That chill certainly was growing stronger. Eva found herself tense for no particular reason other than to stave off the sharp nip of the desert’s night air. Even the Rapidash’s flames couldn’t stave off the goosebumps rising across her arms and up to her neck. It’s something unnatural she ignores, using logic to explain away the discomfort.

The mare stops behind the archeologist’s spectral beast. She stumps uneasily and shifts to the side as Eva slides off her back, “Eeeasy, Hestia,” she sings, reaching up to stroke the pokemon’s nose while she reaches for a pokeball to return her.

The Armorougue’s gentle flames cast a glow strong enough to sharpen the ominous shadows along the tomb’s walls and Eva follows Remial closely to not lose her way, “Ready when you are,” she attempt a cheerful demeanor despite the discomfort, stepping in closer to keep on the royal’s back. He would know this tomb much better than she would. This was the first she had ever heard of THE TOMB OF AMMON.

Eva decides she’d rather not be last in line. She cracks open another pokeball to let another small pokemon bring up the flank, “Stay close,” she instructs. The Mr. Mime ILLUMINATES, revealing it’s true, unique nature. A gentle white light melts into the fire-type’s more harsh red hues, enveloping the explorers in a sphere of false comfort.

---

As the group ventures further into the bowels of the tomb, Eva can’t help but feel a growing sense of unease. Perhaps it's their gloomy surroundings and nothing more. It is, after all, a tomb.

On the other hand, Remiel appears right at home. It does provide some sense of comfort, though fleeting. His attentiveness makes Eva smile, and it returns his warm one when he looks back at her. It’s always nice seeing someone in their ‘natural’ element and an archeologist is home inside a tomb . . . however strange that sounds.

“It has. We’ve both been preoccupied, I guess,” busy. The state of the region is in shambles and their expertise rarely crosses paths it seems, “Happy to accompany you today, though,” not that she would have had a choice. Missing persons? Eva couldn’t ignore that.

Her gaze follows his behind her to the glowing Mr. Mime. Its lifeless eyes and rather unsettling, emotionless expression stares directly back at them, “Yes, Illumina,” she raises a brow when she looks back at Remiel, “What did you expect, then?”

Eva steps up to stand beside Remiel as they enter a rather spacious cavern. As expected, her attention is immediately drawn to the floor and strange network for tiles. She only looks up when he directs her attention there, “Oh!” she exclaims with wide eyes, “That doesn’t look good,” she motions the Mr. Mime closer, “Maybe a PROTECT from above . . . just in case.”

A shimmering barrier glistens above their heads, shielding the small group from any spikes that would dare come loose. She glances to Remiel for guidance - he’s the expert, after all.

---

Eva waits patiently as Remiel read through his little book. Well, she waits about as patiently as a curious scientist can. Without a second thought, she finds herself leaning closer . . . and closer then onto her tippy toes to peer around her shoulder at the little leather bound book.

When Remiel stirs, finding what he’s looking for, Eva snaps back into place with a quick jerk and innocent smile when she acknowledges her impatient curiosity, “Tenets of the desert,” she repeats with a reverent nod and slight nudge to the Mr. Mime, “Pay attention, don’t step anywhere else!” she warns. The pokemon’s response is simply a subtle curve of his smile getting just a touch wider. Eva frowns, hoping he understands. The Mr. Mime hadn’t let her down yet!

“Butlers?” Eva follows carefully behind Remiel, stepping wide to make to the first symbol she committed to memory, “I wouldn’t know what it’s like having a butler,” if he looks back, he’d see a teasing grin, “They’re quite handy. Very good support pokemon,” hopefully. Remiel wouldn’t have to to find out and see the Mr. Mime in action, “I do have a lot of Audino though . . . and Hatterene . . . and Blissey,” that’s probably more of what Remiel expected from someone like her, “But I also have a lot of dragons, and aerodactyl, a- and fighting types,” you know, the more dangerous pokemon. She doesn’t like the idea of being put in a box or being thought of as incapable. Likely not his intention, but with her imposter syndrome flared up and as sensitive as it is, she subconsciously feels the need to clarify.

---

What may have led to an enlightening and enriching conversation about dragons is crushed beneath weight of a single idea, a god, long gone, but they left wounds seem to never heal; Torn open again and again. There’s a seemingly hopeless emptiness that leaves her feeling hollow. There’s the constant discomfort that there is something missing, a void that can’t be filled. Parting ways is a polite way to put it. Eva simply wasn’t enough. They needed more, someone more. Eva always knew their partnership would end - she isn’t so naive to believe the gods truly cared. It would have ended with her death or when she served her purpose. The latter luckily came before the former. Though some days she wishes it was the former. She used to be a servant with a higher calling, now she’s a shell of what she once was, wandering Hoenn like a restless ghost searching for that purpose once again. Hollow, and helpless to do a damn thing about it except work and smile and pretend she’s fine and cling to hope in a time that feels hopeless.

