his correction awakened butterflies in her chest. in those two words, there were an abundance of things: faith. expectation. pressure. trust. it was almost too much to process.

the words that followed shattered something in her. something made of steel, simply bursting like glass.

for a long moment, she was quiet. then, her breath began to rise with feeling, and she hastily crossed the submarine floor to round his desk, reaching for him with need. whatever he would give. his lips, or an embrace, or maybe nothing. either way, her coldness was shed.

THEO BECKETT

☉

it had been his fault for not voicing his belief in her before. he should've been more vocal. he should've shared more. because if he had known how she had felt, he would've told her long ago that she has his trust over anyone else.[break][break]

he stands, meeting her with a kiss. his arms fall around her, pulling her into him.[break][break]

no coldness comes from him either. only warmth.

[attr="class","ooc"]Lulu Flint[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"]

he accepted her. in his embrace, she felt validated and supported. taking what she needed, her lips met his. everything around them was difficult, but this was easy.

when she pulled away, she looked into his eyes, her own big and sparkling and filled with wonder. this was saoirse’s ghost. young, full of promise. grateful to hear the words she’d longed for once in the confines of a lonely childhood home, where she’d lived in a shadow. always in shadows.

”thank you.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"of course."[break][break]

his small smile has only grown since. for anyone else, it would definitely have been a rare sight coming from the infamous stoic underboss. but he imagines it's starting to become a familiar sight for lulu.[break][break]

he holds her face, kind in the way he looks into her eyes.[break][break]

"i trust you, lulu. more than i do anyone else."

[attr="class","ooc"]Lulu Flint[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"]

trust was a nice thing to receive, and something she’d rarely been given genuinely. when she looked into his eyes, the past fell away. it was hypnotic and soothing.

her face leaned into the palm of his hand gently.

”i’m sorry i was so angry.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"it's okay."[break][break]

her anger hadn't been misplaced. someone with his level of experience and infamy should've been supporting and leading rather than diverting public perceptions. it feels like a waste now, but it's something that will soon change.[break][break]

his thumb caresses her cheek.[break][break]

"i'm sorry for not being there, and for not telling you enough how much i believe in you."

[attr="class","ooc"]Lulu Flint[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"]

her eyes sparkled at pretty words. with the sweetness of his faith placed in her, though, there was also the bitterness of remembering. the only person who had expressed such strong belief in her before had been someone who'd eventually tried to kill her.

but theo loved her. or at least, she hoped so. she didn’t want to think about it all being a lie.

”… it’s okay.”

though she may have been sorry for her reaction, however, she was not done being mad at him. his own apology felt less than enough for what had happened and what he’d missed, but at that moment, she couldn’t pull away from him, because he believed in her.

”thanks for telling me now.”

and now, she had to prove that she was worth believing in. she had come to his office as rocket’s head scientist, first and foremost.

clearing her throat a little, she announced, ”i have a few ideas i’d like to share with you, actually.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

he nods, and even if it isn't her full forgiveness, it's enough to bridge the slight divide between them. he appreciates it. he appreciates her.[break][break]

with the clearing of her throat, the topic shifts.[break][break]

"okay."[break][break]

after one final kiss on her forehead, he pulls away, releasing her to step back towards his chair. he gestures towards the empty seat across from him.[break][break]

"what ideas?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Lulu Flint[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"]

her eyes fluttered shut again as he placed his final kiss. despite longing for the moment to last, she then willed herself to the chair on the other side of his desk. time was not something they had in abundance.

as the head scientist, she looked back at him.

”i’ve been studying soundwaves. it’s actually why i have so many bats—not that i think they're the answer. not unless we locate lunala.” it occurred to her she’d never told him about her side project. it wasn’t only for the dracula aesthetic. ”legends say that bronzong can open portals, and i’ve been collecting them because of it. there is something special about the frequency of their chime that causes me believe that the legends are true. that power just needs to be unlocked, or maybe they need a good enough reason to use it.”

she paused, watching to gauge whether or not he was following before she continued, ”if we could get bronzong to open a portal to ultra space, then we could send a porygon through it to survey the threats. porygon-z was originally designed for dimensional travel before the project was abandoned. i’ve been working on a patch since i came to hoenn, and i think it’s about time to give it a shot. we send it out, it comes back, and we find out if we can actually get to palkia and dialga without getting ourselves killed in the process.”

the last idea sat on her tongue for a moment.

”and if bronzong can’t open the gates, then maybe darkrai can.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

as an underboss, he looks back at her, and perhaps to her surprise, he's following. his studies have proved useful.[break][break]

"i assume bronzong would need to know the details or coordinates of ultra space?"[break][break]

darkrai would be the better bet but even then, theo knows little of the mythical pokemon and its powers. while it's able to venture shadows, would it be able to venture into ultra space?[break][break]

"how would we activate the bronzong?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Lulu Flint[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"]

”i believe it already knows. wired in, naturally. all we need to do is awaken it.”

but how to do it? that was the big question, indeed.

”perhaps all bronzong needs is to see something from ultra space, to inspire it. penrose could help.”

she paused.

”penrose is my poipole.” she had finally named it, having grown very fond of the ultra beast. it was friendly, unassuming, which would be presumably perfect for an interaction with her team of bronzong.

THEO BECKETT

☉

theo is about to inquire about penrose before she continues, revealing it to be her poipole. he remembers the ultra beast fondly. a mischievous thing that is oddly innocent.[break][break]

"my naganadel could help, too."[break][break]

and with that, a plan forms. all that is left to do is to test it.

[attr="class","ooc"]Lulu Flint[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"]