Julien laughed at Eva's sarcastic quip, the rich sound filling the space between them. "You have me there. I seem to have lost all of mine, too." [break][break]

When she asked about Snowbelle, he nodded. "It is. It's made me more accustomed to all the snow and cold, but I understand it's not everyone's favorite." He gave her a rueful smile. "Most prefer to flock to warmer cities like Coumarine and Shalour." [break][break]

He understood why, of course. The coast had its charm, even if all the sun exposure turned him bright red within an hour. [break][break]

A buzz from his phone demanded Julien's attention. Checking it, he saw it was a 15-minute reminder for an upcoming meeting. With a slight sigh, he returned the device to his coat pocket and gave Eva an apologetic smile. [break][break]

"I wish I could chat longer, but I have to get back to the embassy. It was nice seeing you again, though. Good luck with your research," he said. "Perhaps we can get coffee again another time." [break][break]

And then, perhaps forgetting he was in Hoenn and not Kalos, he stepped close to her and brushed their cheeks together while kissing the air, first one then the other. As quickly as it happened, it was over. [break][break]

Julien gave Eva a final smile in farewell before setting off down the path, his Houndour at heel.

TAGS – Eva Morales[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"If only that were true," Julien remarked with a sigh. Leaving the console, he moved in the direction of the opened door. "As it is, my day job has been keeping me sufficiently busy. I haven't investigated as much as I want." [break][break]

Peering through the circular doorway, Julien spied more machinery, consoles, and bodies. [break][break]

"Something about how a massive Pokémon caused it, and then other Pokémon came out—robotic ones like some of the Paradox Pokémon that appeared in Ultra Deep Sea." [break][break]

He himself hadn't encountered any, but he'd seen enough photographs online to know they existed. The strange Pokémon were yet another mystery of Hoenn. [break][break]

At Theo's suggestion, Julien nodded and headed for the exit. He recalled his Charizard and released his Magneton. "My Pokémon can teleport us back to the rift," he said, beckoning to the underboss. [break][break]

TAGS – THEO BECKETT[break]
NOTES – Ultra Plant #1

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Julien listened while he took the first tentative sips of his coffee. The coolness of the peppermint provided a nice balance to the hot liquid, one he inwardly savored. [break][break]

"I'm glad to know that you have your brother, at least," he said to Eva, aware of the exact difficulties she faced with most of her family in Kanto. The political situation there didn't faze him in the least, though, as his family benefited from Team Rocket's machinations. [break][break]

Still, he steered the conversation away from that topic and said instead, "If you ever find yourself with some free time, I can recommend some exciting places in Kalos for a trip. I'm partial to Snowbelle City, of course." [break][break]

With a smile, he took another, bigger sip of the coffee. "This is excellent," he murmured, looking down at the paper cup.

TAGS – Eva Morales[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"It's what you might expect." Julien's reply was smooth and neutral. Though he kept a close eye on affairs back home, nothing new had arisen in the past year. Nothing worth sharing with a Galarian, at any rate. [break][break]

The waitress returned with their water and took their orders of soup before disappearing again. Julien picked up his glass and sipped thoughtfully before speaking again. [break][break]

"What about Galar? How is the reconstruction effort progressing?" he asked. Then, after a pause, he added, "I'm sure you know your cousins are here." [break][break]

The subtle comment implied that they—and Duncan—should be home helping to rebuild.

TAGS – Duncan Calcifet[break]
NOTES – mission | outfit

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Julien watched Mei's face as she spoke, seeking any sign that she was being dishonest. Yet the light in her eyes when she talked about the beauty of the dish seemed genuine enough. [break][break]

"As do I," he said, setting down his glass. "It makes the dining experience that much more enjoyable." [break][break]

Recalling the taste of her on his tongue, the corner of his mouth tugged his smile into a smirk. His gaze did not leave hers, a pointed gesture. [break][break]

But bedroom entanglements were not the point of their meeting that night. Julien only wanted a pleasant dinner with a companion, nothing more. Relaxing into his chair, he folded his hands in his lap. [break][break]

"The hot chocolate quality was very high. Where did you purchase it? I'll have to buy more when I run out."

TAGS – Mei Liu[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Julien watched Theo set up the LINKING CORD before turning his gaze to the strange machine. Its tall design and ring-shaped top reminded him of a Tesla coil as it flickered to life. Sparks flew, but a moment later, it went dark again. [break][break]

"All of them. The rifts into Ultra Space and its invading Pokémon are most interesting to me. But I heard there was a battle at the Silent Icelands last month, too." [break][break]

As he spoke, he thumbed through the notebook. To his surprise, he could understand everything written on its pages. Though much of it was complicated engineering jargon, he found a few passages of simpler instructions. [break][break]

He pressed a few buttons on the console in a specific order outlined in the book. The machinery hummed as it powered on. A hissing whisper from the other side of the main chamber suggested an opening door. [break][break]

"Rumors reach even the Kalosian embassy in Ever Grande. My staff has been whispering nonstop about the new chasm full of Terastal crystals." [break][break]

Light flooded through the windows as the electrical storm crashed into the building. Juilien whirled around, caught by surprise. He hadn't expected it to be moving in their direction. [break][break]

TAGS – THEO BECKETT[break]
NOTES – Ultra Plant #1

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"Politics," Julien replied at once, knowing that his other skills—fencing, horseback riding, and falconry—were useless to an underboss. "While my older brother Guillaume has responsibilities as the Duke of Snowbelle, I've taken on a more international role." [break][break]

