Disclaimer- I do not own Pokemon and expect no profit from this endeavor
May 28th, 17:25, Travel log of Aidan Rode
That settles it. I am a terrible person with terrible scholarly ethics. Paranoia and nosiness have led me to a new dismal low; clandestinely recording conversations with teenagers. Granted, this particular teenager was sketchy as a purrloin in a trenchcoat wearing the Galarian crown jewels. Nonetheless, my actions were a grievous invasion of privacy and conscience demands I delete this pokegear recording immediately.
Unfortunately, curiosity and self-preservation demand otherwise. The content of my exchange with Felicia (if that is her name) elicits enthusiasm and alarm alike. Perhaps she's brilliant. Perhaps she's mad as a sinistea in a solo cup. Either way, Felicia is, once again, attempting to recruit me for something both frightening and enthralling. Even more disturbing is the fact that I'm seriously considering her offer.
Our initial meeting at the coffee shop was conventional enough, I suppose. Bayside Brews was a pleasant place; bedecked in beachy pastels but somehow coming off as airy and welcoming rather than gaudy. Felicia arrived first, claiming the most secluded corner table. I was finally formally introduced to her pokemon (the maractus is Allie and the eeleektross, R). A single letter makes for an odd name, but I've heard worse. Erity and I had to convince her little cousin not to call his gastly 'fart'.
Anyway, R was curled, resting round our table and Baron, unappreciative of the late-morning heat, was swift to join him. Vivi amused herself with paper napkins while Clarisse and Allie continued bonding where they left off yesterday. My leavanny is typically gregarious but mating season is approaching, rendering her more affectionate than usual. Alolans I encounter are often surprised by this, expecting her to behave like their native lurantis. Females of that species express a certain ravenousness during their season, occasionally to the detriment of the smaller males.
I also learned that Felicia finds coffee to be utterly unpalatable, despite her invitation to a cafe. She claimed that the caffeine and overpowering odor disagrees with her, ordering a mild chamomile instead. I have no such reservations regarding caffeine. Neither does Vivi, unfortunately (I've considered a childproof lid for my thermos). After niceties were exchanged, I was able to activate the recording function on my pokegear on the pretense of deactivating the map. This is where my transcript begins...
AIDAN: For a small town, it's awfully easy to take a wrong turn.
FELICIA: First time here?
AIDAN: Mhm. And you?
FELICIA: First time in a while. I attended summers in my youth.
AIDAN: What brought you back?
FELICIA: A convenient place to do research while making battle money.
AIDAN: I posit ace trainers and rich vacationers pay well.
FELICIA: It's almost ludicrous.
AIDAN: Speaking of research, it's not often I meet another spiritual physics enthusiast. Are you on an internship? Uni project?
FELICA: No and no. Are you always this nervous?
AIDAN: Excuse me?
FELICIA: I imagine yesterday's aggressive outburst was jarring but wouldn't dare threaten you again.
AIDAN: It was a misunderstanding. You were anxious for Allie.
FELICIA: It was inappropriate.
AIDAN: Don't worry. All was forgiven the moment you mentioned theories on post-mortem leakage bulk.
FELICIA: Good. If the following inquiries prove fruitful, I may have an academic proposal for you.
AIDAN: Consider me intrigued.
FELICIA: I would like to further explore your NSEmeter.
AIDAN: Please understand, the designs are proprietary. I can't elaborate on the shiny stone to core conduction process without an NDA.
FELICIA: I won't pry into design. Capability is what concerns me.
AIDAN: Capability regarding?
FELICIA: Is the range of your device limited to this plane?
AIDAN: Can it seek NSE through the veil, you mean?
FELICIA: Precisely.
AIDAN: Theoretically, it's possible, though I haven't tried. The barrier of veil would likely dampen or obscure the signal beyond recognition.
FELICIA: So success would require a large, clear energy source?
AIDAN: That's an understatement. Only a truly massive, highly charged NSE surge would register with any degree of certainty. It's like trying to read through frosted glass.
FELICIA: What about, say, a charge of 40sC, stable radiation of 1,500meS, and an average energy density of 37,000meS/m3.
AIDAN: Say that again?
FELICIA: 40sC, 1,500meS, 37,000meS/m3.
AIDAN: Holy shit.
FELICIA: Your verdict?
AIDAN: I could detect it. The real question is what in Arceus' name could produce it.
FELICIA: Would you like to find out?
AIDAN: It actually exists?
FELICIA: It does and your technology would enable us to pinpoint its exact location, structure, even observe aural fluctuations in real time. It could mean a reliable channel of communication, albeit one-way-
AIDAN: It's sentient?
