Chapter 47: Once Abandoned, Never Forgotten
Hibiki sighed with nervousness as she walked away west from Noise Town, a bit unsure of what was to come as she put away the Team Noise Uniform she had. "Sure I talk a big game, but this could- no, is very dangerous." Hibiki said to herself. Hibiki shook her head, attempting to clear away the unease, as she recalled what Nel had told her.
"From what I've heard through Neo Cypher and my own region, there were relatively recent attempts on getting teleportation to function as a quick way of transport. Yes, Pokemon were and are still used, but the idea they were attempting to understand could work under the EM field. As you can imagine by my earlier question, those tests didn't exactly end well with the Surge and various other factors contributing to the shut down of the initiative. Still, if you want to get to Crescent Isle relatively under the radar, that might be your only option." Hibiki recalled. As she went over the information, she made sure to keep to the shadows just in case Neo Cypher grunts were up and about.
"Man, I'm thankful it was early morning when I woke up, there's at least still some night out." Hibiki said quietly. She kept moving on in silence as she continued to follow the trail as she thought about various things and strategies for infiltration. Eventually, after a few minutes of travel, Hibiki found herself approaching her destination. It was a dome like the Terra and Blizzard Domes, one meant to simulate an environment, though this one was destroyed, with pieces of the exterior missing and plants starting to overgrown in various places. Hibiki paused as she took in the sight, taking a moment to let Viola out as she double checked that they were in the clear.
"Welp, here we are, the Abandoned Dome." Hibiki said. Viola paused as she too marveled at it before looking down and scoffing as she remembered what Nel had said. "You think that it's purpose was a bit ridiculous too?" Hibiki asked. Viola simply nodded in agreement as Hibiki smiled and the two slowly approached the entrance "door", a massive shutter that was hanging open and led to an overgrown room..
"This place was meant to be the pinnacle of the environmental domes, one meant to simulate an environment where pokemon could thrive. The researchers at the time were optimistic, planning for experiments to see about reviving species and variants of Pokemon that were thought to have died out, like those of the Ancient Hisui Region. Of course, that wasn't meant to be. 24 years ago, the day they tried their first go at the experiment, it went horribly and the Pokemon that they had brought tore the place up. Needless to say, the project was basically canned after the incident was under control." Hibiki rambled to herself, merely reiterating Nel's explanation.
Hibiki sighed as they entered and took in the entrance room, a musty old room that had plants and vines everywhere, nature reclaiming the ruins of the once "pinnacle" of environmental research as a door to the interior was open. She paused as she took a moment to look at Viola, who was just floating there with a hint of nervousness there. "A bit nervous to explore this place? I can imagine how you feel, this place always gave me the creeps even before that explanation." Hibiki commented. Viola simply nodded as she took a moment to calm herself before a loud static noise was heard in the room.
"...passers Dete… Initi…otocall." a mechanical, staticky voice called out.
"The security system is still active?" Hibiki said, surprised at the development.
"Er… Sec.. not F… Pro… …up. Loc…" the voice strained out. The like flickered on as a whirring was head, the sutter behind them slamming shut as the door leading further in started to close.
"Shit! Come on Viola!" Hibiki said as she dashed towards the door. Viola nodded and as they approached, Hibiki swore that she heard the door slow down for just a moment as they approached. The two dashed as fast as they could with Viola floating ahead and using Protect to stop the doors from closing to let Hibiki catch up, Hibiki smiling as Viola dropped the Protect and the two entered the main area. The doors closed behind them and there was silence for a moment before a buzzing was heard and some of the interior light came on. The interior was massive, even larger when compared to the other domes with what looked to be various pieces of plant life from across the world in sectioned off areas.
"Huh, reminds me of what I've read the Blueberry Academy looks like except on a smaller scale." Hibiki thought as she dusted herself off. As she stood up again, she looked back at the doors and squinted at them, noticing a small panel on the wall that was covered in charred foliage and exposed wires. "Are we being toyed with by Pokemon that are living here?" Hibiki asked herself. Almost as if on cue, the speakers in the dome crackled to life once again, though this time with a more cheery voice behind them.
"Welc… …tors to the A… … of Research. ..is locat… ..own as the Para.. … oden Age is the … ..emon Reseach." the intercom spoke.
"Orrr a still barely functioning introductory system possibly kept alive by Pokemon. That is also a possibility." Hibiki responded. Viola simply nodded as the two continued further into the enclosure, Hibiki trying to remember something that was nagging at her. As they continued, they both heard the crackling of more intercoms, but their voices were too distorted and broken up to make much of anything understandable. "God that is barely functioning, it's a miracle this place stays lit up at all. Given those charred leaves, there probably are Pokemon living here, but I don't know why." Hibiki thought to herself.
