Ameena answers as she turns. "Oh, of course. Just-"[break][break]

What was that...?[break][break]

She immediately leans into the pokemon's personal space. She's never seen one like it. "What is this pokemon?" She hadn't even seen it in the RKS simulations, and she had seen some oddities. That little masked green pokemon still bugged her when she thought about it. [break][break]

She straightened up immediately as she felt the egg twitch on her back. Gardevoir loomed closer and put a hand on it as if sensing what was inside, though if the telepath did know anything, she kept quiet about it.

TAGS – [break]

NOTES – Elise Calcifet [break][break]

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The pleasure of watching such fearsome and revered pokemon without their knowledge was apparently too encompassing. She visibly flinched at the voice, though she had the mindfulness to avoid lunging for his throat - enemy combatants did not often announce their presence in such a way. She tore the binoculars from her face, scowling. "What does it look like?" She spared a glance at the iron boulders, though they were minding their business. [break][break]

She huffed. "It is not so common to see these many crowd together." Did this plebian need more explanation? She had hoped her face would reveal she was uninterested in chatter, or at least fill the guy in that yes, she was the IT company AbCon's CEO, and yes, she was busy at work. She pulled an odd device from her side, one that picked up the energy readings at a distance. It was experimental and not quite released to the public, but it wasn't dissimilar to what Rocket scientists approached the great chasm with the first time around.

TAGS – [break]

NOTES – mission (the great chasm of hoenn)[break][break]

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Galarian pansies, a dark blue-purple like dusk on the lake, surround the red picnic blanket. Warm hands pull a bowl of pudding from the woven basket; it's handmade and aged, a stark contrast to the recently-made clothing her mother is wearing. It is a vibrant orange, her favorite color. The moment is soft and fuzzy at the edges. [break][break]

The pudding is sweet and thick but light from the citrus flavors. Ameena doesn't know what she's saying, but it pulls a laugh from her mum's mouth all the same. The scene is familiar only to her conscious mind. This is not a memory. Ameena's most joyous, laidback moments with her mother never involved the expensive silks she was wearing. Mum hated the mass-produced works with inflated price tags, but HE had insisted on her keeping up appearances. What general one step from the peak of his career could fail to provide for his wife? [break][break]

The sunset colors of her silks were the only redeeming quality, the anchor that made her think the dream was a happy one, that while she had few memories of her mum in softer, gentler, inherited clothes, her mind could at least compensate for the fashionable prison uniform by producing it in mum's favorite color. [break][break]

Dream symbols were exhausting to look through. Ameena didn't want to analyze herself. These were the only times she could see her mother, accessing some sort of far-off door. [break][break]

The comfort of the dream is warmer than the sun-bathed picnic blanket beneath them, but all the same, Ameena feels far before she sees it get pulled out from under her. [break][break]

A gunshot.[break][break]

The loudest sound, followed by a louder silence. [break][break]

Ameena looks down and the blanket is blood red. The pansies are bruises on the grass casket that holds her mum. The pudding tastes like rotten flesh in her mouth. She can wipe at it, but her hands are covered in blood. She always covers the gunshot wound, she always presses her hands to her mother's chest like she was about to perform a resuscitation attempt, but the blood gushes through. She always watches. She always touches. She always fails. [break][break]

For all the run-throughs in simulations, for all the rigorous experiments on dreams and psychic influence on the psyche, for all that she had given in her entire researching career, it never mattered when she slept and naturally dreamed. The worst part of playing into the script? She was lucid at that moment. She could never spit the pudding out before the gunshot, could never move her mother out of the way. But once mum was on the ground? Ameena was free, free by the very thing that trapped her, the very force that killed her every day as she pushed herself to chase what could never be caught. [break][break]

She wakes with a start. Her mouth is dry.[break]

d r e a m – M 256[break][break][break]

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The Galarian Embassy was a frequent stop for Ameena. She never needed their services and could arrange her own visitations to her home country should she need them - and she only ever did require one annual trip - but it was the only place in Hoenn that made a proper toffee pudding. She had one in her hands as she walked down the steps of the embassy, slowly so as not to injure the egg on her back. She had heard movement made them hatch faster, so she had brought it along for a trip to the embassy for something indulgent. [break][break]

