned as she was called out by the young man before emitting a smug grin. "You'll never guess what I came across."

Elaine moved some of the papers off the desk to reveal a tablet screen sitting on the table. "Remember how I felt like a few things haven't added up in some recent cases? How some of them almost seemed like recreations of some of the first crimes I'd solved? How there were just some pieces of evidence that didn't add up?"

The young man merely nodded as she spoke forward. "So, I thought back, pulled up some pieces of evidence and found a few pieces of information that didn't add up for those crimes. The culprits were all correct, but something was missing or contradictory at all times. Motives. Deceit. And in looking through all of those, I finally found it. A throughline."

She could not suppress the energy welling within her. "It probably won't be something I can deal with immediately, but I can finally piece together the evidence. And once I have it all, I feel like we can crush a major source of all of the chaos. Just think of the possibility."

The detective in fervor would not let herself be unobstructed. She would press ever forward. Until...

---

Theme: Reminiscence
Word Count: 355
Sleep score: +200 (600)

Not this time. Absolutely not this time.

Elaine did not know what resolved her to this thought, but it still echoed through her head. She had done the strategizing up to this point. She had found the center of their organization. She had found their boss and she was standing at the top of company's rooftop in Jubilife.

"You really think you've cornered me, child?" The man with the expensive suit and chiseled figure twitched his hand.

At his side was the unconscious Probopass and Houndoom. His arsenal had been crushed. It was not just this building. Warehouses and stock areas all over the city had been simultaneously raided by multiple policemen and her allies. She had spent two years assembling this takedown. Things were going easily according to plan.

"Because I will still..."

NOT THIS TIME!

"GINGA!" Elaine's gut churned, and so she shouted out as she held out the pen with the spherical stone on it. "CRUSH IT!"

There was no point in even saying what it was. As the Metagross changed into a more powerful form, a powerful wave of energy erupted from the cross on its face. It threw his hand back, and as it did, a lone device came flying out of it. It had to have been directly embedded in him because a deep gash formed on his hand and blood splattered as the device flew out and as the energy crushed it in a single moment.

"NOW!" As she cried out and as the man was caught off guard, she would charge forward. She had power and knowledge. There was no way she would let things end the same way.

---

Theme: Power
Word Count: 278
Sleep score: +200 (800)

It was silent. Despite being on the rooftop of one of the larger buildings in Jubilife, not a single sound echoed. A battle of two long years had been brought to a halt. The sun continued to make its way across the horizon and though the city would never see the light of the stars, the blanket of night felt almost comforting this night. 

Though it was often the cover for those who had nothing short of the most unsavory of desires, this night did not bring uncertainty for once. After all, the source of recent uncertainty now lay at her side, handcuffed and unconscious. 

"We'll be there shortly." 

And most of all, there was not a casualty in sight. Not a single one of her friends, partners, or colleagues had came to lose a life. 

"A few were injured but they should all be fine after a bit of rehab. Suffice to say, Elaine, that your plan was perfect." 

The voice sang her praises as she listened in on the earpiece she wore. 

Though she wanted to laugh and celebrate her victory with the person on the other end, she could not. She had expended too much energy in the process of it all. She just wanted to sleep. After all, she had finally been able to declare victory and now she was exhausted. 

Besides, this was it. The perfect ending to it all. From here...

"I can finally move forward...right?" 

---

Theme: GOOD ENDING
Word Count: 242
Sleep score: +200 (1000)

Birth By Sleep
Scenario 1

---

It was strange. It was not like before. For once, she hadn't felt like her life was in danger, yet. Elaine took a moment to place her hand onto her chest, or at least what she thought was her chest, and take a deep breath. She may not have needed it, but it was enough for her to calm down and let her mind take a step back.

In this case, it really did seem to be just a game. Just a strange flight of fancy.

And yet, it was hardly like she could take this lightly. She was without any Pokemon to help. And as the world seemed to almost distort, the problem remained that all she had to stand against the glitching reality/game before her was the dream ball that had been so generously gifted to her (and the others) by the Snubbull with a crown.