As they kept walking, Hibiki noticed that Viola had stopped following and turned to see her looking around before remembering something. "...Oh right, hey Viola! Your fam-" Hibiki started to say. She was cut off by the sensation of a pit opening under her and making her fall a short distance. As she attempted to get up, she felt her body sticking to the ground and sighed as she realized she was in a fairly strong Pokemon's web.
"You know, I should have figured that this would happen." Hibiki thought to herself.
"And if you figured that this would happen, then why come here at all human?" a mental voice spoke in disgust.
"Oh good, a psychic type Pokemon. I take it you're the leader of what I assume is your little village?" Hibiki responded mentally, not even bothered by the web.
"Yes, and you are not wanted here. Your kind have chased us off before and we would like to remain in peace." the voice retorted.
"Chased you off- …This is a long shot, but are you Melody's Mother?" Hibiki questioned curiously. There was a long pause, like the Pokemon was thinking about something, before Hibiki heard a pop from behind her and saw an older looking Meloetta float into view.
"You wouldn't happen to be Hibiki, would you?" Harmony asked, the animosity that was in her voice completely gone now and replaced by exhaustion.
"That would be me." Hibiki said aloud. Harmony sighed as she put a hand to her face and floated down to Hibiki, proceeding to help her get unstuck.
"I am so sorry, I've just been on edge after a few encounters." Harmony told Hibiki.
"Encounters?" Hibiki questioned in a worried tone. Harmony was about to answer when Viola floated down the hole after panicking for a bit, stopping in her tracks as she saw her mother there with Hibiki. Harmony paused and looked up towards Viola, her eyes widening as she saw her younger daughter floating above them. "Ah, I was wondering where you were Viola." Hibiki said.
"You found her?" Harmony asked in a bit of shock, floating up to Viola to make sure that she wasn't seeing things.
"Something like that… stuff has happened since you met with Melody." Hibiki said, her voice taking on a bit of a solemn and nervous tone. Harmony paused as she let that sink in before shaking her head and pulling her younger daughter into a tight hug.
"We'll talk about that in a bit, I just want to be with my daughter for a moment." Harmony told Hibiki. Hibiki gave a brief thumbs up as she let the two embrace in a wordless hug, taking a moment to finally notice the eyes of several bug Pokemon looking at the exchange from the shadows.
"That's… a bit unnerving." Hibiki thought to herself. As she thought that and looked back to the family moment, she saw that the two were crying as they embraced. Harmony and Viola broke the embrace as they started to speak with each other, Hibiki having no idea what they were saying, before they started to float up out of the hole. "Apologies for the yell and breaking the moment, BUT SOME HELP WOULD BE NICE!" Hibiki yelled out in some annoyance.
"Sorry, got a bit caught up in that." Harmony mentally said sheepishly. Hibiki let the annoyance fade as the two Meloettas came down and proceeded to help Hibiki get unstuck, some of the bug Pokemon like Ariados, Galvantuala, and a few others also coming to help.
"This feels weird." Hibiki said aloud as she did her best to stay still.
"Trust me, we know what we're doing, you wouldn't be the first caught in one of these traps." Harmony told Hibiki. Hibiki nodded as she patiently waited and was released from the web, before being offered to be carried out of the hole by an Ariados.
"The offer is appreciated, but where are we going?" Hibiki asked, letting herself be wrapped in a web harness.
"Our little home away from home." Harmony responded. Hibiki nodded as she was helped out of the hole before being led to their destination.
After a few more minutes of walking, the group arrived at a small village near the center of the dome. This village consisted of several huts, holes and hobbles of varying sizes that housed a variety of Pokemon from humanoids to bugs to birds. As they properly entered, Hibiki noticed curious glances coming her way, but simply smiled before going about their business. "Don't worry, I let them know you were coming." Harmony told Hibiki.
"Appreciated and apologies for coming fairly unexpectedly." Hibiki commented, being careful about where she stepped.
"It's fine, honestly nice to just get a friendly human in here for once." Harmony said.
"I take it that you've had some terrible encounters with humans over the time you've been here?" Hibiki questioned.
"Yep, I'll go into more details when we get to my house. Well, more like an abode." Harmony responded. Hibiki nodded as the Bug Pokemon they were traveling with returned to their respective homes, leaving Harmony to lead Viola and Hibiki through their village. Eventually, the three arrived in front of what seemed to be a research station that had decayed and rusted with age as there was no proper door leading inside.
"This is where you're staying?" Hibiki asked.
"Yes it is, it's not much, but it works for now." Harmony said. As they all entered, Hibiki noted that there were some attempts at furnishing the place, mostly cleaning up broken class and making a makeshift dining area, but it mostly looked identical. "Ok, so who wants to start first? Will you tell me how you came to this place with Viola or should I explain how we came to be here?" Harmony inquired.
