The swamps of Route 119 are just as unpleasant as you remember them being.

Perhaps even moreso, given all the unpleasant memories you've accrued since. From your first encounter with the Megalopolans, to your subsequent scrounging for any evidence of their existence, you've mostly come to associate this place with unpleasant surprises and fruitless efforts. You've already come back here twice in search of a lead, and you have little to show for it.

But hey, third time's the charm right? Especially now that Lulu's going to be there! After your last meeting with her, you had absolutely no hope that she'd ever want to see you again. Hell, you didn't want to see yourself after that, and you're you. Luckily, time seems to have smoothed out that rough patch, and you're once again on speaking terms. Will you discover anything new in the caves below Route 119? Honestly, you doubt it, but even if you just spend a few hours loitering in the mud, you'll still considering a step in the right direction.

"Bad dirt here. Real claggy and loose. Gonna stick to the claws something fierce."

Oh, and you're bringing your Excadrill with you. If you've learned anything from your last efforts, it's that you don't want to dig through the muck yourself. Though judging by his tone, the mole doesn't seem particularly eager to help.

"Look, if you don't want to dig--"

"Didn't say I wouldn't, hoss."

"...What'd you just call me?"

"Lady up ahead, hoss."

Sure enough, Lulu's there waiting for you, accompanied by her Houndoom. Hm. You're getting a horrible sense of deja vu, like you're back in the labs again. But you brush past that notion and carry on towards her. Surely you can't fuck this up a second time? Surely not.

"Hello, Lulu."

"Howdy."
"Cadrill."

---

Lulu Flint

Yeah, this is about the welcome you were expecting.

It's hardly a surprise. After how badly you botched your last encounter, you wouldn't want to see-- Ah, no, already said that. Hm. Maybe it would be better to lay off the self-flagellation? After all, it's not like you're completely out of it. You've still got that hundred grand that Howard gave you! Nothing to help smooth things over like an absurd amount of money. Probably best not to lead with that little bombshell, though. You'll tell her a little later. Maybe after you've wrapped things up here?

As she introduces her Houndoom, you briefly considering introducing Excadrill in kind. However, after you think it through for a single millisecond, it becomes abundantly clear how stupid that idea is. What would you even say? "This is my Excadrill. His name's Excadrill.". Yeah, no, wouldn't go over well. If only you gave all your Pokemon silly names like Howard...

"...Shade? Good name. This is my Excadrill. His name's Drilliam."

"Drilliam" blinks. Slowly, the mole turns his head in your direction, his head tilted slightly. You pretend not to notice as you hurry the conversation along.

"And we're ready to go, too. Lead the way."

---

Lulu Flint

Lulu leads, and you follow.

Would it be better if that was the other way round? Probably. You've spent enough time trudging around this swamp and its caves that you know them like the back of your hand. But that's the problem, isn't it? Because despite that, you still haven't found anything new. You've searched Route 119 from marsh to mire, and you've come up empty. So, better to let her take the initiative and see where her instincts take her? Worst case scenario, she doesn't find anything either, and you can commiserate over your mutual failure to find a needle in a haystack. Speaking of which...

"Nothing so far." You admit, sheepishly rubbing the back of your neck as you do. "And believe me, I've been checking. The grunts haven't seen anything out of the ordinary when it comes to aliens, and it doesn't seem like the League knows anything we don't, either. Not that I'm out of ideas, mind, but... Well, I'm working on it."

And unfortunately, that's as far as you've got. You've observed the status quo, and can confirm nothing has changed. You wish you had better news. Hell, you wish you had any news. Maybe she's been more lucky?

"Anything on your end?"

---

Lulu Flint

"Well... There's always the alien, right?"

The alien. Not just any old alien, but the alien, specifically. Called that because you don't actually know his name, to be honest. Still, it's probably best to clarify that. Lord knows that Lulu's probably seen a hell of a lot more aliens in her time than you have.

"That is, the one in Rocket Custody." You explain further, still trying and failing to recall his name whatsoever. "I figure if all our other leads turn up dead ends, I can pull a few strings, see if I can't pull rank and arrange a meeting with him. If we're lucky, maybe he knows something that we don't about that chain, or those aliens, or the spaceship, or something like that."

Again, it's not a very sophisticated plan. In fact, it almost entirely relies on one specific Megalopolan you've never met knowing a whole group of Megalopolans you have. But stranger things have happened, and with any luck, your dodgy connection might dredge something up.

"Failing that? I think we might be shit outta luck."

---

Lulu Flint

Two aliens, huh? Yeah, that tracks. That reveal doesn't even make you flinch, because really, why would it? There's already one alien in the submarine. One alien is really the tipping point. After that, what's one more to the list? Hell, what's a hundred more? All that matters is if they're willing to hear you out, and given what's at stake, they definitely should.

