[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]It had been some time since Aurelie had last entered the RKS Simulation, and she'd never been one of the most avid explorers of the digital reality to begin with. Now that she was gathering more tidbits and snippets of information about things like the Rocket Boss, DRK Triad, Violet Book, interdream mist, and other mysterious things, though, she couldn't help wanting to arm herself with more knowledge.

And what better person to learn alongside than a friendly Rocket Head Scientist?

This time, they found themselves dropped into a dazzling futuristic city towering with neon skyscrapers and huge, flashing billboards. Both of them were crammed into the jet seat of a Cyclizar, who was racing through the city as sirens blared behind them. Aurelie couldn't help grinning in excitement.

"Yaaahaha!" she yelled out, as the Cyclizar dashed and dove through the incoming traffic with dizzying swiftness and agility, dodging honking cars and weaving between delivery service trucks. "I have no idea what's going on, but this is awesome!"

At an intersection, the Cyclizar slowed fractionally, and its eye flickered back toward them for guidance. The sirens behind them were getting louder and more urgent. Aurelie had no idea what she and Nomi were being pursued about—or, Arceus, even where they were or who exactly was after them—but she doubted they wanted to find out.

"Uhh..." she faltered, looking from the narrow alleyways to the busy highway that branched off from the intersection. She squinted back and forth at each option and then turned back to Nomi. "This may sound crazy, but..."

Aurelie pointed to the highway. "Let's go that way! It's busier and more dangerous to navigate, but it'll be even harder for the Genesects after us! Maybe we can lose them under a bridge or underpass and get to safety!"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]There were a number of things Aurelie wanted to say to Nomi: telling her how nice it was to see her again, thanking her for agreeing with her plan to take the highway, and asking if her Unown could affect the RKS system the way it had the interdream mist visions. None of these made sense to say while zooming down a highway at dizzying speeds while being chased by Genesects shooting energy beams at them.

Instead, she risked a glance behind her and shouted something much more relevant over the roaring of the wind. "They're gaining on us!" Aurelie reported with alarm. "Even going through all these underpasses and weaving around inside that tunnel didn't lose them!"

Aurelie hadn't realized that Genesects could fly, although Nomi probably had. If they weren't chasing the two of them down with clearly unfriendly intent, she might have slowed down just to turn around and watch the Genesects to try and learn more about them.

Under the circumstances, though, slowing down seemed like an easy path to either getting caught or running straight into another car.

But the sound of a loud crash behind her was enough for her to look around again. Her eye widened when she saw the crashed truck and the spilled crates, out of which numerous Pokemon were bursting free. Suddenly, she and Nomi were no longer the Genesects' primary focus, especially when one huge robotic Pokemon began shooting at them and also at passerby—including, unfortunately, her and Nomi.

"Dr. Sato!" she gasped, pointing a shaky finger toward the mechanical juggernaut. "What in Arceus' name is that? Have you ever seen a Pokemon like that before?

"And if you haven't..." She cut off for a moment as an errant shot struck the pavement near her Cyclizar, who leaped agilely to one side. "Yikes, that was too close! Maybe we should back away from here slowly...or quickly...but I'd like to keep an eye on all these Pokemon and see what we can learn about them too. While keeping a safe distance away, of course!"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]It was always disorienting when a scene melted away and shifted into another in the RKS simulation, especially when Aurelie wasn't familiar enough with the scenarios to predict when or where it would happen. They were both in the middle of dodging lasers and bullets in the middle of a highway, when suddenly they were transported seemingly back in time and space—to a world they both knew well but remembered somewhat differently.

Aurelie caught her breath as they found themselves standing in the center of a battlefield littered with drooping banners, discarded weapons, and fallen corpses in medieval armor. Overhead, the terrifying skeletal dragon Eternatus swirled and spiraled through thunderous black storm clouds. Far closer to them, gigantic Pokemon tore through buildings and landmarks on the edge of the battlefield.

Before them awaited a choice. A sword and shield were set in a large stone at their feet, both beautifully crafted and elaborately decorated. Aurelie stared down at them, at once visibly intrigued and perplexed.

"I wonder what these are doing in there?" she ventured aloud. "Could this be a test of strength, I wonder? Like in an old prophecy—'Whosoever can wrest one of these from the stone is worthy of defeating Eternatus.'" The redhead chuckled in amusement.

Instinctively, she started to reach for the sword. At that moment, though, a massive piece of rubble flew straight at them. One of the gigantic Pokemon had ripped the wall off a cottage and hurled it through the air toward Nomi and Aurelie.

