She wanders through the virtual landscape with no real purpose.[break][break]
She finds comfort in leaving Hoenn behind these days. She hides in the Unown Dimension like the coward she is. howard slayte says she's worth the trouble, calls her the best of them, lauds her vision of a safe and prosperous region. But she knows the truth of it, the soil beneath those flowers. The roots that extend into a dark, cold earth. There is only emptiness there: an unending void.[break][break]
She has the power to change reality at her fingertips, and still, she couldn't prevent the war.[break][break]
Pixels coalesce into shapes. Shapes resolve into bleachers. She is standing in the middle of a Pokemon stadium - but where there ought to be a roaring crowd, there's nothing. It's completely empty.[break][break]
Normally, her crimson eyes would widen with intense curiosity - she hasn't seen this scenario before - but she only gives the landscape a passing glance, before her gaze grows distant once more.[break][break]
A nearby shuffling catches her attention, however.[break][break]
"Hello? Is anyone there?"

TAGS – GIDEON GRAVES[break]
NOTES – RKS

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Naomi Sato [break]
TOTAL RKS POINTS: 50 PTS

[attr="class","itemcolicon"]

[attr="class","itemcolname"]significant figure event

[attr="class","lgdcol"]

[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]PARTNER 1-A

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]Your meeting may end in business, pleasure, or blood. Those who choose violence will find themselves "respawning" into the simulation: the program's stubborn refusal to end this collection of data prematurely. However, the simulation takes stock of decisions, of who kills who, of who becomes a willing or reluctant ally.[break][break]

The simulation begins to reconfigure itself for the next stage.

That voice. It's - [break][break]
"Professor Graves?"[break][break]
It's him. Standing before her with an unreadable expression, dressed in his usual academic attire. He looks as tired and weathered as ever, which elicits a sharp pang of guilt - certainly she has contributed to his stress, as of late. His favorite student: mysteriously dropping out of her PhD program despite her promising future; a bright and gifted young woman accused of being a terrorist. She has no doubt his brother would have told him to be wary of her, too.[break][break]
This can't be real, she thinks, automatically. She's inside of a simulation, after all. Perhaps the machine's programming has advanced enough to be able to personalize the scenarios for each individual who traverses its virtual landscape. Maybe it now has the capacity to recreate real people and places from her life, specifically. It's a fascinating - and terrifying - prospect.[break][break]
But - but even so - [break][break]
Time seems to stand still. Nomi's heart beats furiously, like a drum, her chest constricting with a sudden influx of emotions. Before she can stop herself, before her better judgement can settle in, she's moving. Running. Closing the gap between them as quickly as she can.[break][break]
She crashes into him and wraps her arms tightly around his abdomen, burying her face in his chest. The tears flow freely, body shuddering as she sobs. He feels real. The wool of his vest scratches against her wet cheek. She hugs him and she cries, feeling like a child again. A scared little girl, lost to the cosmos, who thought she'd never see this man again.[break][break]

TAGS – GIDEON GRAVES[break]
NOTES – RKS

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Naomi Sato [break]
TOTAL RKS POINTS: 50 PTS

It's difficult to know what's real anymore, but one thing she does know, is that she doesn't care.[break][break]
Simulation, dream, or truth: the universe has gifted her a second chance to make things right with someone she loves, and she does not intend to waste it.[break][break]
"I'm sorry," she sobs into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Professor Graves. I never wanted to abandon the PhD program. I never wanted to quit on our work together. I should have told you about my situation with Rocket. I should have told you about the Unown."[break][break]
She rambles more apologetic nonsense until the tears begin to slow and she sucks in a shaky breath. Kallistatus drifts over to the professor, hovering right in front of him, its singular eye curious.[break][break]
The landscape begins to fracture and it is as if the machine has peered into the depths of Nomi's soul, and extracted the one location relevant to both her and GIDEON GRAVES outside of their shared academic history. A familiar Galarian battlefield manifests, and Nomi cannot explain why, but the sight of it squeezes her heart with a bittersweet nostalgia - for something that had once been good.

TAGS – GIDEON GRAVES[break]
NOTES – RKS

[attr="class","pkmn"]