2024-04-12: A Question for the Experts
- Log: A Question for the Experts
- Cast: Citan Uzuki, Anne Aomori
- Where: Viridian City - Emerald Way
- Date: April 12, 2024
- Summary: Citan pays Anne a visit to ask about Paradox Pokemon.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
It never rains but it pours, as the saying goes. With the advent of an active war once more upon the Ignas continent adding to the general woes of late, there is now more than enough to occupy the Black Wolves -- and thus Citan himself. Nevertheless, if they focus on only the one thing before them, they risk being blindsided by another, and Citan is not ignorant of the fact that the Ten Wise Men are also pressing forward with their own intentions... or that they themselves use an altered sort of Pokemon among the various resources at their disposal.
While he has not encountered these 'Paradox Pokemon' himself, Citan has heard the stories from those who have, and thus--
The first step on the route to knowledge is to acknowledge one's gaps. While he has read what he can and has at this point his own hands-on experience with Pokemon, neither does he have the depth and breadth that a researcher into the field proper would. And as luck would have it...
here are places in Filgaia -- and even on Energy Nede -- where it might be necessary to schedule an appointment with an expert. As he's been given to understand with the locals in Viridian City, though, the sitution might be quite different with a particular professor and specialist in Pokemon behavior, Anne Aomori. As it happens, his only major obstacle might be if the professor is currently out of her lab. And if he's here following up on the matter of the Wise Men's activities lately anyway, he might as well see if Professor Aomori is in.
He knocks before he enters, because it's polite. Neither is Citan alone.
"Kyuuu~" trills Ise, gliding ahead of Citan on his entrance into the lab. "Professor? Might you be available?"
<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.
Indeed; Professor Aomori is willing to take walk-ins, particularly if they're interesting... and she counts the Visitors as interesting at baseline, let alone one with a Mimikyu.
She has a lab assistant answer the door, and they step back out of the way. "Come on back," Anne invites Citan, and she's currently seated at a desk working on a console. That changes when he steps inside though, and she rises to meet him. Her heels click against the tile. Her labcoat is immaculate. Her dangly earrings suggest that she is not expecting to be in the lab lab at the moment, or else she'd have safer attire.
"I'm Anne Aomori," she introduces. "It's nice to meet you. ...And you, little one." She looks with some interest at Ise. "It's a rare Trainer who can handle one of these. And you're new at it, to boot." Since she sees his ears, after all. And his clothes.
"Come on in, and tell me what you're after. We'll see if I can help."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Ah," utters Citan as Ise powers on, full-steam ahead! "Well, it seems that he can move quickly," he remarks to the assistant, mildly chagrined. "I assure you, they are not always so..."
He trails off, his attention turning over towards Anne as Ise scuttles about the laboratory, clearly intent on exploring whatever he can find. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Professor Aomori," he says to her. "I appreciate your time. I trust I am not interrupting anything urgent?" After all, Energy Nede is staring down at least one of the same crises as they are, and it would be expected that a Pokemon behavior specialist would be preoccupied for the very same reason he's come to speak to her.
"But please, do not let me get ahead of myself. I am Citan Uzuki, of Filgaia," he says, gesturing towards himself. "And this is... er, well... wherever he is, is Ise," he finishes, trying to spot where the tiny Pokemon has gotten off to and failing.
(Ise is carefully inspecting the legs of a desk chair, if it matters.)
"But yes, you are correct: I am new to Pokemon, as are many of my fellows. Nevertheless," he continues, fidgeting briefly with his spectacles, "it is not about Ise here or any other such Pokemon that I have come here to discuss. Rather..."
He pauses to all-too-briefly glance about himself.
"You are familiar with the phenomenon of 'Paradox Pokemon', I assume?"
<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.
Ise explores. It's cute! If he keeps exploring, he may come upon a very large, ferret-like pokemon. He's blue and cream-colored, with red spots on his back, and he is napping. His teeth are quite large.
"Call me Anne," Anne suggests. "If 'Citan' is acceptable?"
A pause, and a shake of her head. "I'm just doing some paperwork. At this point most of the real work is done until it's feeding time for the Pokemon we keep here. Then we can get more readings..." Wryly, "Or my assistants can, at least."
