Indeed. They could go back and forth all day. Judging from his response, they’re likely to not see eye to eye on the subject. Eva’s recklessness and insatiable urge to answer the growing pile of questions definitely influences her desire to push forward, regardless of the danger.

But . . . Fernando is right, what if she brought even more chaos to their world if she couldn’t close something she opened?

Her gaze meets his, stoic, with the subtle shine of curiosity buried in them, along with some defiance, “It makes me uneasy – not being prepared,” She breaks her gaze away, fixating it on the dark coffee in the mug, “How can we protect our own world from something we don't understand?” She’s survived up until now, she doesn’t expect a portal to take her out. It’s a naïve notion, but not an uncommon one for someone as reckless as her.

FERNANDO SILPH

INTO THE UNOWN

DISCOVERIES IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT

“I KNOW.”

there is a moment of sympathy, a glimmer of intentional softening that rises from his eyes before he drowns it out in the wrinkles of his grimace.

“it’s uncomfortable. but we cannot let our own fears and emotions dictate our actions. we have to be responsible.”

she looks away and fernando does not follow her gaze.

“after all, we represent observation and fact. and people of your skill and caliber are hard to come by, doctor morales.”

he smiles. faint and wistful.

“do you have time for a short story, doctor?”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Eva Morales

I know.

Does he? He doesn’t seem worried at all. Of course, Fernando has been known to be a rather stoic individual. All business. There’s a reason he’s been so successful. He’s logical, reasonable, and he’s trying to teach her something. It would be foolish not to listen.

The compliment brings a subtle blush but is otherwise brushed off by a shrug of her shoulders. Accolades were never really her thing, “Yeah, we’ve got time,” she takes a small sip of her coffee, wrapping both hands around the mug and leaning back in her chair to listen to his story.

FERNANDO SILPH

INTO THE UNOWN

DISCOVERIES IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT

“THERE ONCE WAS A MAN,” he begins without hesitation, “filled with noble ideals. he was a good man. a just man. and, because of this, a powerful pokemon entrusted him with the power to travel between worlds—a chance to spread good across the land.”

unlike eva, he does not lean or slouch. his position remains rigid and unyielding. it matches every impression he’s ever made.

“one day, a great evil broken into his world. it attacked a small village, killing some, hurting many. before this evil escaped back into its world, it kidnapped a young prince. when it left, it took the prince with it.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Eva Morales

There once was. . .

At first, Eva is skeptical, honestly. FERNANDO SILPH tellina a story as it is is from a children’s book? It seemed bizarre, but as it progresses, it becomes clear it’s related to their current topic of conversation. Still, it feels like a bit of a lecture. Instead of assuming this is nothing but a lecture to prove his point, Eva simply listens, sipping her coffee as he continues.

Go on, her gaze says, although she doesn’t seem particularly anxious to hear the ending.

FERNANDO SILPH

INTO THE UNOWN

DISCOVERIES IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT

“THIS HERO,” and that’s a term he uses loosely, “set out to rescue the prince. he brought along his close friends and with the help of his powerful pokemon, they traveled to the world the evil came from.”

the rest of the story get blurry. there are details lost to time, many of which were never confirmed. just eye witness accounts and speculation from the aftermath.

“and it is there that some of his friends died. he tried his best but in his haste to do good and rescue the prince, he ended up losing the pokemon. now that this evil had the ability to jump between worlds, they came back into his world to wage war.”

someone as smart as eva should be able to gleam the parallels. this fictional story is far from that, it’s a tool for him to reveal confidential information without saying it outright. just one big analogy—

“the hero's world won, naturally. but many people lost their lives. great people, brave people. and the powerful pokemon that had trusted this hero remains lost. presumably, it’s still in the world the great evil came from.”

and his story comes to an end.

“and that world is still recovering from the aftermath of that great war.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Eva Morales

There’s a lesson, a hidden meaning, to every story. Despite Eva’s skepticisim, she listens closely, gleaning what she can from the fictional tale.

