The Type Specialist

Of course, Phoebe met with us right before night, so by the time Hope and I finished sharing every piece of information we had, the sun had already set. To anyone that stumbled upon our resulting campsite—which was unlikely, given Phoebe’s penchant to use ghosts to ward visitors away—it would have looked like nothing more than three people sharing spooky stories over a campfire. However, in this case, our stories were real, and we were in the process of creating a plan that would shape the future of Alola.

“So let me get this straight.” Phoebe leaned forward and put her hands together in front of her mouth. “For the past several months, you've been traveling with the daughter of Lusamine and a Legendary Pokémon she... kidnapped?”

“Not kidnapped,” I said hastily. “Rescued. We told you her story. What the Aether Foundation was doing... It was messed up.”

Phoebe nodded and pulled back as she rubbed her chin in thought. Hope took this moment to send me a silent look that asked, “Are you sure about this?”

I stared back confidently, silently replying, “I am.”

“I think I can make one connection to ease a few worries, at least,” Phoebe said.

“And what's that?” I leaned back in my chair.

“I can’t be too sure, but I have reason to doubt Lusamine is still able to track Nebby.”

My brow furrowed as Hope looked at the elite trainer, concerned. Phoebe merely gained a cheerful grin in response and started to count off fingers as she explained.

“Look, it's pretty obvious overall. Wicke told you Lusamine could track Nebby. Professor Burnett herself confirmed Nebby was giving off a significant amount of Ultra Wormhole energy. But, now that he’s evolved, you told me yourself that she confirmed he’s at least a net zero with that energy.”

We nodded along. She continued.

“Going off of that, Hapu warned you that the Aether Foundation was around the Altar of the Sun and Moon before you actually arrived. Putting everything together, I think Lusamine was using Nebby’s energy to track you, and now that they’re gone, she has to use more traditional means to follow your position—like her people around the Altar. Thoughts?”

Huh.

I rolled my jaw side to side, considering and digesting Phoebe’s claim.

“That's...”

“A stretch,” Hope finished, much to my surprise. “But I can believe it. Definitely the part about Nebby no longer being trackable, at least. I don’t think she went to the Altar solely to pass those papers over.”

Phoebe looked satisfied at our acceptance and relaxed, letting her arms fall into her lap.

“Other than that, I can see why you called everyone in, Alex. Though, you were a little premature to do so. I can help all of the independent actors enter the region without drawing any alarms, but when it comes to people actually connected to the League...” She sighed. “You don't have enough actual evidence. So far, you have a bunch of witnesses but no solid pieces.”

“What,” Hope said flatly.

She was practically glaring at Phoebe, now.

“Look, think about it. You've made a bunch of claims about their so-called ‘villainous plans,’ but you have no hard evidence. You could provide the tampered Beast Ball designs, sure,” Phoebe waved her hand back and forth, “but that could be chalked up to classic corporate nonsense of trying to maintain proprietary rights.”

“Guzma literally has not one but two Ultra Beasts,” I said incredulously. “He can state on record that Lusamine sent them to him. That has to count as evidence, right? There's no way she gave Ultra Beasts away without having more!”

Phoebe leaned back and sighed. She was frowning, but she was also deep in thought.

“Calm down. I do believe you. You’re right that Lusamine is a threat that needs to be stopped.”

I breathed out and steadied myself. I had to admit I was close to getting too heated.

“So, elaborate,” Hope said. “What evidence do we need?”

And with that, Phoebe grinned.

“You want help? Sure, you can bring in a bunch of your friends, but if you want the full support of the League behind your actions—and not be labeled as rogue agents, because this is way more than was ever expected for the Wandering Elite—you need actual, physical proof, not just a list of assumptions.”

“But we—”

A hand was held up to interrupt.

“I was sent here by Steven, who’s in contact with Cynthia,” Phoebe said. “We all recognize the threat a horde of Ultra Beasts would pose. With what you told me about Lusamine, both of them will be coming here no matter what, but there’ll be an utter shitshow about overreach unless you can give us more solid proof. I’m going to help you with this, but please think about what we can obtain and submit to the League, and think about what resources you have to actually go with your plan.”

The look on her face was too confident. There was something more to this.

This is a lesson, isn’t it?

