"Thank Arceus" Lucas says beneath his breath as Emma comes to. He wasn't sure if he could have gotten her to a hospital in time if she wasn't. He'd offer her a hand as he stood up, waiting several beats for her to react.

"Oh Arceus" he groans as he makes his way over to the other Beast. "Yes, about that. I could try and teleport them out, but they're hurt, you see?" His attention shifts to several civilians with obviously broken limbs or head trauma, dried blood visible. "I honestly think we should make a few calls, get some more League over. Mostly medical staff. We did get them all, the abomasnows, didn't we?" Lucas throws his head back to look towards the damage lava plume dealt to the cave. He didn't think they'd get attacked again.

---

notes
Emma Wolfe dorian westcliff

The cold blew through Lucas' many layers as he flew towards the Space Center. There wasn't an ounce of warmth left in his body as he lands. Aerodactyl's wings sends snow flying as it settles just by the front doors to the space center. Lucas slides off its back with no delay. He desperately wanted to get inside, where it was warm. After fumbling with a pokeball for several beats the fossil pokemon disappears. Dropping the pokeball into his side pocket his attention would immediately fall on his partner. "Persephone I presume?" Lucas' voice is muffled, a white scarf covering everything beneath his eyes. "Let's move inside before someone catches a cold." Namely him, his entire body shivering from the ride over.

---

notes
persephone amavi

"You're welcome," the words come out soft, compassionate. "And I'm sure you will." Lucas thought his faith well placed in Cait. He was sure she would be dependable and an excellent addition to the department. Attention drifting back to his computer screen he'd pause at the woman's question. "Starting? Let me see," he brought up a calendar in the corner of the screen. "Next Monday I think. Work starts at nine." Nine for those less zealous in their work. Often Lucas would arrive at seven in the morning to continue where he left off from the night before. "You should have a desk and everything set up by then." Getting out of his chair he'd make his way towards the door, his work bringing him elsewhere in the building. "I look forward to working with you Cait." He opens the door and stands to the side. "After you."

---

notes
cait alfric

Lucas is overcome with confusion as he searches every inch of the machine. Where was the power source? He hadn't seen a spot to plug a power cable, nor an opening in the casing to allow batteries in. It was a complete mystery. A sense of relief would wash over him minutes later during his meticulous dissection. There was a barcode and number. It wasn't what he'd originally been looking for, a company name or product name, but it would help him nonetheless. Taking a picture with his phone and walking across the room he begins to run the barcode and digits through various databases.

Slow and gentle typing eventually becomes furious typing as Lucas' searches come up empty countless times. Originally he thought it was simply due to typing errors, but it soon became clear that there simply wasn't any information to be found. Whatever data there might have been was gone from the databases. Every. Single. One. Only after what felt like hours of searching did he find a single piece of information hidden away, a buyer. Lilycove Contest Hall. Lucas was intent on finding out more, but everyone had their limits. It was late into the night now, his fatigue finally catching up to him. Yawning he locks the lab door and reactivates the alarms before leaving.

---

"I'll be away in Lilycove for likely the whole day. If anyone asks for me tell them I'll be back tomorrow." Lucas sends the text message to his assistant, cait alfric . As he walks through a set of automatic doors eyes wander across the room, noting several security cameras in the lobby. Footsteps echo through the room as he makes his way towards an attendant. "Good morning, would I be able to speak to whoever is in charge today? I'm just here to ask a few questions on behalf of the League. My name is Lucas Lane." He'd take out an ID card with his picture, name, and position within the league on it to show the attendant.

