//------------------------------// // Akala: Chapter 15 – Professor Burnet // Story: Pokémon Eclipse // by moviemaster8510 //------------------------------// Sam walked to the bow of the ship, just managing to see the distant lights of Heahea City in the distance. As the ferry rode over a little chop, he gripped the sidebar and held still, bending his body so it could remain level with the sea. As the waves settled back down, Alice came out and stood beside him, holding on. Alice watched him with Starlight and Fluttershy on either side of her. “What’s he doing?” Fluttershy asked. “He likes to be at the front when riding on a boat,” Alice replied. “I know, he’s weird.” “It doesn’t really sound that weird to be honest,” Starlight commented. Alice sighed. “Either way, we’ll dock into Akala Island in just a half hour. Let’s find a place to sleep tonight.” As the others looked to the city light from the safety inside the ferry, Sam continued looking ahead from the front, ignoring the splashes of water that came near him as they rode to the bottom of each wave. The four left the ferry station, instantly browsing around for a motel, bed and breakfast, or heaven forbid the large towering hotel that stuck out like a sore thumb, even from the back north side of the city. In their search, they almost ignored a woman walking toward them, thanks to her loud voice. “Hey! You must be Sam and Alice Brier!” They stopped a foot or two from her, allowing themselves to see her more fully in the light of the streetlamp. She was a tan-skinned woman with messy pure-white hair held somewhat in place by a green band wrapped around the back of her head, a long piece coming from the back like a pony tail and two zig-zaggy bangs that hung just in front of her ears. She wore green rubber slippers and a short green skirt over a black full-body rubber suit with the top pulled down to her waist with the sleeves hanging down, revealing a grey tank top and a necklace with a small obsidian stone inside. “Are you Professor Burnet?” Sam asked. “I am. It’s nice to meet you too, Starlight Glimmer, Fluttershy.” “Thank… you?” Fluttershy was unsure to answer any other way. “Where’s the cheapest motel?” Alice asked “Motel?” The question came as a massive joke to Burnet, as she spent the next several seconds laughing hysterically. Starlight grimaced flatly. “Yep. She’s definitely Kukui’s wife, alright.” “Don’t be silly! You’ll be crashing at my lab!” “Huh?” Sam seemed a bit confused and concerned by this prospect. “Does your place even have beds?” “Mmhm! I had three extras made just for the four of you.” Sam now felt incredibly sheepish. “Oh… well… You didn’t need to do all that for us to stay one night.” “Don’t sweat it, man,” she replied with a hearty pat on his shoulder. “You and your sister are very special people with two very special ponies, and I wouldn’t give you anything less than what you’d pay for at the Tide Song.” “That’s incredibly generous of you,” Alice said, unable to help bowing her body down a bit. “Thank you so much.” “Not a problem at all! Now come on! It’s getting late!” Burnet turned on her heel and began walking down the sidewalk, the others a bit late to follow. Burnet led Sam, Alice, and the ponies out of an elevator, down a small foyer and to the right where a small, square room with four beds in the center of each quarter stood. There looked to be a door directly to the end facing the elevator, presumably a bathroom, and a small kitchen dining room directly beside the bedroom. Sam and Alice looked rather impressed by the simplicity of the set-up. “Well, this is it!” Burnet exclaimed with a showcasing stretch of her arms. “Make yourselves at home, please! The cafeteria opens at 7:00 for breakfast, but please meet me down there at 8:00. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” “We look forward to it,” said Starlight, “but please understand this is about finding our other friends, so please forgive us if we aren’t quite as excited as you about this.” “Well, yes, of course.” Burnet composed herself and stood straight with a hand at her hip. “It’s been a long day for you I’m sure, so I’ll let you be to catch some Z’s. See you all tomorrow.” Entering the elevator, she gave another quick wave before the doors closed and she went down. Sam now felt comfortable to kick his shoes off, allowing himself to stretch his toes out more liberally. He twisted around and landed upon his back on the mattress. “If I’m waking up early tomorrow, I’ll need all the sleep I can.” “Eight o’clock is early?” Starlight asked Alice. “Oh no, eight o’clock is early for me. Early for him is around 5 o’clock.” The thought of such a time perked Fluttershy’s morbid interest. “Why would he wake up so early?” “I guess my body is on permanent jet lag.” “You’ve never even traveled outside Kalos until four nights ago.” Alice chided. “I know, that’s weird, right?” “Either way,” Starlight interrupted, “he’s right. We have long days ahead of us if we want to find our other friends quickly.” “Right, so get to bed children, spit-spot!” Sam clapped his hands twice quickly, letting them fall to his sides limply, bouncing off the bed and hanging off the edge. Starlight chuckled a bit at the demand as Alice and Fluttershy began pulling the covers off their