Alph let out a long, tired yawn as he slumped in his chair, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. The past few days had been incredibly demanding, filled with late nights and countless tasks that had piled up during his absence from Jubilife village. As a trusted member of the Ginko guild, he had been assigned the responsibility of setting up a cart within the village to provide essential supplies to the villagers.
After meticulously checking through the survey results, completing paperwork, and organizing the logistics, Alph had finally managed to get everything in order. But the effort had drained him, leaving him longing for a few moments of respite. He had succumbed to the fatigue, dozing off at his desk while still in the midst of his work.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle nudge against his arm. Alph groaned, his sleep-fogged mind resisting the idea of waking up. He muttered sleepily, "Not now.I need to sleep"
"Alph, it's time to wake up. Abra has a note for you," Espeon gently transmitted.
Alph, still groggy from his slumber, responded with a sleepy request.
"Just five more minutes, Espeon," he murmured.
Concerned for Alph's well-being and aware of the urgency of the situation, Espeon persisted in its telepathic message.
"Alph, you've been working tirelessly. It's important that you wake up now. Abra has brought something urgent," Espeon conveyed with worry in its mental voice.
Gradually, Alph began to regain his senses and acknowledge the importance of the situation.
"Alright, Espeon. I'm awake now," he responded, his voice reflecting his slow awakening.
Espeon nodded, relieved that Alph had finally roused himself from his sleep-induced stupor. It watched attentively as he rubbed his eyes, shaking off the last traces of drowsiness. Alph's gaze shifted to the Abra patiently waiting with the note, and he reached out to take it from the Psychic-type Pokémon.
As Alph unfolded the note, his brows furrowed with curiosity and anticipation. Espeon remained by his side, ready to offer support and assistance in whatever awaited them. Alph's eyes scanned the message, absorbing the contents quickly.
After reading the note, Alph swiftly grabbed a nearby pen and a piece of paper. He scribbled down a quick response and passed it back to Abra. The small Psychic-type Pokémon levitated the piece of paper and promptly teleported away, returning to its owner.
As Abra vanished, Alph turned his attention to refreshing himself. He walked over to a jug of water and a bowl resting on a chest of drawers to the left side of his office. Pouring the cool water into the bowl, he splashed it onto his face, the rejuvenating sensation instantly waking him up.
As Alph washed his face, his loyal partner probed his thoughts telepathically, curious about the contents of the note as it seemed . "What is so concerning about Cyllene's message that requires your immediate attendance?".
Alph paused for a moment, drying his face with a nearby towel. "Professor Laventon discovered a faller on the beach. It seems that a teenage girl fell out of the newly open space-time rifts. The Captain requires your talents so that we know if she is a threat to the village".
Through their mental link, Alph knew that Espeon internally sighing "I truly doubt a teenage girl would be a threat to the village.".
"I know. But, it's better to eliminate any doubts that she could be known rather than let the Security Corps run wild with the possibility. Or even worse, if old man Beni starts investigating himself…"
"So the Captain wants to quell any paranoia of her being a threat now, rather than have the Commander be convinced otherwise." Espeon summarized "Furthermore, our experience with other fallers would be most valuable with the current situation at hand." Espeon watched his partner finish drying himself and making himself seem presentable. "I agree that our current predicament requires the use of my abilities. But, it has become exceedingly common as of late for us to act as a partial member of the Security Corps."
Alph now had finished up and started to head to the door, the physic pokemon jumped off the desk and followed him outside of the door. "I know… I will continue to pressure the Commander that the Security Corp should be using us as their impromptu intention detector in only exceptional circumstances".
The pair walked onto the corridor of the second floor of Galaxy Hall heading towards the stairs leading towards the location of the Survey Corps office. Members of the Security, Construction and Agriculture Corps walked past them as they went about their various tasks of the day without paying them special attention, outside of the occasional greeting that Alph returns.
"Remember years ago, when Security Corp members got frightened on the sight of seeing you out with me". Alph joked as he remembered the initial various reactions of other Team Galaxy members to the roaming Pokemon that accompanied him.