She was staring at us as if she already had the solution to the problem she presented. Seeing that, I mentally grumbled and slumped back into my chair. Knowing her, she wouldn't share her answer until we actually gave it a shot.

So in total, we have Lillie, Nebby, Gladion, and Team Skull...

It could be Phoebe wants us to levy our connections to the future Alolan League, but Lusamine probably has eyes on any locals of interest.

After a full minute of both Hope and I quietly considering potential plans, Phoebe breathed out to break the silence and spoke up once again.

“You know exactly where the Aether Foundation headquarters is, you have an inside contact that can get you in, and you have a completely undetectable teleporter—”

My eyes widened the moment I realized what she was implying. I found myself sitting up much, much straighter with my gaze firmly locked onto her face.

“No. No way,” I interrupted, shaking my arms in denial. “I absolutely refuse to have Lillie risk herself like that. There’s no way we’d bring her along.”

“But Alex!” Phoebe whined. “You'd be with her! Your little apprentice wouldn't be in any danger since she could just as easily teleport out!”

“But she would be in danger. It’s literally their headquarters. We’d basically be handing her over to the very people chasing her.”

Hope turned towards me in confusion. She looked unsure of what we were talking about. Meanwhile, my and Phoebe’s back and forth practically ended with what she said next.

“Lillie has a team,” Phoebe shot back. “She’s strong enough to defend herself. And according to you, she completed the entire Island Trial, didn't she? That’s more experience than you had when you first went against a criminal organization.”

I glared at her, eyes trying to burn a hole into her head, and she had the gall to simply smile back. I despised her mocking, smug aura, and I hated to recognize the truth.

Both of us knew that I had no counter to that. In other words, Phoebe was completely right.

“Can you two get to the end already?” Hope interjected as she frustratedly rubbed her head. “I’m tired of being yanked around like this. You've been arguing this whole time without sharing the plan. I get that you want to approach the Aether Foundation, but in what way? Please actually share it with me instead of staying vague.”

Quietly, she grumbled something about Fairies and Ghosts being an awful mixture, and Phoebe just laughed. With her reaction, I realized the explanation would be up to me.

“Phoebe wants us to infiltrate the Aether Foundation personally,” I explained, and Hope's expression soured. “Their headquarters are obvious and not too difficult to get into, we potentially have an insider in the form of Wicke to disguise our entry, and Nebby is that undetectable teleporter she was referring to. If this was to work, we would have one person subtly enter on their own and find a safe location to bring everyone else in. From there, we’d search. We’d gather evidence as a team.”

Silence. Hope needed a moment to process that.

“So that’s your plan. You’ll sneak into Aether Paradise. The artificial island owned by the Aether Foundation,” she stated emotionlessly.

“Actually, I think Alex's mentorship with Lillie makes them far too recognizable,” Phoebe replied. “If you’re going through with this, Alex can’t be the one to go. The Aether Foundation would see through that disguise almost in an instant.”

She then leaned in with a smile on her face that was perfectly illuminated by the campfire between us.

“So you want to know the best option? Hope, they don’t care about you. They care about Lillie—and Alex, since Alex is the one mentoring her. As for you? You’re unimportant. You’re just part of the group. To them, you’re a random, elite-level tagalong that happens to be nearby.”

An annoyed growl left Hope’s throat.

“Lusamine is paying attention to Alex and Lillie together,” Phoebe continued, “so your actions won’t raise as many alarms. You’ve already split off before, so you’ll split off again, and then from there, the unimportant one will slip in—”

“Hope,” I said, stopping Phoebe’s chain of insults, “we need you to infiltrate Aether Paradise for us.”

Hope slumped back in her chair, a defeated look on her face.

“I... No. I can't. It's not that I don't want to help, it's just that I don't have that ability,” she said. “Want to grow a forest? I'm your gal. Want to create a garden? Psh, easy work. I can tell you a dozen different species that are best at producing fertilizer as well as give you far too many tips on how to manage a farm.” She rubbed her temples, closing her eyes. “Battles are one thing. Everything else is another. Infiltration is not what a Grass Type specialist does. There's no way I can help.”

I let out a breath, sighing, and stared down at the forest floor. When I looked up, I locked eyes with Hope, who squirmed uncomfortably. She did her best to look away, but I could tell she was paying attention. After all, my expression had been far too serious for her to do anything else.

