HEADSPACE

MISPLACED AND MISUSED

EVERY ADVENTURE into the league’s science department ends with the same back and forth. there’s a desk filled with papers, petals of unrealized discoveries scattered about in a whirlwind of never ending work. the room still reeks of her scent—not here and now but in the memories that waft in memories of colleague old and current.

eyes zero in on the skid marks left behind by an unintentional shift of the desk. the stains of spilt liquid, an experiment off the books—more personal than obligatory—leave no signs. there’s no doubt that she saw to it being scraped from existence, both in shame and panicked fear.

“at ease, reyes.”

he’s ‘on the clock’ so his face carries the duties of someone at work. they spare her no affection when her summon hedged on being professional. instead, they wait for the attention she allegedly sought.

“you called?”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
anya fowl

HEADSPACE

MISPLACED AND MISUSED

FERNANDO DRAWS NEAR but keeps distance from the edge of her desk. the flurry of papers serve as a buffer, threatening to scatter to the winds should someone’s sifting grow reckless in frustration.

“indeed.”

eye contact glimmers for only a second—she’ll find no solace here, only the same discerning eyes that haunt league halls, for better or worse. the same look he bears down on her when her attention drifts back to her papers.

“they’ve become the latest scavenger hunt for trainers who’ve managed to get ahold of an unown dex.”

he pulls out the phone he’s installed the mysterious application onto. it’s by no means his main phone but with its growing relevance, it’s escalated well beyond burner.

“every time you scan one, a new word pops up. no one knows why or for what.”

he lays it on one of the few empty freckles still unblemished on her desk.

“i mentioned it during our expedition in november.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
illeana reyes

HEADSPACE

MISPLACED AND MISUSED

“WE DON’T.”

there’s no way around it. despite what others may think, none of it prove conclusive. it’s the same sentiment he passed through ANA STONE—that it’s out of their control.

for no matter how sinister the application’s purpose may be, there will always be someone to fill it. even now, the list of words exceeds expectations. more than a couple dozen fill the report.

“and there isn’t.”

the usb sits in a private lab at silph co. attempts at moving it to another device have all but failed. the most he can do is reimage his phone onto a new device but that means there’s always only one instance.

further attempts to decipher it have resulted in failure.

“there’s no options for it.”

there’s no smile to meet her. he lacks his traditional scowl but that’s where it rests—neutral.

“unless you mean testing the scan.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
illeana reyes

HEADSPACE

MISPLACED AND MISUSED

“IT ONLY INSTALLS ONCE,” he states firmly. the MYSTERIOUS DEVICE, the actual usb, sits somewhere in his laboratory. but even that has been rendered inert after the unown application was successfully installed onto his burner.

“the technology exceeds what we’re capable of. we cannot copy or crack it. the only way to get a copy is to find an unused installation device.”

he leaves the phone flat in his open palm. the application opens under the touch of his thumb.

“feel free to use it if you’d like.”

the app itself seems quite straight forward. despite fernando’s explanation, it seems to function like something from their word. there’s only two options: to scan a pokemon and to open up the documented ‘UNOWN REPORT’.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
illeana reyes

HEADSPACE

MISPLACED AND MISUSED

“AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL,” is the only credible answer he can return. anything else is just guesswork that has yet to be confirmed.

“what’s one more among the couple of dozen?”

a lack of control leaves him apathetic against their plight. on paper, using the MYSTERIOUS DEVICE draws suspicion. it’s the last thing they should be tinkering with. yet, those who also have the device continue to do so with no regard for what that may entail.

ultimately, it is better to conform to an unown than stand alone in taking the corrective course. at least, that’s how game theory plays out.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
illeana reyes

HEADSPACE

MISPLACED AND MISUSED

MOMENTS LATER the mysterious device app blips with a notification. the unown report has been updated with her entry. it reads a single word.

N A D I R

"nahdeer?” he mispronounces, unfamiliar with a word that sees seldom use.

that he can look up later. more importantly, this gives illeana a good look at how the MYSTERIOUS DEVICE works. nothing too impressive but ominous nonetheless.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
illeana reyes

HEADSPACE

MISPLACED AND MISUSED

FERNANDO HAS NO QUALMS with being a busy body. as illeana searches up the words meaning, he watches over her shoulder. squinted eyes read the definition on his own as he puts together the word’s connection.

“it beep when others scan their unown as well. the dictionary is shared, as far as i can tell,” he elaborates.

when she asks him a follow up question, he merely shrugs.

“not sure. unown are hard to come by. i’ve never had two new ones on me.”

she still has his phone and he doesn’t move to stop her.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
illeana reyes