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her focus is on what's right in front of her. her aegislash switches deftly between its two stances, defending its trainer from attacks and then revealing itself to deal damage. it, along with rose's mimikyu, manage to fend off their most direct attackers. the pokemon opposing them seem to just... disappear, popping out of existence as if running with their tails between their legs. but maki knows from reports that this is just a result of the space-time distortion around them, driving the pokemon into a panicked frenzy and then sucking them back up again.[break][break]

then she hears rose calling for her above the roar of the rift. she turns, catches sight of the shadowy hands reaching for her companion, and her body moves on instinct. while her aegislash is finishing up with its latest opponent, she grabs hold of rose and yanks her back, getting in between her and the hands. now she can see it-- a cofagrigus, known for trying to catch people and trap them inside its body.[break][break]

the ghost type gives up on rose. instead it grabs maki, its hands shooting out and pulling her toward it. maki grits her teeth, trying to pull in the other direction, but the pokemon is too strong. "aegislash!" she calls, reaching one hand out desperately for her pokemon. she just barely manages to grab ahold of the hilt before...[break][break]

the coffin shuts with her, and her pokemon, inside.

[attr="class","bottom"]once again, i have a foolish nightmare.[break]
[break]Rose Soleil
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

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it's dark, and... strangely peaceful. maki's heard tales of cofagrigus, that they used to be human before some tragic fate befell them and they awoke as yamask... some small part of her wonders if this is the spirit of someone she's killed, returning just to exact its vengeance on her. if that's the case, she should feel more of a sense of panic. the inside of the coffin, however, is like floating inside a void. she remembers the recurring dream she's been having. the only thing that's missing is the sensation of powder-white snow falling and evaporating on her.[break][break]

then a voice from the other side breaks through the silence, though it's muffled. she awakens from her daydream, still holding onto the hilt of her aegislash. "king's shield," she whispers, thrusting the blade in front of her. its shield shifts to the front, protecting the both of them from the wood hammer that slams into the cofagrigus from the outside. there's a crack, and a beam of dull light enters the chamber. maki shoves her aegislash into that crack, and uses it as a wedge to force her way out of the coffin.[break][break]

she bursts out, stumbling as she takes several steps back on solid ground. gasping, she turns on her heels and points her aegislash at the nearly-beaten cofagrigus. "night slash!" she moves with her pokemon, cutting down their opponent. the cofagrigus collapses, and then disappears.

[attr="class","bottom"]once again, i have a foolish nightmare.[break]
[break]Rose Soleil
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

[attr="class","charicon"]

she's slightly out of breath. there had been little oxygen inside the cofagrigus, and if she had stayed much longer she surely would have suffocated. "i'm fine," she says, brushing rose's concern away. her aegislash is released from her grip, the sword returning to defensive mode as it uses king's shield once more to protect the two young women from being pounced on.[break][break]

the pokemon here are frenzied from the energy pouring into them, and from the unknown surroundings. they batter each other because they don't know what else to do with themselves, and once defeated, the energy leaves them and they disappear. it's exactly how space-time distortions have been described to maki before, leaving little doubt that this is what they're experiencing. "...the distortion will end, eventually," maki explains. "we just have to hold out until then. all these pokemon will disappear with it." she says that like it's simple.[break][break]

as if on cue, her aegislash's defenses are overwhelmed. a well-timed flamethrower knocks it down, and it doesn't get back up. maki switches to her ursaluna, which protects the two trainers with its sheer bulk. "...but i don't know how long it will take," she admits quietly.

[attr="class","bottom"]once again, i have a foolish nightmare.[break]
[break]Rose Soleil
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

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her aegislash is revived, but not without a price being paid. they no longer have a healer on their side, and rose's pokemon are quickly becoming fatigued. maki's side is faring only a little better thanks to their extensive combat training. her aegislash immediately returns to the defensive, and her ursaluna is still using its bulk to defend the two girls from being reached directly. she has a number of pokemon who have not yet graced the battlefield, but she's hoping she won't have to use them here.[break][break]

"we'll make it through this. together." she spares a glance at rose. oddly enough, this predicament feels... familiar, but in a nostalgic way. if this weren't real life, she'd think almost that it were a game just the two of them were playing. many years ago, when maki was small, she'd enjoyed playing the part of the noble knight. over time that fascination faded, so it's strange to her that it's resurfacing now after all these years.[break][break]

the air fizzles and pops. the field around them starts to shrink, millimeter by millimeter. "...i think it's retreating," she says. but it's not over yet-- there's a roar from nearby, as a rhyperior appears, disoriented and confused. it sets its gaze on maki's ursaluna, and charges. without thinking, maki reels backward and shoves rose to the side so the two won't be caught in the attack.

[attr="class","bottom"]once again, i have a foolish nightmare.[break]
[break]Rose Soleil
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

[attr="class","charicon"]

the ground is not particularly welcoming, maki's knees scraping across the asphalt as she falls. they avoided the attack, but now find themselves in... something of a different predicament. maki's face stops inches from rose's, and her mental faculties grind to a halt, for whatever reason. her eyes widen almost imperceptibly, and for a moment, she just breathes.[break][break]

then she remembers where she is, and picks herself back up off the ground. the distortion around them is contracting much faster, and will likely close within the next couple of minutes. but there's still the problem of the rhyperior... it's crushing her ursaluna, which struggles to free itself from the larger rock type's grip. thanks to rose's earlier sacrifice, though, maki has a weapon to use.[break][break]

"iron head!" her aegislash slams itself into the rhyperior, its form changing as it switches to attack mode. the rhyperior stumbles, letting go of maki's ursaluna... and then the field seals itself with a 'pop!', the rhyperior disappearing back to where it came from.[break][break]

maki blinks. "that was... unpleasant." to say the least... she looks back at rose. "are you alright?"

[attr="class","bottom"]once again, i have a foolish nightmare.[break]
[break]Rose Soleil
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

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the quiet is almost more unnerving than the distortion, now that it's over. adrenaline still courses through her veins, making her antsy, as she shifts from foot to foot. she tries to quiet her singing blood, breathing slow and careful, reminding herself the threat has been dealt with. her pokemon, too, are still agitated. her ursaluna she recalls, and her aegislash floats to her side, returning to its defensive stance.[break][break]

maki blinks. "...dinner?" she echoes. her experiences as a yukimura have taught her to look for ulterior motive in everything; everyone wants something from you, her mother has always said. but she can't find any such thing in rose's demeanor now. she can't deny she's hungry, after being here for so long tending to the wounded. "i... suppose i could do that," she says, brows knitted.[break][break]

her aegislash approaches rose. its expression is unreadable, but it gives the woman a friendly bump on the shoulder. "i think it's trying to say thank you," maki explains. there's the faintest of smiles on her face, one that soon melts back into her usual cold demeanor. "come on." she'd like to get out of here as soon as possible.

[attr="class","bottom"]once again, i have a foolish nightmare.[break]
[break]Rose Soleil
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]