The inside of the Skarmory’s passenger carriage was dark and cramped. The only sound was the heavy, rhythmic beating of the giant steel wings against the night air. I leaned my head against the leather seat, trying to ignore the dull ache that still lingered in my ribs.

  Across from me, Jennifer sat with her arms crossed, staring out the small reinforced window into the pitch-bck sky. Anabel sat next to her, tapping nervously on the edge of her secure Interpol tablet.

  "Alright," I said, breaking the silence over the hum of the wind. "We have a few hours before we touch down. Iono is ready."

  Anabel looked up, her expression tight. "Are you absolutely sure about this? If I see anything on this feed that viotes international w, I am logging it as evidence."

  "I wouldn't offer if I had anything to hide," I replied. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick mental ping to Cryo. "Connect to the IP address I just sent you. Iono is going to give you the grand tour."

  Anabel swiped her screen, bypassing her own security firewalls to accept the incoming feed. Jennifer leaned over slightly, her curiosity getting the better of her.

  "I am going to get some rest before we hit the isnd," I told them, shifting in my seat. "Enjoy the show."

  I closed my eyes. I didn't wait to see Anabel’s reaction. I let the System pull my energy inward, leaving the noisy, cramped carriage behind as I transferred directly into the safety of Prisma.

  Back in the carriage, Anabel stared bnkly at the pce Landon had just been. Then, the screen flickered bck for a split second.

  In the next instant, an explosion of color and light filled the dark cabin.

  "Ello, 'ello, ho! Ciao and Bonjour!" Iono’s voice bsted through the tablet's speakers, bright and overflowing with streamer energy.

  The camera shook slightly as Iono adjusted her grip, her oversized Magnemite hair clips bobbing. Behind her, the view was breathtaking. The sky was a perfect, endless blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds.

  "Welcome, secret VIP guest, to the one, the only, Prisma!" Iono cheered, throwing her free hand into the air.

  Anabel’s breath hitched. She stared at the screen, completely stunned.

  Iono flipped the camera around. She wasn't standing in a field or a bunker. The lens panned out to reveal that she was standing on the top floor of a towering luxury skyscraper. Floor-to-ceiling windows provided a panoramic view of a sprawling, impossible ndscape.

  "As you can see, our lovely ndlord spared absolutely no expense!" Iono narrated, walking over to the gss. "Every single person here gets their own custom plot of nd. I am talking ‘bout dream houses, unlimited snacks, and perfect weather!"

  Iono tapped a button on her streaming rig, and the camera feed transitioned fwlessly. Suddenly, the view shifted from the high-tech skyscraper to a bustling city square under construction.

  "Down there in the new city center, we have our newest residents setting up shop!" Iono expined as the camera zoomed in.

  Anabel recognized them instantly. It was the three Ultra Recon Squad members. Soliera was happily arranging colorful bottles inside a beautiful storefront beled Potion Pace. Next door, Dulse was measuring fabrics in the window of a high-end fashion boutique, while Zossie painted the sign for her new Poké Skin Shop. They didn’t look oppressed or like they were being forced to do anything. They were smiling, ughing, and running their own businesses.

  "This is impossible," Anabel whispered, her eyes wide. "The spatial engineering required to build a pocket dimension of this scale... it defies everything we know."

  "Oh, you think the shops are cool? Hold onto your hat, Interpol!" Iono ughed.

  The feed transitioned again. This time, the camera swept over a pristine, sunset-lit ke where a rustic cottage sat on a gentle slope surrounded by wildflowers. A second ter, the view hard-cut to a massive, snow-capped mountain range. A cozy log cabin sat nestled in an evergreen forest, surrounded by fresh powder and a shimmering frozen ke.

  "We have custom biomes for everyone!" Iono cheered. "You want a winter wondernd? You got it. You want a serene forest? Done. But if you want some action, you have to head over to the stadium!"

  The camera snapped to Nemona's massive cosmic arena. The steel walls were painted with brilliant murals, but the real spectacle was happening in the center of the pitch.

  Anabel and Jennifer both leaned closer to the screen, completely captivated.

  Lusamine was hovering in the air. Her blonde hair had shifted to a vibrant green with pink highlights, and a beautiful green dress covered her body. Four translucent pink fairy wings fluttered rapidly behind her back. With a flick of her wrist, massive, thick vines erupted from the stadium floor, whipping through the air like living snakes.

  "Take this!" Nemona's voice roared over the audio feed.

