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Nenet opted for brutality, which somehow did not surprise Nomi. Nenet was anything if not efficient, and her Mega-Evolved Hatterene's attack had certainly been a highly effective method of immediately removing the threat of the parent Poipole. They were lucky she had the dexterity and awareness to avoid crushing any of the eggs at the same time.[break][break]
Nomi gathered her things, and motioned for Datura to follow her out the way they had come. As they made to leave, Nenet grabbed one of the Poipole eggs. Clever, Nomi thought. It would be too much of a risk to go back for more, but one would hopefully be enough to learn more about the strange Ultra Beasts.[break][break]
"You'll have to let me come and observe the baby Poipole once it hatches," Nomi said, as they traversed through the wrecked hull of the ship. "It would be useful to gather data on its growth and development."[break][break]
Nomi paused, expression taking on an almost forlorn cast.[break][break]
"They came here through Ultra Wormholes, apparently. Perhaps that is why they are so fond of these strange rifts."
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He took her hand, which was so wholly unexpected, Nomi's cheeks heated beneath her mask. She hesitated for a moment, then completed the handshake. Might as well humor him.[break][break]
There was something familiar about the way this man presented himself: amicable to an almost comical degree, yes, but it wasn't that. It was more than he seemed to carry his heart on his sleeve. There was a genuine quality to the way he regarded her, his request anything but facetious.[break][break]
A lot of them are my guys, you know.[break][break]
It reminded her of Isaac Merlo, in a way.[break][break]
"I don't intend on killing anyone," she told him truthfully. It certainly wasn't her goal. Intentions were all well and good, but if someone attacked her, she would be forced to defend herself. She didn't need to belabor that nuance, though.[break][break]
"I meant what I said: I'm here to do research."[break][break]
She turned towards Kallistatus, intending to teleport back to her ship - there was equipment on board that needed to travel with her to the island, after all. Then she paused, and looked at ollie morales over her shoulder, one last time.[break][break]
"Watch your back, Ollie Morales. Rocket should be the least of your worries. Keep an eye out for Unown that do not travel with me, and look for signs of ruination. The DRK Triad are the greatest threat we collectively face."[break][break]
With that, she teleported away.

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Kallistatus watched the Visionary approach the rift. Rifts were fickle things, it knew. Here today, gone tomorrow.[break][break]
This rift yawned wide, its gaping mouth threatening to swallow up the dead. Stones scattered, a language unreadable save for one as ancient as Kallistatus. It, too, was one of the old ones, carrying on its back the burden of being first. It hurt to become, it knew, and the Unown had been there: they knew the pain of creation. Memory flowed through its veins, intermingled with life-blood and an energy so potent it burned like a star.[break][break]
She held a book in her hands: ragged, worn, an object displaced from time. Kallistatus did not know this book, but it knew that she valued it. She often had it on her, the expression on her face when she looked at it a complex mix of agitation, determination, and grief. Kallistatus also knew that this book did not belong in this world, its energy signature profoundly distinct: it was as much an anomaly as the rift she seemed keen on throwing it into. Perhaps she wanted to send it back to where it belonged.[break][break]
Something given, something taken. Something returning.[break][break][break][break]
Nomi had made plenty of copies of the field journal she'd recovered from the strange dream of Galar she'd woken up from at the Ancient Tomb. She knew, logically, she did not need to keep the original. And yet, a part of her wanted to. Wanted to because it was the only thing she had from that place. Wanted to because what if she'd missed something? Wanted to because Parker had scribbled in it. Wanted to because what if she forgot them? Forgot everything?[break][break]
But Isaac Merlo was not the only person capable of breaking chains.[break][break]
"The future is what matters," she murmured. She would[break][break]
( - a white dress, a strawberry cake, an "I love you" whispered between the sheets - )[break][break]
fight for their continued survival.[break][break]
She dropped the field journal into the rift and did not look back.
