so they would. she no longer tried to hide the smile on her face with her glass, setting it aside again.[break][break]
what had her dream been? it was difficult to pinpoint, because she wasn’t really sure if she’d ever had her own to begin with. everything had unfolded in a different way regardless, and she’d rarely thought about it since.[break][break]
”i wanted to be a biologist.”[break][break]
there was a touch of amusement in her eyes at the memory, and maybe at herself.

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

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

biologist lulu. the thought makes him smile only to grow wider at the next thought. he shares it over the rim of his glass before taking a sip.[break][break]

"perhaps in one of the universes we're both biologists, traveling the world while doing our research."[break][break]

though only a thought, there could very well exist a universe where that is true.[break][break]

"i'd be a marine biologist, obviously."

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

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

she found his smile contagious, brightening the beam of her own. it was a refreshing stroke of happiness in her gray era of contemplation.[break][break]

”perhaps.”[break][break]

she took a sip, and it went down easier, heavier. it warmed her fingertips, and the flirtatious look in her eye.[break][break]

”obviously.” a pause. ”i know you’ve been in the labs more lately. enjoying yourself?”

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

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

he nods.[break][break]

"i have always enjoyed spending time in the labs, more so when you're there, of course, but even in kanto i had ventured into toxicology. studied it for years."[break][break]

a fact only those familiar with his days in kanto would know. the concoctions he came up with were used in various ways, all of them not so pleasant.[break][break]

"but, again, i'd be lost in the labs. there's no purpose for me there."

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

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

years? yet again, it dawned on her how little she’d gotten to know him, truly. she had felt so different from him. in trying to prove their similarities, she’d missed the ones that might’ve mattered more to her.[break][break]

”i guess i just assumed you’d taken a new interest.”[break][break]

a realization hit with feelings long-forgotten. real vulnerability. the taste of blood that she swallowed away with another sip of tequila. her glass neared empty.[break][break]

”what were your studies on?”

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

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

"they were primarly about discovering which poison worked best for which situations, as well as researching and concocting new ones."[break][break]

situations that often revolve around extracting information. it's best to leave it at that. he assumes she can fill in the gaps.[break][break]

"it's why i have as many poison-types as i do. not so much for battling but more so for their toxin."[break][break]

he's never been fond of using them in battles. though potent, they are awfully predictable.

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

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

torture. murder, extortion. the list went on. she didn’t have to wonder too hard what those situations had been, and she didn’t ask for specifics.[break][break]

”makes sense.”[break][break]

she didn’t have many poison-types, and they were certainly not her go-to choice for battling. still, there was one in particular that she wondered about.

leaning into her hand, she asked, ”have you found anything of interest about naganadel?”

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

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

ub stinger.[break][break]

"it's toxin is deadly. it has a similar structure to toxins from other poison-types but it's unique in a way i can't quite place. likely due to the fact that it's from space."[break][break]

he thinks back to his research with kepler brueshaber, and another with GABRIEL BLACK, about how they had made discoveries about the ultra beast.[break][break]

"curiously enough, naganadel's brain resides in its lower half."[break][break]

a thought is shared after.[break][break]

"i wonder if the same could be said about poipole."

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

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

she nodded, ”a good bet, i’d say.”[break][break]

the next part she hadn’t realized. biological details of the ultra beasts had not been her focus, amidst many other things that had stolen her attention, like the ultra beasts’ origin. [break][break]

jokes passed through her mind, the smallest smirk curling on her lips. nature was weird.[break][break]

the same smirk disappeared at the question about poipole. protectiveness flashed in her eyes. penrose was off limits for dissection.[break][break]

”perhaps its head becomes its ass.” which meant its ass became its head. ”would explain some things.” like the aggressiveness.

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

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

"could explain their nature."[break][break]

how her poipole seems calm and fun while his naganadel is aggressive and violent. but the difference could be in their upbringing, in the experiences the ultra beasts went through.[break][break]

how did lulu find hers again?[break][break]

"i can't remember if you told me but how did you come across your poipole?"

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

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

”it could.” they were buttheads, in more ways than one.[break][break]

how she had come across penrose was nothing too unlike how she’d come across many other pokemon now in her possession.[break][break]

”it was just out in the wild, on its own. there were several others spotted after the war. i imagine it was just one of those that managed not to die off after the wormholes closed.” she shrugged. ”it was weak, then. to my knowledge, the poipole found at that time were unable to evolve—although recent events seem to have energized it in a way.” perhaps penrose would become a butthead after all.[break][break]

secretly, she hoped not. penrose was cute this way.

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

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

"interesting."[break][break]

hoenn's infamous three-day war is not lost on him. he had done his research before arriving in hoenn; research he still does to this day considering the sheer amount of events that have happened in the past few years.[break][break]

unsurprising, considering how hoenn is the center of all things.[break][break]

"i hear there are more sighted within one of the rifts. the one at granite cave, i believe."[break][break]

the next suggestion comes easily.[break][break]

"we should pay it a visit soon."

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

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

the thought of another poipole friend for penrose was enough to further curl the edges of her lips. she took another sip, looking forward to the exploration of the rifts and whatever there was to learn from them.[break][break]

with the power of ultra beasts, they could only further reach towards their expansion in the region, and eventually, the multiverse.[break][break]

”i’d love to.”[break][break]

however, they still had the holidays to enjoy.[break][break]

”but unova, first.”

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

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