FELICIA: Certainly.
AIDAN: And you want to communicate with it? This, frankly, cataclysmic thing waiting in the spirit world?
FELICIA: I must.
AIDAN: That's like talking to a H-bomb.
FELICIA: They can be reasoned with, I assure you.
AIDAN: The H-bomb or your NSE-monster? I'm not sure which is more receptive to reasoning.
FELICIA: I understand how bewilderingly outlandish this must seem, but I believe they will be open to discourse, if given the chance.
AIDAN: Discourse? How do you know it's conscious? How do you even know it's there?
FELICIA: If you help us, I might be convinced to clarify.
AIDAN: And how, specifically, am I meant to help you?
FELICIA: Put your NSEmeter on a boat, float into the middle of the bay, and let the tech run until we have our data.
AIDAN: Even if we manage to detect something, there's no guarantee we can discern detailed aural fluctuations through the veil. We're not dealing with a shower curtain. This is a barrier between universes.
FELICIA: It behaves unconventionally here.
AIDAN: There's no published evidence for that.
FELICIA: Move forward with the experiment and you'll find there is. Unpublished, of course.
AIDAN: This is insane. Furthermore, I already have a mission.
FELICIA: With the UDD. The government takes ages to make progress. You have time.
AIDAN: Another mission. I can't afford major distractions.
FELICIA: Perhaps minor distractions? I'll procure the boat, determine the route, reimburse you for any expenses, and defend us from wild pokemon. You need only provide your device and a bit of company.
AIDAN: How can I trust you're capable?
FELICIA: I'm not an idiot.
AIDAN: No, you're a teenager and I have only three short conversations with as a basis for judgement. Are you even old enough to rent a boat?
FELICIA: I have more experience than my appearance would suggest.
AIDAN: You sound like it, but I've seen 35 year old women play sixteen year old boys onstage. People will project anything to get what they want.
FELICIA: I'm well aware. Nonetheless, I swear to uphold my end of our agreement. Can you manage yours?
AIDAN: I haven't agreed yet.
FELICIA: You will.
AIDAN: What makes you so sure?
FELICIA: Curiosity. Your type can't resist the call for long. My sister was one of you.
AIDAN: Perhaps you misjudge me.
FELICIA: Well, you lack her nerve and smell of cortisol, fleece, and coconut shampoo. Still, you're both insatiable.
AIDAN: I'm a scientist. It's part of the job.
FELICIA: It's more than that. People like you don't seek knowledge. You claw desperately at it. You endeavor and struggle, ecstatic, relentless, and heedless of boundaries. Your zeal doesn't inspire you. It burns you until there is no course but forward for fall back is searing agony.
AIDAN: No one has ever described me so violently.
FELICIA: They see an exterior; polite, nonthreatening. I see your mind.
AIDAN: A mind that doesn't lack prudence. You're a stranger and I'd be entirely at your mercy out there. None of my pokemon can swim like R.
FELICIA: Hire a water type. They accompany tourists all the time.
AIDAN: I know a samurott at the scuba shop.
FELICIA: You dive?
AIDAN: No.
FELICIA: Pity. The owner has a lanturn too. Ask for her.
AIDAN: Had a lanturn. Layla passed.
FELICIA: My condolences.
AIDAN: Do you dive?
FELICIA: I used to. It was often frightening.
AIDAN: If it scared you so much, why partake?
FELICIA: My sister needed a dive buddy.
AIDAN: Siblings have a habit of dragging you out of your comfort zone.
FELICIA: That they do. Oh, you're still nervous?
AIDAN: Of course. I expected pleasantries and intellectual banter, not your bombshell of a request.
FELICIA: Are you afraid of me?
AIDAN: What?
FELICIA: Despite earlier commentary, you have no true fear of R and Allie's about as intimidating as a petunia. That leaves me.
AIDAN: I never claimed to be afraid.
FELICIA: You don't have to.
AIDAN: In all honesty, this past week has been quite stressful. Rough nights. It makes me rather twitchy.
FELICIA: Ah, that's understandable.
AIDAN: This is simply a lot to process. I should have finished my coffee before talking to you.
FELICIA: I was, perhaps, hasty with my proposition. Such serendipity has not come to us for years.
AIDAN: Us meaning?
FELICIA: My family. R and Allie.
AIDAN: This is important to you? Collectively?
FELICIA: Inexpressibly so.
AIDAN: Arceus dammit. Give me a moment to think.
FELICIA: Perhaps you'll allow us to win you personally before accepting or declining?
AIDAN: Meaning what?
