“what?”

but parker was already getting out of the car. nina was quick to react. ”ugh.” her eyes followed her as she came around. ”but i wanna drive!”

parker was soon standing there, and as her fingers curled around the handle, nina held the door shut, still talking through the window up at her. ”i’ll pick it up. i’m a quick learner!” a moment, and then her palm came up to slap down the lock.

”it’s my destiny, parker!”

parker jones

busting through the hull, it was a relief to be on the other side where there was at least a little more light. more… air? whatever it was, and not to mention, less megalopolan zombies.

however, once on the outside, she realized that freya and danny hadn’t been following. with frantic concern, she looked back. ”danny?!” not again. she couldn’t lose another one.

”weren’t they behind you?” she asked toshiaki, before holding her breath.

floating there with her milotic, she waited as the seconds passed, prepared to go back in. she wouldn’t leave until they escaped as well.

mdU6n7Pe

DANNY HALL Toshiaki Macallan freya morningstar

she glared as she chewed, periwinkle brows scrunching against the tips of long lashes.

”just because you’re rude…”

breakfast was finished up quickly enough, and then it was time to speed on out of that garage and begin her new legacy as a champion racecar driver.

eyeing down at the shifter, she noted something. it was different than last time.

”hmm...”

pressing her foot down, they began to roll forward, and she scrambled. ”wait—shit—!” a squeek, and they lurched, and then braked. ”why are there three pedals?”

parker jones

she watched in horror and morbid interest as the megalopolan approached, though losing their footing on the rotting patch of eggs that covered the floor. her nose crinkled at it, the smell wafting more as it was disturbed. how long had the eggs been there? why had they not hatched?

”maybe danny’s right.” a curse, which was even more sickening to think about. that was the last thing she needed to attract, as she had begun to finally question her good luck.

”yeah, let’s get out of here!”

following toshiaki’s suggestion, she turned in the direction they’d come, rushing to exit the deathtrap that was the quaestor lucis. she caught hold of her milotic as one swam beneath her, speeding to make its own exit. a dragon hammer bursting through a cracked section of the hull, filling the floor of the ship with more of the realm’s cool glow.

DANNY HALL Toshiaki Macallan freya morningstar

the ship was like a new place all lit up, megalopolan ghosts manning stations as though nothing had happened. nina’s jaw slackened. having not been in the border yet, she hadn’t seen spirits like this before, but she’d heard about the ones in the mt. pyre rift.

”is it… because places are overlapping?” was this a strange mashing of realms with the border? ”or maybe it’s dialga…”

distracted by the scene, she didn’t notice the sound until it was pointed out by freya morningstar .

at Toshiaki Macallan ’s question, she turned to look back in the direction they’d come in, only to land eyes on an unwelcome sight. a real live megalopolan, staring straight at them—and he was big.

”i don’t think that’s a ghost.” she pointed, and her milotic took it as a command, rushing towards it.

controlled by a nearby nihilego, the megalopolan brandished a baton that sparked violent ectricity, as seen in the three day war. ignoring the milotic, he charged for the group.

19 be hunted by the corpse of a large megalopolan with a nihilego controlling it by way of its toxin in the open realm or The Quaestor Lucis.

DANNY HALL Toshiaki Macallan freya morningstar

”huh?”

she turned, hoping he wasn’t backing out now. when he approached, however, the closer he got, the clearer it became that was not the case.

everything in her except her heart told her look somewhere else. get distracted. dodge.

instead, she merely gazed into his eyes.

”yes?”

DANNY HALL

as they started down the path together in the direction of the practice fields, nina wound her earbuds up and shoved them into a pocket of her backpack, along with her phone. her mareep and surskit followed quietly. both jumped at the sudden cry that came from vermillion.

nina looked down. ”aw! a snom.” she watched as it was scooped up, surely a new friend made. she found it pretty, its evolution being one of the few bug-types she truly appreciated.

while they continued along, her eyes lingered on it with a smile. ”it’s so cute. i usually only see them in shoal cave.”

skipping

symon blessing

parker’s face had no effect on her, except the tiniest raise of her brows. she was waiting. the sandwich was eagerly taken, and she muttered, ”thank you sal.”

there was no hesitation, and she was already mid-bite when parker was… what was she doing? it was a little like babbling, which—though she hadn’t know parker for long—seemed unlike her. her brow furrowed, now, over at her. she swallowed.

”no, i wanna drive. i’m gonna win. i dreamt about it.”

parker jones

she laughed. her grin widened behind a small cloud of steam. ”okay! let’s go.” off to hot chocolate, then. was it a date when it had been a bet? no, of course not.

unstrapping, she pulled up the board and hauled it over towards her awaiting gyarados, returned her pokemon, and soon, they were on their way to a cafe she’d spotted nearby.

DANNY HALL

she entered the wreckage as well, floating in the glow of the illumina milotic. her nose scrunched at the rotten smell that they were greeted with, stomach turning a little. she held her hand over her nose, as though it might help. no luck.

”it’s a nest, then?” that explained all the dangerous things hiding around. ”i wonder if they’re ultra beasts. maybe we should try to look for more?” ones that weren’t rotten, to take.

as she looked up, suddenly, the ship powered on. lights, controls, and not just that. even a crew of phantom megalopolans, hurrying around them.

nina gasped. ”oh my gods.”

prompt 25 experience the quaestor lucis suddenly powering up or finding rooms completely refurbished with phantom megalopolans before it all reverts back to normal.

DANNY HALL Toshiaki Macallan freya morningstar

this time, despite all that had happened prior, they found themselves at the wreckage of the quaestor lucis even quicker than before. in fact, their entire mission today revolved around uncovering the ship’s secrets. however, their first trip had proven it to be very dangerous.

”okay guys, help us clear out the ship!”

from behind rocks, in their hiding place, nina tossed another pokeball like a grenade, from it burst a second milotic, and together, the two water-types dove into wreckage like worms into a rotten apple. water pulse and whirlpool were enough to push out the same predators from before, so that they could be driven away, for safe(r) exploration.

DANNY HALL Toshiaki Macallan freya morningstar

they seemed to be going in teams, danny and his mamoswine, versus nina and her excitable pinnipeds. they passed by those slower, barks bugled about their victory.

at the bottom of the hill, nina found herself the winner—and alive, not even having run into any trees. she called teasingly to danny, ”oh, so close!”

they could keep going, or, they could move on for now. get out of the cold. besides, he owed her. those were the rules.

pulling her mask up unveiled her grin. ”wanna go for a little longer, or just cut straight to the hot chocolate?”

DANNY HALL