"...I think just starting from my end would make this easier." Hibiki commented, a hint of nervousness in her voice. Harmony nodded as Hibiki took a deep breath before explaining everything that had happened over the past few hours. After she finished explaining, Hibiki braced for some sort of mental assault, but slowly opened her eyes after not receiving anything to see Harmony smiling and nodding.
"You really are just like your grandmother, going through with various outrageous plans." Harmony said, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
"Sounds about right given what I've heard about her." Hibiki commented.
"Still, if we're going to talk about crazy plans, that might be one craziest that I've heard. Seriously, jumping off of the building to fake your death while Melody stayed behind to potentially fool the leader of Neo Cypher. That is crazy and I love it so much." Harmony said, giggling towards the end.
"Oh, I see that you're supportive of crazy plans." Hibiki noted with a small smile, Viola sighing as she recognized this side of her mother.
"Very much so, now as for how we got to this place, I believe Melody told you the basics." Harmony told Hibiki.
"Just what she knew and what you had told her." Hibiki answered.
"Right, then I supposed the best place to start my explanation would be at the beginning just so you have the full story. It's going to be a bit long, but it should be worth the explanation." Harmony said. Hibiki nodded as she sat down in a nearby chair, Harmony doing the same as she floated over to sit on a counter nearby, while Viola floated over to the makeshift kitchen to look for something to eat.
"As you've been told, the village that I am from is one that was\s made for Meloetta like myself. We all lived in harmony with other Pokemon and hid ourselves away from the world because… well, you know how humans can be. This was fine for a few years, but that unfortunately came to an end about a month ago. Like Melody told you, three armored individuals came to our village in hopes of finding what they called "the Guiding Light", which we could assume was one of us. Melody, the brave and crazy child she was, took a big gamble to attempt to lure them away from the village and that thankfully managed to work." Harmony began to explain.
"Good to hear that she was always about as crazy as me, god it's like we were meant for each other." Hibiki commented, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Yep, now after that little incident, we decided that it would be a good idea to move to this place. The other Meloetta that were living in the village decided it would be best to scatter for the moment and meet back in a few months to see if everything had calmed. Even if my species isn't considered the most powerful Pokemon, I dread to think what could happen if many of us were gathered in one place. In any case, me and Viola took the remaining Pokemon that stayed with us here over the course of a few days." Harmony continued.
"And the day after that you arrived, some of the Pokemon brought up the idea of sending out a search party to go look for Melody, which while you wanted, you weren't exactly ready for. A few days after that, Viola vanished from the village." Hibiki added.
"Exactly and that was when we all decided it would be a good idea to send at least someone to look. Over the next few weeks, various search parties had been sent to go look for Viola, though they did also at least attempt to look for Melody. There was no progress over that time, most of our leads leading to dead ends. Hell, even I joined after the second week and we didn't find anything for a bit. But just as it seemed like there was no hope, I ran into Melody while asking around Alaria City. After explaining the situation to her, I returned to the group I was with before we headed back to the village to lay low." Harmony finished.
"However, given what you mentioned earlier about other humans being encountered, I can imagine that only lasted for so long." Hibiki commented, recalling that small comment from earlier.
"Right, we have had encounters with other humans. Apparently they had started during the time I was away and some of the others were a bit spooked. Thankfully, it was just a few trainers, but after I had returned was when the real problems started as more of those armored people started to come and investigate. As you can probably guess, we were all very worried about the possibility of having to move again, so that's when we started to make use of the environment around us." Harmony explained, motioning to the building around them. Hibiki paused as she let that information sink in before a Starly flew up to the window and called out to Harmony. "Apologies, one of the spotters is giving an update." Harmony told Hibiki as she got up and floated over to talk to the Starly.
"Spotters…" Hibiki whispered. As she looked on and saw the two Pokemon talking, Viola came back into the room, munching on a few berries. "Your mom is a good leader, you know that right?" Hibiki told Viola. Viola simply nodded as the start flew off and Harmony returned to her previous position.
"I take it you've figured out our little system?" Harmony questioned.
"More or less, I can tell that you're using the terrain of the Abandoned Dome to you advantage: various lookouts and spotters being used to see if people are on the way, traps hidden in the overgrowth to catch people, and, just guessing on this part, using the intercom system to scare people away by making them think the security system is active." Hibiki said.
"Yeah that is basically correct, thankfully we have some dedicated electric types to help keep everything up and running. Don't worry, there are a lot and they do take regular breaks." Harmony responded.
"It must be a lot of work, keeping this all going." Hibiki added, mentally marveling at the various possibilities playing out in her mind.