For the time being, she needed to escape to some measure of safety before she thought up a plan. As her route took her out of the castle that was now distorting, she had come to realize that there was no real escape from the effects. The world was tearing and 'enemies' were slipping through those holes in the fabric.

And yet, the world afforded not even a single moment for her rest.

It all started with a chill--as if the world had lost all heat. There was no way she could let herself stay there. Elaine leapt to the side. As she did, the area she had been standing in frosted over in an instant becoming a part of a long line of tall frost that erupted. She had been a hair's breadth away from death but it was not over.

"That was--!"

She didn't even realize she had not even that moment to declare her assailant as it sped close to her. Embodied in a faint darkness, it charged forward--a tall, humanoid blue that was all too familiar to her.

Lockon!

As the Inetleon charged forward, she realized she could not perform the same feat as before. Its deft Acrobatics would snatch her the moment she moved out of its line of sight.

So, there was only way through this. Elaine dived forward, and as the reptile's hands bore down upon where she had initially stood, she found herself momentarily safe once again, weaving around its legs and tail.

But that was her limit. As she faced the Inteleon down once again, it had already about faced to stare her down. It was in direct range, not in the middle of a motion. She had no moves she could make faster than it.

All she could do was step back and hoped it remained still for long enough to give her an opening. She took one step back as she grabbed the Dream Ball in her inventory. She took another step back...and then, she felt it.

The undeniable pull of gravity as the ground beneath her feet seemed to almost vanish.

Ability: Gravity Key

You will open undiscovered secret passages and trapdoors on direct contact but you will also tumble or fall straight into them at the moment it opens.

And as the world consumed her, the Inteleon took the opportunity to try to launch into another feat of acrobatics for a new attack. But...

You're mine!

This came with a disadvantage, but she would turn into her boon as she thrust the Dream Ball into the path of its oncoming fists. A grand light consumed it as it was compressed and sealed within that ball.

While still falling, the world took a moment to pause. Caught in mid-fall, she was presented with a pair of options...

As she clicked on the option to purify, she read through the prompt.

PURIFY YOUR POKEMON'S HEART

Warning! Doing so will take away power that can help you protect the ones you care about.

Continue?

The girl frowned as she read the middle line. While still suspended, she took a sigh before returning to the prior option. She couldn't pass it up. She could not pass up power. Not this easily.

So, she took no more hesitation as she opted to let the Shadows remain upon Lockon...at least for now.

And then, time passed once more.

"WAIT! WAIT! AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Birth By Sleep
Scenario 2

---

"Ah, I'm back here again."

It was strange. Even though this was all clearly all part of a dream, it all held some level of continuity. Each of the dreams she had seen before had told a story of an alternate past that could have been. So, it was only natural for her to realize that this was merely the continuation of that.

disgraced witch of futile truths-Elaine Highland
zoom lens/scope lens/wide lens

She looked at each of the three cards in her hands and sighed. Was this meant to be a joke? The items listed on her cards were all lenses? Was it a reference to a magnifying glass or was it a tongue in cheek joke towards the fact that she had not initially observed...

Elaine frowned and sighed. Nevertheless, she had to move forward.

"So, I have to form a party, then..."

---

"Almost there, huh..." As she looked up at the door she stood before, a lone warning popped up.

You are about to enter the final floor. Are you ready to proceed?

It was strange. The dungeon that she had walked into was simple--a lone building that stood in Jubilife City, one of the many skyscrapers that towered into the sky and one that held its significance as the source of a major scar in her past. Beyond it...was something. She honestly had no idea, but it was clear that she would find out.

The answer was pretty obvious. She looked back to the two avatars she had brought along, one labeled the blackwing bastard and the other labeled the self-taught redneck'd quack. Each of them were people she had met in real life at one point or another. Be it in a mission for the league or within another strange dreamlike reality.

"Well, it's not like you guys are going to say anything important."

She had come to realize it long ago. The people that were with her were no more than a mock-up of the people she had met before. Nevertheless, she just had to use what she could. At the very least, she could say that she did not have to worry about the pain of losing what were clearly not real people.

"Let's go, then."

Though the door would lead to stairs under normal circumstances, walking through it led into a bright white space for a short moment before it led to the rooftop of the building. The world outside was eerie as it stayed still. It was as if the skybox had been left incomplete, leaving behind nothing more than a sunset and motionless clouds.

