Summary: Takes place between Parts 3 and 4. Lucient devises a thought experiment to test the morality of his teammates. The results weren't what he was expecting.

"The Train Problem?"

Lucient nodded as he lay out a rough sketch onto the table for Melissa, Ragger, Pandora, and Klaus to see. It depicted a train riding along the tracks, which split off into two different paths. One track had a figure tied to the train while the other had five figures tied down. Off to the side of the tracks was another stick figure standing next to a lever in the ground.

"It's a thought experiment I came up with after Pandora told me about what happened during the train ride."

She grinned. "Ah, you were inspired by my dreams to weaponize the train system for evil purposes? You are stepping up to being one of my favorite minions, Lucient."

He sighed. "N-No, that's not what I mean…although, I suppose you did technically inspire the thought experiment."

"Woo!" She pumped her paw into the air.

He shook his head. "Anyway, the idea for this experiment is to determine the ethics of a fictional scenario and how a Pokémon may respond to it. As you can see, the train is set on course to run over the five people tied to the track. This lever, however, will redirect the train to the track over. This will save the five people, but it will kill the individual tied to the separate track."

Melissa frowned. "That sounds horrible."

"It's just a thought experiment. I wanted to show this to all of you to see what your answers to the experiment are."

Klaus sipped his tankard as he examined the sketch. "Question."

"Yes?"

"Who tied these people up?"

Lucient blinked. "E-Excuse me?"

"Well, I'd be curious to know who tied these folks up in the first place. For that matter, why tie them to a train? Is this for dramatic tension or something?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh, I bet it's a rogue theatre actor who got mad he didn't get the starring role in a play, so he's taking his revenge out on the other actors in a dramatic fashion!"

Lucient held his paws up. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but how the people got tied up is irrelevant to the exercise. This is asking the question of would you pull the lever or not. Do you save one person or five people?"

Melissa raised her hand.

"Yes, Melissa?"

"How far away is the train?"

"What?"

She shrugged. "Well, I figured I would have enough time to cut everyone off the tracks and get them to safety. I'm fast enough to do that."

"Melissa, I think you're missing the point of the exercise—"

"Or would it make more sense to redirect the train and cut the one guy loose? Oh, but would I be able to get there in time? Might be riskier."

Lucient shook his head. "You can't cut the ropes."

"Why not?"

"Because…Because the train is coming in too fast. You would only have enough time to pull the lever. Or not pull the lever, if you so choose."

She flinched. "But I don't want to kill five people!"

"So, do you pull the lever?"

"But what if the other guy is a parent? I don't want to take a poor child's parent away from them!"

"…" Lucient sighed through his nose and turned to Ragger. "Raganrok, your input?"

Ragger finished taking a sip from his bottle and wiped his maw. "Lucy, believe me, you don't want someone as drunk as me making a life-or-death decision like that. I'd probably accidentally kill both sets of hostages."

"Let's say you're not drunk in this scenario."

"Ha! That's even more unbelievable than some lunatic tying them to the tracks!"

"No, that's not the point—"

Klaus raised his hand. "What would you say the man's backstory is? What led him to this point that he wanted to put on this elaborate stunt in the first place?"

Lucient took a deep breath and slapped himself in the face. "Alright then." He turned to Pandora. "Perhaps you can provide a fresh perspective?"

Pandora scratched her chin as she glared at the sketch. "I must say, this is a rather difficult choice. There are so many variables to consider. For instance, what if the one guy proves to be a reliable minion for my evil forces?"

"Wha—"

"But on the other paw, more minions mean more manpower. Ooh, that's a tough one. Quality or quantity? Hmm, do I have enough time to give them a survey to determine their applicable skills to my evil empire?"

"…No. There is a train speeding toward them. Do you pull the lever or not?"

Pandora chuckled, tapping herself on the head. "You don't rush genius. I seek only the best for my evil army, and I cannot sacrifice pawns until I know how they benefit me."