The Pokemon chuckled in response "It was certainly funny when the one guard fainted after explaining to him that I did not require being in a Pokeball".
"Ohh.. I forgot his name again… I think he was a part of the group that resigned after Laventon arrived?"
"I believe so. However, we should put his conversation to rest for now. We have arrived at our designation and should be focused on the task at hand".
Alph rolled his eyes as the Pokemon reminded him to be prepared to meet Cyllene. The leader of the Scout Corp was certainly one for proper etiquette and behavior. Regardless of some peoples complaints of her being too much of a 'hard-ass', her strictness and lack of leniency when it comes to standards has contributed heavily to the successful operation of the Galaxy expedition. Without her qualities and leadership, Alph feels that their progress would have been slower. Commander Kamado obviously agreed with the assessment as she quickly was assigned to Adminship of the Survey Corp.
"Thanks for the reminder". Alph sarcastically replied.
"Your welcome". Espeon responded with equal irony. "Now, let's meet our new faller".
As they both entered the Survey Corp office, Alph noticed a group of familiar faces surrounding Captain Cyllenes desk engaged in conversation. He recognised the figures of the Professor and Rei, one of the youngest members of the Survey Corp who acted as Laventons assistant. By a process of elimination, he assumed that the young girl dressed in odd clothes was their faller.
From her first impression, she seemed not threatening whatsoever. She acted like a regular shaken teenager who is equally fascinated and afraid by the alien world she found herself in. If there was something off by her initial appearance, it was that she reminded Alph of someone. It was a similar reaction when he meant the Rei and the Warden of Lady Sneasler for the first time. It was a weird feeling as if he knew them from somewhere previously. It was probably connected somehow to his previous life that he had vague recollections about. But, those vague feelings of recognition never amount to anything substantial as if there was some sort of force trying to hide those memories from him. He will talk about it with Espeon later as he was a good confidant when it comes to those existential matters.
Quickly escaping his current train thoughts with a helpful jolt of Espeon, he continued to walk towards the group before they noticed that they had arrived.
"And there he is. I was wondering when he would show up". Professor Laventon warmly smiled at them and they approached the group. Alph greeted the Professor, his assistant and the Captain before apologizing for his late arrival.
"I apologize for arriving late. I was in the middle of…"
"Abra already informed me that he found you asleep at your desk." Cyllene's cold voice interjected into his apology. Her eyes honed sharply onto Alph before he could elaborate on his false excuse further. Professor Laventon and Rei both looked concerned at Cyllene interjection while the young girl looked confused at the current focus of conversation. The Captain sighed before she continued "It seems I will have to convince the Commander to lessen your workload as it's the 3rd time this month that we have found you asleep at your desk."
Alph now wished that he and Espeon hadn't taught the two to establish a telepathic link to each other. "Captain Cyllene it's"... He tried to respond before she cut him off.
"But,we can talk about your decreasing current workload later". She quickly changed the topic "As, you haven't introduced yourself yet to our current guest."
Alph internally cursed Cyllene before turning to face the young girl and making sure to politely smile to make her feel at ease "So you must be the new faller".
She nodded apprehensively in response.
"My name is Alph. I mostly work as the assistant for the Commander and the other Admins when they require it." He then gestured to Espeon "This is my partner Espeon. He has been my closest companion ever since I could walk.". As Alph introduced him, the psychic type walked towards the girl and introduced himself in order to make her feel more at ease.
Alph thanked Espeon through their mental connection, before the girl, who seemed more relaxed, introduced her. "I'm Akari".
TRUTH.
Espeon started to tune his psychic energies towards the young girl in order to determine her honesty. Espeon lie detection was still helpful in finding what intentions 'outsiders' have in visiting the village. While some other psychic types have attained higher levels of his technique through years of refinement and practice, Espeon's current ability was enough to deal with the majority of situations that the Security Corp needed him to use it.
"Just for the record, how old are you?"