FELICIA: Spend leisure time with us.
AIDAN: You assume we have leisure time.
FELICIA: Surely there's an hour to spare. What's your pleasure? Sports? Film? Music?
AIDAN: I love music.
FELICIA: Excellent. Do you play, perchance?
AIDAN: Piano; not on a professional level, but I don't completely suck.
FELICIA: Well, I happen to be a trumpeter. Let's jam tonight.
AIDAN: Jam? You mean improv?
FELICIA: Why not?
AIDAN: That may be beyond my paygrade. As in, I don't get paid for keyboard skills. Ever.
FELICIA: Then I'll bring sheet music. What's in your rep?
AIDAN: Solo work, mostly. Nothing with a brass part.
FELICIA: Irrelevant. I just need a feel for your aptitude.
AIDAN: Alright… I've played Prelude No. 7 by Shossvan, Mareep May Safely Graze; Buko, Reverie; pretty sure that's Deyasse. Or Lissat? Shoot.
FELICIA: I can work with that. There's a lovely piano in town, if only it were in tune. Then, there's the issue of breaking and entering.
AIDAN: My hotel has an instrument, if it helps.
FELICIA: That's probably better. Fewer complications.
AIDAN: Wait, you'd actually break in for a piano?
FELICIA: It's hardly difficult.
AIDAN: And this is supposed to make me trust you?
FELICIA: If anything, it is a display of commitment to our alliance.
AIDAN: So you're a delinquent but at least you're loyal.
FELICIA: That vullaby is more of a delinquent than I am. She's drinking some lady's latte right now.
AIDAN: What? Fuck. Vivi, no!
At this point, I rushed to dislodge my pokemon's foamy beak from another patron's drink, apologizing profusely. My recording also ended with a bout of muffled speech and static. I'm not quite certain how that happened, though my bet's on Vivi's pecking habit again. Afterwards, I provided the address to The Undella Bayview Hotel and arranged our rendezvous before picking up a newspaper on the way out. It's been ages since I maintained any semblance of diligent piano practice but this should, at least, be entertaining. It'll be like watching hoothoot fledglings fly into mailboxes on SFV.
Nonetheless, more severe trepidation simmers. Felicia is persuasive and disturbingly perceptive. Considering my discoveries regarding her background (or lack thereof), I was indeed nervous entering that coffee shop. Largely, I was simply afraid she would notice a change in my demeanor. The trainer did more than notice. She told me I "smel[t] of cortisol," which is not an accusation anyone is keen on hearing while trying to retain composure.
I may not fare well in the heat of battle but I am, by no means, a shy conversationalist. I've interviewed league members, convicted felons, even wild litwick and none of them, (besides, perhaps, the litwick) have ever seen through me with such ease; like a sharpedo scenting blood in the brine. It's unnerving. It also forces me to assemble embarrassing (if somewhat honest) excuses for why I'm so unreasonably jumpy.
Unfortunately, Felicia made another accurate assumption too. I am desperate for knowledge. I've thrown funds and time and sanity at my pursuit of Dr. Skye for three years; more than anyone (particularly my mother) would approve of if they knew. I have sacrificed much, including, sometimes, my integrity. I desire to help Sofia Mori find closure and claim that I will do all in my power to give this to her. Yet, what does that mean when her goals align so closely with mine? There's no sidetrack involved; no suffering or yielding of some boon. In fact, remaining within her good graces is highly beneficial to my ends. On this same mission, I lied to the Undella Town realtors about wanting to rent the beachhouse. It wasn't a devastating deception. No one was killed or even more than mildly inconvenienced. Still, I went to that house under false pretenses and pried up a stair tread. Now, I'm recording teenagers without their consent.
This intellectual desperation poses another problem as well. I dearly want to test my technology. Most governments and universities are unlikely to support an endeavor similar to what Felicia proposes. They care not for the spirit world, but this world. They also fear inflaming the conservative masses by "defiling the sanctity of death." Thus, Felicia's proposal boasts considerable allure.
I should clarify that the spirit world and the spiritual realm are not synonymous. The spiritual realm is a term referring, officially, to the total spiritual mass and energy in the universe. The spirit world is another universe with a distinct set of rules. Like most life on Earth, our universe is majority physical, containing trace amounts of spiritual mass and energy (SM and SE, respectively). The spirit world cannot support any physical mass or conventional forms of energy (CM or CE, respectively).
