As the simulation booted up, Andrea found herself riding on the back of a Cyclizar. The lush jungle surrounding them was teeming with extinct species from the Stone Age. Due to the unbearable heat, the young cosplayer was forced to remove half of her iconic onesie, letting it trail off her backside like the molted skin of a Scrafty. A black sports bra covered her bare torso for decency.

"I wonder if Fossil Pokémon would feel at home here." The eccentric trainer pondered aloud, before sending out a Tyrantrum and a Draconish to walk alongside them. "Do you like it here, Regina? What about you, Fishie?" The giant T-Rex gazed at its former hunting grounds with a look of familiarity and longing. The Dracovish responded with a bunch of incoherent noises.

Suddenly, a volcanic eruption interrupted their prehistoric excursion, causing Andrea's mount to stir. "Don't worry, girl, we'll protect you!" Was that Cyclizar even a girl? She had neglected to check its sex. Regina deflected one of the flying chunks of debris with her mighty Dragon Tail, while Fishie used Protect to erect a barrier of light around the group.

"If we go deeper into the jungle, we might escape the blast's radius!" The semi-costumed girl cried out, urging the past Cyclizar to move ahead. Truth be told, she didn't know what the radius actually was or whether it was escapable, but it was the best course of action she could come up with while thinking on her toes.

Genevieve Cromwell

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"We need to go faster! It's catching up to us!" Andrea hollered at the girl behind her, but it was already too late. Despite their best efforts, one could not outpace a force of nature. The group were about to be engulfed by the grey cloud that burned everything alive, but then something happened.

The unstoppable force stopped.

None other than the legendary Dialga stood before the two trainers, though its color palette was slightly different. Before they could thank it for saving them, the Sinnohian deity of time attacked them. Andrea's two dragons rushed to shield her from the Temporal Pokémon's wrath, only to be knocked backwards by its powerful Outrage. "Regina! Fishie!" The girl cried out in worry.

Genevieve Cromwell

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Her fellow redhead had the idea of obscuring Dialga’s vision with a Sandstorm. “Good idea! Maybe that’ll give us enough time to get outta here!” Of course, ‘time’ was subjective when facing the deity that presided over it. Freezing the temporal flow once again, the berserk god charged at the humans with a second Outrage.

And then it was gone. The two women found themselves in a quaint village somewhere in Galar, suddenly having to brace the cold with their midriffs exposed. “Brrrrr! W-where did Dialga go?” Andrea shivered, slipping back inside her onesie.

After an NPC speaking in Ye Olde Galarian gave them exposition about a frosty steed that terrorized their village, the ill-tempered horse showed up in the flesh, crashing through the protective fence and trampling their crops with its icy hooves.

Although they had been badly beat up by Dialga, Andrea’s Pokémon once again rushed to her rescue, clamping their Strong Jaws around the horse’s neck and torso respectively. “Wait, we don’t even know why it’s mad!” The girl pleaded, but it was for naught. Regina and Fishie were already going in for the kill. Literally.

Genevieve Cromwell

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"We... killed it." The townsfolk rejoiced, but Andrea did not feel happy. This was a bittersweet victory at best.

She truly had not meant for this to happen. It was an act of self-defense, yet it still felt awful. What if this were to happen in a real battle? Nobody deserved to have their partners taken from them, not even Team Rocket. She was reminded of Josh Devlin's words in the hospital, about how easy it was to take a life. He was right. And that scared her.

"They're calling us heroes, but I feel more like a villain." The girl muttered with a downcast expression, hugging herself. "This isn't real... It's just a simulation. It isn't real." She repeated under her breath like a mantra.

Genevieve Cromwell

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As the redheaded ranger was consoled by her Sandshrew, so too did Regina gently boop her giant snout against her trainer in an attempt to cheer her up. The girl mustered a weak smile. "Pokémon can always tell if their trainer is sad. With everything that's happened recently, sometimes I can't help but think that we don't deserve them... Anyway, my name's Andrea." She introduced herself. "Sorry for bringing the mood down. I'll get over it, I swear."

And get over it she did, for the scenery changed yet again into that of a traditional festival filled with the sounds of merriment and laughter. There were fireworks, street performances, food stands, and various games like shooting the targets and Goldeen fishing. The main attraction, of course, were all the different masks worn by festival-goers.

"Feels like forever since the last time there was a festival in Hoenn! I've missed this so much!" Andrea mused, the light returning to her eyes as she took in the jolly sights. "Hmm, who's that?" She noticed a small child that was all alone, wearing a green kimono and a curious mask of teal color. They looked too young to be unattended.

"Hello, little one. Are you lost? Maybe we could help you out. Don't worry about Regina. She might look big and scary, but she's actually really sweet." The PokéManiac reassured the silent child, while leaning in front of them as an older sister would. "Did you come here with your parents or your guardian? We can't help you if you don't say anything, you know."

Genevieve Cromwell

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