Test 5.

[azumods]

VERITY The journey this month has been easier on you in several ways; despite your losses, your numbers have been bolstered by the addition of two more this month, and unlike the unforgiving terrain on the way to Lake Acuity the routes to Lake Verity seem downright hospitable - they're straightforward, the climate is far more temperate, and there are patches of cheer visible here and there along the paths in the form of those brightly-colored flowers, even as you make your way toward the lakefront. But the lakefront itself is perhaps unsettlingly silent; a reminder, perhaps, of what you're here to do, of the importance of your task. You'll reach the lake sometime in the evening. The sun isn't down yet, but it looks as though it won't be too long before it dips below the horizon; there's more than enough light for you to see what the lake itself looks like, however - the water is still and clear, to an extent where you can see straight down to the bottom regardless of how deep it gets. There's no bridge or other way to cross over the lake that you can see, but once again there's a large rock formation rising out of the center of the lake and a good-sized opening in the stone, leading to what's likely a system of caverns further inside. Your exploration starts here, next to the crystal clear waters of Lake Verity; what happens next is up to you.

Comments

[azumods]

Nothing happens at all.

[hyruglyphics]

[ She opens up her first journal. It has her notes first about her initial impressions of Beldum, trying to work out its type and some of its attacks, notes about its eating habits (through the eye) and some other things. As she offers it to him, the next section will actually go on to be about all the region's (or at least what she could find in the area around Pastoria) water types, going into detail about her observations of habitat and such. ]

All sorts. To be honest, Kayneth was the one who clarified the need for me. Initially I was simply taking pictures and putting bookmarks into the books I could find, but there was simply so much to note, and so I worked backwards on my findings.

[ Actually, speaking of pictures, maybe she should take out the Sheikah Slate? ... One thing at a time. ]

[anythingforyou]

If it weren't for this world's state, I'd honestly ask why they wouldn't be. These creatures have all been so wonderful to see and befriend--there's so many wonderfully adorable creatures in this world, and so many fierce, beautiful ones as well. Even the ones in-between have their own charm to them!

[Camilla's actually going to let out one of her Pokemon at that, Arion popping out easily and kind of receding in on himself. It takes a little coaxing from Camilla, who kneels down next to him and ruffles the Deino's mane a little bit to try to calm him and he sniffs in Lucas's general direction.]

...He's usually much different in demeanor than this, I assure you, but this is my sweet partner, Arion--he's a bit of a silly child from time to time, but I love him so much. He's so precious to me.

[eudaimonikos]

Oh. Okay.

[He may or may not have one, he didn't totally think that would work, but he's gonna wing it.]

Contractualism is a little complicated. It's about ethics as a mode of living with other people, not just as a set of rules. So more like humans live, a little weird for me, I guess, but it makes sense on a gut level.

See, you start with recognizing other people as equal, rational agents. I think that comes naturally to most humans, so that's fine. When you do that, of course you also have to acknowledge that human life has value. And so does Pokemon life, that's not really mentioned. Point being, the root of moral duty is the inherent value of other people, and what we owe to them as our fellow entities floating around in the vast, uncaring universe.

Valuing human life means that you should protect them from harm, and generally want the best for them. So, for example, if you see somebody drowning, you have an ethical duty to try to save them. You can argue about whether or not that applies if you yourself can't swim, but I don't think that's the situation we're in. We're just as trapped as any of you. We're also in the water, we've just managed to get onto a raft for the moment. Cyrus could come along at any moment and knock us back to where we were - but, for the moment, I believe it's our duty to try to help as many people grab onto floating bits of debris as possible.

Sure, maybe we could save ourselves. We could go hide in the woods somewhere, hope he never found us and we got to keep our minds. But what does that say about how we value others? If I abandon a bunch of unrelated humans to suffer without even trying to help them, is that a violation of the bond I hold with my particular humans? I think they'd feel like it was, and I kinda think I would too. If we're trying to be good people, if we think humanity is worth anything, then we need to do what we can to help fellow people in need.

And really, that's when we first got here. At this point, there's a few locals that I actually like. That's not an extra reason - moral duty isn't based on if someone's your buddy - but it kinda adds some fuel to the fuck-Cyrus fire.

[Michael glances around at everyone else, having been generally registering their immediate pro-battle reactions, and raises a finger.]

And also, just as a side-note, I am at least as good at battling as any of them.

[redbellion]

...I'll battle you, Lucas.

[ his pokemon aren't much. they're still so small, and they don't stand a chance against his. but...if he can show lucas how far they've come--if that's what lucas is looking for--then he thinks that maybe he'll stand a chance. maybe he can prove something to him, like the others. ]

If you don't already have your hands full, that is. My Pokemon aren't like yours, but maybe we've got what you're looking for.

