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"Aw, Kal, aren't they cute?" Nomi whispered excitedly to the shiny Unown-K, pointing at the group of Sunflora dancing around in joyful abandon just off Route 120.[break][break]
They seemed so blissful as they soaked up the mid-afternoon SUN, so oblivious to the fact that Hoenn was currently suffering from supernatural horror after supernatural horror. It gave Nomi pause, caused her to stare openly at them, drink in their pure-hearted glee like a woman starved of hope.[break][break]
"Shall we go over?" She murmured, moving softly through the thick grass towards the gyrating Sunflora. Kallistatus merely followed, brokering no argument. The closer she got, the more she began to realize that their dancing was actually rather hectic. She had to leap out of the way as one almost crashed right into her.[break][break]
Giggling, she reached for a Pokeball. Her current daily life could do with a little jolly chaos.[break][break]

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"Parker!" she scolded, giggling harder, as the entirety of the other woman's weight fell onto her smaller form in a rather overly-dramatic fashion.[break][break]
Nomi squirmed, the laughter soothing away what remained of her tears, the warmth of Parker's body melting away all of her stress. Her brain latched eagerly onto the idea that maybe none of it had to matter (Holo, the Unown, the other Isaacs and Nomis from a myriad of other realities - ), she could just exist here, with her girlfriend, in her girldfriend's cute-if-messy apartment, in her girlfriend's bed, where, it was promised, nothing - not even her fear of abandonment (especially not her fear of abandonment) - could harm her.[break][break]
It felt nice to belong to someone, to fit. Like a puzzle piece lost to time and memory, finally recovered, and popped into place. She'd been Parker's before she'd ever been claimed by the Unown.[break][break]
Fake snoring and giggles gave way, inevitably, to locked lips and moans of pleasure. In the end, neither Maisey nor Kallistatus were asked to leave, though, if interviewed, the grumpy Granbull would surely have complained about the noise. The shiny Unown-K drifted over to the window, turning its singular eye away from the bed; contrary to Parker's skepticism and true to Nomi's belief in its capacity for caring, it was the creature's best attempt at privacy.[break][break]
Eventually, clothing discarded, limbs tangled together, Nomi fell into a deep sleep nestled against Parker in little-spoon position. Maybe, if she'd gone home alone, her strained mind would have been plagued by nightmares.[break][break]
But it was enough to be held - cradled closely and coveted - and for several blissful hours, Nomi rested peacefully.

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Nomi wrapped her arms around Parker's broad shoulders and pulled her down, so that their bodies pressed together, intimately close. The lips against her neck were ticklish and taunting, inspiring her to tease dainty fingers through Parker's sleep-mussed hair with a sudden needy fervor. Her entire body warmed to the feeling of flesh-against-flesh, and for a moment, anxiety gave way to contentment.[break][break]
Nomi squirmed as hot breath met her ear, then giggled in response to Parker's suggestion, not even caring that the other woman had completely botched the name of her newest Unown in a truly ridiculous fashion.[break][break]
"What about Maisey?" She teased back, coy. "She doesn't seem very willing to move."[break][break]
Nomi liked the idea of being in bed with a shirtless Parker, though. Maybe Parker could kiss her until she was breathless and make Nomi forget all about the whole Avatar business.[break][break]

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

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[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]WISHING STAR 1-B

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]You disturb the boulders in some way...[break][break]

"stop!" A sharp cry alerts you to a worker who rushes in with shaking hands.[break][break]

The mysterious material pulses and the boulders begin to meld into each other. Life begins to course through the stacked stones. Stony limbs rise and push its heavy monolith of a torso from the ground. It begins to expand in size continuously and pulses with a powerful energy that begins to metamorphose the surrounding rocks and sediment...[break][break]

Before you can witness any more, you must evacuate. A bastardized REGIROCK has been born and is tearing the tomb down with all of you inside of it.