"Ise. I'll keep that in mind."
Ise can explore; it's Poke-proofed. Mostly.
"Hmm. Now that is an interesting question..." She doesn't look as surprised as she is to hear about it. But she is indeed surprised. Citan might be able to tell this particular kind of poise--the poise that comes of someone who is in control of her own energies quite strongly.
But she doesn't talk about that. "I'm familiar," she says. "A phenomenon that is quite recent by our standards..."
"What would you like to know? I'm afraid there's not a lot to tell, yet. But I'll answer what i can, if you'll tell me where you heard of them."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
For the most part, there's not a lot for Ise to get himself into trouble with. ...For the most part.
"Mi," he says, circling the bed in which the ferret-like Pokemon with the large teeth rests. "Ik?" He is very much smaller than the other Pokemon, but doesn't move as if he's aware of this.
"Anne, then," he answers, nodding and smiling politely. "Well then, of course. You may call me Citan."
But it seems there isn't much being interrupted here presently, as it were -- she's in the middle of paperwork, and not something urgent at that. "Well then! It appears I am fortunate. It is not terribly often that one is able to speak with an expert on short notice, and without interrupting important work, at that!
But it would seem that the phenomenon he's asking after is not precisely well understood, as it were. He had already gleaned it was not common knowledge but this is interesting.
"Well, as it happens," he starts to explain, "I have some acquaintences who arrived here ahead of the rifts. Are you familiar with the story? They had used a rocket to reach a point that the Wise Men were intent on breaching. After that, we did not hear from them at all until we ventured beyond the rift to Energy Nede, but once we were reunited, they spoke of strange creatures they had encountered while attempting to stop the Wise Men. For a time, I had thought they were Pokemon, until I could not find anything that matched precisely known Pokemon."
Citan pauses.
"And then there were the rumors. The sole unifying themes appear to be their association with the Ten Wise Men, but other than that..."
He looks at Anne as if studying her expression. "...But 'Paradox' appears to be an appropriate term for them, from what I have heard. Neither here nor there, and yet..."
<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.
The Pokemon in question--Laqui the Typhlosion--opens one eye to regard Ise. "Ty..."
That will probably turn out fine.
It's lucky timing. Another hour, and Anne would've had enough readings to start analysis from her assistants.
"Ahhh, yes. The Visitors who came with the Ten Wise Men. I'm familiar; they actually touched down not far from here, in Viridian Forest. I met a number."
"...Yes, the Ten Wise Men appear able to call on these Paradox Pokemon, which is what interests me about them. More curiously, though, is the fact that we've had reports of them even before that."
"Paradox is correct. They are often possessed of a resemblence to other Pokemon, but different in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Frankly, we haven't seen enough of them to start gleaning patterns yet--but the readings we do have of the few we've seen suggest space-time anomalies."
"It's as if reality itself is becoming unstable, thanks to the Ten Wise Men. ...But that's just my hypothesis. It could be something entirely different."
Her expression is--interested, above all. She's fascinated by the subject.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
A tendril emerges from under Ise's 'pelt'. Gently, gently--
"Mi!!" Ise chirps, poking the Typhlosion on the paw with an inky black tendril.
Status: doing fine!
"Did you, now?" he says to her, lifting a hand briefly to his chin as he appears to consider the matter. "Then I must thank you for your assistance. I understand from speaking to them that the situation was... difficult, initially." It might not have been the first time for some of them to get stranded in a strange land (weirder still that this is the sort of thing that's happened multiple times) but it doesn't mean that the experience wasn't discombobulating, or that the assistance wasn't appreciated.
Anne, though, has something interesting to say to him: "...Before? By which you mean, before their release, I presume? I wonder..." Had they perhaps lain in wait for the release of the Wise Men? Or, was there another explanation?
But Anne has more to say. "Space-time anomalies...? Now, that is quite interesting. Perhaps you could answer something for me: by what means were the Ten Wise Men restrained for so many years?" It had something to do with Symbology, of course, but beyond that, he thinks he recalls hearing some small detail that had indicated that the prison that they were enclosed within had also entailed--
"Hmm... perhaps so," he says to her, frowning as if in thought. "It appears that there have not been terribly many encounters just yet, so determining it would be difficult. Do you think that they are controlled by the Wise Men, or is it possible that they are instead opportunistic allies?"
