Preparing for The Mechanical Kingdom was perhaps even more important than the adventure itself. Without it, they would be preparing to fail. Eva’s emerald eyes bounced between her small basket of goods and the shelf she was currently standing in front of. Satisfied with her decision, she purchased the necessities and made her way out of the store. She was tense and contemplative, the nasty feeling that she was missing something lingered in the back of her mind.

That was until a familiar voice pulled her back into reality. The Professor stopped in her tracks, “Hm?” and turned to see Hideo Kino approaching with his little Ralts perched on his shoulder, as usual, “Oh! Hi Hideo!” she greeted with both a wave and a smile, “And hello to you too, Ralts,” she gave the small pokemon an equally welcoming smile. The paper bag rustled in her arms as she shrugged it to confirm Hideo’s assumption, “Yep! Just making sure we have some extras of a few things. Rather have too many than not enough!”

---

Hideo Kino

The demeanor changed from an unexpected pleasure of greeting to something a little more serious. Eva’s head tilted in curiosity, “The Lake Trio?” she repeated in a much softer tone. Naturally, her mind wandered to Eris, and what she had learned of Mesprit;s plight with their broken crystal. She vowed she would do what she could to help the duo.

“Of course, we can head to my office or something,” Only a quick teleport away, “Or we can take a walk,” the bag in her hand rustles again as she passes it off to the Machamp dutifully following her, “I hear there’s a nice trail that weaves through the wildflower fields behind the pokecenter,” since Hideo requested the privacy, she’d allow them to choose the backdrop for their conversation.

---

Hideo Kino

The clear voice in her head makes the Professor flinch. Her eyes grow a little bit wider as they fix on the Ralts. A small Ralts with such clear TELEPATHY? Unheard of! It immediately spurs a wave of assumptions she is careful not to put too much weight into just yet. Assumptions could be dangerous things.

“Alright, this way,” her mild shock peels back into a warm smile. With a wave of her hand, she instructs the ‘Ralts’ to follow, no doubt guiding Hideo on the path towards the field of wildflowers.

Tucked away behind the Pokecenter, a small break in the tree line indicates the trailhead. Eva brushes the branches aside for Hideo and his companion. After a short period walking, the trees thin out, and an expansive field extends towards the hills. The green takes one a golden glow under the Spring sun’s glow.

“I’ll be honest,” Eva begins as she close her eyes and inhales deeply. The sweet scent of fresh blooms lingers in the air, “I’ve been doing some research on the Lake Trio since I learned about them,” From Eris. If Eris was going to be hanging out with a legendary, you bet Eva was going to make sure it wasn’t a sketchy one. Plus, she made a promise to do what she could to figure out how to fix the Mesprit’s jewel, “Sounds like you’ve done your own investigation as well…” she lets the unspoken words hang in the air, letting Hideo take this at his own pace.

---

Hideo Kino

Eva smiled to match his grin. She expected as much considering the circumstances. It was likely Eris that suggested she was trustworthy enough to share in her secret. That, she was grateful for. She would extend the same trust and understanding to Hideo.

“Have you, now?” Eris and Hideo working together to unravel the mystery? Sounded like a fun little detective novel, though she knows there are likely dangers ahead for them - another reason she appreciated being involved. When she looked back over the Ralts had dropped the illusion and a new pokemon floated beside Hideo.

Eva’s eyes widened slightly, drinking in the discovery. The dual-tailed sprite was quite different from the other, but it did hold familial resemblance. Eva returned the little wave with one of her own, “Nice to meet you, Uxie,” her head tilts, specifically inspecting the scarlet jewel on the pokemon’s head to see if it was cracked like Mesprit’s.

---

Hideo Kino

Trying. Yeah, they all were. This trio proved to be elusive and kept their secret close to their chests. Eva couldn’t blame them. After Eris’ explanation how the gems got cracked, she was nervous what sort of dark fate awaited them. It was clear there was something they didn’t quite understand at work. To shatter the gem of a powerful Trio took great strength. Necrozma had the sort of dark energy capable of it. It would take equally as powerful and opposing energy to fix them.

“I fear it may not be as easy as finding Azelf,” Perhaps together, they held the power to fix themselves or each other but Eva’s gut told her otherwise. Of course, she’s no expert on the Lake Trio, just healing and energies, “Like I promised your friend,” Eva grins, eeping the name a secret like Hideo, “I’ll do what I can to help you two find Azelf and fix these gems. I fear it will be a dangerous endeavor,” all the more reason she feel responsible to help, “After Mechanical Kingdom, I’ll go to another with you, if you want,” Eva needed to explore all of them, regardless. It was part of her duty and her pursuit of knowledge. The more she understood, the more prepared they would be for the upcoming threats.

---

Hideo Kino

Eva had fretted over Eris enough to just how dangerous this whole thing had been. And yes, Hideo was right, that just before Necrozoma. Now with the murderous legendary running amok? It was certainly more dangerous. Their ethereal borders were terribly unstable, and there was no telling when that creature was going to make its return. That made finding Azelf and fixing their gems that much more important.

“Unfortunately, it’s difficult to trust many people now-a-days,” her voice drifted off into a sigh, exacerbated by the thought of not being able to trust her own colleagues completely, “Thank you Hideo,” she smiled softly, turning her gaze to Uxie as well, “And Uxie,” she grinned, “For trusting me. I won’t let you down,” Eva was known to keep her promises.

The grin broke into a bit of a mischievous smile as her tone turned more playful when they established their casual partnership, “Well Mr. Hideo, looks like we have a lot of ground to cover,” her arm swept out back towards the path, “Shall we begin?”

---

Hideo Kino

The professor’s chest twisted involuntarily at his gratitude. Her smile softened and looked down at Hideo and Uzie with a similar gaze she saved for Eris Halla, something maternal and caring.

“Indeed it does,” One step at a time, even small ones towards a goal are progress worth celebrating.

After one last look at the flower fields, she leads them back towards the small town, “I would be . . . cautious,” it’s not that Eva didn’t trust her colleagues, but she didn’t want to see ones as young and Hideo and Eris be dragged into a life they didn’t choose. They were already forced to endure the terrors of Hoenn, they didn’t need any more hardships.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

---

Hideo Kino