The Trial of Dreams and Memories (TMM 2)

Beautiful Cycle

"I've been waiting for you," Past Morai said. She stood solemnly in front of the statues of her predecessors, staff in hand. In the few hours since the serum had entered Morai's bloodstream, the balance of the Dream Realm had already been further thrown into disarray. Every white rose that had bloomed again, every tiny step taken to the recovery of Morai's soul, had withered and died almost instantly. 

"You have something I want," Morai said with a bloody smile, "and I'm going to take it from you."

Though Past Morai fought her hardest, it wasn't a fair fight. The energy of The Realm of Dreams now favored her opponent and weakened her significantly. She found herself pinned to the ground, Morai digging her claws into her head as she grasped it with newfound and ravenous vigor. 

"Give it up," she snarled. "Give me what's inside of your head."

"Y-you don't know that you can just take it," Past Morai argued. "This could all be for naught."

"I can. I can feel it," Morai said. "You're nothing but a spirit. Energy within my psyche. You're in my  head."

"Why is she moving?" Ava asked. 

"She does that in her sleep sometimes," both Sheridans and the doctor answered. They shot each other a glance before looking away. 

Ava pulled one of her eyelids back to reveal an eye that was still was glowing red.

"I called it psychic sleep," the doctor said from behind his own cell door. The "doors" themselves were walls of a glass-like material that couldn't be broken through. Those on the outside only had to hear what those on the inside of the cells had to say if they wanted to. Otherwise, all they had to do was press a button. They could also arrange it so that conversations had on the outside couldn't be heard by prisoners. 

Ava and Yvette moved the Aether Foundation employees back to their cells with the help of Ava's Pokémon. The guards Morai had been using fell unconscious after she did, leaving the two of them to manage everything whilst she was incapacitated. As expected, Ava received a call. 

"Hello, sir," she said, pushing the button that kept prisoners from hearing her conversation. "Everything has gone according to plan. The only thing left to do is find us...which might be harder than I thought. No one knows where the place is, not even the warden, and every device has become untraceable."

"That's why we caught bait," Giovanni answered. "We've also lost access to the chip in Morai's neck. I'm guessing Interpol has remotely shut their devices down. It was the closest we had gotten to tracking her location. That should be your first priority."

"Right," Ava said. 

"Don't try to take it out!" Pinstock urgently interjected. "If you can't get it connected again, leave it. If the other Sheridan is smart enough not to come looking for you, then that chip is our only hope. Oh, and keep Morai from getting herself killed! She's a success, I can feel it! The others failed, but she'll—"

"Alright, doctor," Giovanni interrupted. "Connect the chip again."

"Right," Ava said. Giovanni ended the call before she finished her short response. 

"The others?" Yvette asked. "There were others?"

"Sort of," Ava answered. "Team Rocket's been doing research into giving humans qualities that Pokémon have for a long time, qualities that would help them more easily and stealthily attain power. Psychics were the main target, as they already possessed skills most people didn't. Things...didn't work out...until Morai, that is. Never before has a human developed claws, teeth, and whatever other advantages she got with that serum. Combine that with having hypnosis abilities, and well...Pinstock is over-the-moon about it and just dying to finally see her in person."