This mostly exists to add some context. Enjoy.

WARNING: CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
ANYONE CAUGHT READING THIS FILE WITHOUT THE PROPER AUTHORIZATION WILL BE LEVELED WITH ESPIONAGE CHARGES AND PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY.

CLASSIFIED FILE
INTERNATIONAL POLICE, TEAM MYSTIC DIVISION
PROJECT SANCTUM UPDATE
DATE: 16/7/3034

To whoever this goes to,

I'm aware that this first update is for you to properly vet my understanding of Transcendence (which will be codenamed as "Mega Evolution" in future reports, the IP's paranoia and all) in order to judge if I am truly the best choice as lead scientist of Project Sanctum. So without further ado, let's get started.

While not common knowledge, Transcendence is not exactly a secret either. The general populace is aware of its existence, as well as the dangers it poses, but few are aware of the inner workings and mechanics.

At it's core, Transcendence is the process by which a Trainer pours their Aura into their Pokémon and strengthen them artificially. This link in Aura, in theory, was a way in which humans and Pokémon could connect on a more profound level, to transcend—pun intended—the artificial limits of specism, cultural divide, and even bigotry. It was a way to link souls, to achieve the sacred bond that regions with a heavy League influence often identify (there's a saying in Kanto how a Trainer and their Pokémon can come to "share a soul").

However, theory does not always translate into reality. Pokémon possess two different Aura reserves—one for attacks, the other for sustaining their life-force. A Pokémon can fully deplete one of these reserves without any serious consequence. Humans, however, lack this, and possess only the one Aura reserve, which is linked directly to their life force. When Transcendence is activated (almost always utilizing a crystal called a Keystone, more on that later), it synchronizes the life-forces of both Pokémon and human, which effectively creates a mental link of sorts. However, the human's life-force is continually funneled into the Pokémon in order to maintain its Transcended state, and if the human exerts too much Aura, they will eventually die.

This is not to say that Transcendence alone is lethal. A human can easily cut the connection, and allow their Aura reserve to naturally replenish itself over time, a process that can take anywhere from a week to a handful of months. However, constant Aura depletion has an unfortunate way of corroding sanity, so those who use Transcendence long-term are likely to either die or lose their minds entirely. Not just that, but while their life-forces are synchronized, both Transcender and Transcendee are put in a rather vulnerable state. If one of them dies while Transcending, the other will die as well (wounds themselves aren't transferrable, but the pain is). Furthermore, if the connection is somehow interrupted mid-Transcendence, the blowback can kill both human and Pokémon. Seems like a lot of unnecessary risk for some extra power, huh?

Pokémon can also suffer from this process. Only a handful of Pokémon are actually "compatible" with Transcendence, meaning that they can sustain Transcendence in its truest form, and are often labelled as such because they possess a "Quantum Form". This Form, stronger than usual, is unperceivable by mortal eyes due to the Veil's interference. These compatible Pokémon have extra space in their secondary Aura reserve for the Aura provided by the human instigator, which activates a process that is similar to Evolution (hence the codename), but only temporary. Pokémon that are not compatible are labelled as such because they lack this extra space, and when a human floods their reserve with this extra Aura, it can create what I call the "overflow principle". And when that happens... Well, let's just say that you'll end up scraping body parts off the walls.

Ahem, now, this process requires a device called a Keystone. Keystones, when activate, are the catalyst to Transcendence, and are what allow Transcendence to occur in the first place. Aura is always flowing through them, whether it's stray Aura from a passing human, the Veil itself, or even just the Aura of a particular place or area (these are usually places that were once considered holy sites by ancient civilizations). However, when activated, Keystones hone in on the closest resonator of human Aura, and then seek out the closest Pokémon. At this point, the human has very little control over their own Aura flow, but it's not unheard for those with Psychic capabilities to have some sway over their Aura flow, at least in the sense of which direction the Aura flows towards and which Pokémon it latches onto. Now, when I was working on my graduate thesis, I discovered that Keystones—these marble-sized crystals—are actually composed of solidified photons. Solid light, basically.

(That discovery what earned me my PhD, might I add, and my name in quite a few peer-reviewed journals. My first claim to fame. So when I talk about Keystones, I know what I'm doing.)

Keystones act less like conduits and more like filters. They conduct Aura in the same way that metal conducts electricity, but it also does an excellent job of filtering out a lot of negative emotions and feelings. Keystones don't quite process these things, so they end up getting trapped. This is a process we call "corruption". Corrupted Keystones have a weird way of working, somehow becoming more efficient the more corrupted they are. It's why people don't replace Keystones (well, that and the fact that they're notoriously difficult to get their hands on, likely because of the aforementioned dangers). Now, corrupted Keystones, which are clogged up with all this negativity, end up reintroducing this negativity to the Transcending human over and over again. And these emotions end up amplified within the Keystone as well, which only compounds to the whole "corrosion of sanity" issue. Jealousy, hatred, wrath. After all this continued exposure to negativity, it's understandable how it can completely consume the Transcender. And it's no picnic for the Pokémon, either—the more corrupted the Keystone, the less mutuality that exists within the Transcended bond and the less autonomy the Pokémon experiences during Transcendence.

Aesith. The one word that can make a Transcender tremble. Aesith are the only human beings in the world that are immune to the effects of Transcendence. They have a sort of supernatural willpower over their Aura, which allows them to initiate Transcendence without the utilization of a Keystone. However, this takes a lot of practice, so Aesith will often use Keystones to help them monitor Transcendence. Keystones used by Aesith don't become corrupt, and retain their current state so long as they are used by the Aesith. Aesith can also monitor their own Aura flow so as to Transcend with incompatible Pokémon, by trickling Aura into the reserve rather than absolutely flooding it. The Aura of an Aesith also replenishes itself almost instantly, allowing them to perpetuate Transcendence for an infinite period, without the risk of death (though they can run the risk of putting themselves in a comatose state, a "stasis" similar to that utilized by Poké Balls, if they overexert themselves) or sanity corrosion. In addition, not only can they can perceive Quantum Forms through their affinity with the Veil, but, as recently discovered in the case of Charizard, it has been reported that they can access a secondary Quantum Form that cannot be acquired by normal Transcendence. Aesith are known to be fiercely protective of Keystones, too, and tend to hunt down those who abuse Transcendence.

Now, from what I understand, Project Sanctum has three objectives:

—One, find a way to cleanse the corruption from Keystones.
—Two, find a way to make Quantum Forms perceptible to those not gifted with Eyes That Pierce The Veil.
—Three, find a way to keep Transcendence from being abused.

Personally, I think an Aesith would be very helpful in achieving these objectives. Now I understand that it's not really professional to make requests like this on your first day, but may I also remind you: I've studied Transcendence longer than anyone else, and I'm the leading professional in this field. Hell, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one studying Transcendence who isn't a crackpot or a conspiracy theorist. You asked me to lead Project Sanctum for a reason, yet you have the nerve to demand I present a rudimentary understanding of the subject matter, never mind the fact that it was certain breakthroughs in this field that made my career. And, frankly, I'm a little insulted.

I think I've said all I need to. I'm going to get to work now (might as well start now, in case you change your mind and dismiss me next week). I look forward to gaining enough respect to not be treated like a common schoolteacher. Merci beaucoup, au revoir.

—Professor Augustine Lazarus Sycomore, Ph.D., M.D., Sc.D.