beds. While Alice took her bag to the bathroom to change, Fluttershy and Starlight hopped onto their beds and settled themselves in. “Goodnight, Sam!” Fluttershy spoke, but received no response from him. “Uh, goodnight? Sam?” “I think he’s asleep already,” Starlight whispered. “Oh. Sorry, Sam!” she hissed back. Starlight snuggled into her pillow, quick to close her eyes. Another island, another step towards her reunion. Such a thought made it easy to rest and fall asleep. Sam awoke feeling a bit groggy. He looked up to the small windows on the top corner of the wall above the kitchen, and saw sunlight was streaming down. He then went to his Pokédex and checked on the clock: 6:55. Sam shrugged as he put his device away and grabbed a pair of black shorts, another grey shirt, and a pair of socks wrapped in underwear, both black. He took his clothes into the bathroom and silently shut the door. He could already feel today would be a good one. Alice came out of the bathroom, dressed in her purple shirt, shorts with the matching purple stripe, and black vest with gold lining. She looked to her brother and two equine friends, looking to the former with a playful sense of disdain over his virtually identical clothing. “Wow,” she said, “what a brave and original outfit of yours.” Sam looked to his jacket that he wore and took it off, taking the sleeves and tying them around his waist. He then put his hands to his hips proudly. “Okay, now you’re just copying Burnet.” Sam dramatically slapped his hand against his forehead. “Aye aye aye! I just can’t please her, though I doubt any man could.” Starlight and Fluttershy jerked their heads back, completely shocked by the retort. “Whatever!” Alice skipped herself to the elevator and pushed the ‘down’ button. “Breakfast is downstairs, and I’m sure any male cook down there who can cook me some good flapjacks will impress me.” Sam felt no point in arguing any longer, and he joined his sister inside once the doors opened, Fluttershy and Starlight quick to enter. No more words were spoken as the doors closed on them. With as late in the morning as it was, the cafeteria and dining area looked rather busy, nearly three-quarters full with around at least seventy to eighty employees sitting down and enjoying their breakfast or in line getting it. As Sam, Alice, and the ponies walked to the counters, Starlight and Fluttershy receiving amazed looks from many of the employees, they all easily spotted Burnet standing next to a salad bar where bagels and donuts were set for the taking. Floating beside her was a pale-green Pokémon with stubby arms and legs and two beady black eyes on the far sides of its face. Its more defining features, like its ears and three-fingered hands, were made up of a gelatinous green substance. Starlight and Fluttershy looked inquisitively at the creature, but Sam and Alice appeared to recognize it, judging from their smiles. “What is that thing?” Fluttershy asked. “I see you’ve noticed my Reuniclus.” Burnet’s Pokémon responded with a happy high-pitched squeak. “Here.” Sam pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it at the Pokémon. “Let me show you.” “Reuniclus,” the Pokédex spoke, “the Multiplying Pokémon. When Reuniclus shake hands, a network forms between their brains, increasing their psychic power.” “Psychic?” Fluttershy and Starlight said nervously at the same time. “Yeah,” Burnet said matter-of-factly, “Reuniclus is a Psychic-type. Why would you–” It suddenly hit her. “Oh… That’s right. I was just told about them late last night. You shouldn’t need to worry though. Reuiniclus has been a friend of mine ever since I worked in the Unova region. I used to study dreams in my older life, and Reuniclus was my most helpful assistant.” The Reuniclus mewed again and gently wrapped its arms around Burnet’s neck. “But please,” she continue to say, “enough about me, let’s eat!” Alice walked off with Fluttershy to where a middle-aged black man poured batter into a frying pan, while Sam eyed the platter of smoked salmon near the bagels and doughnuts. “What kind of things do you like to eat for breakfast, Starlight?” Burnet asked her. Starlight looked around and noticed the unmistakable sight of a very tan-skinned man sprinkling mushroom, green onion, and tomato into scrambled egg. “How are the omelets here?” “Ugh, probably the best in Alola. The cheese, eggs, and veggies are grown and made fresh in the farms just north of here. You’ll never taste a better omelet, I guarantee you!” It was enough of an endorsement for her, and both Burnet and Starlight walked together to the station. “I can’t thank you enough again for buying our breakfast,” Sam said. “I would have been happy to buy my lox.” Burnet and her Reuniclus led the others as they stepped off the elevator. “It’s not a problem, guys. Now, I’ll need to take you into my office for just a bit.” Turning the corner from the hallway, Burnet continued past another room, the glass door and panels showing a small office space where about a dozen or so people dressed in lab coats were typing away on computers. In the back were five monitors, the one in the center far larger than the other, which appeared to showcase a topographical map of an island that was covered in bar graphs and some kind of seismographs. Neither