Because duty comes before grief, and that’s something she can control. Hoenn needs her and she needs them more than she may care to admit. So no, she doesn’t seem sad when Remiel brings up Rayquaza. The mask she wears is stalwart, reliable. It doesn’t miss a beat. It offers a smile to disrupt his discomfort and a shrug that moves the conversation forward, “It’s alright,” her lips part to say something else but the unmistakable grinding of stone and the creak of ancient gadgets snaps her mouth shut once again.

“Uh-oh,” her eyes widen at the plate beneath Remiel’s boot. She doubts it's supposed to do that. Her gaze shoots up, the dazzling barrier of a PROTECT remains but the rusted iron spikes seem to sway, “We should probably run, yeah?”

---

It happens faster than she could have comprehended it all, but it also seemed to unfold in slow motion. The spikes rattled before falling, her eyes glued up at the ceiling. The roar of the stone shattering against the Mr. Mime’s PROTECT shook her to her core. Then there was a warm touch and the sensation of being jerked into an even warmer embrace. She sucked in a breath as the world went dark, then brighter than she would have imagined. The tickle of electricity danced across her skin and through her body and suddenly she was looking back at the Mr. Mime running for its life across the tilting and creaking stones on the floor.

Eva’s grip on Remiel instinctively tightens as the adrenaline finally spikes and she watches with wide eyes as the mime pokemon somehow seems to dodge what he can. The gentle push of a few PSYCHIC blasts no doubt helped him escape true peril.

Her fingers slowly uncurl and she assesses herself before critically looking over Remiel and the pokemon, “I’m,” a smile slowly creeps up across her pink cheeks, “I’m fine. Great, actually,” and the smile grows a little wider as she bathes in the aftermath of the adrenaline and danger, “That was exhilarating! I didn’t know you could do that,” the smile turns down into a frown as the implication of his words sets in, “Tampered? So someone wanted us to fail,” her nose scrunches up in annoyance, “We won’t be able to trust anything from here on, hm?” Whoever, or whatever, it was would have to work a lot harder to keep them from pressing forward on their expedition.

---

Eva’s gaze glances between the ruined cavern behind them and the ominous road ahead. She speaks slowly, the words drawn out with suspicion, “Yes . . . no way but forward,” was that the culprits plan all along? Only give them one way? Like herding Miltank to the slaughter . . .

“Yes, we should be extra careful,” she agrees, moving to follow closely behind him as his Armorouge leads the way. Eva’s Mr. Mime brought up the rear, bouncing behind them pleasantly as if he didn’t almost just get crushed by the sinister trap.

Eventually, the narrow corridor opens up into a spacious cavern, decorated with brilliant states and colorful gems, “Orre?” Eva repeats, moving away from Remiel as curiosity draws her closer to the statue of the Braviary-headed man. She wouldn’t have thought twice about his pristine it is in this chamber until Remiel mentions it. She finds her gaze traveling quickly towards the ceiling, the pillars, the statues and finally back to the ground at her feet.

No Spinarak webs, no debris knocked from the statues or pillars by the cruel mistress of time, no musty air heavy with dust. It really is pristine.

“That’s . . . odd,” It’s the only work Eva can think of at the moment because she has no other explanation or way to describe what they are witnessing, “When was the last time you were here?”/ she question the archeologist and encourages the Mr. Mime to explore the chamber further, searching for any signs of life or anything out of the ordinary.

---

Eva always wished she had the capacity in that big brain of hers to retain even more information. She always appreciated the past. It could teach you very valuable lessons about the future. But alas, there were only so many hours in the day and priorities steered her attention elsewhere.

“I’m wha-” she stared wide eyed at the pick axe Remiel had shoved into her hands. She lifted her gaze to memorize the instructions he dictated. A moon. About yay big. She nodded in understanding and turned back to look at the passage that led opposite of the one he intended to explore.

Eva’s hands waved frantically around her when the cave shook. She managed to keep her balance but looked wide-eyed back at Remiel. There was no choice but to split up now. With a strong nod of confidence and practiced determination she acknowledged her task, “Hopefully quicker than that!”

And then she was off, sprinting across the chamber towards the hallway behind the her assigned statue, “The moon, the moon, the moon,” she chanted quietly to herself, sliding to the right to dodge a stream of sand that suddenly began pouring from a crack in the ceiling. If they didn’t hurry up, they’d be buried alive. Yikes.

“Need a little more light, Mime! Catch up, will ya!” Eva glanced behind her and saw the goofy pokemon trotting nonchalantly down the hallway with the same ridiculous grin, “A little urgency, please.”

The pokemon’s refreshed ILLUMINATE grew stronger, spreading down the hallways until . . . “That’s it!” she pointed towards the glimmer of silver at the edge of the pokemon’s artificial light. Eva hacked at the sphere until it was loose and cradled it in her arms.

A deep groan like a waking yawn echoed from behind her. Both the professor and the Mr. Mime slowly turned around to find themselve face to face with an angry Shiny Cofagrigus. It’s body glistened similarly to the silver moon she held against her chest.

“Time to go,” Mr. Mime’s MAGIC COAT reflected the DARK PULSE back at the haunted sarcophagus, “Like now,” she grabbed the Mr. Mime’s wrist with her free hand while the pokemon slowly recovered from the reflected dark-type attack. The two sprinted their way back to the main chamber.

---