Only the whistle of the stone gave Aurelie enough warning. "Duck!" she cried out. Without thinking, she grabbed Nomi's arm and tried to drag her behind the shield instead.

Also without thinking, she reached out and took hold of the handle of the shield. Even though it looked firmly set in the stone, part of her thought she might be able to hoist it a foot or two off the ground and use it to ward the skies a little more.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie sucked in her breath in startled surmise as Nomi gazed upward at the Eternatus and wondered aloud whether the interdream mist and the RKS system was trying to tell them something about Galar and Eternatus. Warning them, perhaps. Given Nomi's extensive experience with both mist and RKS—and Aurelie's scarce knowledge of either—she was certainly willing to accept the Head Scientist's idea.

"Remember, this isn't the first time we've seen Eternatus in RKS too, so maybe—" she started to respond. But the rest of her words were cut off by the abrupt arrival of the flying rubble.

Now, she gripped the massive shield in one hand while the Zamazenta emerged from its stony slumber with a piercing howl. Familiar though it was by now, the imposing Hero Dog still took her breath away as it gazed at her with fierce eyes. Without even thinking, Aurelie yielded up the shield to it and watched in awe as it transformed into a mightier defense than any human could create.

"Well, if Zamazenta can't protect us from that thing up there, then..." Aurelie paused in the midst of adding, "No one can", as she caught sight of the Unown that always seemed to hover fondly around her slowly drifting toward them.

"Well, you probably can, if you had to," she admitted with a faint smile. Then she tilted her head and raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "Though I guess I don't know very much about your powers—but you could, couldn't you? Right?"

Just as the last word left her lips, the Eternatus overhead fired a DYNAMAX CANNON toward them. Aurelie swore and ducked, reaching instinctively to pull Nomi out of the way. Realizing what she was doing, the redhead blushed.

"I'm sorry for always grabbing at you like this," she apologized with a chuckle.

Then Aurelie turned skyward to glare at the Eternatus and raised her voice in an indignant shout, gesturing irritably with one hand while reaching for a Pokeball with the other. "But come on, we're trying to have a conversation here! Could you just stop attacking us for five minutes?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Seeing the flush on Nomi's cheeks and hearing her breathless words, Aurelie could feel her own blush deepening and her thoughts growing muddled with confusion. Even as the scenario faded and changed around them, she found herself too distracted by Nomi's proximity and flustered look to look elsewhere. Why is she looking at me like that? was all she could think right now.

She vaguely remembered trying to flirt with Nomi a little back when they'd first met. The pretty scientist had seemed indifferent, so Aurelie had regretfully figured that one-eyed redheads just weren't her type. But the sparkle in Nomi's eye made her wonder if that had changed—or if she'd simply misjudged.

Aurelie leaned forward—and then hesitated. A young, shameless, opportunistic Aurelie would've gone for a kiss then and there. A slightly older, more restrained Aurelie would've at least made a suggestive comment suggesting certain indecorous—if enjoyable—indecencies.

But the Aurelie of now, older still, wiser, and more constrained and conscious of current considerations, remembered that Nomi was taken, and by a girlfriend she clearly adored. And more confusingly, the once relationship-averse Aurelie remembered she herself was taken. Things were more complicated now than they were when they'd first met, which wasn't a bad thing but wasn't an easy thing either.

So, she did none of the things her younger self would've thoughtlessly done. Instead, she smiled gently and, with an effort, let Nomi go as the scene shifted. But she knew she would hold onto the memory of Nomi holding tightly to her in that moment, at least for a while longer.

They found themselves in a cavern shimmering with luminous tera crystals, standing between two sleek purple Cyclizar-like Pokemon that the simulation referred to as Miraidon. Aurelie too brushed herself off and cleared her throat. Taking a deep breath, she turned toward the two admittedly fascinating lizard-like Pokemon, who were clearly squaring up for battle.

"It looks like grabbing won't be quite as necessary here, with the Miraidon paired with us," she quipped, with a weak laugh. "I don't suppose these two are going to be any more open to diplomatic tactics and hugging it out than the Eternatus was, though.

"I've never seen anything like these Miraidon anywhere," she mused thoughtfully. "Especially that one with the blue engine and sparks coming off its metal plates..."

She glanced briefly at Nomi, tilting her head to one side and silently admonishing herself for the sudden blush that apparently just couldn't help mounting her cheeks, even now. "What about you, Dr. Sato? Do you recognize these Pokemon from anywhere?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT