[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie had never ridden a motorcycle or a Cyclizar in real life, but she'd gotten a lot of practice in riding this particular Cyclizar fitted with a jet seat. She let out an excited laugh when she recognized the soaring, neon-lit skyscrapers and the shining, futuristic city stretching out before her.

Before them, for beside her on his own Cyclizar was the admin who she'd believed would never work with her again but who evidently thought she'd acquitted herself well enough in Shoal Cave. The sirens blared, and Genesects fired energy beams at them. The sight of them never failed to surprise and mesmerize her, but Admin Bee reacted instantly without blinking an eye.

At his instruction, she laughed again and urged on her own Cyclizar. "It will be my pleasure, sir!" The sensation of pure speed, as they wove in and out between cars, trucks, and buildings was both terrifying and thrilling.

The redhead followed him without hesitation onto the highway. The furious beeping and honking of car horns followed them, as well as the screech of tires when the Genesect squad grimly followed them. In the corner of her eye, Aurelie caught sight of a startling reflection in a passing car's driver-side mirror: a huge, flaming fireball blossoming behind her.

It was enough to make her hesitate and dare a quick glance behind her. "Name of Arceus..." she breathed, her jaw falling open. "What is that?"

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

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie let out a startled yelp when Admin Bee responded to the crashed transport truck and sudden swarm of robotic Pokemon by apparently deciding to pull off some death-defying Cyclizar stunts. While he veered his Cyclizar away from the accident so sharply that she half-expected smoke trails to rise up from the road, her own Cyclizar followed more circuitously, dodging between honking cars and SUVs.

Then the admin spun about and barreled straight for the concrete barrier along the side of the highway. Just as Aurelie caught her breath, imagining him splattering into the wall, he leaped over the top. As the redhead rode after him in a vain attempt to catch up, she wondered, What the hell is he doing?

Even when he reappeared miraculously intact and unharmed, riding his own Genesect, Aurelie wasn't actually sure that this answered her question. Still, who was she to turn down the opportunity? Hopping off her Cyclizar, she patted its neck gratefully, before accepting Admin Bee's extended hand.

"Sir, that was insane!" she exclaimed laughingly as she climbed into place behind him. "I thought you'd jumped to your death! Or maybe you were an action star in disguise and we were filming a movie instead of exploring virtual scenarios."

She grinned and shrugged, holding onto both the Genesect's back and the admin's hand for dear life. "But hey, who am I to turn down a free ride? Especially such a cool ride as this. Where did you manage to get one of these yourself?"

After all, Aurelie was always interested in exciting and unusual new Steel-type Pokemon. The metallic juggernaut firing attacks seemingly at random in the middle of the highway intrigued her too. Its shots flew even more wildly, disintegrating the Pokemon beside it, the Genesects that'd been chasing them, and even the surface of the highway.

As they watched, one shot arced toward the sky. Instead of harmlessly dwindling, though, it pierced a hole in the fabric of the night sky, tearing it open and dematerializing it into a scattering of black-and-white pixels...

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

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]It certainly was a familiar scene, one that still appeared at times in her dreams—sometimes in scenes of victorious battle, sometimes in nightmares of blood and destruction. There was no Necrozma, but the skeletal form of Eternatus overhead and the unnaturally huge, hulking Pokemon rampaging about made it clear. They were on the final battlefield of the medieval memory-Galar where they'd lived for 20 years.

From the look on his face, it seemed the admin beside her still didn't relish the memory of those years. Before them awaited something that neither of them seemed to recognize, though: a stone set with a sword and a shield. When Admin Bee offered her the choice, Aurelie blinked and then broke into a grin.

"Is this only because there isn't a bow to choose?" she asked with a chuckle, remembering him shooting fiery arrows into the fray. Then she sucked in her breath as a clap of thunder boomed from the storm-blackened sky. "Sorry, I suppose I shouldn't be joking around."

She glanced sidelong at Admin Bee from the corner of her eye. He respected strength and self-control, she knew that much. He'd never struck her as particularly protective or defensive, but rather proactive and even aggressive.

Or perhaps that was just Aurelie projecting. Still, he'd left it up to her to choose. She looked up at the Eternatus and balled her hands into fists at her sides.

"Let's go after them," she suggested, stopping before the sword and reaching for its hilt. "Let's chastise them for the mess they're making of this Galar, digital or not."

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

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Still reaching for the hilt of the sword, Aurelie almost jerked upright in surprise when she heard the note of approval in the admin's tone. It was certainly an improvement over his rebuking her for blurting out her fear of the interdream mist when they first met on the resurfaced island. She wondered if her evaluation of him had proved correct or if he just liked swords, and resolved to ask later.

For now, though, the Zacian emerged from its stone and reclaimed its sword, before leaping to attack the Eternatus—a sight that never failed to take Aurelie's breath away. Then she gasped in astonishment when Barnaby not only released his Charizard but then transformed it with a Dynamax Band, which she had never seen before. Now a towering colossus, it too rushed toward the Eternatus beside the Zacian.

"Mon Dieu!" she exclaimed in awe. "That's incredible! How did you make that Dynamax Band? Or did you get it from somewhere? How does the Pokemon not collapse under its own w..."

The redhead realized she was babbling and caught herself, holding up a hand apologetically. "Right, right. Shoot first, ask questions later," she quipped.

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Aurelie released her own Charizard, which looked positively miniature compared to Barnaby's Dynamaxed Charizard. Launching itself skyward, it unleashed DRAGON BREATHs on the Eternatus while the Zacian and Dynamaxed Charizard engaged the skeletal dragon on either side. The Eternatus twisted and screeched, under assault from every angle.

"I think we're winning! I think we might have it beat!" Aurelie cried, swept up in the awe-inspiring clash of titans. "I think we've...we've..."

Her words trailed away as the landscape around them began to fragment and pixelate into nothingness. The sky above began to warp, the Eternatus fading from view even while its roars of rage still echoed in the air. Aurelie let out a disappointed groan and shook her head.

"Damn it, I was so hopeful too," she sighed, chuckling ruefully. "Now what?"

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

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]