<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.
Gently--
Laqui the Typhlosion opens one eye more widely to look at Ise more closely. "...Ty," it agrees, and nods once, gravely. "Phlo..."
"Most of them were friendly enough and willing to deal with our society. I actually have a couple of your Visitors who work with me at the lab now and then, as research assistants." A pause. "It was. They were strangers in a strange land. And of course, they had neither money nor the means to earn it."
But Anne inclines her head. "Yes, before. Only rumors, nothing confirmed, but I was investigating some of those rumors when we learned of the Ten Wise Men's returns. My specialty is in Pokemon behavior, you see."
What means?
"They were contained within Eternity Space," Anne explains, "And locked there by means of a Quadratic Sphere."
"...What exactly that entails is something you'd want to study at Princebridge in more detail, but the short version is that time-space anomalies would not surprise me when involving the Ten Wise Men."
She shakes her head. "I think some may be controlled, but most are more... events, than regular Pokemon."
"If I can get a lead on them, I'm interested in seeing them for myself. But of course, it's quite dangerous. I must caution anyone who isn't confident in his abilities to avoid them."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Ise bounces, wiggling his many tendrils from under his 'pelt'. "Miiii?" he queries excitedly, clearly intent on... something, from Laqui.
"Have they? Well, that is certainly good to hear! I am afraid not all of us are as well-intentioned as that, but... something tells me you're aware of that already," Citan says to her with a rueful smile. "Yet, I do not think it will be as much of a shock as some of us think, somehow, when Nedians begin to interact with the worlds of Filgaia and Lunar. In fact, I think it might be possible that it could us that will struggle to keep up with you!" he says, all good-natured humor.
"Of course. It was that same expertise that has brought me around to your doorstep, as it were," he says to Anne. "My concern is of course the Wise Men themselves, but presently, they are beyond our means to affect. These Paradox Pokemon, on the other hand... well, it is a different matter, do you not agree? What is more, given that we know so little about them..."
Any knowledge they can glean, however small, is better than nothing. Knowing the enemy is but one step in winning a battle, but it is a crucial one nonetheless.
Eternity Space, locked by the Quadratic Sphere.
What that means is complicated. It also is not essential to know it, for Citan's purposes: he could spend the time to understand the theory in all its fine details, but there's every chance that knowing that wouldn't help them a jot. "Such things are outside my expertise, unfortunately, but I believe I understand the basic thrust behind the concept," he says to her, folding his arms across his chest. "So it is as I had thought when you mentioned the phenomena behind their appearance before. There is a throughline, potentially, between their appearance and the same technology that had locked away the Ten Wise Men. Yet, are they the cause or the result? Or, might both be tightly intertwined? ...There is a question without an answer back home, you see," he says to Anne. "'Which came first, the chicken or the egg'? Though--"
He pauses, doing his best to keep a straight face. "...perhaps that might take some explaining around here?"
He's been led to understand that Pokemon eggs don't result from the usual thing one would expect to produce an egg, precisely.
<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.
Laqui eventually reaches out to poke Ise back, gently with one great paw. "Ty," he says, and his expression has teeth. It's probably a smile.
"So I've gathered," Anne says with a flat look. "I heard about the attack on Armslock." A smile back. "Yes," she says. "I think you'll see us interacting more, too. Many of us are eager to get out beyond the boundaries of our world, with such an opportunity."
But, "Yes. Unfortunately we can't reach them at all, though they can continue to strike at us. ...I agree. If we can neutralize their Paradox Pokemon, then that will be a step towards victory."
"Good," Anne says of the basic concept being understood. "Frankly, it's not entirely within my expertise either. It's more the sort of thing my son's father would study. ...Which might be an avenue worth considering, if we want to know more."
Then, "Hmmm. Yes. We can't tell which is the cause, and which is the effect... But my hyphothesis remains that the opening of Eternity Space has caused ripples in the space-time continuum."
