[attr="class","text"]

Nomi allowed Xiura to drag her back towards the tomb's entrance just as a Regirock of all things manifested before them, clearly upset. The urge to study it was overpowered by survival instinct as rocks began to fall from the ceiling, the entire cave trembling beneath the wrath of the massive creature. Collapse was imminent, so Nomi turned her back on the fascinating display of power - one she hadn't seen within the simulation before - and ran as fast as she could alongside Xiura.[break][break]
Around them, the scene stretched and morphed, colors blending into one another and pixellating into entirely new shapes. The women were now standing amidst a peaceful glade, a familiar pure white tree heralding their arrival.[break][break]
"I've also been here before," Nomi assured Xiura. "That tree is sacred, though I do not know exactly why. See all the Pokemon kneeling before it? They've been petrified. Watering the tree brings them back to life, but I have no idea what would happen if we destroyed it instead."[break][break]
She glanced at Xiura, curious what her friend would decide to do.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","itemcolicon"]

[attr="class","itemcolname"]xerneas event

[attr="class","lgdcol"]

[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]TREE OF LIFE 1

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]You enter a resplendent glade with a large white tree growing in its center. Although it is devoid of leaves or fruits, it is a sacred and splendid scene seemingly untouched for one thousand years. Around its base, Pokemon kneel though they do not seem alive. They've been petrified into absolute stone.[break][break]

Coming close, you sense the tree "speaking" to you. It beckons for you to water it.[break][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Nomi didn't need to be told twice. She dashed into the hallway just as Alpha disappeared with a pop, reappearing directly in front of the horrific monster closing in on the two women. The terastallized Unown-A glowed a bright white, then released an ICE TERA BLAST directly at the undead Megalopolan.[break][break]
Shards of ice coated the creature, and it jerked, feet now stuck to the decaying wooden floor. As Nomi made for the stairs leading back out to the ship's deck, she paused, noticing something behind the zombie: pale ethereal tendrils of translucent flesh, a star-adorned mushroom-shaped head peeking out from behind the monstrosity. Nomi gasped, all thoughts of escape superseded by her sudden shock.[break][break]
[break]
"A Nihilego is controlling it!" She breathed, excited. Nihilego toxin was an extremely potent substance - but to be able to reanimate a dead body? That was another level of mind control beyond what Nomi had already discovered in her research on the parasitic Ultra Beast.[break][break]
"Alpha, change of plans - ignore the Megalopolan. Attack the Nihilego!" Nomi shouted at her Unown.[break][break]
Another ICE TERA BLAST rocketed towards the Nihilego, forcing it to detach from its undead shield, which caused the Megalopolan to stagger awkwardly to the side. It released a spray of sickly acid at Alpha, but the Unown was too quick. Using its ability to teleport, it shifted behind the Nihilego, then attempted to freeze it again. This time, its attack landed.[break][break]
Nomi pulled out a Pokeball and hurled it at the ice-coated Nihilego, who's movements were now sluggish and delayed. Unable to avoid the capture, it swivelled what seemed to be its face around to glance at Nomi, and for half-a-second she felt it regarding her - its touch on her mind as cold as the ice that held it hostage, causing her to shiver. Then there was a burst of light, and it was swallowed up into the Pokeball.[break][break]
"Watch my back while I go and collect it," Nomi murmured to Nenet. The undead Megalopolan would likely still be dangerous until the toxin drained from its body. Hopefully Nenet would be able to thoroughly subdue it.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Nomi nodded when Lulu mentioned her machine. Now that Lulu was back, perhaps they would be able to work on it together. Nomi still had many unanswered questions about the nature of dream mist and the Interdream Zone; it was good to have their resident expert on such subjects back with Rocket.[break][break]
"The RKS Machine and the Interdream Zone do seem to share many of the same qualities and functions, at least in terms of how they warp reality based on our memories, hopes, desires, and lived experiences. Though the RKS Machine feels a bit more programmed than the Interdream Zone, I would not be shocked if it, too, eventually deviated from its original purpose."[break][break]
Whatever that purpose actually is, she thought wryly. To find Arceus, they hoped, but such things were rarely simple or straightforward.[break][break]
Lulu shifted topics and Nomi leaned back against her desk, folding her arms thoughtfully. "Yes, I am familiar with the Cloud," she replied. She had not visited herself, but she had read all of the reports. "What about it?" There was so much that could be said in regards to that topic, after all.[break][break]
Beside her, Nu bobbed up and down eagerly, as if it too recognized the importance of the Cloud.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","text"]