“Hope, you’re strong. You’re an incredibly skilled Grass Type specialist and one of the best Pokémon trainers I know. Infiltration can be hard, but all you need to do is put on a disguise and pretend you actually belong. You know I would do it if I could, and you know we can’t send in Phoebe. She’s already occupied with bringing everyone else into the region. The only person who can do this is you.”

Hope shifted around in her seat, and she finally met my eyes. I chose to strike then, speaking as she stared.

“When it comes to this, I trust you,” I said. “I know you can do it. You know you can do it. In the end, you’re our only hope for the job.”

Silence. Then, a snort. Hope looked away, an embarrassed look on her face.

“That joke was awful,” she said.

I leaned back, satisfied.

“Yup. It was. Are you in?”

“Ugh, fine. But to be safe, I want to bring your Psychic Types with me. Unlike someone, I don’t have some mystical protection on my mind.”

“Done,” I said easily. “That won't be a problem at all. For this, I wouldn't let you leave without them, anyway. I know Faba's branch of researchers is filled with messed up mind-readers. After what happened to me last time...”

A dark chuckle left my throat.

I might be a bit more motivated by revenge than I thought.

“So what do I need to do?” Hope asked, and just like that, the matter was settled.

“Give me Wicke’s contact information, and I’ll quietly contact her to work something out,” Phoebe said.

“And then I go in as me? As Hope?”

Another smile. Phoebe looked more amused than ever. From the gleam in her eye, a chill ran down my spine. Instinctually, I shuddered.

“Of course not, silly!” she said almost in a tune. “Haven't you ever heard of a disguise before? No, believe me, when I’m done with you, no one will recognize who you are.”

I hate Phoebe. I hate this. I should have never let Alex convince me to go along.

Hope felt like she was dying. No, she had already died, and this was the afterlife. Clearly, she was being punished for her sins, but repeating her hate-filled thoughts at least brought her some comfort in this awful situation.

The white uniform that covered Hope’s body was itchy, and all the tiny prosthetics on her face tickled her as she moved. It felt like an entire cake had been shoved onto her face, and now that she was on the boat, she knew it was far too late to adjust it to be more comfortable.

“This is great,” someone at Hope’s side said. “I never thought I’d get to work for the Aether Foundation!”

“I know! I know exactly what you mean,” a person across from them replied. “The Foundation is known worldwide for helping Pokémon. And now we can do our part!”

Chatter filled this small, lower deck as all of the company’s newest employees spoke about their excitement for their first day of the job. Sure, the Aether Foundation did good things, but as far as Hope was concerned, the upper echelons were almost entirely corrupt.

“And how about you? What are your thoughts on the company?” someone said, nudging Hope’s side.

And just like that, Hope found that everyone was staring her way. If she was an introvert, being put on the spot like this would have been a nightmare. Instead, she was actually an elite trainer in disguise, so reality was significantly worse.

“...Fine. It’s just fine,” Hope said, barely suppressing a scowl.

One of the newbies frowned. He didn’t even have a nametag yet, that’s how green these people were.

“You don't sound very excited,” the man said.

There was a moment’s pause.

“...I have indigestion,” she lied. “I’m just so excited I now really have to use the bathroom.”

“Um, sure. I can see that.”

Thankfully, she communicated well enough that now no one wanted to talk to her. All the conversations within this speeder boat turned away from where Hope sat. She crossed her arms and pushed up against the wall, staring out the window and hopefully signaling that she didn’t want to be disturbed.

And Alex likes doing this?

Again, infiltration was not Hope’s thing.

Minutes passed, and Hope watched the subtle waves created by the pure white speedboat she was on. The Aether Company was successful enough to afford to have these boats bring people to and from all of Alola’s islands. This one was faster than normal, as it was reserved for Foundation staff. As a result, before too long, a shadow passed over the craft, and from the tiny, side window, Hope caught the first glimpse of Aether Paradise.

This place was a massive construction built into the water itself. Like an oil rig, it connected to the ocean floor, except the artificial island consisted of an office building the size of a small town, and several miscellaneous, smaller buildings were built onto the towering platform that stretched out around its sides.