---

• Found the buyer
• Locked the lab with the machines in it and re enabled the alarm system
• Texted his assistant that he'd be out for the day
• Asks a Lilycove Contest Hall attendant to speak to their manager or something to ask about the machine
• Shows ID card as proof of his identity

shiv

"Yeah, you're welcome" Lucas says, the words lacking in sincerity. It should have been obvious that something was amiss, not only with the first floor but with the whole tower. Something that science couldn't explain. The region renown rock lover's hand slides back into his pocket once more, taking the crystal out to look at it. It would finally dawn on him what the crystal was from. What legend it fit perfectly into. "It's the cocoon" he thinks to himself, amazement painted over his face in that moment. This was a valuable find and an indication of what was behind the tower's mysteries. If the cocoon had already begun to fall away it meant that the mythical pokemon Jirachi was awakening from its slumber. That the rescue group would need to hurry.

"We need to pick up the pace" he slides the crystal back into a pocket "Jirachis already out of it's." The brunette's sentence stops short as the darmanitans spring to life, proving his suspicions right. Stomping feet echo as Lucas rushes to space himself from the reanimated pokemon, Alexei Ivanov 's words having little influence on the decision.

As Lucas draws close to the rest of the rescue team he's met with the rude words of victor evans . "It's part of the cocoon" he snidely responds. "The pokemon that I'm here to help." Lucas' words are a window into his thoughts, that Victor wasn't here for the same reason. "Times running out if the crystal is already falling away. It's only suppose to happen when it awakens." With those words he'd eye the staircase behind the two gargantuan pokemon. "We've got to get past the darmanitans fast. We don't have the time to sit fighting." In a flash of light his glaceon disappears, in its place appearing a Kabutops. "Ceto mudshot. Geb, extrasensory. Flank them!" As the pokemon move out he turns back to victor evans and priam conrad . "Conrad I need you to do the same so we can lure them from the staircase, it's the only way to get to the next floor. And Victor, just try not getting in the way."

C2LN8J50

---

• Runs from the reanimated Darmanitans
• Meets up with victor evans and priam conrad , explains that Jirachi is likely close to hatching
• Commands claydol to flank with extrasensory and Kabutops to flank with mudshot
• Tells priam conrad to get his pokemon to flank as well so they can lure the darmanitans away from the stairs

@raid @inthepost

"A shame" Lucas says as he found the girl had no projects to share. He had a slight look of disappointment to him upon learning the fact. Sighing he leans back in his chair as Cait continues to talk, taking in what she had to say. Lucas supposed that the rest of the interview was pointless from that point on. Fingers rise and fall in a wave pattern onto his right knee beneath the desk. He waits for the girl to finish. As the final words leave her mouth he notes a spark in her eyes, something his previous mentor had seen in him. The sight leaves Lucas silent as memories came back to him. His eyes stray from Cait, falling upon a framed photo on the corner of his desk. It was a photo of himself and another man that strangers might guess to be his father. His arm is wrapped around Lucas. Lab machinery can be seen behind the smiling duo.

"You know, when I started out I was an assistant to a man named Jaime Sousa. He was well respected at Devon. If there was anything groundbreaking at the company you could be sure he was leading it." A smile tugs at Lucas' mouth as he remembers his time with his mentor. "When I first interviewed at the company I was much like you. Lacking experience, but not without redeeming qualities. Jaime saw something in me and gave me a chance then, taking me in and making me into what I am today." He straightens himself in the chair, there's a brief pause of a few beats. "Anyway, I'll just cut to the chase. I see this spark in you like I believe Jaime saw in me, and it's a-amazing." The scientist places both hands on his desk, fingers intertwining as he puts both hands together. "I'm willing to give you what Jaime gave me. A chance to not only work under me, but to learn under me."

---

cait alfric

"Yes yes, I guess that's right." Lucas says, following her comment about becoming an officer. Surprise runs through him as Cait shares her career path with him. He didn't expect her to have her life planned out as thoroughly as she did. "Well you're already off to a good start" he remarks. An officer at the age of nineteen with several certificates and league courses completed. Even enjoyed office work too, which he couldn't say about himself. Cait was more impressive than Lucas had thought from the initial read of her resume.