"15"
TRUTH
It seems she isn't lying about basic facts about herself. This was a good start.
"I assume that Captain has already informed you that I've previous experience dealing with other people who have fallen through space-time distortions."
Akari nodded.
"Good. Do you remember what occurred before you were woken by Professor Laventon?"
"Yes. I remember what happened before I woke up…" Akari meekly responded.
TRUTH
Alph was shocked that that statement turned out to be true. Through their link, Espeon reaffirmed that Akari was telling the truth. All of the previous 'fallers' that he had encountered, had amnesia about their lives before they found falling. They could remember some vague things from their past, but nothing substantial.
"It seems that something must be different about her case. " Espeon reasoned. He agreed, it seems he will need further information.
"Can you just give me a brief account of everything that has happened before you ended up on the beach from your perspective?"
The teenage girl suddenly became quite tense in response to him answering the question.
"If there are things you are not comfortable telling us, that's fine. I just want to try and get a timeline of what happened. I have been briefed already about what happened after you woke up". He turned his head towards the Professor who blushed in embarrassment of losing and failing to capture the Pokemon he brought with him. "It would be extremely helpful to know how to compare to the other 'fallers' I have met." He smiled in order to ease her nervousness.
Akari timidly began to explain her experiences, recounting how she was sleeping peacefully in her own bed at home when something extraordinary occurred. She found herself suddenly falling through empty space, surrounded by a disorienting void. This unexpected event had left her feeling scared and bewildered.
To her astonishment, a Pokemon called Arceus materialized before her amidst the empty expanse. The awe-inspiring presence of Arceus caused her smartphone to undergo a remarkable transformation, turning into an extraordinary device called the Arc Phone. As she held up the Arc Phone. Alph himself felt a peculiar familiarity with the Arc Phone, but he set aside those thoughts, focusing instead on the story at hand.
Soon after regaining consciousness, Akari discovered herself on Prelude Beach, feeling utterly confused and lost. It was there that she was discovered by Professor Laventon, who found her in this bewildered state. As she tried to make sense of her surroundings, she noticed the Arc Phone lying nearby. Curiosity compelled her to examine the device, and within it, she discovered a message directly from Arceus.
The message from Arceus bore a cryptic instruction, urging her to "Seek out all Pokémon." Though the true meaning behind these words remained unclear to Akari.
Throughout her retelling, Espeon remained by Akari's side, continuously affirming the authenticity of her experiences to Alph.
—-
After Akari finished recounting her arrival, Alph expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for sharing your story, Akari. Your honesty is appreciated." He looked concerned about her exhausted state and turned to Rei, requesting, "Could you take Akari to the canteen for some rest and refreshments, Rei?" Rei nodded and led Akari out of the Survey Corps Office with a gentle smile.
Once both of them had left the room, Captain Cyllene turned to Alph with a serious expression, asking, "Are you confident about the truthfulness of Akari's statements?" Alph reassured her, "Yes, Captain. Espeon detected no falsehood in her account."
Upon hearing this news, Professor Laventon sighed in relief and said, "I'm glad to hear that. I told you she seemed genuine."
Captain Cyllene responded solemnly, "Yes, but we had to be certain, given the circumstances of her arrival and the villagers' attitude towards outsiders."
Professor Laventon nodded slowly, understanding the reasons behind the caution. He then asked, "So, now that we know she's not a threat, what's the plan?"
Alph pondered for a moment before inquiring, "Has the Commander been informed about her arrival?"
Captain Cyllene replied, "Yes, I provided him with a brief overview. I hope he'll consider Espeon's findings when making his decision."
Alph agreed, "That would be best. It will make things easier for everyone."
Looking concerned about Akari's future, Alph turned to Captain Cyllene and asked, "Do you have any suggestions on how Akari could stay in the village?"
Captain Cyllene nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, I was thinking of following the Professor's idea of joining the Survey Corps," she replied. "Given Akari's unique abilities and her expertise with Pokémon, she could be a valuable addition to our team."
