The good news is, she isn't mad. The bad news is, she still doesn't seem particularly eager to take the break, either. Man, this is exhausting. Just trying to convince her to take a vacation makes you feel like you need a vacation, too. Why can't she just trust you on this one? You, someone who's practically a stranger to her, who specifically sought her out after she tried to kill him, and who keeps making demands of her without clarifying why? It just doesn't make any sense.

Once again, the question comes back to what you want, and once again, you still can't give her a straight answer. But you came here for more than one reason, and if won't tell her the first one, then you can at least offer her the second.

"...Look." You begin, taking a few steps back towards Lulu and lowering your voice to a whisper once more. "I don't like anything that happened down in that cave. Now that all the proof has up and vanished, nobody has any reason to believe us. I know for a fact that the League won't do anything about it, and I doubt Rocket will do shit, either. But if that Chain ends up coming back, and if that parasite ends up spreading, then it won't end well for anyone. But, we were both there. We know how serious this shit is, and between your brains and my brawn, we might be able to stamp this out before it becomes a problem."

And that'll mean, Arceus willing, you never have to choose between your life and hers ever again.

"Is that so much to ask?"

---

Lulu Flint

"I'd like if it that was true, but I'm not so optimistic."

You think back to the incident that took place underneath Route 119. Ideally, you'd like to savour a cigarette while mulling it over, but given that you're in a submarine, you'll have to forego that luxury. So, you just cross your arms, tilt your head back, and try to imagine the taste of nicotine on your tongue as you reflect on what happened.

"Sure, the chains on the rescue team members disappeared, and the ones on the dead did, too. But what about the other Megalopolans and their Pokemon?" You muse, placing a hand upon your chin. "They all had the parasite too, and not only are they gone, but we don't know where they went. They could be off in some other cave, plotting the same things, and we'd be none the wiser. Besides, I have a hunch..."

You hesitate for a moment. Should you really be relying on "hunches" and "vibes" to try and convince a highly respected scientist, of all people? But hey, what do you really have to lose? What is she going to do, lose faith in your nonexistent intellectual prowess?

"I think there's more parasites out there. Besides the Megalopolan ones, I mean. I don't know why, but I just get the feeling there's more out there that we don't know about."

---

Lulu Flint

Where are you supposed to find a sect of rogue aliens hidden in the caves beneath Hoenn? It's a needle in a haystack, that much is for sure. The only reason you found them in the first place is because the Bloodmoon Beast ended up leading you right to them. But if they're hiding underground and disguising themselves as humans, then what're the odds you'll be able to find them again? Very, very low.

But, not zero. After all, this is Hoenn you're talking about, a region full of unlikely coincidences and crazy odds. You don't know how you'll track them down, but you're sure you'll figure something out. Worst comes to worst, you'll just get lucky.

"I'll work on it."

General Velmos, huh? Is he one of those DRK Triad weirdoes everyone is so paranoid about? She said his name like you should know it. You'll have to skim back through your emails, see if you missed any memos about that. Whatever the case, if he knows about where the Megalopolans are, then he seems like the most tempting lead you've got.

"I'll start on the heavy lifting, lay some groundwork, see if I can't pull a few strings and get things going. Meanwhile, you can spend your week..." You begin, only to pause. From behind your sunglasses, your eyes narrow a little, as though trying to divine whatever Lulu might be thinking. Then, your tone shifts. "...Days off doing some heavy thinking. How long do you think that'll take you? Two? Three days?"

---

Lulu Flint

"...Okay."

Well, you've hit a wall. Not in terms of the Toxic Chain thing, no, you're sure you'll figure that out eventually, but in terms of this... You don't even know what to call it. A partnership? A relationship? A terrible mismatch of personality aligned by common goals? Whatever it is, you've fucked it. Truly, sincerely, for real this time, you've fucked it. All those other times you said that you fucked it? No. Those weren't nearly as bad as this one. All the other times are mere motes of cosmic incompetency compared to this big bang of a botch. This time, you have completely, utterly, sincerely fucked it.

With that, you take a few steps back. It seems you're just about done here. You know what you need to be doing, she assumedly has some ideas of her own, and you'll meet back whenever she says so. So, you begin to leave, but as you do, you pause. You've basically hit the event horizon of fucked-upness, right? In that case, might as well try and smooth things over, right? It's not like it can get any worse.

"Just... Do yourself a favour and take a break every once in a while, alright? I'll get out of your hair now. See you later, love you, bye."

With that, you continue on towards the exit. Now, what to do next? First order of business is probably to read up on the history of the Megalopolans in Hoenn, see if you can't figure anything out from that. Then, you'll need to start thinking about--

FUCK.

--You hurry along as fast as you can and quickly leave the laboratory behind.

---

Lulu Flint