The head scientist saw much of himself in the young girl. Someone with initiative, a planner, an appreciator of the finer things life has to offer judging by her fascination in the painting. Traits he would appreciate in an assistant. "Just a few more questions if you don't mind Cait. Could you go over with me a few projects you've worked on related to your studies and your hobbies?" While he did like the applicant no proper schooling meant he needed something else to gauge her skills off of. Learning her hobbies was also to help Lucas get a better feeling of her character.

---

cait alfric

"Fondness for literature, that's something you don't see much nowadays." Lucas chimes in, glad to see that some people still clung to the old pastime. "So I take it that you're a capable writer then? There's a lot of desk duty here too you know. A lot of reports that need to be made and filed." He pauses for a brief moment. "Not to say that assistants don't get to help directly, but I think you get the point."

Placing the paper back against the wooden desk Lucas straightens his back, the chair creaking during the process. "Tell me though, why do you want to work here? I'd have thought that pursuing forest based ecology for tradition reasons meant there was a family business of some sort." Again the scientist attempts to pry at her history, to learn more about the applicant. "Maybe it's because she's a fanatic" he thought to himself. Specializing in the niche field for her appreciation and fascination in grass and bug pokemon. It felt so out of place as a field of study that he thought there had to be a special reason for it, besides simply "tradition."

---

cait alfric

Lucas listens intently to every word the applicant says. As she falls silent he leans back in his chair slightly, it creaks softly. He notes the direction she gazes towards. Without looking he knows her attention is focused on "The Voice of the Forest." It was the only piece that hung on that otherwise bare section of the wall. Later that day the piece was to be collected and brought to the Lilycove Art Museum. A slight smile tugs at the edges of his mouth. He enjoyed that fact that someone else appreciated his collection, even if it was only one part.

"Forest based ecology eh?" Lucas moves to pick up her resume, eyes dart across the page to find its mention. He notes the certificates and nods appreciatively. Those would be useful. "You said you were self taught. Could you elaborate a bit on that? What made you want to take that sort of thing up?" He didn't view being self taught as something to be frowned upon, quite the opposite in fact. The lack of experience was concerning, however. Little to show her skills in it he thought.

---

cait alfric

Eyes go wide and fear overcomes the head scientist as he materializes half way towards his destination, falling into flames. "Teleport teleport teleport!" He cries out repeatedly to the claydol. Lucas' surroundings change again as he finds himself stumbling forwards in the staircase. He clings to the railing for several moments to regain his composure. Several other people rush by him while he does so. Stable as he could become he proceeds to climb the stairs, running up them with the other stragglers. Geb the claydol floats behind him while Glaceon runs alongside.

When Lucas finds himself in the next room he looks around, noticing that the boy was no longer with him. He knew priam conrad was transported with him, he'd seen that white head of hair among the crowd in the staircase. Hoping for the best he presses on. Sliding his hand into his pant pocket Lucas is relieved to find the crystal hadn't been lost. Fingers run over the crystal's surface. He admires the feeling of it.

As he takes in the state of the rescue party Alexei Ivanov catches his eye, moving closer to the statues. "Wait wait wait wait, don't!" He calls out. "You don't know if they're alive!" Footsteps echo through the room as he rushes towards the man from the mossdeep center. He knew the darmanitans native to his home region never grew that big, so the thought of them simply being statues had crossed his mind. But this tower wasn't somewhere to take risks as they saw in the first floor.

foJC0yL6

---

• Recollects his composure in the staircase
• Notices priam conrad isn't with him when he enters the second room, hopes he's alright
• Checks to see if the crystal is still in his pocket, it is
• Rushes over to stop Alexei Ivanov from touching the statues in case they're alive

Alexei Ivanov @raid

Lucas scrolls through the pictures on his screen, admiring the art and artifacts pictured. He considers which ones would make a fine addition to his collection. Which of the art pieces pictured he'd consider loaning out to the Lilycove art museum. Currently only one piece of his collection was on display. "The Voice of the Forest" the piece had been called at auction. It depicts Celebi atop a shrine dedicated to it, with a worshiper standing close. The painter was unknown, but the picture was dated back centuries he'd been told.