Sounds of awe filled the room as the boat slowed down and approached a dark gate at the Foundation’s base. The entrance slowly lifted up, water rushing to fill the gap, and the boat moved into an interior dock illuminated with fluorescent lights. Other vehicles were already parked, and many similarly-uniformed Aether Foundation employees were in the process of loading and unloading supplies.

So that’s step one completed. Now I just need to actually sneak in and find a place to bring everyone in.

Above, an intercom went on as the boat drove over to its authorized spot.

“We'll be docking soon. Prepare for departure,” a female voice said.

Some conversations stopped. Others became even more excited. Hope closed her eyes and leaned back, praying for this to be done.

The boat eventually came to a stop with a soft clunk, parking right next to a small bridge that extended out into the inside bay. Right away, the boat’s other occupants all stood up, and they hurriedly began to file up the room’s sole set of stairs.

Hope didn’t, however. She simply sat in her place and waited. Thankfully, her words from earlier made it too awkward for anyone to go out of their way to get her attention. Everyone else was too caught up in their own excitement about working for such an “esteemed” company that they didn’t pay her any mind. Slowly, the crowd disappeared upstairs, leaving with only a slight commotion as someone squeezed past them to come down.

There was now only Hope and her unexpected visitor. The new arrival awkwardly patted a few wrinkles out of her pink dress. Several long, uncomfortable seconds passed without either of them speaking.

“...Do you plan on leaving with the rest of the employees?” Wicke eventually asked. After all, part of the woman’s responsibilities was escorting new hires to the island.

She also knew it was Hope under her disguise.

“Probably not. I have other places to be.”

“I see.”

Wicke pursed her lips together and straightened her back. Sure, she was competent, but just like Hope, suddenly being called for a favor like this was far outside of her usual comfort zone.

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”

“Make sure no one is paying attention to the boat. Try to stall any alarms being raised.”

She nodded.

“I can do that. And Lillie—”

“Careful. Don’t say her name here.”

Wicke immediately snapped her mouth shut.

“Okay. Then, good luck. Be careful moving around. All elevators are watched—take the stairs.”

Hope nodded, silently thanking Wicke for the advice, and the Aether Foundation executive did her best to confidently leave the room. As she did, she said one last thing, likely the one statement she wanted to say but lacked the confidence to state until now.

“Please don’t hurt our employees. The people here are good people. They joined to help Pokémon.”

“Don’t worry,” Hope replied. “If they don’t deserve it, they won’t get hurt.”

The woman’s grip tightened on the staircase railing, but she did ascend to the boat’s deck. Hope let a minute pass just in case before she put her head into her hands and let out a breath.

“Let's just get this over with,” she moaned.

Finally standing up, Hope climbed the stairs and left the room. Beneath her, a muffled voice going quiet marked the end of the new-hires’ introductory speech, and a mass of footsteps signaled that they were leaving the docks. As soon as they were gone, she slid a white cap onto her head and stepped onto the upper deck to properly disembark.

For a company so dedicated to the care of Pokémon, there was a surprising lack of them on the docks themselves. Humans were by far the prominent beings here, pushing carts to and fro to bring supplies from the boats parked around. At most, there were a few Wingull that nested in the rafters, but they were few and far between. The place was almost entirely sterile despite the purpose of the foundation. The only Pokémon were in Pokéballs attached to a few workers’ waists.

Regardless, Hope followed Alex’s advice and strode forward, filling herself with false confidence and pretending to actually belong here. She did not look like a trainer because all her team members were in a pocket rather than attached to a belt. In total, she had eight with her, as she had the six of her team as well as Gardevoir and Rapidash, who were actively protecting her mind.

And, despite how her heart thundered in her chest, Hope somehow made her way out of the room and slipped into a hallway without attracting attention.

That was... easy. Step two complete. Now to explore.

Hope began to wander, following the labyrinthine layout of this place. She knew that Aether Paradise was larger than some towns, but the sheer scale hadn’t settled in until she had started moving. Workers were rare in these side passages. Most remained around open spaces where giant structural supports were exposed. Bridges spanned over pits, and elevators brought people and their carts up and down.

Hope purposefully avoided those busy spaces and stuck to these lesser populated halls. Genuinely, she became lost for a while, but she eventually managed to stumble upon an old map attached to a wall.

“Storage elevator... Storage rooms... Storage management?”

I guess we're right next to the docks. Of course that'd be the theme here.