"So that's what it's going for..."

Elaine frowned as she saw the dynamaxed form of a Pokemon she knew all too well--her Metagross.

"Fine, then. Let's cut to the chase and finish this. Lockon." Beside her was the belligerent yet powerful Inteleon. Behind her were the two memebers of her party she had pulled along into this. Holding up one of the cards in her hands, she cried out. "NOW!"

A chill formed between the lizard and the metallic beast, signaling the rest to get all hands on deck.

And then...

---

The world was truly strange. It was the final sucker punch that had led it all to come to an end. And after that final sucker punch, the titan that stood before her merely shattered into pieces that soon faded away into the ether.

For all the trouble it had put them through, there was not much remaining from the fight. Even the scars from the attacks that did hit the surrounding had all faded. All that was left was a sparkling item that gently floated down to Elaine's hand--a single USB drive.

As she looked at the item, she frowned. "Someone really is just messing with me."

It was an all-access pass and encryption key that they had only found after the whole incident was over--something that would have changed the course of the event in real life if she had it in advance. Something that would have prevented.

"No. Stop. Now's not the time for that."

She had long come to the conclusion that her avatar was useless on its own. After all, she barely survived an encounter with Lockon despite being unable to do squat against him. Now here she was, climbing through and deconstucting what should have been a happy dream. But it looked like there was not much left to do at this point.

"I guess it's time to just leave it at that. For now."

Birth By Sleep
Scenario 3

---

She was back once again. The Snubbull had said that the item she had retrieved after the last boss fight was a key. In that case, there was only one place she could use it. After going back down the stairs, she found what was the office of the CEO who she had worked to bring to justice. As she did, she made her way to the computer.

She did not even need to do anything as the world distorted as she made her way to the main computer. It started with a moment of noise before it scattered and consumed the world around her leaving behind...

"This really is tasteless."

It was a warehouse. At the core of it all, the space left behind was a mere warehouse--an enclosed space that she was all too familiar with. Just as familiar as she was with the multiple corpses strewn about.

It was strange. Though this was a familiar location to her, she couldn't help but feel something was off. It was like the desert she had been in an expedition through or the deep sea she had once fought in.

"I just...have to destroy this place, right?"

Elaine took deep breaths as she walked around the place until she found a specific location on the wall. Pressing her hand against it, she found herself once again falling forward onto her face before revealing a hidden set of electrical wires and bombs.

"Ow...of course this would be here, too." Standing up, she rubbed at her head before looking back at the shadow Pokemon behind her. "Ready, Lockon. It's time to purge it all. As a nightmare would."

---

In mere moments, the world around them was engulfed in flame.

And then, what was left behind was...

Birth by Sleep
Scenario 4

---

"Come on, guys. Calm down."

It was strange. After running through so much despair and being told to wreak so much havoc and destruction, being here almost felt unnatural. Elaine was not sure what would happen when she opened up the journal but perhaps this was the reward she had been seeking for so long. A simple, commonplace type of life that anyone could take for granted.

As she looked along, she saw herself maybe only a few years before the incident chasing after a pair of Pokemon-a white Vulpix and the Growlithe that was chasing after it.

It was rambunctious, boisterous, and yet it felt so homely.

"Chief, they've been running around for a half hour already. It's getting tiring."

"He's your Growlithe, ace. I'm sure you can handle it."

The young Elaine simply pouted as the older Elaine watched from the sidelines. It was a simple, mundane day where she had nothing to do. No cases to be solved. No progress to be made. Just an average lazy day sitting around at the police chief's office and bothering him that had turned into a playdate between the two quadrupedal Pokemon.

"Wait, isn't this the time I--"

As soon as she finished, she heard a thud as the Vulpix had taken an about face and charged directly into Elaine's stomach.

"Geh!"

"Yeah, it was." She couldn't help but let out a wry smile as she saw her past self fall back to the ground with the Vulpix on her. Shortly after, the Growlithe followed suit.

Despite the chaos, it was all mundane and all familiar.

A soothing rest amongst a turbulent world. One she wished she could go back to many times over.