A pause. A blank look.
"Hm?"
"...Yes. I suspect it would."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Mii!" chirps Ise, apparently delighted by this turn. ...Whereupon he pokes at Laqui again with his tendrils, bouncing slightly in place as if to egg the other on.
Citan grimaces faintly as she mentions the incident. Ah. Yes. He had heard about what had happened in Armlock -- news travels fast, particularly around here, though that's only to be expected. "I do hope that... incident will not impact things overmuch," Citan says, taking the diplomatic tack. "But, yes. From what I have seen, I believe that will be so. As much as our world is dangerous in ways yours is not... there are elements of your world that shall come as a surprise to the people of our own! We shall need to find our own equilibrium, I think."
Not everything is equal between three worlds: there are circumstances affording opportunities and dangers from all of them. There are advantages and disadvantages inherent to each world.
"Yes. While it appears that there may be some way to affect them, for the time being, it is prudent to be able to handle what we can," Citan opines, gesturing broadly with his right hand. "Yet, it does seem that more research might be needed. ...Hmm... I see..." he remarks, as Anne goes on. Her son's father. Now that is a turn of phrase, Citan reflects to himself privately, that informs quite a few things. "That is true, perhaps if we were to understand 'where' they originate from..." In particular, it would be good to know if their appearance is truly linked with the Wise Men or if they are 'merely' strange bedfellows.
"Perhaps... if we were to understand the nature of the Ten Wise Men's prison..." Citan muses, in deep thought.
Which parts only for him to make a rather silly sort of joke. "Well!" He can't quite keep from smiling slightly. "Perhaps if I were to put it another way... were they locked away alongside the Ten Wise Men, and their reappearance before their release represented instead a weakening of their seal? Or are they instead representative of a phenomenon that predates the Wise Men's prison?"
<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.
"...Ty!" Laqui pokes a little harder this time. He's starting to be Interested. He stirs a little on his bed, and Anne glances over at him with a lifted eyebrow. She doesn't stop the two interacting, though.
"I for one don't blame all of you for the actions of a few. There are factions on all three worlds; none of us present a unified front." A pause. "...Yes. We may not be prepared for war, but wild Pokemon are dangerous, and I know some have made it through the portals. I'm optimistic about equilibrium, though--I think we'll find mutually beneficial arrangements."
It is a very particular turn of phrase, very specific while leaving out something else. "We might do well to involve him."
The prison... Anne nods, thoughtfully. And then she notices that smile, and laughs. Just because she didn't get it doesn't mean she doesn't recognize there was a joke!
"The histories don't mention these Paradox Pokemon, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything; the government and the League keep hold of some knowledge themselves. And it has been tens of thousands of years; things get lost, if nothing else."
"But if we can find out... We'll have an advantage."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
This time, Ise goes long, as it were, gliding along a little further away from where Laqui remains in his bed and wriggling his own tendrils as if in invitation.
Even Mimikyu -- perhaps especially Mimikyu -- like to play.
Citan by now has turned a glance over in their direction only to look back at Anne and shrug, smiling slightly. It's true that he has other Pokemon, but they don't seem to provide the sort of interaction Ise sometimes seeks: perhaps he might want to investigate into seeing what sort of Pokemon might be a good companion for Ise at some point or another.
"Indeed, and I believe most among us feel the same way. Nevertheless, there is always cause for the 'uncommon few' to move and make unwelcome advances in precisely that direction. Thus, we must endeavor to better our relations between our peoples." It would not do if other nations decided they were a threat and moved to make war or to close borders, for isntance -- nor would it end well if blame ended up being placed by some nations on others for their dangers that had now shifted boundaries.
Then there's the matter of the war that's taking place right on the doorstep to the rift to Energy Nede. By now, the Nedians seem to be aware of the risk and have taken steps to deflect the risk -- and the presence of Pokemon keeps the Avehans and Kislevi from overstepping their boundaries. But it's still a potentially tenuous situation, if things were to go badly one way or another.
Citan of course is well aware of the reasons why Solaris has kept their own involvement with Energy Nede to such a subdued (for them) approach.
"And, his name?" Citan asks, of the man who had been the father of one of Anne's children.