"Yeah, it's a bit much at times, but we've done what we can to keep ourselves safe from Neo Cypher." Harmony said, a hint of exhaustion in her voice. As she said that, Hibiki's mind jolted back into focus as she remembered the situation that caused all of this. "Before you ask, all the Neo Cypher trainers that we did manage to capture with our traps out fine, though we did… kind of… have to wipe their memories and replace them." Harmony commented, her voice sounded very disgusted by what they had to do.
"...It's not like I can blame you for that, it was probably the only way to do it without arousing too much suspicion and getting more people sent here." Hibiki told Harmony in a sympathetic tone. Harmony sighed and rubbed her face, Viola floating over to comfort her mother.
"I'm just so tired, we just want to have a peaceful life, but everything just feels like it wants to prevent us from doing that." Harmony said in an exhausted tone. Hibiki stayed silent as she thought about what to say before smiling as she remembered something that her grandmother told her.
"You want to know something Harmony? You're a very strong leader to be able to last this long after being put into this situation. Honestly, I don't even know if I could have done the same in your position, managing to lead all your people through a very hard time. That being said, I want you to know this, Neo Cypher won't be coming after you anymore, I'm going to make sure of that. Until then, I just want you to handle things here for as long as you can and stay safe." Hibiki said in an encouraging and comforting voice. Harmony was silent as she let that speech sink in before she sat up and smiled at Hibiki.
"And here I was worried that you might just brush off my troubles. Where did that little speech come from?" Harmony asked in a somewhat relieved tone.
"Oh, it's nothing special, just something that I came up with after remembering something my grandmother had told me one time." Hibiki responded, rubbing the back of her head as she blushed.
"To keep the plights of others in mind and do what you can to help?" Harmony inquired, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
"Oh, she told you that one too?" Hibiki said. Harmony nodded as they both giggled, Hibiki feeling a small tinge of nostalgia by talking with someone that her grandmother helped in the past. "Apologies if I came off as a bit too… sudden and helpful, I just wanted to try and lift your spirits." Hibiki told Harmony.
"You have nothing to apologize for, you did what you wanted to do. …Though that little speech did remind me of something." Harmony responded as she floated in the air. Hibiki tilted her head out of curiosity as Harmony floated over to a panel and lifted it up, revealing a secret compartment.
"What is in there?" Hibiki questioned.
"Something your grandmother left behind." Harmony answered in a more serious voice. Hibiki immediately sat up straight as Harmony got out a small brown box and floated over to the young girl. "Symphia gave this to me a few days before that whole light show in the sky happened, I believe you called The Surge. She told me to keep the contents of it safe and only to open it when my 'darling little song' was looking for a bit of help in her darkest hour. It might not be your darkest hour, but I have a feeling that you're going to need this." Harmony explained, holding the box out for HIbiki to grab.
"For me from 10 years ago?" Hibiki said aloud, taking the box from Harmony.
"I never looked at what was in it out of respect, all I know is that it was meant for you when you were feeling down and like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders." Harmony told Hibiki. Hibiki nodded as she just held the box for a bit before looking around for a place to sit down. "If you want a place to just be alone, I can lead you to a secret place that I use to destress." Harmony offered.
"That is appreciated and I will take that." Hibiki said in a soft voice. Harmony nodded as she led Viola and Hibiki towards an unoccupied corner of the house before pressing on a hidden switch, revealing a set of stairs heading down into a basement. "...How did you know this was here?" Hibiki asked curiously.
"Punching the wall after an anger episode." Harmony said nonchalantly. Hibiki nodded as she started to walk down the stairs before stopping and looking back at Viola, who was simply floating there.
"When I get out of here, we're going to rescue your sister as fast as possible. Till then, spend some time with your mom." Hibiki said. Viola nodded as Hibiki turned back to the stairs and took a deep breath before walking down them.
As Hibiki arrived in the room and turned on the lights, she saw a room with several battered walls, a simple bed, and a fairly big desk with a computer that seemed to still work, though how it survived Harmony's destressing session was beyond her understanding. "OK grandma, let's see what you left me." Hibiki said as she walked over to the bed. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed and blacing the box on her lap, she took a deep breath before slowly opening the box. As she fully opened it, she saw a note taped to the inside of the lid, which grabbed and read to herself.
"My dear Hibiki,
I don't know when you'll receive this package, but what I do know is that there is trouble brewing around you. I want you that I'm proud of whatever direction you decided to take in life, no matter what it is. If you're choosing to become a champion, if you somehow got yourself mixed in with a bad crowd, I'm just happy you're living your life.
I can't let this go on for long, so I'll keep it brief. In this box are things that, if my assumptions are right, will help you in your current predicament and keep a smile on your face. Again, I'm not sure if this is what you need right now, but it's the least I can do. I have a bad feeling that I might not be around to help you face this, so I want to do what I can. Most importantly, I want you to use this stuff, find the one behind the problem, and kick their asses for me if I'm not around.