"No limitations," she repeated, lips quirking into an amused grin in response to his visible enthusiasm. She and Cillian had much in common, but one thing in particular was their shared appreciation for scientific innovation and discovery. The analytical unraveling of the mysteries surrounding her Avatar powers was as captivating a process for him as it was for her.[break][break]
His inquiry about seeing across dimensions was a fascinating one, something she had not yet considered on her own.[break][break]
"I would think it possible," She decided, glancing at Kallistatus thoughtfully. "After all, I have a direct connection to the Unown Dimension now."[break][break]
She had not been back since her confrontation with Holo, but she had carried with her since that fateful day an intuitive certainty that it was possible. As well as...[break][break]
"I've been meaning to visit again, and...I actually think I can take you with me," she declared excitedly. When she'd escaped Holo, she had been able to transfer not just herself to the Unown Dimension, but Isaac as well. Could she do such a thing again, but not under duress - rather, intentionally?[break][break]
She moved closer to Cillian, then gently took his hand in her much smaller one. She turned to Kallistatus and said kindly, "Take us to your dimension, please."[break][break]
At first, nothing happened. All she could hear was the cawing of Wingull and the rhythmic crashing of waves against the island's rocky shore.[break][break]
But then...[break][break]
[break]
A rushing sounded, and the world distorted around the two Rockets. Nomi felt her body - no, her entire being - bend forward, as if her soul was being sucked right out of her body and through a cosmic portal. And then, just like that, she was standing within the same purple-pink galaxy of unfamiliar, impossibly bright stars: the same exact place the Unown had first taken her upon exiting the infiltrated RKS Machine.[break][break]
All around her, within her, whispers - [break][break]
[break]
[break][break]
"Last time I was here, I saw the birth of the universe," she whispered casually to Cillian, as if that were not one of the most profound statements anyone could ever make. She smiled up at him with eager, awed, grateful eyes. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Nomi watched the unfamiliar man through Kallistatus's eye, finding herself amused despite the circumstances when he began rummaging around for a spare Pokeball. If he were to throw one, of course, it would bounce right off the shiny Unown - since it already belonged to her. He had no way to know that, of course.[break][break]
Well, might as well spare him the trouble.[break][break]
Kallistatus blinked out of existence just as the SHADOW CLAW sliced through the air where it had been floating, reappearing behind the man with a pop. The Unown-K began to glow a soft orange, a beam of HIDDEN POWER blasting forth from its small, seemingly harmless body.[break][break]
Nomi switched back to her own vision, taking the opportunity to make a break for the cave entrance while the man was distracted. She gathered up her backpack, packed to the brim with equipment, and, heaving from the exertion, began to run forward - out from behind the cover of the tree. Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly practiced at hauling heavy items while running. With a yelp, she tripped, falling awkwardly to the ground in a heap.[break][break]
"Ouch..." She muttered. Hopefully, the man and his Ceruledge hadn't noticed...

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Nomi felt numb. She ought to have cautioned - Parker, your hands! (which were still injured, Arceus they would never heal at this rate) - but she didn't, she let the other woman crash her fist right through the wall. She ought to have called for Maisey, gathered her into trembling arms - comfort for the both of them - but she didn't, she remained frozen on the bed.[break][break]
Parker's panic wasn't helping the situation. Nomi bristled at the sudden interrogation.[break][break]
"Of course I didn't know! Why would I be this shocked if I knew?" She snapped, furious. "Parker, he was just with me in the RKS Machine. He was there when Holo - when I - the Unown - " She sucked in a breath. "Why would he DO this?"[break][break]
Suddenly she felt like punching something, too. Something was tearing inside of her and her brain didn't seem to be working as well as it usually did and she was so cold all of a sudden.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Parker's voice sounded far away, an inconsequential background noise that could not compete with the sudden rushing in Nomi's ears. She read and re-read the message, as if each new reading might reveal something she'd missed, something that invalidated the meaning she had initially interpreted.[break][break]
Unfortunately, she was far too smart to lie to herself, not when there was such a definitive lack of ambiguity. It was an alert she'd seen before, after all, one that had become all too common for Rocket as of late. Every other time, she had not necessarily batted an eyelash, clearly neutral in her assessment of the violent consequences.[break][break]
Until now. Because now it wasn't just anybody.[break][break]
"He was just..." she murmured, the phone slipping from fingers that had gone coldly limp, bouncing onto the comforter. Maisey grumbled, shifting her weight.[break][break]
" - with me, he was just with me- "[break][break]
Kallistatus turned from the window, as if drawn to her shift in mood, sensing her growing anguish.[break][break]
"He made me a promise, he - "[break][break]
Nomi's hands balled into fists, body starting to shake as if fevered.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

"You sound like parker jones," Nomi laughed, patting her Unown-A fondly on the top of its symbolic body as Kouji watched it with wary eyes. Between the combined attacks of the Unown and Kouji's Umbreon, the Spiritomb was forced to back off. As soon as it relented, the simulation began to fade, the environment shifting once again, ready to deposit them into some new landscape.[break][break]
They were greeted by stormy seas, and Nomi wavered as she almost lost her footing due to the choppy waves rocking the boat they'd appeared on. She glanced at Kouji to see how he was faring.[break][break]
"There will be a legendary Pokemon here in a - "[break][break]
A massive booming thunderclap cut through the night, and the sky lit up with crackling lightening.[break][break]
" - second."[break][break]
The God emerged out of the clouds and soared down to touch its claws to the raging ocean. Nomi's Unown-A drifted forward, ready for anything.[break][break]
"Fighting it may not be the best course of action," she advised. "But somehow, I have a feeling that's what you'd prefer to do."[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","itemcolicon"]

[attr="class","itemcolname"]thundurus event

[attr="class","lgdcol"]

[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]THUNDURUS 1

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]Thunder cracks above a turbulent sea. Flashes of lightning are but the briefest beacons illuminating the night, but they only serve to clarify the hair-raising waves your small ship manages to survive. Storm clouds mask the moon—but they seem to be moving closer toward you, hanging unusually low.[break][break]

The storm clouds stop before your ship. From the cumulous cover, a THERIAN THUNDURUS emerges with crackling lightning coursing from its knotted tail. What does it want? It does not look pleased.