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Nomi had been excited when she'd seen Xiura Balfaltin's name on the list of Rockets interested in venturing into the RKS Machine. It had been a while since she'd had a chance to spend time with her childhood friend - and getting to show Xiura the RKS Machine, an achievement Nomi was quite proud of, was an added bonus.[break][break]
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nomi replied, her smile encouraging. "I've started to suspect it may be related to a Pokemon, a very powerful one...with the power to poison entire worlds..." Oops, maybe that was a rather terrifying thing to casually drop on Xiura. Her smile turned sheepish as she quickly added, "But I don't think that's anything we need to worry about right now, of course!"[break][break]
Nomi watched Xiura's Hatterene shift a boulder, giving them a better look at the glowing purple rock. Before she could thank the psychic Pokemon, a shrill cry sounded from behind them.[break][break]

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Nomi followed after Nenet, touching down on the deck of the ship. She frowned, trying to remember if this was, indeed, the ship she had visited before. "Hm, the name does sound familiar," she murmured, running a hand idly along a cracked wooden beam with seaweed starting to grow out of it. "It could have been this ship. Or one with a similar naming convention, at least."[break][break]
Alpha followed after Nenet's Hatterene, and together, the two Pokemon scouted the immediate area below deck. Nenet did not hesitate to venture below the moment the all-clear had been given, and Nomi was impressed - not for the first time - with the other woman's steadfast resolve. She's not someone to mess with, Nomi thought, grateful to be partnered with someone straightforward and no-nonsense. Things were often much easier that way.[break][break]
The cabin was cool, damp, and dark. Nomi followed suite with her own flashlight, the light allowing them to begin putting together a makeshift research lab. Nomi unpacked her own equipment - mostly for taking energy readings and collecting organic samples - while Nenet set up her camera.[break][break]
"Oh, Nihilego are fascinating," Nomi replied excitedly in response to Nenet's inquiry. "We know they are capable of creating illusions, but it is also believed that they have the ability to read minds...and see into our memories. This would explain why their illusions have more substance than, say, a Zorua's - which are mere mimicry. Nihilego can personalize their illusions...not unlike the dream mist, actually," she realized, thinking of her last encounter with the mysterious substance, herald of the Interdream Zone.[break][break]
"Which, of course, makes them especially dangerous. Once they have you locked inside one of your own memories, they can inject a toxin that can subtly alter your thoughts and actions. From mind reading to...well, mind control."[break][break]
Her tone was casual, pleasant even, but inwardly, she shuddered at the memory of what Nihilego toxin had done to Elisabeth Fiorelli.[break][break]
"We have the cure for it, of course." She paused. "Er, the League does, I mean. Hospitals and such."[break][break]
Rocket too, which is what she'd initially meant.[break][break]
Something rectangular caught Nomi's eye, on a shelf by Nenet's shoulder. "Hey, it looks like there's something behind you," she pointed out. "Some kind of book, maybe?"

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Nomi skidded to a halt, nearly slamming right into a massive stone pillar erected by Admin Bee's shadow Steelix. She glanced at him, and instantly realized he had not meant to impede her, but rather, protect the book from the ice crystals and tera shards flying across the chamber in all directions as the other Rockets engaged jayden cross in battle. She nodded, then turned her attention to Alpha, who's blasts of HIDDEN POWER were serving a similar function in keeping the book safe from harm.[break][break]
She let out a breath, anxiety for Jayden warring with a burning curiosity; she was intent on figuring out what was contained in the mysterious book, who's violet cover was so stark against the muted backdrop of the rocky terrain it laid upon that it almost didn't seem real.[break][break]
A swift hand reached through the other side of the stone barrier, grabbing the book. Before Nomi could even register what was happening, Amor Rose had flung the book at her before turning around to face the fight taking place right next to them.[break][break]
Momentarily stunned, Nomi fumbled, managing to catch the book - just barely. A surge of guilt for having chastised Amor earlier in the meeting (when it had actually been a meeting, and not an all-out brawl with a ruinous beast) caused her to wave at him, and call out a sincere "Thank you!" before eagerly flipping to the first page.[break][break]
The first thing Nomi noticed as she rapidly scanned the contents of the book, her scientific mind racing to analyze everything as quickly as she could (lest the book suddenly disappear as mysteriously as it had appeared), was a pair of extremely familiar drawings: DYNAMAX power spots, a phenomenon she did not fully understand but had seen, curiously drawn in her own hand, in the field journal she had recovered from the Ancient Tomb. Her chest ached in a strange, forlorn sort of way as she continued to read: poetry from a memory of Galar, so familiar and yet so distant, barely discernible, the depth of its meaning just out of reach - like trying to grasp light in the palm of her hand.[break][break]
She knew she should be paying attention to Jayden - he was in danger - but she could not rip her gaze away from the book, her fascination overwhelming. Several pages in, she found something that caused her to audibly gasp. Beautiful, intricate drawings of three birds...so similar to the ones she knew, two of whom she had recently aided others in hunting, and yet...[break][break]
"Are these...Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres?" She asked aloud, as if the birds themselves might answer her.[break][break]
And to her utter shock, they did.[break][break]
Bright, blinding, brilliant light filled the entire cave, and Nomi stumbled backwards, somehow managing to hang onto the book. Energy burst forth, and the three birds manifested in the flesh, their power tangible. She tried, in vain, to catch their attention - but they began to fly away almost immediately, shattering through the barricade of tera crystals blocking the cave's entrance. She found her eyes drawn, like a magnet, to the dark inverted Moltres - like the rising of a midnight sun - and how it seemed to linger on BARNABY FINCH...all of a sudden, she was reminded of a vision seen within the RKS Machine, of a winged man, wreathed in flame (or was it shadow?), and in that moment, her intuition screamed that it had been Barnaby. He'd been with her at the time. So had she seen a vision of the future? And if so, what was the nature of that future?[break][break]
This is important, I'll talk to him later, she resolved.[break][break]
Clutching the book, Nomi collapsed, as if the effort of holding onto it - a portal for the legendary birds? - had drained her completely. It felt warm to the touch, and she looked down tiredly to see that the cover was glowing. Symbols? A...lizard? There was so much to learn about it, but she couldn't do it alone.[break][break]
They all needed to survive this. Including jayden cross. Then...then she would find answers.[break][break]
"Go and fetch Parker," she murmured to Alpha, wanting desperately to believe the other woman was okay. "The way is clear."[break][break]
The Unown-A seemed momentarily torn about leaving Nomi's side, but then it blinked out of existence, supposedly following her command.

