Dr. Eckels's Story

Radegast took a sharp breath as he felt his arm rapidly mended internally. ”So that’s what it’s like…” He thought about the times he brought his friends to a Pokemon Centre after a particularly nasty brawl. Elder didn’t like pokeballs, but he seemed especially hesitant to jump in one whenever it came to these machines. It was painful how it accelerated the process in such a shocking way. Maybe Elder knew something Radegast didn’t? After all, he wasn’t in a pokeball.

The Magnemite seemed like a serious- if absent-minded- tinkerer. A Pokemon of science. The Gallade could respect that, though he didn’t see himself being in similar shoes. As Salticidae issued the threat, Radegast looked to the girl and shook his head, “Please don’t.”

That being said, something did seem terribly off about Dr. Eckels. “Actually, I’ve got a better question: How did you know where that obelisk was, and what are you planning to do with that rock?”

Reggie, on the other hand, simply looked at the curious Magnemite. ”You may be pleased to know that this armour was created through the combined efforts of old humans and old pokemon. It is a shame that there’s such damage received.” One paper-thin hand extended from behind and around the shield and draped equipment. “Dr. Eckels, correct? My companion calls me Reggie. How do you do?”

Radegast blinked as he first retrieved the Limiter. He had completely forgotten to introduce himself.

"I do well, actually. All things considered. And I can easily repair and enhance that armor if you'd like." Dr. Eckels nodded, accepting the handshake with a magnetic grip of his own. Reggie would feel a slight friendly tug as their hands connected before he retracted and turned to face the Gallade.

"And to answer your questions, stranger: I was out in the woods searching for a proper power supply. I haven't had one since I've been here and the sooner I obtain one, the less garage-like this lab will start to look. Anyway, I was exploring in the woods when I noticed a few Pokemon running. In quite the panic, I must add. So, naturally, I went up to one and asked what happened. And they started telling me of these huge towers of rock that started growing from the ground one day. And that it was turning Pokemon into these heartless monsters. Like your companions. I knew immediately what they were talking about...more than they did."

He gestured towards the two in the corner of the room, "By the way, you should never leave their side. What you're dealing with here is a dark and powerful energy called Shadow Energy. It corrupts the mind and pollutes the heart and soul. A large boost in power and some unique and surprising moves, but ultimately not worth it. And from my experiences, the only way they can return to their former selves is through prolonged contact with someone who will actually care for them. Someone who can truly love them and bring them back from the dark places they've found themselves in. For these two, you may be their best chance to regain their true selves. Perhaps even their only chance."

He started making his way towards the wagon, "But indeed I knew I had to find a source of this Shadow Energy and study it. I only had a chance encounter with this stuff and knew that if I could get my hands on a sample, I could learn more about it. Maybe develop a faster cure and some preventative measures. So I first ran here, gathered my supplies, and then ran out towards the sound of screams. I had a few brushes with these shadow creatures, including your friends. And- wait."

The Magnemite had pulled everything out of the wagon, but looked bewildered, "Where'd the piece go?"

The shard of the Obelisk wasn't in the wagon. And it clearly wasn't in Dr. Eckels hand.

"That's strange," the doctor was lamenting, "Did I even pick it up?" He paused for a moment. "No. I don't think I did. I must've left it over at the site. The strange Shadow girl spooked me with her trespassing nonsense, I forgot to grab it. I must return!"

He reached over and grabbed the egg-shaped device, pressing a lever on the bottom. The egg appeared to part in the middle, the top portion flipping over on a hinge. But the inside was empty.

"Damn," he muttered, "That was the last of the Teleport Orb. Maybe I brought another one?"

He started sifting through his workbench and supplies, hoping to find what he was looking for.

As the doctor looked through his supplies, and Liam brooded in the corner, Salticidae seemed to grimace for a moment before an oddly colored aura momentarily surrounded her form for what was only a split-second, causing her to gasp audibly. Following this occurrence, she stopped with her yo-yo, reattaching the Shell Bell to her necklace. She was now realizing how sore her body was as the tense feeling she was stewing in faded. Bending over to catch her breath, she seemed to be distressed as the pain rushed throughout her.

...

Deep breath... Focus...