[attr="class","text"]

"It's the university I need to deal with," Nomi sighed, curled up next to Parker on the bed. Their bed, she'd come to think of it. The prospect of returning to her own apartment was a distasteful one, and so she had procrastinated confronting its existence and the inevitability of needing to at least water her plants, one of these days.[break][break]
It sure felt like she belonged here, though. Like leaving might disrupt the order of the universe, or something equally distressing.[break][break]
"Professor Graves is going to kill me if I miss my next thesis review," she continued, nuzzling her nose into Parker's neck, fingertips running over the rough callouses on Parker's palm. Kallistatus hovered by the window, as if drawn to the moonlight filtering through the blinds; Maisey, on the other hand, snored loudly, nestled against Parker on her other side.[break][break]
One of Nomi's phones buzzed, jostling the other items on the bedside table with its sudden vibration. She turned to look, extracting herself from Parker just enough to make out which phone had intruded on their peace.[break][break]
Rocket. It was the encrypted phone she used to communicate with her fellow peers within the criminal organization.[break][break]
A pang of guilt burned through Nomi; she owed Walsh and the others a report concerning her newly acquired Avatar powers, as well as a warning about Holo's appearance in the RKS Machine. She'd put off doing that just as she had her PhD work at Slateport University: all in favor of losing herself in a little domestic bliss.[break][break]
"I should check that," she muttered apologetically, stretching across Parker to grab the phone. She settled back in, then unlocked it with a few swipes.[break][break]
She froze, eyes scanning the text alert. Her entire body stiffened, and her stomach dropped, chest constricting with a sudden cold dread as she digested what it said.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Nomi did not necessarily understand why Aurelie felt she needed to thank Nomi for her patience during the Tera Testing...if Aurelie had been cranky, Nomi barely remembered it. The experiment had been successful: that's all that mattered, in the end.[break][break]
"Actually, both. There's a specific material I'd like you to try - " Nomi began, trailing off as Aurelie's attention was drawn to something behind Nomi. Instead of wasting time turning around, Nomi merely switched to looking through Kallistatus's eye, instantly seeing the sickly purple mist creeping towards them from a crack in the far wall.[break][break]
"Ah, yes. That is indeed dream mist," Nomi answered calmly. "We should perhaps attempt to retreat out of this cave, in case it summons an aggressive Paradox Pokemon."[break][break]
Nomi switched back to looking through her own eyes, returning them to their normal crimson color, then grabbed her pack. Unfortunately, her suggestion came too late: as the groping tendrils of dream mist stretched towards the two women, the landscape around them began to shift and change. Instead of the cave, they were now standing in an urban cityscape - one that Nomi recognized as the Galarian city of Motostoke, based on images she'd seen on television and in books.[break][break]
Before them, to Nomi's astonishment, however, was a very familiar forge. The flame burned bright and hot, and there were several shards of black crystal littering the work table - the exact material Nomi had wanted to ask Aurelie about, in fact.[break][break]
"This is the forge described in the research notes I brought home from the Ancient Tomb," Nomi breathed, fascinated. "But my notes are from a different location...the Galarian town of Circhester. This is clearly Motostoke..."[break][break]
Nomi glanced at Aurelie. Dream mist tended to pull from the dreams and memories of all people present. It was how she'd witnessed the death of her parents in Kanto: Cillian Quinn had been there, and Nomi had wanted to know what happened.[break][break]
"Aurelie, does this place seem familiar to you?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

As the temperature within the tunnel continued to rise, the wild Heatran growing more and more aggressive as they advanced on the Rockets, Nomi hurried after Zev, silently agreeing with his suggestion that they retreat.[break][break]
Nomi nearly lost her footing as the EARTH POWER shook the ground. She focused on Kallistatus, willing the Unown-K to aid her; with a flash, she teleported back to the crossroads just as Zev - who was faster than her on foot - arrived. Valerian followed a few moments after, expression irritated. Nomi waited, holding her breath, but the Heatran did not pursue - whatever they were guarding below, they didn't seem to have any desire to leave it behind.[break][break]
"I suppose we ought to try the other path, then," Nomi sighed. "Perhaps we'll have better luck."[break][break]
In the meantime, she'd see if she could wheedle some more information out of Zev about his relationship with Nenet...

[attr="class","ooc"][break]