It’s not difficult to see the parallels. Although Eva came to Hoeen after the Great War, she was familiar with it. Portals were used during that time for the Megalopolans to invade Hoenn. Many lost their lives, including the late Champion Bailey Cooper, the previous Avatar of Groudon, the owner of Piggy Smalls that once carried the Primal Orb.

Hoenn is still recovering, and seems to have no respite from the tension between world. There was a momentary time of peace, rudely disrupted by Team Rocket’s resurgence and then the chaos of Sootopolis and Mt. Chimney. And now, the portals are back, with assassins threatening their people.

Eva nods, understanding in silence. Unfortunately, it seems the world is on the brink of another.

FERNANDO SILPH

INTO THE UNOWN

DISCOVERIES IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT

“AND TO THIS DAY,” fernando clasps his hands as if to wipe himself clean of the matter. “we still do not know where solgaleo is.”

the name drop is intentional. a lick of his lips wet his otherwise dry mouth. his voice lowers and he resorts to more of a whisper.

“and the megalopolan we—” accrediting the exploits of the METEOR FALLS warfront still leaves a sour taste in his mouth. their success there shows the contrast between them and the others.

“—that was captured still wants nothing more than to devour us whole.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Eva Morales

Ah, Solgaleo. Eva wasn’t too familiar with how the Three Day War was started. There were rumors of Balder being involved. The story did confirm what she had somewhat remembered hearing. Perhaps she should investigate that again . . . She’ll add it to her long list of readings she needed to review.

Her gaze flashes towards Fernando at the mention of the Megalopolan. Again, only things she had read about, never experienced. They too traveled through portals to invade this world, though by different means it seemed. The Doctor huffs in a quick exhale, shaking her head, “Why would they still want to devour us?” They lost – Hoenn is not theirs to claim, “You talked to Smohke, right? Did they ever explain how they traveled to Hoenn? Did they go to any other worlds?” back to portal talk.

FERNANDO SILPH

INTO THE UNOWN

DISCOVERIES IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT

“WHY?”

isn’t that obvious. he quirks a brow but his judgement is only on the surface. his answer, verbal, lacks the same condescension. after all, she’s more valuable than she knows.

both of them are.

“because we’re food to them. despite the similarities in our appearance, their world and biology is different from us.”

when the question transitions onto smohke, fernando simply nods. his frown is steep but he answers her nonetheless.

“i already told you; the hero lost his pokemon to the great evil. they have it now.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Eva Morales

Solgaleo, duh. It bothers her the lion still remains missing, especially when in the hand of those that see them as prey. They could, and would likely, return. It’s all more important that the region learns to defend itself against the pressures of the other worlds they’ve discovered over the years. In this light, it becomes even more clear to her why the legendries continue to flock to Hoenn, choosing human as champions. In a way, they may be able to sense the disruption in the equilibrium. Without Hoenn’s own guardians, others are called into action.

Goosebumps rise across her arms. The thought of being someone’s meal is viscerally disturbing, reminding her again why she’s a vegetarian. She presses her fingertips to her temple, her head spins thinking of all the threats that bear down on the region.

Cannibals, alternate universes, meteors, Rocket; it seems to never end.

There’s too much chaos accumulating in one place.

“You’ve given me a lot to think about . . . thank you for your time, Fernando,” she takes a sip of the cooling coffee, “I look forward to collaborating with Silph Co. in the future to build a better Hoenn,” A stronger, healthier, more protected Hoenn.

FERNANDO SILPH

INTO THE UNOWN

DISCOVERIES IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT

“INDEED.”

able to read the flow of their conversation, fernando deduces that they’ve come to a fitting end. that’s reaffirmed when the alarm on his smartwatch goes off, playing a small tune to let him know another meeting looms on the hour.

“oh,” he pauses as he begins to exit. “don’t stress yourself out too much, morales. our work is important but it will never be done. our bodies and minds are still human, after all.”

he rounds the corner, out of sight, but his voice still booms within her labs.

“just think twice before making a rash decision, doctor.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Eva Morales