Stay safe and best wishes, Symphia Eversong."
Hibiki felt her tears welling up, her mind being filled with sadness and nostalgia as she read the note, memories of her grandmother filling her mind. "I will grandma, I will." Hibiki thought to herself as she wiped the tears away. Taking a moment to compose herself, she took a look through the contents of the box. The box contained a few things, a stack of photos, a folded up document that looked to be several pages thick, and a disk case labeled "findings" with a disk inside. "Not much, but if it was left by Grandma, then it has to be important." Hibiki said as she set the box on the bed.
Slowly and carefully taking the items out, she first looked to the disk that was left for her, looking at it with a puzzled look. "How did she expect me to use this? My Laptop doesn't have a Disk Drive." Hibiki wondered to herself. After talking a few seconds to think about it, she paused and turned to the computer that was on the desk, looking at the tower and seeing that it had a DVD slot and USB Port. "...That works." Hibiki thought to herself. Standing up from the bed, she walked over to the desk and checked to see if the thing even turned on, which by some miracle it did.
"Welcome back to the Purity Network, please enter a password." the computer said onscreen.
"Purity Network? Password?" Hibiki questioned herself, raising her eyebrow. As she scratched her head at what it could be, she looked at the case again before noticing a label she had missed that read: "Password: Harmony". "What did you find here grandma?" Hibiki questioned as she typed the word in. After a few seconds of loading, the screed booted up to the home screen.
"Greetings Professor Ardos, it has been _ days since your last login. Would you like me to bring up your footage for review?" the computer typed on screen. Hibiki felt her blood freeze as she read that name, thinking back to what Michael had told her about his battles with Cypher.
"That's not distressing at all." Hibiki half joked to herself. Taking a deep breath, she typed in 'yes' and waited as the computer processed the request, before bringing up an error.
"Error! Media Player is unavailable. Would you like to extract videos to an external hard drive for use?" the computer displayed. Hibiki typed yes, instantly taking out her laptop and hooking it up to the computer as she also took the chance to insert the disk into the computer. "Extraction in progress. HAve a good day Professor Ardos." the computer said before it moved to the home screen.
"Grandma, did you have an inkling that I might be here or was this pure luck?" Hibiki thought as she moved to storage as she got ready to examine the disk. When she did, she saw a few text documents on the disk along with a video. She moved the video to her laptop and proceeded to open the first text document labeled "0. Note before Beginning".
"I have no idea who is going to be finding this, but if all goes well, it should be you, my little song. If not, then some introductions are in order and apologies for that weirdness. My name is Symphia Eversong, current champion, or depending on the circumstances, former champion of the Alaria Region. This is a series of documents that I have decided to compile for my own personal reasons, call it a bad feeling that I have had for a bit that I eventually decided to look into.
Something is brewing in the Alaria Region, something big and bad. Truth be told, I have no idea if I'm going to be able to stop it or if I'll even be alive to stop it. That's why I'm leaving these notes for your eyes, whoever the person reading this may be. If you have a good heart, if you have a drive to want to help others, then I implore you to please read on and see what you can do in your own way. If it's you reading this my little song, then you know what to do.
Ps. Forgot to mention this, but apologies if these notes seem somewhat disjointed and short. Trying to get these done as fast as I can with the Pokemon league starting up for me soon is a bit of a thing."
Hibiki nodded to herself as she finished reading the first note, determined and admittedly very nervous about what she was about to read. "Don't worry yourself about this, you're literally about to go into the base of an evil organization after you finish. Reading text documents is literally nothing compared to that." Hibiki said to herself. Shaking her nerves off, she opened the next note "1. The Worry in Question".
"So if you're reading this with no clue about what I'm talking about, you might be wondering what it is I'm so worried about. Well, it's honestly just as simple as the possibility of an organization with the possibility of being a world-ending threat setting up in my home region. …Ok let me start at the beginning.
So, I first had suspicions about this occurrence going on shortly before the previous season of the Pokemon League ended. There were some reports of suspicious activity going on by the coast and while initially thought nothing of it, I quickly changed my tune once reports of people's Pokemon getting stolen. Normally I would have just left this alone, but I have a feeling that the IPP won't be able to do much for this case.
After a few days of observation and note taking, I had discovered my fears to be quite real. It turned out that the reports were caused by these people in this high tech armor that were using some technology to capture other people's Pokemon. When I first saw that, I immediately knew I was dealing with Cypher in some form, so as much as it pained me to do it, I simply waited and gathered information on my own."
Hibiki sighed as she read that last sentence, knowing all too well how her grandmother hated not being able to help others. "Another aspect in how we're alike… god I sound so melodramatic." Hibiki said to herself, chuckling a bit. She quickly opened the next file labeled "2. Initial Investigation Results", eager to see what her grandma has discovered.