"…" Lucient pressed his paws together and took a deep breath. "Alright, let's say both sets of hostages are equally competent at whatever task you assign them to for your army."

"What task specifically?"

"Just pick one and roll with it."

"Hmm…well, in that case, I'd save the five hostages."

"Okay, why?"

"Well, five is more than one. Simple math, obviously. The other guy had the misfortune of being singled out by the rogue theatre villain."

Klaus scratched his chin. "Do you think he had a personal vendetta against the single hostage? Why separate him in the first place?"

Lucient sighed through his nose and turned back to Pandora. "Okay, so you're choosing the five essentially for the sake of preserving as many Pokémon as possible?"

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

"Alright, but now consider this." He tapped on the single hostage. "Assume you find yourself in this situation, only now it's Melissa tied to the tracks."

Melissa gasped. "Lucient!"

"It's just a thought experiment!" he quickly corrected.

Pandora crossed her forelegs. "Hmmm…"

"Why are you taking so long to answer?!" Melissa yelled.

"I'm thinking! I need to assess how useful you would be to my army." She narrowed her eyes in deep thought. "You were strong enough to take on that Flygon by yourself, so it would be a waste of resources. I'd have to go with Melissa."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted by your choice," Melissa said with a whimper.

Pandora waved it off. "Nah, I'd also need you to keep me on the straight and narrow. How can I possibly lead my army with a strong moral compass to keep me on the right track? You are my evil general, after all!"

"Aww, Pandora!" Melissa brought the Growlithe into a hug.

Klaus crossed his arms over the table. "I'd watch my back, Pan. You'd have some stiff competition for most evil Pokémon if there's some maniac tying Pokémon to trains."

Pandora huffed fire from her nostrils. "I'll be ready for him!"

Lucient shook his paws. "No, no! There's no maniac or anything."

"What's this about a maniac?" The group turned and saw Luna and Jet walking by their table. Or more accurately, Luna was walking by their table while Jet was following her, staring with an intense glare most rookies were familiar with.

Melissa waved at them. "Hi Luna, hi Jet."

"Hey."

"Hello," Jet grumbled, still keeping his focus on Luna.

Luna glared at him. "You know, in some kingdoms, this is enough to get the knights called on you."

"I'm aware."

She sighed and turned back to the group. "Anyway, what's going on?"

Lucient gestured to the sketch on the table. "I came up with a thought experiment meant to examine moral and ethical systems. The idea is that five people are tied to one set of tracks while one Pokémon is tied to the other. A train is speeding toward the five Pokémon, and there's a lever that can redirect it to the other track, but this would kill the single victim."

"Ah, I see."

"Poor bastard died before he could get with the man or woman of his dreams," Klaus added.

Lucient facepalmed. "Not…that kind of single." He turned back to Luna. "Anyway, what would you do in this situation?"

"Hmm, I'd probably redirect the train. My duty as a knight is to protect as many innocent lives as possible."

"Even at the cost of one person's life?"

"Sacrifices are an unfortunate part of my duty, but they must be made."

Jet scoffed. "Good grief…"

Luna glared at him. "Oh? And what would you do in this situation?"

"I wouldn't touch the lever."

"Jet!" Melissa gasped.

Lucient tilted his head. "Because you don't want to be held responsible for anyone's life?"

"No. If five people were too stupid to figure out how to untie themselves from some tracks—"

"What?! That's horrible!" Luna exclaimed. "Why would you even suggest that?"

"It's not a real scenario."

"But is that what you would actually do?"

"What moron ties people to train tracks in the first place? That's got to be one of the stupidest ways to execute someone! There would be plenty of opportunities to escape."

"They're tied to the tracks! They wouldn't be able to move!"

"Half of the Pokémon in this fort alone could demolish a building if they were pissed enough!"

"These aren't hardened battlers we're talking about! These are innocent people who were probably ambushed and tied up while they were vulnerable!"