The veil is the border between these universes. Though CM and CE cannot usually cross, they may be able to do so in an ambiguous state (AM and AE). Some ghosts (dusknoir, drifblim, gigantamax gengar, pumpkaboo, etc) are able to induce this state in their own physical anchors and other objects. However, even true ghosts (defined as majority spiritual entities composed of anchor, life-force, and soul, imprinted from deceased organisms) cannot remain there indefinitely. To do so, they must surrender their physical anchor. This would sever the connection back to their native universe.
The anchor is the source of all stability in the spiritual world. All living things and ghosts possess one, whether it be a human body, metallo-organic gears, a pile of sand, or even a derelict porta-potty (that spirit was possessed of unconventional taste). Without this anchor, SM and SE rapidly cross the veil. The entire lifespan of an organism might be described as one one oscillation of spiritual mass and energy between universes. It enters our world and binds to an anchor, then unbinds, thus, departing. Crossing back again would require either a major leakage event, transition to an ambiguous state, or a directed expenditure of energy potent enough to permeate the remain here for more than a moment, a suitable anchor would have to be swiftly established.
The spirit world and its interactions with our own are still poorly understood. This is true even for ghosts for they are anomalies amongst us. Though the realm most tangible to them is spiritual, they are firmly rooted in our majority physical universe. This is their life and afterlife. Felicia's project might offer insight regarding these mysterious workings. Dr. Skye and her team uncovered much of what we know now (to the outrage of many critics) but her disappearance marked an unceremonious end to these investigations. This aspect of the field has stagnated and it's not difficult to discern why. Studying the veil and the spirit world is nigh impossible without the help of a strong ghost type, willing and able to communicate with humans. It also renders a researcher susceptible to attack from the media, religious organizations, and, even, at times, their peers. Felicia and her NSE entity (if she isn't bonkers) present an opportunity to revive these studies. I'm loath to be distracted from my ultimate goal yet am undeniably drawn to this phenomenon. If Dr. Skye was in my position, she probably wouldn't use chasing ghosts (metaphorical ones, at least) as an excuse to reject a chance at potential scientific progress.
In addition, another source of intrigue here rears its head. Felicia has news of some massive spirit emitting from beyond the veil. The monstrous thing from my nightmare wanted to cross the veil. Could they be related? It seems delusional but stranger conspiracies have been proven. For example, there was this one bit of criminal hilarity circulating in the press while I completed my undergrad at Jubilife City College. A group of old ladies used their flying types to steal and hoard all of Twinleaf Town's mail for three months. Authorities found the whole lot stashed at the local bingo hall. Apparently, the offenders made a weekly event of reading pilfered letters and opening surprise packages. When a child came forth, denouncing his grandmother's starly as a diabolical mail thief, people laughed. I suppose they still laugh, even after verification. It's all rather absurd.
If my suspicions regarding Felicia's target are well-founded, it would offer relief in that I no longer need prepare for a beheeyem or mismagius confrontation. However, it would also mean that something else, something very hateful and powerful, is attempting to work through me to enter this world. I wonder if it would be wise to warn Felicia. Should I inform her that, if she establishes contact, that thing may try to use her too?
Arceus, it's ridiculous. I want to prevent the person using me from being used. Then again, Felicia's SE level and spiritual charge aren't enough to destabilize lifeforce by proximity. Assuming the numbers are accurate (40sC and 37,000meS/m3), her subject is another story. If this is the same nightmarish entity I dreamt about, our expedition will allow me to gather valuable data on what exactly it is I'm dealing with.
In the meantime, I await correspondence from Sofia and Erity regarding Dr. Skye's polyalphabetic cipher. Maria (once again a goddess of good timing) and I have begun brainstorming a list of possible cipher keys. A reliable online decryption program was employed to test the hundreds of options and, thus far, none have borne fruit. The intricacy of the sibling's personal lives provides an endless litany of possibilities. Every spare moment standing in line, waiting for microwave popcorn, even (admittedly) sitting on the crapper is granted to this most tedious research and application. I suppose this is my life now.
For example, Akeey (the lead baritone from Song of The Mandibuzz) was written as an homage to John. Therefore, we tried the character's name and titles, as well as the lyrics from all of his arias and recitative in a myriad of combinations. Julianne also attended most of her brother's basketball games in their youth. Thus, we ended up watching dozens of videos featuring the Southside Stoutland to glean the words of their chants, play names, and roster. Everything is fair game from email addresses, to pokemon battle strategies, to favorite television catchphrases, and messages in birthday cards. To my embarrassment, I even plugged in Dr. Skye's ridiculous childhood nickname. As a toddler, John couldn't pronounce sister or Julianne and somehow began calling her Lila (alternative orthography; Leela or Lela). This persisted until he was almost six, largely out of affectionate habit, as his articulation had vastly improved. This nickname, of course, failed as a cipher key. It wouldn't have been a very secure choice, anyway.