...

With a more calm demeanor, she slowly walked over to the healing machine that was ready and waiting, set up for the next user. Standing before it, she thought momentarily to how Radegast entered the machine minus his outfit. He had looked quite odd, but also...

...

She decided she was reassured by it, all the same. Having made herself feel a bit less hesitant, Salticidae took a moment to refocus before moving to slip her outfit off, the light clothing and high-heels being set aside somewhat carelessly.

...

...

...

Her lithe and unclothed form was now bared for Radegast, Liam, and the doctor, to see in full. She was shapely and attractive, with a suitable figure of slightly insectoid proportion not unlike the sort of shape an Ariados had; that of a sort of pear shape with a narrower waist and wider hips. Her human flesh was mostly normal in appearance, but it was clear in some areas that it too bore the properties of an Ariados; around her abdomen and wrists both were a pair of black stripes that encircled them, and there were two black spots and a yellow spinneret positioned on her lower back, just above her rear as if a lower-back tattoo. The spots and spinneret together formed a pattern similar to a face, making for an odd display that was not just art, but rather a physical oddity.

Unfolding from her body, after having been compressed against her because of her outfit, was four yellow legs attached to the sides of her torso, just underneath her actual arms, each with two purple bands encircling them. Additionally, there were also two yellow structures similar to the legs that unfolded, each with a single purple stripe. They seemed to be attached to her back, centered just above the spots and spinneret. Her feet were not entirely normal either; her ankles were tipped with tiny hooks, not unlike spurs, that looked sharp. Her odd high-heels that were a part of her attire seemed designed to account for them. Her fingernails also each ended in tiny, sharp hooks like her ankles.

At this time, she then undid her hair decorations, which sent her red hair flowing down straight. The look was refreshing compared to her usual twintails, though each hair dec was revealed to be just cloth wrapped around the base of her two white horns on her head, each akin to the singular horn Ariados possessed. Her facial expression also loosened up as she removed what seemed to be some kind of device she wore inside her mouth. Without the device, her jaw slightly jutted forward in its overbite as two small mandibles akin to fangs were revealed. Having placed the device back into a small case that she then left with her clothing and high-heels, she ran her hands down her arms opposite before proceeding to her body. She seemed to be intent on shielding her special areas from view, covering them with her hands. She was almost like a perfect merging of an Ariados and a human, possessing the parts of both in full.

With only a quick glance over her shoulder at Radegast, revealing an odd, but strangely heartwarming smile, she turned back to face the machine before stepping into it.

...

...

...

She now awaited the machine to do its thing. She was perfectly comfortable and calm at that moment as she thought of Radegast, the strange boy- no, man, who had encountered her in that depressing and torturous lab.

Radegast was utterly nonplussed by the view. He was not exactly the sort to forgo clothing in general, but natural things were natural things. Six years in the wilderness, one tends to forget about decency in civilization. If anything, seeing the composition of her anatomy made him feel more empathetic to her situation.

It was horrible, what those scientists did- what they were doing if any survived. The lives of a test subjects were pitiable to most, but that didn’t mean they were meant to be merely pitied. Much like Salticidae, Radegast was made this way against his will. The Gallade would be the first to admit that he didn’t want to die, but he valued his friends over himself. He never wanted the King of Depths to do what he did. There was nothing he could do to stop what happened. What mattered now was what was going to be done after. What was Radegast going to do with this second chance?

He had his answer since before coming to Unova. From what he had heard, there were many in the Seven Clans utterly divided on Depths’ rash decision, as well as the implications of Radegast’s lineage. Radegast felt obligated to show them that the Dragalge made a good choice. He needed time to get stronger. He didn’t want to take on the Olympus half-cocked. If he was to board that ship again, it was with the power and will to leave that boat shattered and sprinkled across the sea, with the Marine’s visor sinking to the depths he so despised.

Additionally, Lucy Reginald was simply too powerful, and he felt it first-hand. A miraculously capitalized mistake was the difference between him being here and him being strapped to a table with no hope for rescue. She would have to be pursued after defeating the Marine; that much was certain. Compared to them, this Diancie debacle was nowhere near as important… But he promised to help with gathering intel on the situation. A Reginald always kept their promises, and he needed to get back to the Guild.

