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Of course she wanted to stay for dessert. Not because she needed dessert, but because she was loath to leave Parker alone with her bloody nose and troubled expression. Not because dinner dates often ended in dessert, but because she didn't want the date to end, period. It had only just started, hadn't it? She'd been given a second chance, and she'd felt so sure things were about to work.[break][break]
Nomi hesitated. Everything felt jumbled, and she felt exhausted. The date had been a rollercoaster of emotions - the ups and downs of fumbling through the start of a relationship. One second, things had been going great. The next, Parker had retreated to the bathroom in a panic. Then Isaac had saved everything, because that's what Isaac did, and things were great again. And then, when it seemed like they might actually, maybe, finally kiss - [break][break]
It all went to hell.[break][break]
Except...there was something comforting beneath the despair threatening to demoralize Nomi: as if she were looking through a cloudy window and just making out shapes behind it - shapes that looked like her and Parker holding hands, holding each other, locked together in an intimate dance. It didn't make any sense but it also made so much sense.[break][break]
"I want to stay but...I also want you to feel better," Nomi answered truthfully. "If you need to go home and rest, that's okay."[break][break]
And it was okay.[break][break]
Nomi pulled her hand away - reluctantly, gingerly - and sat back in the booth. She gazed at Parker with adoring crimson eyes for several long seconds before turning to Isaac.[break][break]
"Do you do dessert to go?" She asked, a small smile breaking through like a single ray of sun through dreary clouds.

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Nomi laughed musically, her smile pure elation. The stormy greys of Parker's gaze drinking her up like the best damn hurricane anyone had ever made inspired a sudden recklessness in Nomi. She felt untethered, like she could abandon all of her responsibilities and do something wild and wanton for once. Like the world wasn't ending, it was just getting started.[break][break]
"Good," Nomi agreed. "Because I want to date you."[break][break]
There, she'd said it.[break][break]
Isaac Merlo would be proud: Nomi was following his advice to be direct, to take a chance, to tell Parker what she wanted instead of interrogate the other woman's feelings. She'd thought this moment would feel terrifying, had imagined it countless times while laying in bed, mulling over what she would do if Parker rejected her. Things were different now, though, and not just because second dates always followed first dates and if you actually reached a second date then maybe there was something to be said about compatibility.[break][break]
No, things were different in subtle ways Nomi could not easily articulate, as if she had suddenly realized the ground she'd been standing on all this time hadn't been quicksand after all but, in fact, solid reliable totally indestructible stone. Being with Parker? Alone? Like this? It was right.[break][break]
And the fact that there was a body of fresh water nearby felt extra right, for some reason.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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Shadows had never bothered Nomi. If anything, they made her feel wistful. After all, the Darkrai that obscured the entrance to the CAVE OF ORIGIN with its seemingly impenetrable shroud of darkness reminded Nomi of Lulu Flint. She knew this one was allied with declan walsh, but she could not help but think of her former mentor upon feeling the weight of its presence.[break][break]
parker jones stood next to her as Nomi paused at the entrance. Nomi was loath to leave the other woman, but she knew this was where they would be forced to part. She turned to face Parker and found that, despite this surely being the absolute last place Parker wanted to be, the red-head was smiling broadly. It was one of her signature nerves-masking self-satisfied grins, and seeing it made Nomi's chest ache in the best way.[break][break]
And then Parker called her babes and the ache turned into a full-blown swoon. A slight blush colored Nomi's cheeks and the corners of her mouth turned up as she preened.[break][break]
"I will," Nomi assured her. Then, expression sobering: "Be careful, Parker."[break][break]
They'd talked about the potential dangers. Parker would text Nomi if anything even remotely DRK Triad-like started happening outside the cave. Communications could be tampered with, but it was the best they could do. Certainly Walsh would be prepared for the possibility.[break][break]
Nomi didn't linger, turning on her heel to enter the cave before she could do something totally unprofessional like kiss Parker on the cheek. Through the umbral mist she journeyed, her Unown-A floating dutifully beside her, feeling the slight pressure of the Darkrai's judgement as it deemed her worthy of joining its master within.[break][break]
Walsh was not there yet, however; or rather, if he was, he was not yet visible.[break][break]
Nomi took a seat next to Zev Harcourt, Necrozma's chosen and perhaps the most dangerous person she knew, and nodded at him respectfully. Her gaze met Cillian Quinn's and jayden cross's across from her, then; for them - the two men in her life who had become like brothers to her - she flashed a slight smile. Finally, her crimson eyes found Kaname Fujihara, and she wondered how he was dealing with the responsibility that came with being a Rocket Head Scientist. She had been working closely with him lately, and had come to the conclusion that she had been right to recommend him for the role.[break][break]
"Alert me if you sense any portals opening to your dimension," she murmured to Alpha. The Unown-A bobbed once in understanding.[break][break]
Satisfied that she had done everything in her power to prepare for this moment, Nomi waited for the Rocket Boss to appear.

