[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she flashes a quick grin.

while all of the information shared has been troubling and paired with dread, she can't help the way excitement creeps into the nervous system.

"one crisis being averted always leads to ten more, doesn't it?"

a light laugh follows, as if it's almost comical at this point.

"where would you like to start, professor?"

eva is, after all, the leading force of their science department. she had ignored such a thing once, taking matters into her own hands, and it had not ended well. besides, a war on all sides should not breathe further life into her impulsive actions. the consequences would be insurmountable.

Eva Morales

Eva lets a long sigh breath over her lips. Shortly after that, they turn up in a grin to match Illeana’s, “That is certainly correct,” one step forward three steps back. Will it ever end for them? Likely not.

With a pensive look she studies the scribble of notes on the margin of the paper in front of her, trying to discern what needs to be prioritized. AQUA will likely handle Sea!Hoenn preparations for now and Rocket material. The rifts and protecting our borders from Sea!Hoenn should be a priority. They could stop them from coming to their Hoenn altogether, that would be ideal. Not to mention understanding what these new Primal Markings may mean.

Knowledge is power.

“I think we need to figure out more about these Primal markings, what it could mean for us defensively and them offensively. It would at least give us an idea for appropriate preparations to pass on to the Officers and Rangers,” she pauses there briefly, tracing a star over and over beside the Cave of Origin, “Future sight, you said,” she ponders the brief mention of it previously, “Perhaps with some artifacts and pokemon abilities we can narrow down the locations of where they may attack from. Where out barrier between worlds is the weakest,” Mt. Pyre seemed like a logical location considering the events Illeana witnessed, “And the Unown . . . maybe they could help,” her mind always drifts back to the Unown Report, the words that seemed to mend the tears between their world and the Interdream Zone.

---

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]"sounds good."

she agrees quickly to the line of thinking, as if it's a budding concept connecting two minds together. in a way, she supposes it is.

"do we have any artifacts left from the travel to sea hoenn?"

had they all been destroyed in the ensuing fight? in the journey home?

she hums thoughtfully, leaning back to take another sip of whiskey from her cup.

"it's possible the unown could help, but their usage by the drk triad is a bit worrying. if they are the sole pokemon they use and arceus is the mastermind, i'm not sure if involving unown would harm us in the end."

are they friend? or foe?

she can't quite decide.

"future sight is a gamble as well... it had worked before, but maybe the location and person using it changes the vision?"

a hand moves to begin strumming fingers along the top of her desk as her eyes drop to the stars around the cave of origin.

"will we be able to get access to the cave of origin?"

Eva Morales

Eva smiles across the desk at Illeana, genuinely excited at the prospect of discovery alongside her science sister. Of course, she hated the circumstances which forced the necessity of their research but there’s no one else she’d rather have by her side to file through this mess.

“Actually, I still have that torch,” she last time she studied it, she noticed the energy was fading. Likely secondary to being outside its home world too long. She relays this information to Illeana, shrugging as she leans forward, “We’ll have to see if it still has any energy left,” she hadn’t tested it in months.

“I had considered that,” she sighs in response to Illeana’s worries about using Unown. They’re valid, and it’s risky. A last resort, perhaps.

“I imagine you would use the Future Sight since this vision appears before you,” she tilts her head back gaze narrowing on the ceiling in thought, “The Cave of Origin will be tricky but . . . we’ve snuck into Sootopolis before,” it wouldn’t be impossible. Perhaps they could even use a distraction to make it easier, “I think the risk will be worth the reward . . . as long as you’re comfortable with it,” Illeana was the one kidnapped by Rocket once, not Eva. She couldn’t imagine what fears may lie buried from that traumatic experience.

---

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]a look of interest rises quickly, eyes igniting with the telltale sign of curiosity.

"really? i wonder if there'd be a way to recharge it if there's no energy left."

would primal energy work on it? is that something they could attempt to experiment with?

she's quiet for a few moments, then, as eva builds further on the concept.

"i could try future sight again at mt pyre, but there's no telling if it'll fail to show anything of use."

trial and error, the name of their business... sometimes she despises it.

what causes a full silence to persist from her, however, is the idea to sneak into sootopolis.

she had tried that before and it ended with her in a cell. anxiety creeps in subtlety, like water seeping through cracks in a foundation.

do they have a choice, though? they need to find out everything they can about sea hoenn. the cave of origin feels like their only hope.

after what feels like an eternity, she slowly nods.

"i'll be fine. it's worth the risk to go and gather as much intel as we can."

besides, with eva by her side, she's certain they could do anything.

Eva Morales

Eva thinks back on her brief study of the torch when skyler dross has approached her about Kyogre and the Blue Orb shards. She tested the energy, it was different than the primal energy that coursed through the shards. Eva shakes her head, “I’ll send you my initial research on the torch. It showed no presence of Primal Energy but it did have strong signatures of Infinity Energy,” she turns her gaze back down to continue, “I think it’s how everyone in Sea Hoenn has basic powers. They have some sort of . . . conduit that channels it to each individual,” a way they could tap into the force around them, “If we recharge it with our infinity energy, I’m afraid it will be useless and lose the signature of Sea Hoenn,” complication after complication is the name of the game, unfortunately.

Later on that evening, Illeana would find an email from the professor briefly detailing her evaluation of the torch and skyler dross’s staff from the alternate dimension. (POST)

Illeana puts on a brave face. Eva smiles as warmly as she can to comfort the conflicting thoughts, “We’ll bring Mew, and if anything happens, they can get us the heck outta there as fast as they can. Deal?”

---

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]hm...

it's odd, she realizes, as eva explains bits of her research.

"it was different than both of our dimension's energies?"

it begs a simple question: what's the conduit and how can they stop it?

"yes, please send that over to me. i'll read it before we study the staff."

and she keeps her word in the later hours of the evening. the email is poured over with careful eyes, read and reread until she's certain she could recite it with her eyes closed.

her smile returns, albeit faintly.

"deal."

they'll have their work cut out for them in more than one area but it'll work. it has to.

"do you want to prepare first before going to the cave?"

it'd give them time to study the staff again. and additional time will help quell the anxiety lurching in her throat.

Eva Morales

Deal.

And their first expedition is set in stone.

Eva nods enthusiastically. She may be impulsive at times but preparation is the key to success, “Yes, we should certainly prepare. We’ll need to come up with a strategy to get in there undetected as well. Maybe do some reconnaissance to see what the Rocket presence there is like,” she’s sure some of the intelligence officers would be able to provide that information.

It seems like a natural place to conclude. There’s a plan set in motion, an itinerary, goals. Eva raises the mug of whiskey to cheers her partner across from her, “To discovery and hope,” Hope for a better future, for peace.

---

illeana reyes