Darkness welcomed them as they entered the power station, its interior illuminated by whatever distant forks of lightning flashed through the glass windows. Though a lot of the equipment within looked alien in design, he also saw ones that evoked memories of past tours of power stations in Kalos. [break][break]

Julien moved toward what seemed like a large computer, its monitors black. Black, ashen remains of some creature hunched over a set of unfamiliar buttons. [break][break]

"I served as an ambassador in Galar for a few years until in the attack in 2022, then was assigned here," he continued, gently pushing aside the corpse to peer at something underneath it. [break][break]

A notebook. He picked it up and started to flip through the pages. [break][break]

"I have been hoping to learn more about the strange phenomenon plaguing this region through official channels, but the Hoenn League has been guarding their secrets closely. Which is why I appreciate this opportunity." [break][break]

TAGS – THEO BECKETT[break]
NOTES – Ultra Plant #1

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Julien did not completely understand what compelled him to hire Mei Liu again, this time for a dinner date. Yes, she was a beautiful woman with a captivating personality and skill as a conversationalist. [break][break]

But she was also an escort, her interest lying only in how much she could extract from his wallet. And in that way, any woman would do. [break][break]

No, that wasn't true, and Julien knew it. Any old escort would have bored him out of his mind. He wanted entertainment, and not purely of the physical kind. Mei had proven herself entertaining in multiple capacities, a trait he looked forward to as he approached their table at Le Petit Pearl. [break][break]

"Good evening, Miss Liu. I hope I haven't kept you waiting long," he said, lifting the woman's hand to his mouth for a kiss. His golden gaze lingered upon her beautiful figure and the dress hugging her curves, before he turned away to take his seat. [break][break]

The restaurant served their food prix fixe, and a waiter listed each dish of the five courses Julien had selected for dinner. Afterward, the waiter poured white wine into two glasses and departed to fetch the first course of appetizers. [break][break]

"I received your Palentine's Day gift," Julien said to Mei, a smile spreading across his face at the memory. "I did not know you were practicing how to make ratatouille." [break][break]

Picking up the wine glass, he took a small sip.

TAGS – Mei Liu[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Julien nodded. "Of course. I completely understand." [break][break]

Beneath his genial exterior, however, he wondered how best to gain access to such classified information. He could, perhaps, befriend someone working within Eva's laboratory—someone less scrupulous. [break][break]

A pleasant smile curled Julien's mouth at his companion's question. "Yes, for a week. I haven't visited my niece since she was born and plan to bring plenty of gifts." [break][break]

He blew gently on his peppermint mocha, not trusting the beverage on his tongue just yet. [break][break]

"And you, Dr. Morales? What are your holiday plans?"

TAGS – Eva Morales[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Mari's sudden vise-like grip on Julien's hand was the first indication of something wrong. Alarm bells went off in his head; his attention snapped to her. Her voice sounded so small and frail when she tried to speak. Her words fractured like glass shattering. [break][break]

And then she shoved him away, her movements wild and frantic. [break][break]

"Miss Mari!" Julien called out, startled by the suddenness of her flight. [break][break]

He surged into action as she stumbled and fell, sliding across the distance between them. Once he reached her side, he knelt and saw her pale face seized with terror, her body frozen with panic. [break][break]

At once, he recognized that she was pushed to the limit. There was nothing to do but leave. "Let me take you home," he offered, his voice low. [break][break]

And then, as if Mari weighed nothing at all, Julien picked her up in his arms, princess-style. He slowly rose to his feet on the thin blades of his skates, careful not to fall himself or drop her. Once he felt secure, he skated over to the edge of the rink and stepped out. [break][break]

He lowered the girl onto the nearest bench so she could sit comfortably, then knelt again and wordlessly began untying her skates for her.

TAGS – marilee beaufort[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Julien extended a hand to shake Theo's. "Underboss Beckett. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, keeping his smile neutral, his tone polite and professional. "I'm ready." [break][break]

They started off into the strange landscape. Ahead of them, a building stood along the side of the street, its façade dilapidated and its windows dark. A vast arrangement of towers with cables running from them suggested it was a power station of some kind. [break][break]

It was the only major landmark around them, so naturally, Julien felt drawn to investigate it. [break][break]

"Is this your first trip into this section of Ultra Space?" he asked his companion, probing with idle conversation.

TAGS – THEO BECKETT[break]
NOTES – Ultra Plant #1

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Due to the status of Julien's family as merely associates of Team Rocket, he had no reason to participate in the crime syndicate's usual ventures. But ever since his arrival in Hoenn last spring, he'd made a point to reach out in secret to key leadership. [break][break]

To introduce himself in case their organization needed anything from the Demassieuxes, and to keep them abreast of any information gleaned from the League. [break][break]

So when Julien learned that Underboss THEO BECKETT was undertaking an expedition into one of the Ultra Wilds locations known as Ultra Plant, Julien considered it a perfect opportunity. He could learn more about Team Rocket's goals and expectations while exploring one of the unique phenomena of the region. [break][break]

Careful not to be seen actually meeting Theo on the Hoenn side of the rift, he waited a short distance away on the Ultra Space side, his Charizard already out and ready for action. [break][break]

Farther toward the horizon, electrical storms ravaged the landscape.

TAGS – THEO BECKETT[break]
NOTES – Ultra Plant #1

[attr="class","pkmn"]