"Indeed, even with advancements in the storage of data, materials can be lost over the millennia." He pauses before he presses, "...Furthermore, and please forgive me for being so blunt, from what we have understood, the approach of your people was once quite different. There may well be things that were deliberately lost... or hidden. But this is only speculation on my part."
<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.
Laqui is better-trained than to laze out and send fire to do what his paw can no longer reach. So, he finally stands up, and pads after Ise. He's slow, but part of that seems to be having fun; giving Ise a chance to run before he tags him again.
Typhlosion doesn't get to 'play' that much these days, big as he is.
It's nice, though. Anne smiles, too. And then...
"That's true. We'll want to figure that out. ...I'm dubious that our own central government is going to move on this in time; it may be up to some of us to make our own relationships."
Anne is well aware of that war, though not aware that her daughter has dipped her toes into the warzone. Things could go very, very badly.
"Linden Stacey," she says. "Of Princebridge University. Ordinarily I'd say to use my name and say I sent you..." She sighs, shaking her head. "I was a point of contention in his last marriage," she explains. "I'm not sure if he's forgiven me yet. I won't say more than that; I don't want to drag you into my dramas."
But indeed--that blunt statement... "I respect a bit of bluntness," Anne says simply. "You're quite right. A lot of things are buried. Some of us have tried to keep old knowledge alive... But even then, some things are lost."
"But indeed--once we were conquerors. We've distanced ourselves a lot from that past. We'd consider any such attempt these days barbaric."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Fortunately, for Ise's part, Laqui has proven willing to 'play ball', as it were -- when the smaller Pokemon moves back to try to bait him to follow, he's not long to follow. He seems delighted: even if for all his speed his size means that he can't cover as much distance as Laqui can, Laqui's willingness to even the playing field, as it were, appears to mean much to Ise.
Or at least, that's Citan's own read of the interaction between the two. Who can really know how a Pokemon thinks? ...And yet, if he extends what he knows about the psychology of people...
"Hmm, I see," he muses when Anne makes her own remark about Energy Nede's central government. "I assume that a sort of 'intertia' would set in over the ages, when there have not been any circumstances beyond the known to content with," he speculates. "Indeed, outside our current turn of events, 'inertia' may well have been a virtue." After a period, they would have attained a sort of stasis. Disconnected from the rest of the galaxy, and without anything coming from the outside or in that would provoke the need for change, the status quo would rule. And why would it need to be otherwise? What was would be, and be, and be.
Even if some of the people living in that system might chafe against its rules.
"Linden Stacey... noted," Citan repeats, as if to commit the name to memory. She mentions too that he might as well not mention her name for various interrelationship dramatics reasons, to which he remarks, "I see." He thinks he is seeing the shape of the situation now, and...
It's useful to know it, but she's not wrong: it would be best to refrain from getting involved.
He had gathered some of this from speaking with the Nedians and reading what histories he could access as an outsider. He had heard a few other things from Drifters who had learned a few things more. What he had gleaned had not been far off, it would seem.
"Then, I am glad to not give offense. My interest is merely academic -- and what is more, well, 'those who live in glass houses should not throw stones', as the saying goes. The hands of our own nations are hardly clean."
One need only look outside the rifts to Filgaia or Lunar to see that.
<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.
Since Laqui doesn't try to chomp on Ise, Citan's read is probably correct. He's having fun, too. He's used to dealing with Pokemon much smaller tham himself, in any case.
"Yes," Anne agrees about inertia. "It's been a problem. For a while, sure, avoiding chaos with our situation was important--but it's become stifling to innovation. We haven't really advanced in a very long time."
"Of course, opinions vary on whether the current crises are 'worth' the chance to change..."
She trails off, and inclines her head. Yes, he sees. It's pretty messy, but despite her appearances, Anne's life is kind of messy. She's always done things her own way, regardless.
"Fair enough," Anne says of glass houses. "That's true. No society is--no society with history is, either."
"...But that's all right for now. Here; I'll have my assistant put together some reading for you on the other topic. If you get in touch with Linden, let me know. For now... Well, good luck. It's been interesting meeting you."