  Nemona wasn't wearing her standard uniform. She was cd in a bzing starfire bikini, her hair transformed into a multi-colored cosmic nebu that flowed behind her like gaseous fire. Twelve burning stars orbited her head. She generated a localized explosion at her feet, unching herself through the air to dodge the incoming vines. She threw her hands forward, sending a massive wave of cosmic fire directly at Lusamine.

  The two women cshed with earth-shattering force. The raw, elemental power on dispy was terrifying.

  "They are fighting with the power of actual Legendary Pokémon," Jennifer breathed out, her eyes glued to the tablet. The hunger in her voice was sharper now. She didn't just want power anymore; she wanted to be part of that world.

  Anabel sat back against the leather seat, staring at the screen. She was an investigator who built her entire life on hard facts and cold reality. I had just handed her a miracle. Prisma wasn't a prison. It was a utopia.

  While Iono was busy breaking Anabel’s mind, I materialized inside my own personal habitat.

  My space was much simpler than the others. It was a massive, open-concept master suite with dark wood floors, a massive plush bed, and rge windows that looked out over the sprawling expanse of Prisma. It was quiet, private, and exactly what I needed after getting battered by a three-headed dragon.

  I let out a heavy sigh, rolling my shoulders as I walked toward the bed. I didn't even make it halfway across the rug before a blur of orange and yellow unched itself at me from the couch.

  "Landon!"

  I caught her instinctively, stumbling back a step as Popsicle wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.

  My Pokémon had evolved significantly since I first caught her, transitioning from a Pawmi into a Pawmo. Popsicle was still petite, but her demi-human form had filled out with a slightly more mature, athletic build to match her boundless, brawler energy. She had thick, fluffy bright orange hair with vibrant yellow streaks, and a pair of soft, round, tufted ears twitching atop her head. A long, zigzagging lightning-bolt tail swished happily behind her. She was wearing her custom Pawmo Paw Print Dress—which now featured plush, oversized fingerless gloves designed to channel her electric strikes—and the yellow electric sacs on her cheeks sparked with faint, pyful static electricity.

  "Hey, Popsicle," I ughed, supporting her weight as she nuzzled her face into my neck.

  "You've been gone forever!" she compined, pulling back to look at me. Her bright eyes narrowed as she took in my shredded shirt and the fading, dark bruises covering my ribs. The static on her cheeks fred a little brighter. "Who did this? Was it Miss Fire-Face? Because if Knighty has been picking fights again, I will go shock her right now!"

  "No, it wasn't Knighty," I said, carrying her over to the massive bed and falling backward onto the mattress. "I got into a fight in the real world. A big one."

  Popsicle shifted, crawling up my chest so she could look down at my face. The sassy, competitive attitude melted away, repced by a genuine, protective concern. Her furry ears fttened slightly against her head.

  "Did you win?" she asked softly.

  "Not this time," I admitted, wrapping my arms around her waist. "I had to run away. The monster was too strong."

  Popsicle didn't tease me. She just nodded, resting her head gently against my unbruised shoulder. She curled her warm, petite body against my side, her tail wrapping comfortably around my leg. The faint, rhythmic sparking from her cheeks sent a soothing, low-level electric hum through my muscles. It felt like a deep-tissue massage, actively helping Cryo's nanobots knit my bruised tissue back together.

  "That's okay," Popsicle murmured, her eyes slipping closed as she cuddled closer. "You just have to train harder. And next time, you bring me with you. I'll paralyze the big stupid monster, and then you can punch it."

  I couldn't help but smile. Having her there, completely rexed and trusting, washed away the lingering stress of the jailbreak and the looming threat of Colress. Prisma was working exactly the way it was supposed to. It was a true sanctuary.

  "I'll hold you to that," I whispered, stroking her soft orange hair.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out carefully so I wouldn't disturb Popsicle. It was a text from Iono.

  Iono: The Interpol dy is literally speechless. She says she doesn't see any viotions. Do I wrap up the tour?

  I looked down at Popsicle, who was already drifting to sleep against my chest. I thought about the war Colress was trying to start, and the massive target he was painting on my back. The world would see Prisma eventually, but right now, winning Anabel's trust was the real victory.

  I typed my reply with one hand.

  Landon: Yeah, wrap it up. Good job, Iono.

  I dropped the phone onto the nightstand and wrapped my arm back around my Pawmo. I closed my eyes, letting the electric hum of Popsicle's cheeks lull me to sleep. I needed every second of rest I could get. When I woke up, the Skarmory would be nding on the bck-site isnd, and the real gauntlet would begin.