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The cave was cool and damp, and there were glittering tera crystals embedded in the walls. Nomi cocked her head, listening carefully. If anything tried to sneak up on them, Kallistatus would alert her. For now, she allowed her curiosity to lead her forward, and she beckoned for her companion to follow.[break][break]
"I'm glad to be working together again," Nomi said to Aurelie Lefevre, tone sincere. "I've actually been meaning to ask you about something that's been on my mind lately."[break][break]
Ever since her discussion with FERNANDO SILPH a few weeks ago, all Nomi could think about - besides her newly acquired Avatarship, of course - was the INFINITY ENERGY infusion she'd read about in the field notebook she'd recovered at the Ancient Tomb, after the...dream of Galar everyone there had somehow simultaneously experienced. She just couldn't shake the feeling that it was possible, that it had been accomplished before. In her journal, there'd been notes about a forge, and after some brainstorming, Nomi had realized exactly who might know a thing or two about a forge.[break][break]
Kallistatus drifted along behind the two women, watching their backs, its shining blue form glittering in the low light - not unlike the tera crystals.

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It was with a heavy heart that Nomi found herself standing with Cillian Quinn on the rocky shores of the mysterious island that was the newest backdrop of yet another conflict between the League and Team Rocket. Wind whipped around them, and she idly reached up to tuck a stray lock of pink hair behind her ear. Kallistatus hovered nearby, surveying the terrain, searching for signs of the League.[break][break]
He almost killed Isaac... Nomi thought, chest aching every time she remembered the broken, bleeding, unrecognizable form of Isaac Merlo she'd stumbled upon not long after she'd sent her Unown out to look for the newest Rocket defector. Cillian had been doing his job, just like when he'd tortured parker jones: the role he had been conditioned to play as a Rocket Underboss, a victim of Kanto's unforgiving regime. Loyalty was all he ever demanded of the people close to him; to break that was no small thing. It was because of this, that when Nomi's initial shock over Isaac's betrayal had swiftly given way to anger, it hadn't been anger at Cillian, not really.[break][break]
It had been anger because of the lack of self-preservation Isaac had foolishly pursued.[break][break]
Anger because how dare he invite the wrath of someone like Cillian down upon him?[break][break]
Anger because she hadn't been able to protect Isaac from Cillian like she had with Parker.[break][break]
Anger because Isaac had promised he would stay by her side, and in the end, he'd lied.[break][break]
"I've been meaning to ask you for help," Nomi said to Cillian: a man she loved like a brother, even still, even though there were hairline fractures forming beneath Nomi's resolve. "I'm sure you read the report...about my new abilities." She paused. "I admit, it's all rather overwhelming. I need some practice, and who better to teach me?"

