“Kazimir Wynter?! No way!” she was familiar with the man. He had recently become an associate of the AQUA Initiative based on his abilities and feats as Pokengar. He also traveled to Sea!Hoenn with Eva and the others. His version was King, but met a tragic end.

“Thanks! I’ll have to see if I can talk to him,” she made a mental note to reach out to him later as she scooped up the Gardevoir’s pokeball. An AROMATIC MIST leaked through the brush as it rose like steam from the Polteageist’s spout.

With the Spoink still snoozing in her arms, Eva sends Blade after it. The psychic-type fires off a Psycho Cut, knocking the ghost-type back while a pokeball throw by Eva chases after it.

“And what about you? Did you experience anything interesting?”

---

Andrea Vaneau

The younger woman placed a finger on her chin, mulling over Eva's inquiry. "Hmmmmm... No, I don't think so. I didn't feel any different than normal, which is weird because if Kazimir grew a beard, I should've turned older too." Her bespectacled eyes widened as she got her eureka moment. "Maybe it's because in the future I'm gonna be a Pokémon, so there was no future version of me that's human to replace me!"

Before the head professor could correct her flawed understanding of how time paradoxes worked, a wild Bronzor appeared floating in the air. Andrea sent Chomper back out, who immediately attacked with a Fire Fang that... didn't seem to do as much damage as one would expect. The Steel type responded by shooting hypnotic beams out of its eyes, but the two-headed dragon swerved out of the way.

"Looks like it resists Fire-type moves. I wonder why... Let's try Crunch instead!" The dragon-hooded girl exclaimed, as Chomper bit into the Bronze Pokémon with both jaws, causing it to reverberate with pain. A Pokéball was thrown almost at the same time as it hit the ground after the Zweilous was done using it as a chew toy.

Eva Morales //attempting to catch bronzor

☉

Hm, curiosu indeed how some people were affected and other were not, despite being in close enough proximity to see him grow a beard. Interesting enough, the same was for the pokemon. Why did some change and some others did not?

Eva’s eye grow wide in both confusion and astonishment. Earlier, she thought she may be joking about the whole ‘becoming a pokemon’ thing, but apparently not. Before she can say something, a Bronzor catches the enthusiastic woman’s eye and she’s elbow deep in battle again. A misdreavus scurries away as the result.

The Spoink in her arms stirs and flips over as it continues to dream. She might need to wake it up soon, “And what kind of pokemon are you going to be?” she asks, mostly to satiate her curiosity.

---

Andrea Vaneau

The draconic cosplayer smiled widely at the other woman's question. "Any kind of Pokémon would do, although my ideal form would be a Dragon type! RAWR~!" She pretended to roar like a real dragon, raising her arms above her head in an attempt to seem big and intimidating.

As if responding to her terror-inducing, ear-piercing battle cry, a wild Ralts drew near, tilting its helmeted head in mild curiosity. "FAIRY TYPE! Chomper, return!" Andrea cried out, seemingly mortified by the Ralts' presence. After swiftly calling the Zweilous back into its Pokéball, she sent out an Excadrill in its stead.

Ralts used Confusion, but it was ineffective thanks to Excadrill's Steel typing. The big mole Honed its Claws, raising its Attack as well as its Accuracy. "Alright, Gray, now use Fury Swipes!" Andrea ordered, her Excadrill slashing the poor Ralts repeatedly with its razor-sharp claws. After hitting enough times, the eccentric trainer threw another ball at the Psychic and Fairy type.

Eva Morales //attempting to catch ralts

☉

Dragon types are powerful, regal, beautiful. She doesn’t blame the girl for wanting to emulate such a thing, “Hahaha ok, ok, I see, I see” she opens her mouth to ask a follow up question, but she’s interrupted by the appearance of the Ralts.

An Excadrill makes an appearance, and in her arms the Spoink finally stirs one last time before sitting up to watch the other trainer toss a pokeball at the psychic-type.

“Nice catch!” Have compliments, setting the awake Spoink back down onto the path. A Cofagrigus disappears back into the mist and away from the trainers.

“I gotta ask though, Andrea,” she somewhat hesitates, hoping it doesn’t come off as judgmental, “Why would you want to become a pokemon?”