Sam nor Alice had time to make any sense of what showed on the screens as they were ushered inside a large room with a large bookshelf taking the entire back of the wooden wall, along with a small cocobolo desk where a desktop computer rested. Burnet stood into the middle of the room, giving the others some space. “I’d like to take this time to say that yes, what my husband told you yesterday was true. I do indeed work with the Aether Foundation on numerous occasions such as this one, and I am helping them find your other friends easier so we can bring you back home sooner. I’d also like to apologize for forgetting your run in with this Team Prism yesterday. It wasn’t my intention to startle you with my Reuniclus, but there’s something I’d like to do with him. Starlight?” “Uh, yeah Professor Burnet?” “It’s true that for whatever reason, Psychic-type moves affect this magic that you speak of?” “Yes? What about it?” “May I please see you use your magic?” “Um, okay.” Starlight charged her horn, at once, nearly a quarter of the books from her shelf were pulled off by individual blue auras, where she then turned them flat and had them revolve above her in a near perfect circle. Burnet smirked. “Incredible. Now Starlight, I’d like to use a Psychic move on you.” “What?!” Alice and Sam could have hardly felt so struck by the request. “Are you crazy?” “Why?” Starlight asked. “Is our word not enough?” “That’s not it at all. I want you to pay attention to the effects of the Psychic energy as it gets stronger so you can tell me what you feel. I doubt that you had time to properly think about what you experienced when you were assaulted all at once. Perhaps it will allow us to help find a way to counter any future Prism attacks, but I won’t know until you allow me to do this.” Starlight frowned, still mulling over the decision. “When can we stop?” “I promise I won’t do it for long. Just enough to allow me to see some effects.” “Starlight,” gasped Sam, “you aren’t seriously considering this, are you?” Starlight ignored him, still taking several moments to answer. “Yes. I’ll do it.” “Okay then, prepare yourself.” Starlight charged her horn more, the aura around her horn and the books getting brighter. “Reuniclus. Soft Psychic.” Reuniclus began glowing green as its arms and hands aimed at Starlight, who also began glowing green. Sam and Alice squeezed their hands as Starlight began groaning, though still managed full control over the books. “A little more,” Burnet said. Reuniclus let out a soft yowl, its glow around itself and Starlight getting brighter. Now, Starlight’s magic aura began to falter, though the motion of the books continued unabated. “Okay,” Sam said, “you can stop–” “Just a bit more, buddy.” Burnet’s Pokémon and Starlight went brighter. Starlight yelped slightly as her aura completely faded from about half a dozen books as they clattered to the floor. Soon, more books began to fall one by one. Sam opened his mouth to object again until– “Alright, stop!” On Burnet’s command, Reuniclus relaxed itself, its glow around both it and Starlight fading instantly. Starlight ended her magic and let all the books fall and clatter to the ground. “I’m…” Starlight panted heavily. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up later. Now, please, tell me what that felt like.” “At first… It felt like a dark… cloud was invading my thoughts… making it harder to concentrate. By the time it got really strong… I could no longer concentrate. I tried to focus on all the books at once, but my thoughts just felt… scattered. So much so that it was making me tremendously dizzy.” “I see. So it’s not so much the Psychic attacks that are hurting you, it’s just that they are easier to invade your head and make thinking about using magic harder.” “I mean, I’m still perfectly lucid, it’s just…” Starlight picked up four of the books that were left open on the floor, and as she tried to revolve them again, Burnet and the others could see the path of the books were far cruder and her magic flickered like an old lightbulb. “…somehow, magic just becomes so much harder after getting hit with a Psychic attack.” She then set them back down and closed on the desk, huffing as she ended her spell. “I understand. Most Psychic-type moves don’t have long-term psychological or physical damages unless the move is somehow prolonged, but still, the only remedy I can think of to help you would be to train your mind against outside noise, per se. Perhaps solve puzzles or riddles while listening to loud music or engaging in a conversation. Are you good at math?” “Ooh, very much so!” “Good. I’ll lend you a Sudoku booklet to take with you.” “Thank you. I’m sure that will be very helpful.” “Good. I’m sorry I put you through that just now, but I think our little experiment was quite fruitful, wouldn’t you say.” “Yes, thank you again.” “I sure hope so,” Sam mumbled under his breath. “Great.” Burnet walked out to leave her office. “Follow me one last time.” Sam and Alice followed out first, followed by Starlight and Fluttershy, the latter of whom looked to the exhausted looking Starlight with concern. “Starlight?” she asked. “Are you sure you’re alright?” “Yeah. Shouldn’t be too long before I’m at full strength again.”   