"It took a few weeks of just compiling information and seeing movements, but I finally had managed to gather enough information to make some theories of my own and what paths to take. Granted, not all of them were good paths, but I had to make do with what I could accomplish in what little time I have. So, this is what I learned:
First off, the organization was indeed a reformed Cypher, no duh, though it seems like their internal structure is fairly well organized from what I've been able to see from infiltrating their ranks. I was also able to figure out that they seemed to be fairly small as I was about to actually talk to their leader, a man by the name of Ardos. He seemed to be very cautious about his plans, telling very little to others aside from his three admins. Secondly, they seem to be making fairly small moves by catching Pokemon owned by others very infrequently. They seem to at least be smart enough to not be in the public eye, which is why they haven't done a bigger operation.
Thirdly, there seems to be plans for a regional base to be built somewhere in the region, though I wasn't able to find any clue on where that might be. Lastly, and most importantly they seem to be building something big, though what it is I have no idea exactly what it is. Admittedly, I have only been able to hear rumors, but everything that I've heard called it a 'grand project' by their leader Ardos. Even if this is stuff being said to throw me off course, there might be some truth to it because of something I've heard from the IPP about Project Purity. If I'm right about this, this could be very ugly indeed."
"See now this is what I was worried about. Nothing much that I can take away from that, aside from that secret project and that Ardos was the original leader. Still, what the hell is Project Purity?" Hibiki wondered to herself. As if to answer her question, the computer beeped and informed her that the extraction of the videos was complete. "...Got it." Hibiki thought to herself as she opened the next file "3. Plans".
"Now, I do actually have ideas for what to do, but like I mentioned at the beginning, I have no idea if I'll actually be around to see if these work. Still, anything I can give to those reading this that can be an edge against Cypher is more than enough for me at the moment. That being said, I do actually have some preparations to make for all of this to work, this set of documents being one of them. What those preparations are, you'll discover if you keep going down the path you're going down right now.
For the plans I have, some are fairly simple ones that seem sensible: infiltrating the organization and taking it down from the inside, brute forcing the admins, reporting them to IPP, and many more. However, something tells me that none of these will be able to do the trick. If they manage to get taken down and reformed in a fairly short amount of time, then they have to have a backer of some sort helping them. After all, as much as we might hate to admit it, money is the thing that makes the world go around.
To that end, the plan that I have to give you all. Now admittedly, this may be very stupid and you might come up with something smarter than this, but this is just what I recommend. That would be cutting this all off source by going for Ardos or whoever the leader is at the time. Is it incredibly stupid? Yes, without a doubt. But if we can just get rid of the leader, even if this is only a branch, we will deal a major blow to the organization. Still, whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck in that plan."
As she finished reading the note, Hibiki simply smiled and chuckled as she proceeded to open the last text file "4. Final Words".
"If you've read this far, then you're more than likely willing to help in taking down Cypher in whatever way you can. I don't have much else to add in terms of discoveries, but I can give you some encouraging words. Whatever fate brought you to this journal must have been either long and hard or pure luck, though it doesn't matter to me. What matters is that you have a good head on your shoulders and a will to keep doing good things, even if you're in the worst situation of your life.
I know what can seem hard to do, and hell I've had to listen to my own advice on more than a few occasions. Still, whatever is waiting at the end of this for you, whether that be fame, fortune, or just the kindness of your heart, is going to be worth it. Now, I should end this so you can get back on your journey.
Oh, one last thing that I forgot to say, you might have noticed the video file that is also included in this CD. This file is meant for one of my granddaughters, Hibiki Eversong, and is protected by a password that she knows. Hopefully, I don't bite the bullet a bit early and this isn't needed, but if I am dead, then make sure that this gets to her. If you're the one reading this Hibiki, then you should know the password… hopefully anyway."
Hibiki smiled as she proceeded to move the video over to her laptop as she sat in silence, thinking about everything she had read. "Ok, looks like my grandma had planned ahead and actually left stuff for people to find. Granted, most of this is stuff I already know about, but the effort is appreciated. Now what is this video?" Hibiki thought as she took out the disk and turned off the computer. Moving over to her laptop, she glanced at the videos she had downloaded from the computer for a moment before focusing on the video that Symphia had left her.
"I should know the password huh?" Hibiki said to herself. Hibiki let that thought sink in for a moment as she thought back to her time with grandmother, before smiling as she clicked on the video and typed in the word "Tune", with it being accepted. "To be in tune with each other and the world around us, tuning our feelings to those around us. That's what you taught me, grandma." Hibiki thought with a smile as the video began to play. The video opened on an empty frame with several posters on the wall the camera was pointing at, a window to the far wall, and an empty chair.