---

Andrea Vaneau

Somewhere amidst catching a seemingly endless conga line of Psychic and Ghost types, Dr. Morales asked the dragon-cosplaying girl why she wanted to become a Pokémon that badly. "Because Pokémon are amazing! What more reason would I need?" The girl replied, smiling jovially. It looked like her mind had long been made up on the matter.

A foreboding chill in the air distracted her. Frigid cold, as if death itself was reaching out to her. Andrea turned around to behold a Froslass eerily floating over a patch of frozen grass. The girl's reaction was not one of dread, as one would expect, but of excitement. "Oh my gosh! It's a Froslass! It's so nice to meet you!" She ran up to the monstrous yuki-onna, eagerly shaking her ghostly hand like a groupie meeting her favorite rock star face-to-face.

"They say that long ago a woman died on a snowy mountain and was reborn as a Froslass. Does that mean all Snorunt are her descendants? Wait, maybe this Froslass is the same woman from the legend! Could any human turn into a Froslass if exposed to wicked cold temperatures? What does science have to say about it I wonder..." The young PokéManiac rambled on and on, much to the Ghost type's bewilderment, who wasn't sure how to respond.

Eventually, Gray hit the Snow Land Pokémon with an Iron Head. Nearly knocked out by it, the icy apparition became susceptible to the ball that was then thrown by a pouting Andrea. "Well, that was needlessly violent. We were just having a friendly conversation." She mused, oblivious to the fact that the Froslass would have attacked her had it not been for Gray's intervention.

Eva Morales //attempting to catch froslass

☉

The answer was hardly an answer at all. Because they’re awesome? Had she not put any more thought into it than that? “More awesome than your life now?” Andrea seemed to be happy enough as it is. However, no one ever knows what going on beneath the surface. Her jovial nature could simply be masking the pain Eva doesn’t see.

Eva didn’t catch most of her rambling. A few steps after she passed by Andrea, she ran face first into an invisible barrier. The force left her stunned, blinking in confusion before her vision cleared. A Mr. Mime stood in their path, its hands pressed forward. It wore the same, goofy smile they all did.

Just like all of them, it decided to cause some sort of invisible chaos, erecting a BARRIER in their path.

With a heavy sigh, Eva shook her head, “Well this just won’t do,” she flicks her wrist, sending Blade off after the psychic type. The Gallade TELEPORTS past the barrier, taking the Mr. Mime down with a well-placed AERIAL ACE.

With their path now clear, Eva drops a pokeball on the clown’s head before moving forward up the mountain.

---

Andrea Vaneau

The dragon-cosplaying girl's smile did not waver. Dr. Morales' scientific sensitivities naturally made her seek out some hidden meaning behind Andrea's obsession, but there was simply none to be found; No nuance, no pain, and no tragic backstory aiding her bizarre decision. She was simply an eccentric girl with an eccentric dream.

"Being a human is pretty awesome too, but being a Pokémon would be better!" The young PokéManiac said, while picking Froslass' Pokéball off the ground. Unbeknownst to her, a Kirlia passes behind her, moving around through a series of elegant pirouettes. "Just think of all the cool things I could do, like flying, breathing fire or making things move with my mind! I can't do such things as a human. Instead I have to do boring things, like paying taxes." Which she still hadn't done by the way. Based and redpilled.

Eva Morales //skipping

☉

The Kirilia passing behind Andrea catches Eva’s attention. For a moment she hesitates but returns the Gallade and allows her Raichu to burst forth from his pokeball. It was time for a little exercise for the mouse. Raiden stretches his little legs, shaking off the cobwebs. A quick point towards the psychic-type indicates Eva’s desires.

The Raichu crouches down, copies appearing on all sides with DOUBLE TEAM. They all lunge forward, the real one striking Kirlia with a SLAM. The pokemon yips, caught off guard by the sudden attack. Eva takes the opportunity to toss a pokeball at it.

“But think of all the things you couldn’t do,” she counters with a glance back at Andrea, “Talk, own a home, you’d have to battle for survival,” Unless she wanted to be a pampered Mewoth in a nice home. That actually did seem like a pretty good life.

---

Andrea Vaneau
Catch attempt: Kirilia
- 5 premier balls