As Radegast retrieved and donned his attire and armour, he looked to Liam. There was tension between them, given what has happened. Once again, he vanished and split off. While it was temporary and Dr. Eckels didn’t specify that the machine wouldn’t have brought everyone along, the fact that Radegast disappeared again, it couldn’t have been anything but a grim reminder to the Cincinno.

“You doin’ alright, man?” Radegast asked as he slumped down to a seated position, where they’d be closer to eye level. ”I’m sorry about vanishing like that. I thought that wheelbarrow thing would’ve covered all of us…”

Liam made a sideways glance towards the Gallade, keeping his body in front of him with his arms tucked into his body. It seemed he was holding something, but it was too hard to make out what from that distance.

"I'm fine," he insisted, rolling his eyes and staring at the wall once more, "I guess I should be used to it anyway."

Meanwhile, the doctor had finished rummaging through his pile of items, shaking his head dejectedly.

"No Teleport Orb in sight. I reckon I will have to find one if I'm going to go back to that spot," Dr. Eckels thought aloud, "I suppose maybe I could use a Switcher Orb in it's place. Situational, but perhaps-"

Unrecognized form detected. Please standby for analysis...

Hera's autonomous voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned to notice Salticidae enter the green light, her experimented body revealing for everyone in the room. The Doctor blinked as he took the sight in.

"Fascinating!" he noted, "I've never seen such a hybrid of human and Pokemon...not since Crimson anyway. But even this is completely different! More humanistic traits...likely with a small hint of gene splicing. Probably from an Ariados..." Despite his amazement, he sighed, "Still, very terrible what happened as a result. Not everyone's existence is peaceful and there's so much animosity inside her...frankly I'm not sure whether it's due to the Shadow energy or from her experimentation. Probably a fusion of both sources. Regardless..."

New form scanned. Printing report now...

There was a whir of machinery behind the thin machine and paper started spilling out. As it did so, Hera went on:

Warning! Body in severe condition! Performing remedial actions. Please stand still!

Salticidae would feeling the cool mint-like feeling over her entire body. Whatever ailment was pressing into her would soothe itself slowly before disappearing entirely. Her strength and stamina would also be replenished, making her feel much better. As Hera did it's thing, Dr. Eckels was examining the report that was printed.

"Just as I suspected. A mixture of human and Pokemon DNA, the Pokemon being Ariados. Someone was acting in a rather fashionable manner and decided to dress her up thematically. I wonder if this is reversable..."

He continued to prose and postulate while Hera dinged in compliance.

Body restored to full health!

"Alright, madam! You may step out from under the light. Now it's the Cinccino's turn."

"Don't talk to me," Liam spat back at him.

Radegast didn’t respond to Liam’s retort. There wasn’t really anything that could be said. As Salticidae was scanned by the machine, Radegast checked inventory. “So we’ll get ourselves back to the Guild,” He counted each step on the fingers of the Limiter. “We’ll cure that shadow stuff while training there, then…”

Radegast paused, “Get stronger… I have to get stronger…” The last part, he muttered more to himself. The shredded sleeve of the suit was a reminder, a warning, and an encouragement. I will get stronger.

However, he did notice some object being kept close and somewhat hidden. It looked almost like whenever Elder tried to snag something and tried to hide it. His eyes were always pretty sharp, even before all this training and the near-constant pain of combat. He was about to say something, but the machine dinged completion.

As Eckels called for Liam, Radegast corrected the Magnemite, "His name's Liam." There wasn't a sharpness to his voice, but it was a sudden correction. "And... I'm Radegast," From experience, he's learned that he shouldn't be throwing his name around. However, Eckels seemed trustworthy enough. The Magnemite did mention Crimson. "Are you acquainted with Crimson? Follow-up question: You said you could repair this suit?"

"Ah, confused in vernacular you are, Radegast." Dr. Eckels spoke in a light manner, almost like he enjoyed the opportunity to expound knowledge, "A follow-up question should relate to the previous question asked. But unfortunately, Crimson lacks the technical capabilities to enhance Tech in most ways. And the ancient armor you don doesn't really have anything to do with him. But, then again...it might."