"How would I know that then?"

"Because they'd be still tied to the tracks!"

"So, you're telling me these Pokémon are so incompetent that none of them know a single move to cut themselves loose?!"

"They could've been drugged, kind of like what you all did to me!"

"You nearly escaped while drugged!"

"That's not the point! That took weeks!"

"Cutting yourself loose from a rope isn't that difficult!"

"It is if you've been drugged and can't use your moves!"

"And yet five Pokémon can't even manage to use their damn claws?!"

"What if they don't have claws?!"

"Use your teeth!"

"What if your teeth aren't sharp enough?!"

"Then just snap the rope!"

"Snap the—WHAT?! Do you even know how strong rope is?! You can't just snap it like it's a carrot!"

"Y-You know what, we're talking to Shingo about this just so I can prove you wrong!"

"Fine, let's talk to Shingo! I'm sure Shingo will have the answer for all of us! By the way, who the hell is Shingo?! I'm still learning names here!"

Lucient nervously adjusted his spectacles. "Uh, I think you both are getting off topic—annnd, they're gone." He groaned as he watched the pair storm off, still yelling at each other. "Oh boy, I started something there."

Klaus shook his head. "I do agree with Jet. Our mysterious mastermind should've come up with an airtight way to execute the hostages. I can't imagine he'd have enough time to set all of this up and know exactly when the train would arrive."

"Oh my Arceus…" Lucient groaned into his paws. He saw Melissa raise her hand. "Yes?"

"Actually, that's a good point. How was this all set up to where I'd be at the lever around the same time as the train coming by?"

"…" Lucient let out a long exhale from his nose before straightening up. "It doesn't matter. That's not the point of the thought experiment."

Pandora narrowed her eyes. "What time does this happen exactly? I might be able to create some surveys for the hostages so I can quiz them on their usefulness."

"You don't have time. You only have enough time to pull the lever," Lucient said. The stress was clear in his voice.

"…Would I have enough time to give them a verbal survey?"

"…" Lucient stared down at the floor and sighed through his nose.

"What's going on over here?" The group looked up as Jason came walking by their table. "I just saw Jet and Luna screaming at each other over…the strength of rope or something?"

Melissa giggled awkwardly. "Yeah, they were having a spirited debate over how someone can escape being tied up."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a spirited debate," Klaus muttered.

Jason sighed and turned to Lucient. "Mind explaining?"

Lucient massaged his temples and took a deep breath. "It's…my fault. I proposed a thought experiment regarding a moral decision."

"Oh?"

"Basic idea, there's a training speeding toward two sets of tracks, and it's heading for a track with five people tied down. There's a lever nearby that, if pulled, redirects the train from the five people, but instead runs over one person tied to the tracks. Would you pull the lever or not?"

Jason raised his brow. "I'd pull the lever."

"What's your reasoning?"

"Because I'd have more time to speed over to the other guy and free him from the tracks."

"Exactly!" Melissa exclaimed.

Lucient's eye twitched. "N-No, you wouldn't have time to get to the other set of tracks."

"Are you sure?" He pointed at the rough sketch. "I know my limits. I could easily cross this distance before that train makes its turn—"

"No, you can't outrun the train," Lucient stressed. "It's moving…I don't know, at an infinite speed, thus rendering you incapable of catching up to it."

Pandora raised her paw. "Uh, if it's moving that fast, how would we even have enough time to pull the lever?"

"You just do!"

"But if the train was moving at an infinite speed—"

"The speed is irrelevant!"

Ragger raised his hand. "Question: would I be able to stop the train?"

"…What?"

He placed his bottle on the table and nodded. "After I heard Leon stopped the train with his body, I figured I could do the same. I can just stand in front of it and brace myself until it stops moving."

Lucient's eye twitched. "No. No, you wouldn't be able to stop it in time. Not even Leon could stop it instantly."