Professor Laventon's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes, exactly! Imagine the potential of having her help complete the Pokedex. Her knowledge could be an invaluable resource for our research."
Alph nodded in agreement, seeing the merit in the idea. "Having Akari with us on our expeditions could bring a fresh perspective and open up new possibilities for understanding Pokémon behavior and habitats."
Captain Cyllene continued, "Additionally, this way, she can gradually integrate into the village by working alongside us and proving her worth to the community. As her contributions become evident, the villagers might become more accepting of her presence."
Professor Laventon smiled, pleased with the direction the conversation was taking. "It's a win-win situation. Akari gets the chance to demonstrate her skills and establish herself, and we get a talented researcher to aid our mission."
Alph then addressed Captain Cyllene. "I'll talk to the Commander about the plan. With Espeon's confirmation of her honesty, it should lend weight to our recommendation."
With that Professor Laventon takes his leave, leaving Captain Cyllene and Alph to continue their discussion about the practicalities of convincing the Commander to let Akari stay in the village and the possibility of her joining the Survey Corps.
"I think we need to show the Commander that Akari can truly benefit the village," Captain Cyllene said, leaning forward with determination. "We can highlight her skills, knowledge, and the potential contributions she can make to our missions."
Alph nodded in agreement. "Yes, and we should also address the villagers' concerns about having an outsider among us. Maybe we can organize a gathering where Akari can interact with them, demonstrate her good intentions, and earn their trust."
As they brainstormed, Espeon chimed in with a suggestion, conveying its thoughts through a series of gentle psychic nudges. "Espeon suggests that we use the upcoming Survey Corps trial to prove Akari's worth to the village," Alph explained. "We can increase the difficulty of the trial, putting her skills and expertise to the test. If she excels and earns the respect of the team, it may go a long way in winning over the villagers."
After a little while, the conversation shifted to Alph's workload. Captain Cyllene noticed that he had taken on too much yet again, and concern creased her brow.
Concerned, Captain Cyllene gently expressed, "Alph, you're taking on way too much again. We don't want you to overwork yourself to exhaustion. We need you to be at your best."
Espeon chimed in, adding, "Indeed, it's the second time this week that you've fallen asleep at your desk, Alph."
Alph tried to defend himself, "I had to catch up with the paperwork from the week I missed when I went to visit the Diamond Settlement."
Captain Cyllene responded firmly, "That's even more reason to delegate your workload, Alph. We have a capable team, and you don't have to do it all yourself."
Although hesitant to let go of control, Alph realized that she was right. He sighed, acknowledging the gravity of the situation. "You're right, Captain. I'll talk to the Commander and see if we can find a solution."
Captain Cyllene nodded, satisfied with his response. "Good. I hope you take this seriously. We need you at your best."
Alph, feeling determined, replied, "I do, Captain. Thank you for looking out for me."
Espeon and Alph left the office, heading to the top floor where the Commander's office was located. As they walked through the corridors, Alph's mind was still preoccupied with the conversation he had with Captain Cyllene about his workload.
Espeon sensed his thoughts and spoke gently, "You know, Alph, Captain Cyllene has a point. Overworking yourself is not sustainable, and it can affect your well-being."
Alph sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I know, Espeon. But I can't help feeling responsible for the things that happen in the village. I want to make sure everyone is safe and that things run smoothly."
Espeon nodded understandingly, "It's commendable that you care so deeply about the village and its residents. However, you don't have to carry the burden alone. We have a capable team, and the Captain is right—delegating tasks and seeking support is crucial."
Alph looked at Espeon with gratitude, "I appreciate your concern, Espeon. You're always looking out for me. I guess I just need to learn to trust others more."
Espeon smiled warmly, "Exactly. Trust in your team's abilities, and remember that asking for help doesn't make you weak—it shows strength and wisdom."
As they reached the top floor, Alph took a deep breath, trying to ease the weight on his shoulders. He knocked on the Commander's door, and upon receiving permission, they entered the office