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The Unown-A was quick to inform the others. They were a collective, connected through mind, body, and spirit: news travelled fast through such a powerful network, bound by devotion. [break][break]
And so it was that Nomi's vision suddenly changed, consciousness magnetically drawn to the Unown-A that called out to her - like a radio signal - from Dewford Beach, where it had been watching for League reinforcements. Through its eye, the Head Scientist watched the Flygon and Greninja deposit their living cargo gingerly to the sands below, and with a hissed intake of breath, realized who it was.[break][break]
"Kal, with me," she called out to the shiny Unown-K that shadowed her, tone urgent. It was by her side in an instant. Together, they pinpointed the exact location of the Unown-A, then teleported to it. Nomi landed somewhat unsteadily; the events of the past several days had taken a toll on her. It seemed she did not have limitless access to her powerful new abilities: sooner or later, she would need to rest.[break][break]
Approaching the Flygon and Greninja - who seemed to be waiting for her, strangely enough - Nomi held up a hand in peaceful greeting, and said, calmly, "I am the Visionary. Thank you for bringing her here. You may return to your trainer now."[break][break]
This seemed to appease them, for they backed away from her with bowed heads - as if in supplication - then retreated, the Flygon taking the Greninja onto its back. Once they were gone, Nomi knelt next to the half-conscious woman, marveling at the way her hair fanned out around her head like a halo of gold.[break][break]
"Welcome back, Elisabeth," she murmured.
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Us.[break][break]
Perhaps most people would not have noticed the subtle oddity of that pronoun, given that Zev was, at least at first glance, a singular he. But Nomi - who's keen mind latched onto the linguistic anomaly with a laser precision - was not most people. Nomi, too, belonged to a collective now: she and her Unown were bound mind, body, and soul. She could will them to act with a thought, see through their eyes with her own, and visit their dimension whenever she pleased. And when they spoke to her, it was with one voice: and she, too, was a part of it.[break][break]
So it did not strike her as strange for Zev to refer to himself that way. All it did was inform her of just how deeply he and Necrozma seemed to be bonded now.[break][break]
Whether that was terrible or advantageous news remained to be seen.[break][break]
"Yes," she answered promptly, waving at the seat across from her desk, where he was welcome to sit if he desired. "I read your report, and there was one part in particular that stood out to me more than the rest."[break][break]
Kallistatus blinked into existence next to Nomi, hovering by her shoulder. It stared at Zev with its unblinking eye.[break][break]
"I want to know everything, in detail, about her. The woman who confronted you. What do you make of that, in truth?" Nomi's crimson eyes hardened. "The DRK Triad has tried to kill nearly every would-be Avatar that has manifested in this region, including myself. But you, they offered something else entirely: a chance to join them. Why?"
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And just like that, they were bound to one another. No going back now: Nomi had made her offering, and Illeana had taken it willingly.[break][break]
Nomi's smile widened with triumph. Illeana was right - the human spirit was their trump card. Together, they might be able to make a real difference, two brilliant minds piecing together the rest of the puzzle.[break][break]
"First, we need to further investigate the energy on this island. I trust your assessment, you are skilled in energy identification - if it's not a legendary Pokemon, then what it is? I have focused much of my own research lately on Terastallization - so I am something of a specialist in that regard. It may or may not be helpful here."[break][break]
As if in answer, the dream mist that had receded earlier came swirling back with enthusiasm. Nomi glanced down at it curiously. It did seem to be drawn to her now, more than before. Was it because of the Unown?[break][break]
"After that...well, I'd like to take you somewhere...and see if you can help me figure out what's going on there."[break][break]
The ground beneath her feet trembled - the aftershock of some nearby earthquake, perhaps? Or more of her peers come to investigate the cave?[break][break]
"We must not be seen working together," Nomi assessed, tone taking on a measure of urgency. "Not by the League or Rocket. I will find you afterwards, and we can exchange notes regarding the energy here. Do you have any Unown in your possession?"[break][break]
If not, she would give one to the other woman. It would be the best way for them to communicate going forward.
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