"But what if I stopped it from like really far away?"

"But I just told you that you only have enough time to pull the lever!"

Klaus raised his hand. "That is unless we figure out the mastermind behind this scheme and anticipate when the train arrives."

"But—"

Melissa raised her hand. "Did the mastermind steal the train or is it a normal one being conducted by the Senbo Kingdom? If it's the latter, couldn't we figure out a schedule from when it departs and intends to arrive at its destination?"

"No, that—"

"Okay, new idea!" Pandora chirped in. "Instead of a survey, I just have them list their top three best qualities to see who is more deserving of being in my evil army! I'll even give the single guy some leeway since he has to look good in front of five other candidates."

"I wonder if Jet and Luna found an answer to the rope conundrum. Should I get them?" Ragger asked.

Jason scratched his chin. "I'd still say I could move faster than the train. I've taken many Pokémon by surprise with my speed alone."

Lucient's eye continued to twitch as he listened the increasingly absurd comments from each of them. They seemed to get louder and louder, stranger and stranger, until the world around him started to spin. He felt a sudden wave of nausea hitting his stomach.

He suddenly rose up and jumped out of his seat, surprising the group. "Is something wrong, Lucient?" Melissa asked.

"Y-Yeah. I…just need to lay down for a moment. I'll see—ulk!" He covered his mouth and got a hold of his breathing. "Ugh…see you later." He limped away, leaving the group looking on in confusion.

Melissa tilted her head. "Was it something we said?"

"You feeling better?" Marianne asked as she lay down in bed beside Lucient, stroking his head.

He finished drinking his water and psychically placed it on the nearby nightstand. "Yeah, I feel better. Thanks."

Marianne chuckled. "I haven't seen you this stressed out since you misplaced your astrology book."

"This is a bit different than that." He groaned and massaged his face. "Do you ever feel like you're the only sane one in your friend group?"

"If you've worked with Ursula and Enora for as long as I have, you're bound to get a few stray thoughts here and there." She laughed. "But try not to worry yourself over it. They weren't trying to stress you out or anything."

"I suppose." He sighed and turned onto his back. He felt the Luxray cuddle closer to him, to which he leaned his head into her fur. "Maybe it was a stupid idea I should've kept to myself."

"You sure? From the way you talked about it, it sounded like they were having fun."

"But it wasn't supposed to be fun. It was a genuine question about our morality and the lengths we go to justify our decisions. I know I've made some questionable decisions in the past, but I always justified it under the condition that I was doing the right thing, especially for my family. Being a Forester comes with speculations and bias against me, and I always work hard to justify my actions."

She continued to stroke his head. "Sometimes we interpret situations in ways we want to believe. You can't expect everyone to come to the same conclusion even if the choice is strictly binary."

"But the strictness was the point. I know the experiment sounds contrived. It's meant to be contrived to force a response." He sighed and shook his head. "Then again, I can't necessarily blame their responses. They hardly considered the scenario and considered the thoughts and feelings of the hypothetical people involved."

"Sometimes you got to look for the humor in the absurdity. At the end of the day, they were having fun…except for Jet and Luna, but those two still have issues to work out."

Lucient smiled a bit. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it. I suppose, in a way, it was amusing." He groaned and covered his face. "Thank Arceus it's a contrived experiment. I'd hate to see what they'd actually do in that scenario."

"Out of curiosity, what exactly was the scenario?"

"Hmm? Oh, well…there's a train riding toward two sets of tracks. One has five people tied down, the other has one. The train is heading toward the five people, but there's a lever you can pull that'll redirect the track, killing the one person instead. Do you pull the lever?"

"I see. That is a tough one." Marianne rubbed her chin. "One question, though."

"Yes?"

"Is there any reason I can't stop the train?"

"…" Lucient turned onto his side and closed his eyes. "I'm going to bed."

"Hahahaha! Sorry, I couldn't resist!"