Burnet led them into the office, stepping aside to allow them to explore at their leisure. However, the screen that interested Sam, Alice, and the ponies right away was the one in the upper right corner, which flashed between one of four images of heat maps for the Alolan islands, each one showing a bright white splotch bordered with red. Once the screen changed to show Melemele Island, Sam studied it closely, noticing that the splotch in this map was right over Kala’e Bay. “Hey, Burnet.” Alice pointed to the mark on the map. “That mark over there on Melemele, that’s where Starlight and Fluttershy landed from the portal.” “We know.” Burnet stepped closer, not even bothering to look at the screen. “When your friends arrived here, we quickly recorded the energy signatures of each island and where they were the highest at the time. Look there.” The screen changed to Akala Island. Burnet pointed to the splotch on the right corner of the south side of the island. “That must be where another pair landed Monday night.” “How do you know they’re in pairs?” Fluttershy asked. “Simple. We share a lot of our data with Aether, and each group of ponies that landed on each island came down in twos. You and Starlight came on Melemele…” The screen then changed to that of Ula’ula Island, where another splotch was found in an area on the south side of that island that was surrounded by mountain. “Another pair landed inside the Haina Desert and are currently being held at the House base, and to keep from boring you with the wait, the last two landed on the Poni Breaker Coast, but have so far evaded capture by either the island guardian, the Kahuna, or someone from Aether.” Suddenly a set of words struck Sam’s mind. _____________________________________________________ “You’re not the ones I’m looking for, but you’ll do.” _____________________________________________________ “Gladion,” he said softly. Burnet clearly didn’t hear him. “What struck me as interesting is that you all landed within a relatively close proximity to each of the islands’ ruins where the guardians reside. What this means, I’m not fully sure, but it’s a pattern nonetheless.” “Can we see the Akala Island map again?” Sam asked. “Certainly.” She went to one of the desktop computers and browsed through folders on the finder until she found the image she needed. “So yeah,” Burnet confirmed, “it looks like two of them landed in the Akala Outskirts.” “So that means they must be in that south area!” Alice concluded. “What are we waiting for, then?” Starlight asked. “Let’s get going.” “Hold on,” Burnet interrupted. “There’s no guarantee that they’ll be there.” “What do you mean?” Burnet pointed to a small indent along the side of the rock wall in the south side. “The Akala Outskirts are close to the Diglett Tunnel, which they could have run through. There’s a Pokémon that live on the ranches just north of Heahea called Mudbray, and they sometimes wander into the city. If these ponies came out the other end of the tunnel, they might have been mistaken for Mudbray and headed north without issue.” “What do these Mudbray look like?” Alice asked. Burnet opened an interent browser and pulled up an image of the Pokémon, which resembled a brown donkey with a black mane and tail and a beige underbelly and soft, pudgy legs. “Aw, it’s adorable!” Alice commented. “You’re serious?” Sam asked. “You think that someone could mistake these ponies for one of these?” “If they crossed through the city at night, certainly. Either way, they could be anywhere on the island.” “So what, you’re saying we should just scope out everything north of us and hope we find them?” “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Not to mention, all of your next Island Trials are that way, and if nothing else, you’ll get yourselves stronger in case you get attacked by Team Prism once again. On that note, I think we’re done here.” “Really? That’s it.” “That’s it. Come, I’ll escort you out.” Burnet stood up and walked around to the hallway to the elevator. This time, it took a few seconds and a couple of awkward, cautious glances to each other before Sam, Alice, and the ponies decided to follow her. Burnet walked everyone outside, standing back by the door as the others stepped forward and turned back to face her. “I’ll share what I’ve learned from Starlight to the higher ups at the Aether Foundation immediately.” “Thank you again,” Starlight said. “Lastly, you’ll want to go north to the Paniola Ranch. Just north of that is where your next trial will be. Take Route 4 up and you can’t miss it.” “Thank you again, Burnet,” Alice said. “This has been really helpful.” “Good luck, you guys! Alola!” The others waved back as they began taking the sidewalk to their next destination. “Alola!” they all bid her. After waiting a few moments after disappearing around the brick gate, Burnet pulled out a small phone from her pocket, typed in a few buttons and put it up to her ear. “Sun?” she asked. “Yes, hi. I just finished meeting with the ponies from Melemele… And you have two of them at the Aether House now, correct?... Oh, and a dragon? Interesting…” She turned to walk back inside. “Do you think it would be possible to arrange a video call with them later today?” The sliding doors opened and she stepped inside, the doors closing back up quickly.