"Okay, looks like it's on. Now…" a voice said from offscreen. Hibiki felt herself tense up as she heard footsteps walking away from the camera before seeing her grandmother walk into frame and sitting on the chair. "I feel like introductions aren't needed if you've read the text documents, but in case you deciphered the code, may as well introduce myself. My name is Symphia Eversong and this video is meant for my granddaughter, Hibiki Eversong. If you're not her, get out and give this to her." Symphia said, ending brashly.
"Oh grandma…" Hibiki sighed with a smile.
"Now then, Hibiki, if you're the one listening to this, then I want you to listen to me closely. I told Harmony to give this to you when you weren't in the best of moods mentally, which is probably why you're listening to this now. I don't exactly know when you're going to be seeing this, what you're going through, or if I'm even alive at the time. All I know is that if you're watching this and are not exactly in the best headspace.
Admittedly… I probably shouldn't have put the stuff about Cypher in here now that I am actually thinking about this, but knowing you this trouble is probably related to them. Now, I'm not going to talk about them, I want to focus on you for this video. Now, you've probably heard me say this a lot, but I feel like you just need to hear it now more than ever. You're a very good person, always remember that and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. I know that it can be hard out there, always dealing with a world that seems to be eating itself alive over little things while ignoring the big issues of their lives. Hell, I live through that everyday and I have to take some days for myself so I don't just go down a downward spiral of questioning myself."
Symphia sighed at that last part and just shook her head as a dark look crossed her face, before she snapped her fingers to get back in the zone.
"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is this: just stay true to yourself and you'll be fine. Sure it might not be easy and it might even be a nightmare to do at times, but never lose sight of that. Someday, you'll find partners, both human and Pokemon, that agree with your style of life and remember to keep them close, but try not to be too clingy. I know that you can be a bit too coz at times, so just keep in mind to tone it down a bit. I think… that is all I have to say in terms of hopefully pepping you up. Now for the part that I've been dreading."
Symphia let out a heavy sigh as she squeezed her forehead and looked a lot more serious than before as she leaned forward in her chair.
"If you're watching this and the worst has happened to me, meaning I'm not with you any more for whatever reason, I want you to remember this. You are the smartest and bravest girl that I've ever met in my life, which is saying a lot coming from me. Granted, you are just a kid as of me recording this, so I can only assume so much, but my gut usually is never wrong on this. Whatever happened to me, I hope you're doing well in my absence.
Also, if you're trying to be like me, well the flattery is appreciated and I can't stop you, but I can urge you to keep that in check. You're your own person and I hope you use your own strength to become a strong trainer in your own right. Now if you want to use me as an inspiration, that is totally fine, but don't lose sight of your own path. I love you my little song, remember that and I'll always be with you."
Hibiki felt herself tear up as her grandmother finished speaking and got up to turn off the camera. "Thank you grandma… I love you too." Hibiki said through tears. Her lament was interrupted by the sound of a quick struggle as she looked at the screen and saw the camera tipping over.
"Why did I do that?!" Symphia screamed out in panic as she picked the camera back up. Hibiki paused as she saw her grandmother slowly steadying the camera back upright. "Man, do I just restart again or keep that in? God, that was a good take too!" Symphia yelled in frustration. Hibiki was silent as Symphia started to let out a small giggle that turned into a big laugh, Hibiki joining her soon after.
"Good to know she's always the klutz I thought she was." Hibiki thought with a happy smile. As Symphia stopped laughing, she moved to stop the recording while holding the camera before pausing as a thought crossed her mind.
"You know Hibiki, I somehow just remembered that you're probably in the position that you're in because of Cypher. Now, this is me just making an assumption and I could be entirely off base, but I have a feeling that if there's anything you take after me, it's my sense to go headlong into danger. Thinking about it now… Arceus, I should have taught you some patience and self-preservation.
Rambling aside, if you are watching this after a bad encounter with Cypher, there is something you should know. If you come across a shiny Meloetta during your travels and manage to befriend them, that is more than likely one of Harmony's kids. Now, this is a long shot of an assumption, but if the two of you are partners, remember this: What the darkness hides the shrinking light, sing a song of heart to set things right. When two songs become one, a surging light shall purge that which binds.
At least, that's what a mystic said to me. Normally I don't believe in that sort of stuff, I know that sounds weird coming from me, but something about it just makes me nervous. Anyway, now that is all I have to say. I hope you're doing good Hibiki and go cause trouble for those that made you like this."
As she said that, Symphia reached forward and the video ended, leaving Hibiki alone in silence to process what she had just heard. "Thank you for all of this grandma." Hibiki said as she closed her laptop. Taking a deep breath, she packed up her laptop and the disk before going to grab the pictures and documents that she had left lying. "As much as I want to comb over these, time is of the essence at the moment." Hibiki thought to herself. As she moved to store them away, she saw something come out from between the documents and fall onto the floor. Picking it up, she saw that it was an ID card for a "Professor Ardos" with a note scribbled on it.