"Please, come in" Lucas says to Cait as she finally makes her voice heard, remaining seated as he did so. His office is spacious and pristine. Light pours in through a large window, where two healthy plants site on the windowsill. Several filled bookcases line a wall opposite of the window. On the wall behind the head scientist's desk hang three intricately carved masks, similar to those Yamasks carry.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Looking towards Cait he motions to a guest chair in front of his desk. "Was it easy finding your way here?" He says as takes her resume out of a desk drawer, skimming over it one final time. Placing the sheet gently down on the desk after a few moments he starts the interview off with a simple question. "So, tell me a little bit about yourself." A simple, cliche question. He'd gone through few interviews in his career, and never interviewed someone himself. This would be a learning experience for him. Helping him out with the other interviews scheduled that week.

---

cait alfric

Lucas listens intently to Alexei, careful to not miss even a single word. He wasn't one to put his faith in the rumors that spread among students, but thought it fascinating if it was real. "Further south?" Lucas repeats Alexei's words, thinking of what that might mean. Sootopolis city came to his mind as he thought about potential landing sites. He vaguely knew about the city's origins, that a meteor was the source of it. "Maybe? No, can't be." The scientist says his thoughts aloud, but they're barely audible. Little more than a whisper. He thought the meteor landed there, but quickly rescinded the idea. It would have broken headlines if it had.

"Appearing?" He echoes the words, expecting no answer. Thoughts began to form at the back of his mind of what that might mean.

"Alright, well I think the front desk is this way." Leading the way through the store aisle Lucas finds himself at the front counter. There still wasn't an employee in sight. A bell sat on the counter, a "ring for assistance" paper taped down next to it. Lucas exhales deeply in frustration, before ringing the bell three consecutive times. He was beginning to get fed up with the service at the store. "Can't believe this, honestly. You'd think they could afford to have a few employees at least." Pausing the scientist sighs. "You said you read some stories already about Rayquaza. Was it all about the clashing of it with the other two or?" Leaning against the counter Lucas hopes to at least learn something instead of waiting in silence for an employee.

---

so much for space stuff whoops
Alexei Ivanov

The blonde's words seem off to Lucas. It's the phrasing, the repetitive sirs. They don't feel natural. He brushes it off, chalking it up as being anxious around a league member. As the fire and poison pokemon talk to one another Ninetales says nothing, tails flowing from side to side as it sits by its trainer. It was content with not involving itself with others.

Lucas grunts in agreement, proceeding to walk across with the area Dorian cleared, Ninetales in tow. His face remains somber as he makes his way across unlike Dorian. Although Lucas was thankful to be rid of the ice he didn't share Dorian's same enthusiasm, despite his recent injury. By the time they encounter the beginning signs of the artificial snowstorm Lucas is no longer holding ice to his head. Time passes and they find the woman they are searching for. "Fre-" Lucas cuts his sentence short as he hears Dorian commanding his magmar. "Best not" he thought to himself. Having no desire for his own pokemon to get caught up in the attack. Dorian's warning to get to cover only reassures his decision. Lucas says nothing in reply, instead stepping back in sync with the ice type by his side.

"Frea, moonblast." The words come out slurred as he spoke fast. Regardless the ninetales acts on its trainer's command, two pink orbs fire from its mouth. One after another. They collide with the remaining captors, knocking them into the remnants of Magmar's fire plume. Both pokemon are knocked unconscious from the damage. Lucas rushes to Emma's side, where she's miraculously untouched by the reckless fire attacks Dorian has commanded. "Hey come on, can you hear me? You alright?" He's on his knees at this point, ready to check her vitals if she remains still. He was sure that at minimum Emma had a concussion, if not a few broken bones.

---

4/5 Emma Wolfe dorian westcliff