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The extraterrestrial hand was no match for the combined strength of Isaac's and Nomi's Pokémon, Watson's final blast the push they needed to force the simulated danger to retreat. The hand withdrew, disappearing back into the spectral ether of deep space, and Nomi whirled around to grin at Isaac, exalted.[break][break]
Before she could say anything however, the ship lurched violently once more, and this time, she did fall to the ground. Her nose wrinkled as the scent of burning wires and warped metal reached her. Heat began to emanate from a hatch at the end of the command deck, and Nomi's stomach fell as she realized what was happening.[break][break]
"The ship's damaged," she said, turning to Isaac, expression concerned - though not yet panicked. "Either this will end our current RKS journey or there's something we can do to stop it, so we can continue on..."[break][break]
The Ascended Hall of Origin. Could they still reach it?[break][break]
With effort, Nomi stood, her Unown-A appearing next to her in a flash. She turned to the control panel with the dials and buttons. Surely there was something she could do...[break][break]
All around them, the world pixilated. Adrenaline spiked, and now panic did start to set in, as she realized the simulation was ending.[break][break]
But we were so close!

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[attr="class","itemcolicon"]

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

[attr="class","lgdcol"]

[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]1000 HANDS 1-A

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]You attempt to fight back against this cosmological horror. It's a relentless pursuer that tears through the ship. However, against all odds... you survive. The hand withdraws, deterred by your resilience.[break][break]

However, the damage has been done. Somewhere, a machine room explodes, forcing the ship to sway. It's a doomed vessel...

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Isaac may have entered unfamiliar territory, but Nomi had been to space.[break][break]
"Quick, there should be some sort of navigation system on board," Nomi explained. "We should be able to see where the ship is taking us."[break][break]
There! A dashboard covered in screens, blinking lights, a series of dials, and several important looking buttons. Nomi fiddled with a few of the instruments, intuitively recalling how Lulu Flint had flown the Rocket spacecraft they'd taken to Meteno nearly a year ago. Several seconds later, as Isaac stared out the main window in awe, Nomi managed to bring up what looked like a map on the largest of the screens. The map had a label that caused Nomi's breath to catch in her throat, adrenaline surging through her.[break][break]
[break]
"Could it be?" She whispered, daring to hope. Had they made it to the stage that might actually lead them to Arceus?[break][break]
The ship shuddered as a sudden weight slammed into it, and Nomi was nearly thrown off her feet. A bizarre, larger-than-life hand - white and gold, the colors of a God - was assaulting them. An alarm began to shriek in protest, its high-pitched whine sending a sharp pain through Nomi's temple. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed a Pokeball from her waist. Unlike Isaac, she did not hesitate.[break][break]
Alpha, her Unown-A, appeared. "Pokémon are capable of fighting in space," she quickly explained to Isaac. "We were able to do so on the surface of Meteno - and anyway, this is just a simulation, remember?"[break][break]
A very realistic one...[break][break]
No time to question it. Nomi pointed at the hand, directing Alpha to attack. The Unown-A blipped out of existence, then reappeared outside the spacecraft, directly in front of the hand. It began to glow a soft, sickly orange until, with a sudden explosive burst, a HIDDEN POWER erupted outwards, slamming into the hand.[break][break]

