he nods.

"i dreamt of you a few times."

before her, it had been too long since he last dreamt, and even though it had been years, he still remembers the last one he had. it was of home, of their house in cinnabar, before it all went to shit.

now?

"nothing vivid. concrete. just brief images of us."

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

how could that be possible? was he lying for her benefit?

despite this possibility, she was captivated by the thought. the realization that she had not actually corrupted his part of the dream world, like she seemed to have several others.

us. an odd word.

”brief images? like what?”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"of us doing things together."

his thumb draws circles against her skin — an idle gesture, perhaps, as he tries to remember.

"walking, eating, sleeping. simple things."

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

as many dreams as she had seen, few had been human dreams. she still didn’t know what it was that caused people to see what they did.

in theo’s dreams, for some reason, she could sleep.

”simple things…” she echoed, and pressed closer to him, resigning to let unanswerable questions fade for now. she allowed herself to take comfort in the little circles he drew on her skin.

it was not to last.

the gravity about her hair seemed to dissipate before she was abruptly yanked towards the water in a glow of PSYCHIC. she screamed, reaching. ”theo!”

the alakazam stood behind, spoons raised as long white whiskers floated on the breeze.

'breathe.'

the deep, serene voice reverberated in her mind—one that she had never heard before, and she took a breath as told, before she was plunged into swirling darkness.

THEO BECKETT

☉

too caught up in the moment and in her presence, he doesn't notice the signs until it's too late. he turns, feeling her yanked out of his grasp towards the water. he reaches out for her, but it's to no avail.

"lulu!"

with his pokeballs still missing, he tenses, turning to the alakazam.

"bring her back."

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

the alakazam paid little mind to theo, sparing not even a momentary glance.

'human,' its voice continued in her head, beneath the water. 'you are learning, but you do not heed warning. now, you must know. you seek a power you cannot control.'

she felt the waves pushing and pulling at her, though she was unable to move. she could see nothing but the faint glow of the moon above as she struggled towards it to no avail.

the voice reverberated as though the ocean were a concert hall, only for her to hear. her panic rose.

'i will not obey. i am no tool. but bear this in mind: you will need my help.'

a particularly large wave knocked against her, causing the last of her breath to leave in bubbles.

'i have saved you this once. honor me.'

with that, she was abruptly lifted from the cold waters, inhaling too soon. her body lowered to the sand, on hands and knees, sputtering and coughing. she looked up through wet hair at the alakazam, who was raising their pokéballs out from under the sand nearby. one of them cracked open, the alakazam disappeared into it, before they all fell from the air and back onto the beach in plain view for them to collect.

THEO BECKETT

☉

when presented with the choice of either punching the alakazam and risk it forever drowning lulu, or to dive into the water to try and save her, he hesitates, simply because both choices would likely end poorly.

thankfully, after a few moments, she's abruptly lifted from the cold waters back onto the sand.

he breathes a sigh of relief, rushing to her side instead of to his pokeballs.

"lulu," he's quick to discard his blazer, reaching over to wrap it around her shoulders. it's not a towel, but it'll do. "you okay?"

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

her stare, despite the burning of salt, didn’t leave the alakazam, even as it disappeared into its ball, dropping unceremoniously to the sand.

she coughed and her muscles slackened from her defenses, curling into his touch and the blazer he wrapped around her shoulders.

”yeah.” another cough. ”i’m fine.” mostly. just shocked, cold, and left tired from dissipating adrenaline.

she shivered, eyes not yet meeting his. ”it spoke to me.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"who?"

darkrai? or alakazam? either way, this is a first. but then again, there were a lot of firsts with her.

his hold on her grows a little tighter.

"what did it say?"

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

darkrai was still nowhere to be seen, or heard. peculiar, maybe. or, perhaps her patron had realized a benefit to her in the lesson. even darkrai could not bend the will of the shadow.

”alakazam.”

she spat one last time, and readjusted to sit on her legs in the sand, still in a bit of a daze.

”it said it wouldn’t obey—but that i’m going to need its help, whatever that means. it wants me to ‘honor’ it.”

after nearly drowning her. respect via intimidation. a play out of her own book.

poipole finally joined them, levitating down on the seabreeze to investigate lulu’s condition.

THEO BECKETT

☉

"honor it?"

he almost scoffs. pokemon are tools — this is something that has been drilled into him even before joining rocket. so, to hear that a pokemon wants her to honor it of all things, is absurd.

but then again, her alakazam is no mere pokemon, is it?

"what happens if you don't?"

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

it was a question she was asking herself, but the alakazam hadn’t necessarily stated a punishment.

”i don’t know.” with a still raspy sigh, she shivered. ”i imagine it’ll keep being a pain.” and maybe not ‘help’ when she needed it?

she looked over at him, shock still fading into a look of exhaustion by all of it.

”well. suppose i should go find dry clothes.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

it's a look he understands all too well. it wears on him, too, as he sighs.

"you should."

she might get sick otherwise...

he reaches for a pokeball, releasing his own alakazam, the one she gifted to him, and places his hand on it.

"come on."

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