the illumination of her kadabra was her light, same as last time that they’d run into their soon-to-be company. they navigated the caves, eyes drifting over ancient art but lingering more on the ground as they looked for the glitter of reflective crystal.[break][break]

what they found caused lulu to stop and blink. again? really?[break][break]

her annoyance rose like the temperature of a pot set over flame to boil. for now, it was lukewarm like her smile as she approached.[break][break]

”andrea. we keep running into each other. do you believe in fate?”

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau [break]

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

The Rocket scientist's internal rage went completely unnoticed by the eccentric cosplayer, who jovially waved at the former as if greeting a good friend. "Oh hi, Ms. Lulu! Do I believe in fate? Hmm, that's a complicated question. The simple answer is yes!"

Andrea's Garchomp side-glanced at Lulu, recognizing her from the desert ruins exploration. The shark-like dragon let out a low growl and resumed digging. As for the young PokéManiac, she quickly turned her attention to Lulu's luminescent Kadabra. "What a beautiful Kadabra! Is it male or female?" She asked, while trying to manually measure the size of its whiskers.

Lulu Flint //mission

☉

”hm.” there hadn’t been much behind the question. small talk, maybe—but good to know, perhaps. lulu, personally, chalked it up to superstition.[break][break]

at the compliment on her kadabra, she nodded. it was beautiful, in a way, although its mystery also made it surely dangerous. it glowed almost as though it were radioactive.[break][break]

”it’s a female.” the offspring of her shadow alakazam, but she wouldn’t mention that part. ”its glowing is due to the illumina phenomenon. it seemed to perhaps hold some connection the crystablooms.”

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau [break]

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

"So it's a girl Kadabra?" Andrea seemed almost disappointed by the revelation. "All folktales about human children transforming into Kadabra mention young boys. I wonder if there's something about the Y chromosome in particular that would trigger such a metamorphosis." Men had it so easy. It was unfair. She wanted to be a freakish yellow monster too!

The dragon fanatic nodded understandingly when Lulu referenced the Illumina phenomenon. "Oh yes, I've heard of that. I have an Illumina Pokémon too. Their glowy tattoos are so cool!" The girl's ruby-colored eyes sparkled, as if remembering a vital piece of information all of a sudden. "Say, is it true that Crystablooms are somehow connected to Sygna Suits?" She asked.

Lulu Flint //mission

☉

she had not heard about the kadabra boy folktale. briefly, it piqued her interest, but they were quickly passing the brief moment she thought to ask. the thought disappeared, perhaps never to be revisited.[break][break]

”yes, that’s correct,” she confirmed. ”it was discovered that crystablooms are conduits of infinity energy. are you familiar?” it was now realized to be the bioenergy of all things. it was all around them.

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau [break]

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

"What's the matter, Finn?" For some reason, Andrea's Garchomp had stopped excavating the cave, and it quickly became apparent why. There was a mineral formation in the way that was too tough and durable for his claws to simply cleave through.

"I see the problem... Hey, maybe your Kadabra could move that big rock with her Psychic powers!" Andrea suggested to Lulu, hoping that their excellent (?) teamwork would shine just like last time. "So, about infinity energy... I'd like to know more, please." She then requested, craving more knowledge.

Lulu Flint //mission

☉

the garchomp stopped, seeming to come upon something that wouldn’t give beneath honed claws. lulu regarded it, eyeing past the obstacle for anything shiny.[break][break]

andrea’s suggestion was followed with a nod. and the rock was lifted with psychic, removed and set aside to clear their path of excavation.[break][break]

andrea’s curiosity was.a trait that lulu found herself gradually appreciating, despite herself. this did nothing to deter her motives, of course.[break][break]

”more?” what more was there to tell that she could share?”when used properly, it can provide immense power. in fact, its what powers most of hoenn these days, since the invention of gmh’s infinity energy generator.”

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau [break]

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

"So, Infinity Energy is infinite energy. I see." The dragon-hooded girl nodded understandingly. She wasn't that invested in solving the world's energy crisis, being more interested in its supernatural properties instead. Still, she was appreciative of whatever information the Rocket scientist was willing to divulge.