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

So...as long as we don't touch it, we'll probably be fine?

[azumods]

[Oh, wow, this is neat - he still seems a little off, in a way that the affected people tend to do, but it's seeming a little less muted, at least. Like something is trying to happen.]

This is really great - I think Professor Rowan would really like talking to you.

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[w-wait did he hear that correctly? he didn't, right?]

H-huh? I-I mean, really? I-I, uh, they're nothing that special, just copied from football, and uh, I did lose to you that one time though, so, uh...

[What a case he's building for himself.]

[hyruglyphics]

And I would love to meat him too! [ Huff huff!! She's... way too excited about this ] Truth told, I've wanted to meet a scholar here this whole time, or at least go to that one library we were told is in the region!

[enjoymyatelier]

That would be me, by the way. Kayneth, that is.

[...he doesn't want to interrupt but also-]

Anyway, I don't mean to jump in, but one of the teachers in Jubilife did make me really interested in meeting the Professor. If things go well here, would we be able to do that?

[heritrix]

In that case, I can come up with two possibilities. The first is that there's no barrier at all, but a powerful illusion. The second is that the barrier can only be unlocked from within, or requires a "key", if you will. Only those who meet certain conditions can enter. I heard someone say Mesprit is a deity that deals with emotions, so it could have something to do with sensing those.

The barrier could be a variety of other things, but those are my best bets.

[azumods]

[......................

he is twelve

he was educated until he was like ten

please have mercy on him, michael

no but really while a lot of that went over his head he gets the basic point, he thinks? save people because that's what good people do. got it- ]

...Are you a Zoroark?

[LUCAS.]

I mean, you talk a lot about not being human - are you a Pokémon?

[semistableman]

Yeah, that’s right. Flora helped talk some of the Pokemon who were guarding Uxie down. I don’t think she would have been able to do that a month ago.

[Being a little on the shy side, she backs away before curiosity wins out and she sniffs at him. It only takes her half a minute to decide he’s all right, though. She’s going to nose at your hand, your face, everything, basically, because Bucky sure has encouraged her curiosity.]

[enjoymyatelier]

Well, yes, but you were at a disadvantage as far as types go. Even if they were copied from football, I wasn't really expecting to see them applied to Pokemon combat the way you did, so I think things might have gone differently if you led with your Eevee and understood what type its bite was.

[heritrix]

You're thinking of teleporting, right?

[As nice as that would be, Rin shakes her head.]

I doubt that would work...

[azumods]

It hasn't bothered me to touch it, I just can't get through it.

[divinedescendant]

Of course. I truly do admire your optimism and your tenacity. Even though Team Galactic has done something so terrible, and its effects still linger on you, you are working so hard to make things right. And how brave of you to come out here on your own, and defend the Guardian—and the world with it. So you have my gratitude for testing us, too.

[azumods]

The barrier can be touched, just not passed through - it doesn't hurt at all, it's just something that's there. I guess it would hurt if I tried to hit it hard enough, but that seems like a bad idea...

[...Right.]

Emotions might...work, though. It would keep Team Galactic out? Because they're not getting better.

[azumods]

[o-oh goodness do you like pettings too

because he will offer pettings]

People weren't doing much of anything just a couple months ago. It's weird to think about.

[azumods]

Where did you get them...? Your Pokémon, I mean - some of them have been captured, I'd bet, but you have a bunch from other regions, too.

[azumods]

It wouldn't be fair to anybody to not test you. Or at least, I think it wouldn't be.

[That said, this is kind of nice. And apparently a less hideous test than everyone getting frozen or something.]

[eudaimonikos]

[...a pause as Michael mentally reviews what the fuck he just said. Normally he's a little more deliberate in how and when he drops the non-human thing - it's just that when you're talking about human ethics, well, it comes up. Some of that was a little personal, maybe...]

Ah, no. Never even heard of a Zoroark. Is that a sort of Pokemon that can take human form...?

[neatly sidestepping the question of what he actually is]

[azumods]

If that's what you want. I'll fight some of you, sure - I like seeing what people have going. With their teams and stuff.

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

I was, um...

[He blinks.]

So...because it's not a real barrier, trying to teleport past it wouldn't work?

[Damn. He thought it'd be worth a shot, though.]

If that's the case, then, um...what kind of requirements do you think Mespirit would wanna see?

[heritrix]

[Rin nods, snapping her fingers.]

Exactly! And it would explain why you're having difficulty getting through as well. That's no offense to you—you clearly are improving. But you and your pokemon... You have feelings, but you don't feel wholly yourself yet either, right?