There was a key she followed to identify the location. The building was divided up into parts that each carried their own purpose. She looked around to try to find what she wanted, and eventually she locked onto one label in particular:

“Staircase to lower levels,” she read.

Hope memorized the path before heading straight there.

Thankfully, for all the high level of tech and security this place had, it was still prone to one weakness: human error. A keypad was attached to the wall next to the door, but it went ignored given that a small piece of wood propped it open.

I’ve never been so thankful for laziness in my life.

Hope entered a stairwell and quickly started to descend. She tried to look around for cameras, but there were none at all. If what Wicke said had any truth to it, the elevators were probably the more “secured” place to go down. So far, the facility felt rather limited despite its size. Quietly, she gained a few uncomfortable questions about its funding.

The immediate floors Hope passed lacked any interior locks to them, but as Hope went deeper and deeper, she found that each one required either a keycard or a code. Briefly, she stopped at one and entered a set of numbers Lillie had provided, but all she got in response was a red light and a beep. Likely, the master code had changed in the past year.

Once she arrived at the lowest level, Hope couldn’t help but to frown. The door in front of her was locked shut, and she wasn’t sure how she could find a way in.

Can’t break it down. Too noisy and would draw attention. Do I risk using Gardevoir to Teleport? Or would that sudden surge of energy draw alarm?

This was the bane of anyone who didn't know how to lockpick, and Hope was one of those people.

“Ah, screw it. Time for the Alex strat.”

If being subtle didn't work, Hope figured she would just ask.

Raising her hand, she hedged her bets on human error yet again. As hard as she could, she knocked loudly on the stairwell’s lowest door.

A moment passed.

No one responded.

Hope chose to wait, anyway.

She knocked for a second time, then, a full minute later, there was a click. The door opened from the other side.

Really?...I can’t believe that actually worked.

Hope grabbed the handle and pulled it the rest of the way open.

“Hey, thanks, I left my keycard back—”

The excuse she was about to give got caught in her throat when she saw who had let her in. No, not who, but what, as a freakin’ Hypno stared up at her, cocking its head to the side.

“Hypno? Who was it?” a voice from the hallway called out.

Hope was a loss for words, and thus, she didn't act. To make matters worse, before she could even process the situation, a man in a green turtleneck rounded a corner and immediately narrowed his eyes.

“Ah. You,” he said.

“...Me?” Hope replied, doing her best to hide how she began to reach towards her Pokéballs.

“You thought you could just slip by unbothered, hm? Thought you were clever by avoiding the elevator?”

Sweat poured down her back. She didn’t want to have everything be ruined right here.

“Ah, but this is your unlucky day! For I, Faba, have caught you, grunt, and I require your assistance to bring supplies to my office!”

Hope blinked.

This man is an idiot.

The Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation, Faba, stood there, as smug as he could be.

“Well? Get on with it!” he ordered.

Hope bowed her head in both false deference and to hide her bewildered expression as she ran over to where Faba directed. He tapped a foot impatiently as she bent over and lifted up a set of three boxes from the ground.

“Good. Now follow me,” Faba said as he began immediately walking down the hall.

She followed silently. Genuinely, she had too many emotions running through her head to do anything but follow along.

“It’s so hard to find good help nowadays,” the man started. “You’d be surprised at the restrictions on the people allowed down here. Only the most trustworthy of the trustworthy can gain access, and even then they have to be smart! Most of the time it’s just other researchers who are far too arrogant to assist me with menial tasks like this.”

“Uh-huh,” Hope said.

“I don’t blame you for trying to sneak in through the back entrance. I wouldn’t want to work under any of the other researchers here. All of them are the same; they’re so... smarmy. Sure, they’re capable enough, but they don’t understand—not like me. They simply coast off the coattails of my research. Still, some of them have figured out some clever applications, but those are only possible with the developments I created.”

“Of course.”

“You know half the projects here are of my design, after all,” Faba continued, still walking down the hall.

Why aren’t we there yet?

“As for the rest, they’ve only been tentatively approved. When most are pushed to me, I’m forced to decline! I mean, really, a device to remove excess carbon from the air? Sure, I suppose pollution is a problem in some cities, but is it really our place to solve that? There are Pokémon to take care of that! We have more important research to take care of. Even then, we have plenty of time before it ever becomes a real problem!”