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"Spies?" Nomi echoed. Her gaze followed Jayden's, settling on the Unown-W once more. "I guess that's one way to interpret it. The DRK Triad uses them that way, and perhaps Arceus does too." Could Rocket? Yes...assuming they continued to form a positive alliance with the creatures.[break][break]
Jayden shifted, an awkward silence falling between them. He seemed to fold in on himself as he confronted her question about what else might be bothering him.[break][break]
The Ultra Deep Sea...[break][break]
Avoiding his gaze, Nomi grimaced. Gruesome, gory images flashed through Nomi's mind, and her blood ran cold as she remembered what she had seen while searching for the Seal Stone. Cillian Quinn had been with her when she'd encountered the dream mist; together, their shared traumas had revealed to Nomi an answer she had long been searching for.[break][break]
"I..." She trailed off, at a loss for words. How could she explain this to Jayden? He's from Kanto, she reminded herself. He'll understand.[break][break]
She looked up, determined to keep her composure. "I stumbled upon the interdream mist with Cillian," she began. "It showed us...his memories of Kanto. And it showed us...what happened to my parents there."[break][break]
She'd mentioned the disappearance of her parents to Jayden before, but never in detail. She grew quiet, her turn to retreat into herself, grappling with a pain she had shoved away into a corner of her heart easily locked up behind an iron door of distraction. She'd been so busy since they'd returned from the Ultra Deep Sea...busy enough to avoid dealing with her feelings surrounding the truth about her parents. Until now...[break][break]
"They were murdered," she whispered softly. "By their own test subjects."

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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A knock came, and Nomi looked up from the core.[break][break]
Just as the man outside her office door began to speak, she glanced at the Unown-N hovering next to her. It blipped out of existence and appeared in the hallway next to Kaname. It stared at him with its singular, unblinking eye. Several moments passed as it sized him up, then it disappeared again. Nomi glanced at it as it reappeared in front of her. It bobbed up and down in the affirmative.[break][break]
She smiled, pleased. One could never be too careful these days, so it was good to have the confirmation that it was really him.[break][break]
"Come in, Kaname!" She called out to him. When the door cracked open, she waved, indicating that he ought to come over to her desk and have a seat.

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Nomi bowed her head in gratitude before Xerneas, then promptly knelt and jabbed her needle into its shining flesh. She made quick work of drawing its blood, deftly capping and labeling the sample before tucking it into an insulated pouch in her bag. "Thank you again," she murmured to the God, then stood and turned - [break][break]
Only to find Bryan right next to her, his sleeve rolled up and the bare skin of his arm exposed. Nomi blinked, surprised. His blush was also unexpected, and Nomi found that it softened his entire demeanor in a rather adorable way. She smiled up at him, expression encouraging. "Of course, I'd be happy to," she said, rummaging in her bag and pulling out another collection kit. "Comparing your blood to Xerneas's will be quite interesting, indeed." It wasn't something she had initially considered, but now that he'd offered it, the potential discoveries excited her.[break][break]
She was as gentle as she could be with him, given how she had just thrashed him quite thoroughly with her Pokémon. When she was done, she put his blood with Xerneas's, then clapped her hands together - a gesture of jovial finality.[break][break]
"Allright! Now it's time to take you to my brewery for all you can drink beers." She paused. "Thank you, Bryan. I appreciate you letting me do this."[break][break]
He's a good guy, she thought. Maybe we'll actually come out of this as...friends.[break][break]
The thought widened her smile.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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Nomi soon returned with two nondescript briefcases, big enough to house all 28 of Rocket's Unown. She set them down on the lab table and clicked them open: Pokeballs could be seen in neat rows, smooth red and white surfaces shining beneath bright fluorescent lights.[break][break]
"Okay," she said, looking pointedly at Seraphim. "Before we begin, there is something you ought to know."[break][break]
She primly clasped her small hands behind her back and, despite her dainty appearance, gazed at him with a measure of intensity.[break][break]
"A single Unown is rather harmless, no more or less dangerous than any average Pokémon - more so if wild, less so if trained." Nu, her own Unown-N, floated down to her eye level, hovering by her ear. It gazed at Seraphim with its unblinking eye. "Together, however, they can warp the very fabric of reality." She let that sink in, the room going silent for several tense heartbeats.[break][break]
"So when I release these Unown, we need to be very careful with what we request of them, and how we request it. They might be allied with Rocket, but they still deserve our respect. We also need to be clear about what we are trying to do, so that when they act upon our words, they don't accidentally destroy the submarine...or something equally catastrophic."[break][break]
Nomi was practiced with making requests of the Unown, but this was his experiment. She didn't want to steal his thunder, but she also needed to impress upon him just how dangerous working with a collection of Unown could be.[break][break]
"Any questions?"