This search has been a uniquely frustrating endeavor in that there is despairingly little creativity or critical thinking involved. Instead, it entails hours of sorting through my database and the wider net for anything related to John Skye and enduring failure after failure. It is the mundane grunt work of academia. Maria, in an effort to lift my spirits, sent a copy of one of Dr. Skye's journal entries regarding her experience with reuniclus. The document is not unfamiliar to me, but it should provide a pleasant respite before Felicia puts me on the spot once more.
The newspaper certainly didn't soothe me. Apparently, a branch of the The Arceist Knights of Purity (AKP) are campaigning in Nimbasa City against the ownership of species blacklisted by the organization. Though practitioners of Arceism, they have been denounced by almost every other Arceist church as extremists (even the ultra-traditionalist Ancient Church of Arceus and fanatical Sentinels of Holy Creation). They claim to be defenders of the mind and soul from the forces of darkness and perversion. I wouldn't complain if Reshiram flew over and took an enormous flaming shit on them all.
The uninformed think they're harmless, perhaps even noble. Spiritual physicists know better, as they've fought to destroy our field since its conception. They've also spent decades unjustly persecuting many ghost, dark, and psychic type pokemon. This rancor is, by no means, new to the region. Many centuries ago, some Unovan kingdoms were so opposed to meddling in the spiritual realm that they attempted genocide against the golett and golurk. It is believed that the pokemon were created by an ancient civilization and the kingdoms deemed them unnatural abominations born of human sacrilege. Thankfully, their efforts to eradicate these majestic ghosts were in vain.
The more modern AKP were popularized by their aggressive attempts to mitigate malicious ghost and psychic attacks in response to negligence from the UDD and pokemon league. Many of the members, regional and international, are victims of such attacks. Some survived gourgeist or frillish predation, were traumatized as children by sadistic duskull, blame elgyem for botched neurological procedures, or lost relatives to lampent breaches in hospitals.
Unova is in near unanimous agreement that the likes of chandelure, jellicent, confragrius, and beheeyem must be addressed as a threat to public safety when they appear. However The AKP goes so far as to protest the medical employment of elgyem and perform mass exorcisms of yamask. Contrary to popular belief, exorcism does not send ghosts "to a better place" or grant them peace. It is an agonizing second death leading to oblivion, which they fiercely resist. Yamask are classified as type B spirits, meaning that they rarely if ever attack living humans unless provoked. Therefore, these exorcisms are essentially the murder of innocents. The knights also targeted sensu oricorio in Alola for "wielding sacred and profane energies for frivolous and combative purposes." However, the residents of Poni island are proud and protective of this unique species and promptly rebuffed the church's arguments.
Dr. Skye despised the AKP and they returned the sentiment wholeheartedly. In their eyes her studies were blasphemous and Keros, the worst breed of demon. Therefore, she was an adversary to humanity, all good living creatures, and the will of Arceus. Julianne herself acknowledged that chandelure are naturally violent creatures; type E ghosts, meaning that, should you encounter one, assume it's quite passionate about killing you. Shauntal, one of the few (living) long-term chandelure trainers, confirms this. Her specimen is outfitted with a dampening implant to prevent it from annihilating the soul of everyone within its event horizon. She and Dr. Skye once arranged a meeting for their pokemon to converse. After a few minutes, Shauntal's ghost called Keros a traitorous weakling and made to attack Julianne (who was swiftly defended). The Elite Four member, a fascinating individual, adores her pokemon for the fierce creature it is, unwavering hostility and all. Understandably, despite enjoying the companionship of her own chandelure, Julianne was active regarding innovation to keep the species at bay.
Nonetheless, the AKP, as her most vocal opponents, vowed to ruin her at every turn. They sparked outrage and rioting, mobilizing their wealthy and influential members to lobby against her. Though the church itself offers no comment, affiliates are every so often caught vandalizing the SP department buildings at Unova University or sending threatening messages to famous ghost trainers. That the AKP is cropping up in the media again is infuriating. Seeing as the article fails to elaborate effectively on their past and current misdeeds, this publicity will only aid their growth.
Perhaps it's best I take a break and read that reuniclus journal now. The news has made me irritable and the sight of unpunctuated gibberish as I input yet another nursery rhyme or diner menu into the decryption site may incite hysterics. Such behavior tends to worry Clarisse, send Baron into morose abscondence, and leave Vivi insufferably overexcited. The team does not deserve to bear my vexation.