"Managed to nick this during one of my infiltrations, maybe it could help?"
Hibiki smiled as she pocketed the keycard, stored the stuff she had picked up, and left the basement. When she returned to the main house, she saw Viola and Harmony finishing a talk they were having as Harmony noticed her return. "Ah, finished up looking at what was in that box?" Harmony asked.
"Yep, it was very enlightening. Now apologies for just coming and going, but I have to see about finding a teleporter." Hibiki told Harmony.
"Ah right, the whole reason you came here. Well you won't have to look far, I can guide you to where it is." Harmony offered.
"Thank you, the offer is appreciated." Hibiki said. Harmony nodded and started to float away before noticing Hibiki looking at Viola with a brief look at hesitancy.
"Don't you dare hesitate about taking her with you, it's as much her fight as it is yours." Harmony commented.
"Not that… ok that's part of it. It's more the fact of, if Darkrai does want to be part of my team, I kind of do need to release her." Hibiki mentioned. Harmony, not even pausing for a moment, looked at Hibiki with a small smile.
"Me and her have already talked about that, coming up with a plan that we think is best saved for later." Harmony commented casually. Hibiki was going to say something, but she simply sighed as she and Viola followed Harmony out of the house. The three kept going for a bit before arriving at a very decrepit room, with pieces of the walls falling off and a broken down glass tube in the middle.
"Yeah, this looks like the teleporter described to me. Arceus, this has seen better days." Hibiki said as she examined the machine.
"We did tinker with this a bit when we first found it, though it seemed to barely work and required a lot of power. If I had to hazard a guess, it has enough power for one last use." Harmony told Hibiki. Hibiki nodded as she looked at the console cautiously before curiosity got the better of her and she kneeled down to look at the internals.
"Just want to make sure I don't blow up." Hibiki commented as she took off the front panel. Harmony nodded in understanding as Hibiki moved the panel out of the way and looked at the internals of the machine, using her phone as a light to make sure that no wire was cut or out of place. "God you weren't kidding when you said this barely worked, most of these wires are frayed and nearly broken. Was it like this when you got here or did you do this?" Hibiki asked.
"It was like that when we got here. I tried to make this a bit better, you can tell by the ones that look like they're barely being held together, but that's all I could do." Harmony replied. Hibiki nodded and made sure everything was at least connected properly before standing up.
"Well I didn't see anything too wrong with it, but I also have no idea how this is supposed to be wired. Still, it's the best shot I have at getting to Crescent Isle." Hibiki commented.
"I wish I could Teleport you there, but I've never been to the island myself." Harmony said.
"I wouldn't have asked you if you could. The offer is appreciated, but I don't want them to have a chance at getting you." Hibiki said. Harmony gave a small huff of annoyance before nodding in understanding as Hibiki reattached the panel. "One last thing before I go, I do feel a bit bad about just coming in with no warning and surprising you. So I figure, I may as well leave you some food." Hibiki told Harmony as she reached into her backpack.
"You don't have to do that." Harmony said.
"You're right, I'm doing it because I want to." Hibiki retorted with a smile. Harmony was going to say something before stopping and giving a small smile as Hibiki got several berries and bits of food from her bag, wrapping them up in a spare picnic blanket and handing them to Harmony.
"You really do take after your grandmother a lot, you know that?" Harmony commented. Hibiki processed that for a moment before she smiled as she packed up her bag and slung it oher her shoulder.
"I know and thank you for not only helping me, but showing me that box from my grandma." Hibiki responded. Harmony nodded as she moved to the doorway and let out a signal while Hibiki and Viola both got into the pod. A few seconds passed before several Electric Type Pokemon filed into the room, from Joltiks to Magnetons to an Ampharos. Harmony talked to them in her language before they all nodded and headed off to another part of the facility.
"Ok, they should be able to get this thing power for a bit to get you to the island. After that, I wish you the best of luck." Harmony said.
"Once again thank you Harmony. Don't worry, I'll get Melody back and beat Neo Cypher." Hibiki told Harmony with a confident grin. Harmony smiled at that as there was a rush of power and the panel powered on, the inside of the pod lighting up. Harmony hovered over to the panel and carefully navigated to the correct location of Crescent Isle, taking a deep breath before confirming the teleport. The machine whirred to life as Viola and Hibiki were surrounded by various bright lights that slowly started to circle them at increasing speed. The took a moment to wave goodbye as they were gone in a flash of light, the machine whirring down as the teleport succeeded.
"Good luck you two and may Arceus watch over you." Harmony thought to herself. She took a deep breath before focusing back on her village, grabbing the food and heading back to her home.