she was a little offended, taking the comment as a slight against her capacity to figure out the situation. “tch. chu-e?” he wasn’t a scientist.

after feeling around the pillar to no avail, she sighed heavily and then looked around them, desperate for an answer.

her eyes settled on darkrai. as though feeling her stare, her patron’s eyes left the edge of the trees to find hers in return.

“destroy it.”

a moment later, an immensely powerful DARK PULSE spiraled into the pillar, blowing it to fragments that exploded outwards towards the trees.

THEO BECKETT

☉

"well, just because he likes licking rocks."

not because he'd be any better at solving this than her.

but darkrai soon materializes, and theo takes a reactionary step back, pulling lulu with him as the DARK PULSE shatters the pillar before them.

shards and pieces crumble to the ground, and in the middle hovers a single pokeball, suspended in mid-air.

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

”oh.” that made sense, then.

she stumbled a little when he pulled on her sharply, protesting with an incoherent yelp. the hand that wasn’t already in his went out to catch herself against his side. when she’d righted taller again, she looked over to see the ball hovering in the pillar’s place.

her eyes went briefly up to theo’s to gauge his reaction, but now that they didn’t seem so much in immediate danger, she felt more confident in her own logic.

”that’s not one of yours, is it?”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"no."

but something about the pokeball looks oddly familiar. if only he could place it, then maybe he would've known not to reach out for it.

it feels uncomfortable in his grasp, and it doesn't take him long to point it away from them before cracking it open.

what else would form but her shadow alakazam?

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

what else?

she watched him take the pokéball out of the air, eyeing it untrustingly. even when the shadow alakazam formed, the sharpness never left her stare.

”doubt that’s real,” she decided. ”how could they have gotten in the pillar?”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"same way our pokeballs are missing, probably."

he decides not to think too much into it. everything here is unfamiliar to him, strange, unknown, and he feels like a fishie out of water.

even as he stares down the shadow alakazam, he's unsure whether it's real or not.

still, he steps forward, reaching a hand out to place on its shoulder.

"maybe it'll TELEPORT us out of here."

to their deaths, perhaps.

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

as though there were a rip through the dimension, they were sucked out of the feywild in a white flash of TELEPORT.

the other side had a breeze. there was sand beneath their feet, and waves nearby. they were somewhere on a small island outside of lilycove, where lulu had first gained her powers. stars glimmered above.

the alakazam’s whiskers danced, collecting ocean salt. it was quiet and mysterious as it stared.

lulu couldn’t place it immediately, but she announced with a look around, ”i’ve been here before...”

although darkrai had disappeared again, another familiar face descended out of nowhere with a whoosh and a cry of greeting.

”poipole.” 

she looked up, only to be booped on the nose by the small alien. it smiled down at her, before somersaulting backwards through the air with an impish giggle.

THEO BECKETT

☉

unfamiliar, but safe.

he breathes a sigh of relief, taking in the salty air around them. finally, he lets go of her hand, lowering to the ground to feel the sand beneath them.

"hello, poipole."

he peers up, past lulu and her poipole, towards the stars that glimmered above. it's a beautiful night — far different from the feywild.

"looks like we got out."

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

her nose wrinkled briefly at the alien’s boop, and she reached to grab it out of the air for inspection. alas, it was already gone, tumbling away out of reach. with a sigh, her arms fell back to her sides. ”damn you…”

poipole seemed to smile at theo, giving a wave before taking off further.

lulu seemed to hold some sense of wonder as she replied, ”hope so… it kinds of looks like…”

she paused, and it dawned on her: ”we’re near lilycove.”

her eyes ran through the sand. it had never occurred to her how special this place was to her—almost like a portal itself.

”this is where i met darkrai.” her eyes floated upwards with his. the sky was so clear. the stars looked different these days.

THEO BECKETT

☉

near lilycove. that makes sense.

"oh."

this place must mean something to her if it's where the TELEPORT took them. he rises back up, looking up at the skies.

"i remember my dad and i used to fish at night sometimes. we'd be far out at sea, away from everyone and everything, and the skies were the clearest i could remember."

his hand reaches for hers.

"i've always dreamed of going into space."

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

it did mean something to lulu, but more importantly, it meant something to the alakazam.

when theo talked about fishing and family this time, she didn’t shut it out. she listened, eyes lingering on him with some unreadable emotion. sad, maybe. vaguely nostalgic, although it had not been her life.

a time when they had (presumably) not been murderers.

he took her hand, and she felt a strange rush of wanting to embrace him, but she was staggered by his sentiment.

her forehead wrinkled under her bangs.

”really?”

THEO BECKETT

☉

he nods.

"i think i just wanted to escape. to give my family a better life. i always thought it to be a distant dream."

what was once a lost sentiment is lost no longer. for her, he'd try.

"but not anymore."

Lulu Flint // [x]

☉

family.

it was nice that he’d valued his, right? it made part of him a good person? but it was her value for her own flesh and blood that still yet sustained some lingering amount of hatred for him at the core of her being.

things had become rather complicated.

not anymore, he said. because she was some bringer of hope? a mender of dreams?

she looked over at him, face surely unreadable. ”and they say i only bring nightmares.”

THEO BECKETT

☉