Her gardevoir was merely taking in the sweet scents of flowers. The embassy had flowers adorning its entrance that were native to Galar, though they were closely monitored to prevent anyone from taking them and spreading them over the region. Ameena didn't know how invasive the blue-purple pansies were, but she found herself thinking of home as she watched them shake from the wind. [break][break]

TAGS – [break]

NOTES – Elise Calcifet [break][break]

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The Arcanine was feisty. It bit at the pokeball with expert accuracy. She pulled another just in time to see a trainer come up mountain. Was it a Ranger seeking to rescue people stuck in the storm? [break][break]

"Never better," she answered facetiously, face partially covered by the scarf, though she would be taking several baths to clean the soot off of her. "I found the Hisuian that was reported in these parts, so you can go ahead and shoo." She had no intention of letting the other trainer catch it first. Ameena needed Hisuian pokemon to study their energy readings. [break][break]

The Magearna she held onto took Ameena's cue when she tapped it, prompting the metal pokemon to launch aura sphere at the Arcanine. Ameena tossed another pokeball in its direction.

TAGS – [break]

NOTES – Yuina Higashi [break][break]

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Ameena laughed at the helplessness of the Arcanine while it ran and generated electricity. Well, up until she realized... [break][break]

"Drop him!" [break][break]

Gardevoir obeyed, releasing the move to drop the canine. Ameena's heart raced in her chest; sparking a reaction in a soot storm this severe spelled out utter hell. She hated the smell of singed hair, and burning flesh was not an improvement. She secured the pokeball from her waist, finally, and tossed it, hoping to make a quick capture and get out of here before she permanently smelled like ash.

TAGS – [break]

NOTES – Yuina Higashi [break][break]

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Ameena focused on her own survival. It was easy to underestimate weather conditions. The terrain was another negative factor. However, she trusted Duchess to lead her to safety. It wasn't until the metal pokemon beeped that Ameena got in close to open her eyes. [break][break]

Indeed, an Arcanine that wasn't quite standard in appearance was there, looking downward for something. Perfect. [break][break]

Ameena released Gardevoir and gestured to the canine pokemon. While Gardevoir was unhappy with the soot storm, she obeyed, using psychic to lift the Arcanine for easier capture. Ameena, of course, struggled to get the pokeball out from her waist with all of her protective layers.

TAGS – [break]

NOTES – Yuina Higashi[break][break]

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Iron Boulder was an elusive pokemon. Ameena held interest in them more than other paradox pokemon given the relationship between a rock pokemon and the often-underground tera crystals. Sightings of them had seen a recent uptick. She needed no further encouragement to revisit the Giant Chasm. [break][break]

"Unsuspecting," she assessed as she looked at the two Iron Boulders below. One was sleeping and the other was slowly falling asleep itself. She put away her binoculars and considered what pokemon to send down first. She wanted to get some combat data and behavioral data from them. She suspected they were less territorial than the other paradox mon, but it required evidence.

TAGS – [break]

NOTES – open mission (the great chasm of hoenn)[break][break]

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Mt. Chimney had little to offer Ameena, but she had heard some Hisuian pokemon were in the area, and she was interested enough in the unusual pokemon to add them to her collection. However, there was no sign of such pokemon. In fact, the area seemed particularly barren. That should have been warning enough. [break][break]

The mountaintop exploded with soot, which got kicked up in the already considerable winds. Ameena pulled her scarf higher to cover her mouth and nose, but she had to close her eyes completely. She released Magearna, holding onto the pokemon as she tried to navigate her way down.

TAGS – [break]

NOTES – open ii mission (sandstorm spirit)[break][break]

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She shared the sentiment - what lied beyond Hoenn was more mysterious than what was within, and that warranted their attention as researchers. The dream realm existed outside of the region, naturally, but she feared the other factors at work like Eternatus. She would have to survive being spread thin for the time being, particularly with the looming invasion. [break][break]

"I will make time," she promised. A project with her was a great opportunity to learn something new. "I have something very interesting at work myself, but it's safest to avoid sharing anything until the day itself is over. I am expecting great data." She was eager to offer Lulu something of value given how kindly the other scientist had approached her to embrace Rocket. [break][break]

"Until next time," she said warmly. Her mind already raced as to what project currently had the other's attention. There were a great many things to explore, and she knew no one more competent than the woman before her.

TAGS – Lulu Flint [break]
NOTES – [break][break]

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