There were lots of things Lulu didn’t like. Near the top of that list sat presumptuous strangers who strolled up in the dark acting sus. Slateport was chock-full of psychos.

Of course this would happen on her evening off. Her shoulders began to turn as the woman approached, in order to square off with her a bit. The look in the woman’s eyes was strange. Was she on drugs? Likely. Weirdo.

She didn’t know it was them, in Rocket, and she couldn’t think of any good reason off the top of her head why someone she didn’t vaguely recognize would approach her in the middle of the night, and cryptically casually slide her some ‘I know something you don’t know’ card. All professionalism was thrown aside in favor of survival. She dropped suddenly and retrieved a small revolver from a flap within her boot. It was already aimed at them discreetly, and she slowly rose from her crouched position.

It was perhaps a severe reaction. Jumpy, even. The Dragons were not two months taken care of yet in Hoenn, though, and they still existed outside of the region. She could still feel the nerve damage in her shoulder that had taken some extra time heal from a gunshot. If she had anyone to look out for, anyone who would want to corner her alone (if anyone had ever put it together what might have even happened) it was them.

“I’m hardly alone.” She assured her. The Houndoom beside her growled lowly and small flames licked from under its gleaming teeth, while the Lunatone rose a little higher over her shoulder to return a stare just as eerily unreadable. Two demons beside her, three pairs of red eyes glowing by the light of the moon. “Who are you?”

No words left her, but her mind was racing through the possibilities. She took a couple of deep breaths as the woman spoke. She was so nonchalant. An odd sensation both warm and cold befell her body as the revelation hit. She was being stalked.

Lulu was ambidextrous. She was also quite strong, with a chest and shoulders more impeccably chiseled than anyone in Hoenn except Sénon Game knew. She started every day with fifty pushups before solitaire. With the gun still in her right arm, her left hand was free, and she used it to throw a sucker punch at the woman.

Red eyes went wide as her hand was snatched out of the air unexpectedly. Her mind flashed briefly back to the chilly October night, when the trunk door had opened and one of her kidnappers had grabbed her sailing punch in the same fashion. It, too, caught her breath for a fraction of a second.

She knew about the Solrock even, although this didn’t tell her much about who the woman might have been or where she’d seen her, as Lulu had been in the company of Solrock constantly for weeks. Perhaps it was time to find a different remedy.

The gun dropped out of her other hand with a clatter on the floor as the woman grabbed it, holding her close. What the fuck? With a growl, she was soon delivering a forceful headbutt her way, and went to reach for her gun again.

As she did, she watched her Houndoom be knocked back into the nearby concrete wall. She lunged to look over the edge, narrowly evading the second shot as it met her Solrock only seconds later. Lulu backpedaled, still holding her gun defensively. The Solrock rose to offensive position as it seemed to sense a shift in her, and what was previously an impressively steady hand began to shake, if only just a little. Not out of fear of shooting, but the rush of feverish, comustable adrenaline that hit her when her pokemon's soothing energy was rerouted. The Lunatone’s eyes glowed and pink red psychic energy swirled towards the woman. “Call it off, or I’ll fry your fucking brain and make you tell me who you are.”

Lulu’s eyes narrowed even more. As much as she wanted answers (which was the only reason she hadn’t already pulled the trigger), she was not about to play this woman’s game.

In an instant, she tossed a pokeball into the air. “LOCK-ON.” Though the Inteleon was far away, the Klinklang’s zap cannon—the one they had seen used when it was only a Klang—presumably wouldn’t miss if it fired, and it would, if the other Pokemon attacked.

“It doesn’t have a name.” The words were cold. It was then that the Houndoom had rolled back up to its feet and lunged for the woman, teeth bared, dark energy swirling around it as it attempted to deliver a CRUNCH. Simultaneously, Lulu commanded her Solrock. “CONFUSION.”

The Klinklang listed in the direction to shield the Solrock, knowing its importance. The attack hit its steel abdomen with a metallic bang, sending it through the glass (damnit), but not before a bolt of electricity passed by it in a reverse trajectory.

The Houndoom let out a yelping growl that gave away the breath knocked out of its chest. It was held to the ground, and Lulu’s eyes flashed suspiciously over to the Zoroark. While she spoke about holding cards close, clues were burning through them and falling around her. “No shit. I want answers.” The Houndoom let out a fearsome sound and a hot INFERNO engulfed both of the Pokemon, heating up the general vicinity to an uncomfortable temperature.

She watched the woman stumble back and let out a psychotic chuckle. Interesting. Lulu also had used CONFUSION on herself several times, and similarly enjoyed the effects. Hm. Then she watched the other Solrock, slowly dimming the powers of her own. It was the second Solrock she’d ever seen. The Klinklang, still guarding it, disassembled into three pieces, two of its gears coming around either side of the Solrock to sandwich it with a great impact (GEAR GRIND).

“You’re late on that one—I’ve had trust issues for a while.” If the woman was a Dragon, it would ring as a pointed remark. They had been the traitorous ones. She’d been innocent. “Tell me, then. Who am I?” Curious about which of her five identities the woman might have thought she knew her under.

Lulu was still pretty cold off the mark. They had her fooled and in a territory they couldn’t possibly know. However, she was perhaps one good clue away from turning a one-eighty in the right direction.

The woman was right. Caught up in her fear, she’d neglected stealth.

Her heart rate increased. She looked back to find her Solrock completely asleep.

When her eyes returned, and the words left the woman’s mouth, everything became clear. She knew about Rocket. She, they were in Rocket. She saw red. How dare they. As they began descending the stairs, Lulu ran towards them, tackling them full-force and presumably tumbling down with them. She growled in their ear, arms as tight as she would manage to get around them. “You motherfucker.”

Her Houndoom looked up at the sleeping Solrock who was all but forgotten behind, and then ran to look over the edge of the stairwell to witness the damage. The gears of the Klinklang spun and reassembled before joining it.