"If they know his name, then Velmos seems like the safer bet."

Who were those Megalopolans? What was that Toxic Chain? Why would they call him a traitor? You have plenty of questions, and what you need right now is answers, not theories. Besides, you don't exactly get along great with scientists. Or do scientists not get along great with you? Whatever the case, between Lulu Flint and Xenon Antheil , you're not exactly excelling... Well, okay, you suppose you're doing okay with oscar clayton . Oscar's fine. You like Oscar well enough, but Oscar is Oscar. Is he even really a scientist? Really, you'd think of him more as an engineer, but does that distinction really mean much?

"Weird glow up ahead, hoss."

Your musings are interrupted by Drilliam's callout, and sure enough, you can see the unmistakable shine of a Tera Crystal. Well, that's gotta be good news, right? Sure, it might not be an important Tera Crystal, but a Tera Crystal is still a Tera Crystal. Even if it wasn't the one that manifested the Quaestor Lucis or summoned forth that parasitic tendril, maybe you, or more likely Lulu, could still learn something for it?

"...Please stop calling me hoss."

"No can do. You're hoss, hoss. That's just how it is."

Damn it.

---

Lulu Flint

Alien allies hiding somewhere in Hoenn? Where the fuck had they been? Between the war waged in the Ultra Deep Sea and the battles over the ruins north of Dewford, it really feels like they should've showed up by now. Unless... Wait, could they be the same as the Megalopolans that were infected? Shiiiiiiiiiiit. If that's true, then it'd be bad news, but more than that, it'd also be a promising lead. You make a note to ask him about it whenever you eventually meet this mysterious Velmos.

After that, Lulu turns to you and gives you a look. You've never been great at reading people, but even at a glance, you can tell she means serious business. The way she's talking, the words she saying, its clearly important that you hear this, even if you don't quite get why. And, really, that's all you need to know.

"...Got it."

You haven't got it. Not fully. But enough, you think. As she recalls her Houndoom, you feel more confident in your understanding: She trusts you. Not fully. But enough, you think.

For better or for better, you don't have time to celebrate that miniscule step in the right direction. No, her focus shifts to the light of the Tera Crystal ahead, and so too does your own. Lulu seems surprised you haven't encountered more of them already. You would be too, had you not made multiple visits to Route 119 already.

"Most of it has already been harvested." You answer an unasked question, glancing about your barren surroundings as you do. "There was a lot more a few months back, but between the League 'collecting evidence' and treasure hunters looking for a quick buck, this place is just about picked clean. I guess they didn't get this one, though."

Which is strange, right? Because this one is bright, out in the open, and overall fairly obvious. Why has nobody got this one?

---

Lulu Flint

"Could be. Hard to tell."

As she quietly observes the Tera Crystal, so do to you. You've got to admit, it's certainly a pretty sight, and more than that, it's useful, too. Between Slither Wing and Meltan, you've got more than a few Tera users on your team, and you can't deny the power of the phenomenon. If only it weren't an apocalyptic blight upon the face of the region, huh? Maybe then you'd feel like less of a hypocrite for using it.

But what can you do? At the end of the day, you're like a middleweight boxer, and your promoters keep matching you with the biggest, baddest heavyweights they can find. When your opponents are unstoppable monsters like the rampaging Kyogre, you have to take whatever advantage you can get, wherever you can get it.

...Well, maybe Kyogre's a bad example. You've long since decided that's a battle not worth fighting. Just thinking about it conjures the unwelcome taste of saltwater in your mouth and the relentless lashing of rain upon your skin. A reminder that no matter how hard you fight, there are some battles you simply cannot win. Even now, you can feel yourself drowning in the primordial yellow of its fathomless eyes...

"Time to pack it up, hoss: The canary's stopped singing."

You're brought out of your own mind, as you often are, by one of your Pokemon saying something that feels like getting slapped over the back of the head.

"Huh? What? Drilliam, what does that even mean?"

"We got a gas leak."

Gas leak? You're confused, until you look down and see the pink fog beginning to roll in. Fuck, Dream Mist?! That's not good. The last thing you need right now is a Paradox Pokemon bursting out and wreaking havoc. You better wrap things up quick, before--

"SHIT! LULU, MOVE!"

You don't wait for her to dodge. With only a split second to think, you rush forth and shove her out of the way of the descending Sableye. And so, the gemstone goblin falls upon your head instead, a dozen razor-sharp fangs sinking deep into your scalp, all while its scrabbling claws slash and scrape at whichever sensory organs they can reach.

"GAAAAAAAAAH!"

And yes, that's just as painful as it sounds.

---

Lulu Flint