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Nomi crept forward, as quietly as she could manage. Beside her, Kallistatus hovered, its shiny blue body reflecting the moonlight. They'd reached the edge of Petalburg Woods: the sound of crashing waves could be heard through the subtle shifting of tree branches in the breeze. She held up a hand to her companion, indicating that they should halt.[break][break]
"Let me send Kal out to take a look at the beach," Nomi whispered to BARNABY FINCH. "I'll be able to see if there are any League operatives guarding the northern end of the route."[break][break]
She'd been practicing this particular ability, and was starting to feel fairly confident with it. As long as she had someone watching her back, she would not be left completely exposed while peering through her Unown's eye. She'd learned that lesson the hard way...[break][break]
"Go on," she murmured to the Unown-K. It bobbed up and down, then drifted away towards the beach.[break][break]
Nomi took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then focused on Kallistatus, picturing its trajectory. When she opened her eyes again, they had gone entirely white. She could no longer see what was right before her (Admin Bee, the forest, her own outstretched hands bracing against a tree trunk); instead, she suddenly had an overhead view of the beach, the rocky shoreline, and...figures.[break][break]
Three of them.[break][break]

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Nomi had been thrilled when Neffatari Nzingha had reached out to her regarding a second attempt at exploring the Ultra Deep Sea together: after all, she was eager to continue getting to know the astrobiologist. Everything had been organized fairly quickly - only a few days after their first expedition - and this time, both women were better prepared to deal with any potential psychological horror.[break][break]
For Nomi, this meant already having one of her Unown out, ready to record whatever it saw. Together, they drifted after Nenet, weaving between sparkling crystals and undulating seaweeds until they reached a familiar hulking shape.[break][break]
"Ah, yes," Nomi murmured. "I did see a ship like this, several months ago...when I came here with a few colleagues of mine. It didn't end up being the most...productive mission, unfortunately."[break][break]
That was an understatement, of course. Rocket Underboss Elisabeth Fiorelli had tried to kill Nomi during that particular expedition - but Nenet didn't need to know about that.[break][break]
"We should be wary of Nihilego, when we go down there," Nomi cautioned. Their poison had been the cause of Elisabeth's frenzied state, the reason she'd attacked Nomi in the first place (or so Nomi had convinced herself).[break][break]
"Anyway, let's check it out. We can set up a research station there." She smiled, eager and encouraging. "I'll follow you down."

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"But I specifically remember - "[break][break]
What? What did she remember? Black crystals that looked suspiciously like Z-Crystals. Like Zev Harcourt's crystal armor. Like...[break][break]
Necrozma.[break][break]
He'll think I'm crazy, she decided. Except, why did it feel like she'd worked with him before on something equally farfetched?[break][break]
"Not the most difficult bottleneck..." She frowned, trying to think through what she could have missed. The forge itself would need to exist, just like her research notes alluded to - except, how had they built that forge, anyway? The more she tried to recall the details of the experiments outlined in the field notebook she'd recovered from the Ancient Tomb, the more they seemed to slip away, like water held in the palm of one's hand inevitably trickling through the cracks between fingers.[break][break]
"What would you try?" She asked, unabashedly curious.

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Nomi leaned in, fluttered her eyelids closed, allowed calloused fingertips to melt away her anguish. She shivered - in a good way - as Parker's hand settled against her neck, caressing the soft skin just above her collarbone. The touch was grounding, a reminder that she wasn't in some disjointed, virtual world anymore, and she wasn't in a different dimension, colored with impossibly beautiful stars, either. She was home.[break][break]
Her eyes snapped open.[break][break]
"Holo and the Triad treat the Unown like mindless tools, a means to an end," Nomi insisted, suddenly animated. She turned to face Parker, some of her normal passion returning, replacing the disorientation. "What you call obsession is just an attempt at trying to understand them. They have feelings, and independent thoughts, just like any other Pokémon. All I ever wanted was to befriend them." Not become...this.[break][break]
Then her brow furrowed, a slight frown forming on her lips. She'd recognized the obvious self-loathing coloring Parker's tone: the real meaning behind her statement about Nomi's preference for ugliness.[break][break]
"You're not ugly, Parker."[break][break]
Did she really have to say out loud how incredibly attracted to Parker she was? After the lake? (After Galar?)[break][break]
As if to emphasize her declaration, she shifted so that she could brush her lips against Parker's, baiting a kiss.

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