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Nomi stopped in her tracks, going completely still.[break][break]
What would she do if she finally found Arceus?[break][break]
It was THE question. The only question that mattered, really. It was what she had been working towards ever since the interrogation of Dr. Holo. It was, quite possibly, the very question that, depending on the answer, might save their universe from total annihilation.[break][break]
"I'd talk to it," she said, finally, after a minute that felt like an eternity. "Surely it has the capacity to communicate with someone like me. I want..." she tried to convey, in the severity of her tone, just how important she felt this was. "I want to know why. Why us?"[break][break]
Nomi ignored the sounds of rustling leaves, wild Pokémon encroaching on their hike. She ignored the way the breeze seemed to have kicked up, whipping around them and mussing up her hair. She ignored the static whine of the radio held close to her chest. She ignored the way her Unown-K subtly bobbed up and down in the air above Valerian (was it agreeing with her?).[break][break]
The young scientist, a woman who carried so much on her shoulders, simply stared at her friend with the intensity of a hyper beam, determined to make use of her brains for the betterment of their collective reality.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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And then, just like that, Parker was there: grinning widely, dressed in swim trunks and a simple black top that reminded Nomi of a sports bra. With so much skin exposed, the pink-haired scientist could see every line of every muscle, and she unabashedly traced them with her eyes, starting with Parker's shoulders and moving down to her abs and ending at her calves. Her face heated up with a blush, but she didn't care; in fact, when she met Parker's gaze again, she didn't even try to look sheepish about her ogling.[break][break]
"Hi Parker," she swooned, preening at the other woman's use of her nickname. "Hi Amulius," she added, noticing him. Valerian perked up then, sniffing. He stretched long and languid, then padded over to the Blaziken in a proper greeting.[break][break]
Nomi set the notebook aside, slipping it subtly into the small backpack she'd brought along to the lake. A palpable tension - not necessarily unpleasant, like a generator humming to life - hung between the two women, as if they were being watched by a crowd of theater-goers holding their collective breaths, waiting to see what would happen as a performance unfolded.[break][break]
Nomi stood, then, taller than Parker from atop her boulder. "Well?" A sly smile, a bold pose. "Is it better in person than it was in the photo?"[break][break]
She meant her bikini, of course. The one she'd texted to Parker before their Howling date. The glittery fabric winked at Parker as it caught the light, as if it were covered in sparkling dust.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","itemcolicon"]

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

[attr="class","lgdcol"]

[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]1000 HANDS 1

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]You find yourselves on an advanced space ship. Around you stars and space debris sprawl out in incredible kaleidoscopic vistas. Upon investigation, the ship's notes and instruments seem to be seeking the "ascended hall of origin".[break][break]

Eventually, your out of world experience is interrupted by a violent rocking of your vessel and blaring alarms. A large hand-like being crushes a part of your ship as if in search of you and your friends.[break][break]