He began to hover towards the green healing machine, "But, to answer both of your questions...I do know Crimson...as more than a simple acquaintance. We go way back, he and I. I've known him since before he became the mighty warrior he is today. In fact, I've helped him many a time along the way...as he has helped me. You've probably seen the fancy stick he carries around sometimes. Perhaps you've heard him call it a Power Bat. Well, that is one of my inventions. And he has saved the world I live in many times over. All in the most...unorthodox ways. He's as inventive in a fight as I am with a piece of Tech. It's captivating, really."

"Which leads to the second question. Of course I can repair your suit. That's the easy part. The hard part is figuring out how we can bring out it's potential. I'd have to study it's make...it's composition. What would work best with the material it's crafted from? These are the answers I must seek. But of course, you'd have to take it off and lend it to me for a small while. I might need more materials than what I have. But it can be done, of course. And at the very least, I have connected your two questions, making the second question, as you put it, a follow-up question. Last chance, Liam." His attention diverted so suddenly to the Cinccino in the corner, his hand hovering over a button.

"I'm fine," he continued to ward him off.

Dr. Eckels lifted his magnet hands in the air, like a shrug, "Ah, well. I gave it a shot." He hit the button, the sound of Hera whirring as it powered down into sleep mode permeating the room. The green light disappeared, restoring the room to the natural gray palette it had before. The Magnemite turned his attention towards the Gallade once more.

"In any case, the fact that you brought up my friend means that you have encountered him, and reassures me that I have come to the right dimension. It has been so long since I've seen him and not nearly as long since you've seen him. Where is he now? Still going on adventures with Tag, Sarik, and the rest of them, I suppose?"

Salticidae finished dressing once more and returned to standing off by one of the walls in the room, casually minding her business as if awaiting something. She seemed a lot more collected and prepared than earlier.

“Follow-up question, second question, whatev.” Radegast shrugged. He was more interested in this Magnemite’s dealings with Crimson. As he listened, he looked to the shredded sleeve. He then began removing the suit when the answer came regarding repairs. AS he stepped over and handed the suit to the Magnemite, the Lord-Regent continued, “All I know is it was made in Johto. The plates came from metal shavings from a Steelix. I’m not entirely certain what provided the leather portion, though…” Much like most things, Radegast did wonder how the Graveller tribe and the past human friends made leather. The implications were not lost on him, but the armour was made in a vastly different time.

Hearing Dr. Eckels speak of Crimson, Radegast felt fine about disclosing the intel he had obtained over the past several days. “Last I saw, Crimson was investigating stuff relating to the shadow corruption as well. I was sent here to scout for the Guild- matter of fact. I think the other scouts got back by now, but I haven’t seen’em since we landed. Now I’m just tryin’ to get back to the Guild with the info I got, or figure out how to help Liam and Salt here.” He looked to the two of them, There was a flicker of a hopeful smile, but it vanished just as he glanced back to Dr. Eckels. “Ideally both, but I dunno how they’d fit into the Guild, man.”

“There’s other stuff too,” Radegast added, “Stuff I can’t let stand just ‘cause some crazed Diancie’s stirrin’ up trouble. I don't make them often, but I got promises to keep.”

"Oh, everyone's got promises to keep," the Magnemite chuckled lightly, as he took the armor and placed it on the workbench, examining it closely, "Whether they end up keeping it, however...that's an entirely different situation. The promises people tend to keep are the ones that mold well with who they are. Otherwise...well frankly, it's no simple task to commit one's self to a means or an end. They will have to make sacrifices along the way. They must...become an entirely different person. Not everyone's ready to move on from themselves and become something else...for better or for worse. Regardless, I wish you well in those endeavors."

"But speaking of promises, I'd like to make one between you and me right now," Dr. Eckels turned around, hovering towards Radegast, "If you tell me where this Guild is located and do a little bit of resource gathering for me, I'll be able to provide the means of transportation to get us there. That way, you can provide your information to the Guild and I can reunite with my old friend. Does that sound like a plan?"

He extended one of his magnet appendages for Radegast to shake.

Liam wasn't paying too much mind to the conversation going on. He did glance over to Salticidae, noting her composure.