Faba continued to rant and rant and rant as Hope occasionally responded with useless acknowledgements. Half the stuff he brought up was just to raise himself up, and the other half of what he brought up was just to put others down.

“Truly, everyone here is lucky to work under me,” Faba said. “They can’t forget that I’m in charge! Alongside, Lusamine, of course.”

“Yeah,” Hope replied.

She glanced behind at the Pokémon following behind her back. Faba’s Hypno was there, and the Psychic Type was already staring when she turned around.

As the one-sided conversation continued down the hall, Hope passed several other researchers that wore helmets that obscured their faces with yellow glass. Experiment rooms lined the walls, but strangely, all were empty. Yet, despite the relative lack of “stuff” that was here, there were still enough people that something had to be going on.

“We’re here. Open the door for me,” Faba ordered, pulling a key from his pocket.

He held it out as Hope stared blankly at him. It took him an awkwardly long amount of time to realize she was unable to grab it with her hands currently full.

“Urgh. I guess I’ll be the one to unlock it this time.”

Really?!

A click marked his office opening up, and Hope stepped inside right after him.

“Just put them on my desk. I’ll get to them later,” Faba said.

As Hope looked around, she was surprised to see this place was surprisingly... normal.

A desk was positioned in the center of the room, with perfectly intact books filling shelves that were snug in the corners. A slightly yellowed potted plant sat next to the door, and the back wall was covered with framed certificates that all said Faba’s name.

Hope walked right up to the desk and dumped her boxes down as commanded.

Now to get away and find somewhere safe to call Alex and Lillie in.

But when Hope turned around, she immediately realized any such plans were shot. Faba stood with his arms crossed, staring down at the Hypno, pointing right at her.

“Really now?” the Aether Foundation Branch Chief said. “Her? A grunt?”

Faba turned Hope’s way.

“Tell me: why is your mind protected? Researchers are permitted such a defense, but you have one, and it’s surprisingly well done.”

Hope immediately thought of the extra two Pokéballs in her pocket. As requested, Alex had given her both Rapidash and Gardevoir to bring along.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I explained,” Hope said, desperately stalling to make a plan.

“Try me,” Faba said flatly.

His Hypno held up a hand, and a pendulum dangled downwards, threatening to begin a Hypnosis at a moment’s notice.

Hope’s mind raced at a thousand miles a second. She tried her best to latch onto something to get her free. Faba was one of the main leaders of the Aether Foundation, and while he had been a great way to get in, now she needed to get out.

“Ah, screw it. I’ll share. Just close the door behind you.”

The corrupt Chief grinned a smarmy grin.

“Close the door, Hypno,” Faba said.

Honestly, Hope could barely suppress a laugh at his completely unplaced confidence as she slipped a hand into her pocket.

“To keep it simple, I’m an infiltrator trying to steal all of your secrets.”

Faba blinked.

“What?”

“You’re so incompetent that you let someone in that shouldn’t have been let in. You’re so occupied with placing everyone either with you or against you that you couldn’t even process the idea that I was wearing a disguise.”

“Why, you—”

A horse appeared in the room. Rapidash was forced to crouch to fit under the ceiling.

Hope would have never been able to actually send out Rapidash if Faba hadn’t occupied Hypno with closing the door.

“Hold them down,” Hope commanded. “Take out the Hypno. Its ability is probably Insomnia, so I won’t be able to put it to sleep.”

Faba tried to yell, but Psychic Type control prevented any noise from escaping. As for the Hypno, it tried to resist, but Alex’s Rapidash had trained with Lucian, a Psychic Type specialist and member of Sinnoh’s Elite Four.

In other words, it was completely outclassed. The Hypno’s efforts to resist were paltry at best.

A few seconds later, Hope sent out her Vileplume, and a single Sleep Powder sent Faba into a deep slumber. As for the Hypno, it didn’t take much effort on both Pokémon’s part before it collapsed onto the ground, unconscious and drained of energy.

“Thanks, Rapidash,” Hope said, patting Alex’s Pokémon on its side. “And you, Vileplume. Great use of Sleep Powder.”

Both preened under the praise.

“In the meantime...” Hope looked down at the unconscious man and sighed. “Hopefully Alex won’t get too upset. I might have been a bit too hasty and got revenge for them before they could even come in.”