One Psychic later, the large chunk of rock had been pulled out. "It worked! Thank you, Kadabra." Andrea reached her hand down to pet the yellow creature, should it and its trainer allow. Soon, she found herself drawn to the rock itself, squinting her eyes hard. "Wait a minute..."

Andrea sent out a magenta Slowking that gave off a faint glow. "Bronson, could you try cleaning that rock?" Intricate markings lit up along the Slowking's pudgy frame, signifying its status as an Illumina Pokémon much like Lulu's Kadabra. Using its Water Pulse, it washed the mud and dirt off the mineral, revealing its pristine form to be much shinier than any regular old rock.

If diamonds were a girl's best friend, then this shimmering Tera Crystal could replace THEO BECKETT as the love of Lulu's life.

"Whoa, what an amazing discovery!" Andrea hugged Bronson in a celebratory manner, before turning back to the older woman. "We're really good at discovering things together, Ms. Lulu. What should we do with this big, sparkly rock?" The girl asked, definitely not tempting fate.

Lulu Flint //mission

☉

the kadabra was wholly unaccustomed to the praise and affection, eyes flashing towards lulu briefly before settling back on andrea again with little warmth in their wise depths.[break][break]

the slowking that the girl released was one that immediately grasped the scientist’s attention, more so than the rock. another illumina pokemon, just like her kadabra. ”did you get your slowking from that hatchery, by chance?” it’s where they’d all seemed to have come from.[break][break]

with the rock soon cleaned off and revealed to be a tera crystal, she found herself plenty pleased for having decided to make this visit.[break][break]

”well done,” she complimented on the excavation. as for what to do with the find, she first asked, ”how familiar with the tera crystal are you?”

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau [break]

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

Lulu inquired as to the origins of that Illumina Slowking, causing Andrea's eyes to widen. "Why yes, I did get Bronson from the hatchery! How did you know?" It was through the power of deduction, most likely. Lots of weird Pokémon had come from there.

With an important finding in their hands, it was time to decide what to do with it. But first, Lulu asked Andrea another question for purely scientific, non-malicious reasons.

"I know that they fell off METENO and that they cause a phenomenon called... Terastallization?" The dragon maiden casually replied. "It's when Pokémon get all sparkly and wear funny hats on their heads."

Lulu Flint //mission

☉

”they all seem to have the same origin,” she informed. ”yours included.”[break][break]

at sparkles and pointy hats, lulu immediately began to doubt andrea’s potential value as a scientist. her brow furrowed the slightest bit, eyes dropping to the crystal as she decided not to comment on the strangely comical description.[break][break]

”terastallization is correct, yes.”

she reached into her pocket, then, to pull a tera orb from it. ”it can be achieved with this. a tera orb.”[break][break]

her eyes returned to the ‘rock’ in andrea’s possession. ”that in her hand is a tera crystal shard, in fact.” another pause. ”shall we see how it works?”

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau [break]

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

Andrea stared at the Tera Orb with keen curiosity. Unlike other crystal shards that were all pointy and sharp like knives, this one had been refined into a more civilized shape. "It's kinda shaped like a Pokéball." She observed. Was it a deliberate artistic choice or one of convenience? Trainers felt more comfortable holding rounds objects in their hands, after all.

Her curiosity only grew when the older woman suggested that they tested their newfound Tera Crystal. "You mean like... Terastallizing our Pokémon just like back on METENO? That sounds exciting!" The girl giddily replied, although Finn didn't seem as enthusiastic about the prospect. Wearing silly hats was Slowking's job.

Lulu Flint //mission

☉

”by design, yes. they feel better this way in battle.”[break][break]

she held it out further, as if to hand it over.[break][break]

the reference to meteno was briefly annoying, but she nodded. yes, like when deoxys had transformed into a diamond-like menace to meteor beam them into oblivion.[break][break]

”indeed.”[break][break]

offering the tera orb, she explained, ”if you charge it with that shard, you’ll be able to terastallize your pokémon to whatever typing the shard connected to.”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau [break]

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