Following a roughly forty-minute flight, Jason got his first view of Aether Paradise from the window of the luxurious, crimson-carpeted twin-rotor plane that was transporting him, Korrina, Wicke, Ren, and Audino. It was massive, even larger than the aircraft carriers he had seen in his previous world, and almost perfectly symmetrical—combining elements of a white, futuristic fortress, lab, and luxury resort against a backdrop of shimmering blue seas.
"Oh, wow..." muttered Korrina, her blue eyes glistening with excitement as she leaned across Jason to stare out the same window, commenting, "I've seen it on TV and read about it in magazines, but it's much grander seeing it directly..."
"Due to its size, it's been given the classification of a VLFS—a very large floating structure. And among those that currently exist, it's the second-largest but by far the most advanced," contributed Wicke, seated across from Jason and Korrina in a row of comfortable white leather seats facing theirs, separated by a polished wooden table.
"What's the largest...?" asked Jason, meeting the purple-haired woman's gaze with slightly raised brows.
"It's the artificial island, Pasio..." interjected Korrina, her brows creasing and her expression gaining a hint of severity, prompting Wicke to nod and confirm, "That's right. A few years ago, the Prince of a Kingdom detached from the League tried to create his own, dubbing it the Pokémon Masters League. He collaborated with a Pokémon called Hoopa to abduct Trainers from across the world—and even across time. That's one of the reasons the League wasn't too surprised by your arrival. Though the fact that you originate from another world entirely is significant."
"I wasn't aware that there were Kingdoms unaffiliated with the League..." muttered Jason, a slight frown marring his face at the revelation, as one of the first things he had read up on was the geography of the Pokémon world. He knew their map was incomplete due to their lack of satellites and the interference of Pokémon like Rayquaza, but he didn't expect them to gloss over the existence of foreign nations and Kingdoms.
"If you'd like, I can totally provide more information on that~!" chimed Rotom, swooping around from somewhere behind Jason and performing an eager spin above the table.
"I would appreciate it, but not now..." affirmed Jason, offering a curt nod. Their plane was in the process of landing on one of the two landing pads flanking Aether Paradise's central structure like wings. He could look into the matter in-depth when he returned to Ellaine's place. At that moment, he was more interested in the coming tour and the true reason Lusamine had invited them. Because he doubted it was solely to show them around when it hadn't even been a full day since they met.
"Alright, then! Just let me know when and how, and I'd be happy to assist you~!" chimed Rotom, spinning happily and sporting its characteristically impish grin.
ka-klunk
Accompanied by a faint, forward lurching and the sound of the landing gear's suspension taking effect, the plane touched down and came to a rest. At that exact moment, Wicke unfastened her seatbelt and adjusted her pink-rimmed glasses, her green eyes glistening and a relaxed smile adorning her face as she stated, "I'll walk you through security and help you acquire your guest passes. After that, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving you in the capable hands of Dr. Mari, one of our most accomplished Conservationists."
With Wicke getting up from her seat, Jason and Korrina followed suit. At the same time, Audino came pushing along a kennel from the back of the aircraft, happily chiming, "Auwadinn~" as a greeting. Ren was too young to travel by air safely, so while Jason hadn't been too enthused about it, they had been forced to mix a sedative into her lunch and place her in an exceedingly durable kennel that produced special electromagnetic waves that evidently inhibited the use of Pokémon Powers.
"Thank you for looking after her..." expressed Jason, prompting Audino's smile to grow with a headpat, earning himself four additional Bond Levels. Then, after carefully removing the unsurprisingly heavy and limp Ren from her kennel, he placed her upright in his seat, knelt before her, and pulled a Berry with a sapphire-blue cap and a tough, beige brown, five-sided fruit that formed a sharp point. As he did, a potent smell akin to severely burnt hazelnuts filled the cabin. And when held up to Ren's very sensitive nose, it briefly twitched before her eyes shot open.
"R-Rio-rou...!" exclaimed Ren, nearly leaping out of her seat to get away from the odorous berry. However, as she was still under the effects of the sedative, she couldn't muster the strength, her legs wobbling unstably as she attempted to stand with her paws covering her nose.
"I'm sorry that you had to sniff something so foul..." expressed Jason, his expression and tone sincere as he placed the pungent berry, known as a Chesto Berry, in a fragrance-locking pouch. Then, as quickly as he could without panicking, he produced a red, almost cube-shaped container and popped it open, overriding the aroma of the berry with the savory smell of meat and brown, meat-based gravy.
"Ren...!"
Ostensibly forgetting the overwhelming smell of the Chesto Berry, Ren lunged forward and began to devour the still-warm, carefully-cubed meat within the container. It had ground Lum Berry, a wondrous fruit that could treat nearly all adverse status conditions of Pokémon, mixed in, so by the time she was done eating and cupping her cheeks with joy, Ren's lethargy had mostly faded. Jason could have done without her excitedly pouncing on him, licking his face, and getting sauce all over him, but he was happy to see her back to her usual, energetic self...
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After disembarking the plane, Jason, with Ren riding on his shoulders, walked with Korrina, Wicke, and Audino past a series of modular, cube-shaped residences that served as the temporary homes for the on-site employees. Past them was a vaguely fang-shaped freshwater reservoir populated by Alolan-form Grimers and a variety of freshwater Pokémon, including Goldeen, Finneon, and, to Jason's surprise, several Squirtle and a Wartortle—basking along one of two bridges.
Following the curved promenade past the reservoir for around a hundred meters, Jason and co. took a right past neat strips of carefully kept grass and neatly trimmed shrubs. Dominating the center of the Aether Paradise was a stadium-sized, roughly cube-shaped building comprised of pristine white stone, interspaced by tall, blue-tinted windows. The building's base measured 120 by 120 meters, and, including the observation deck that sat atop it, it was approximately 100 meters tall.
pshaaa
'Ah...this feels amazing...' thought Jason, briefly pausing and closing his eyes as his group stepped through the facility's automatic front entrance, lined by vents that blasted cool air from all directions. If he averaged the temperature between the States he had lived in, it likely wouldn't exceed 15 degrees. He didn't mind hot, temperate, and humid climates like Alola, but he was better acclimated to cooler temperatures and air conditioning.
"Ren...?" questioned Ren, confused by Jason's actions.
"Hmm? Is something the matter...?" asked Korrina, noticing Jason had stopped, prompting her and Wicke to gaze back at him.
"Dino dinn~" chimed Audino, giving Jason's back a light, affirming smack as if trying to reassure him.
Shaking his head, Jason smiled awkwardly and confessed, "I just thought the air conditioning felt good," before stepping forward to join the duo, his gaze scanning the grand, white-marble-floored lobby that lay beyond the entrance. The floor was polished enough that if Korrina had been wearing a skirt, he might have been able to see up it. Instead, his gaze shifted to the nearby reception desk, behind which stood a very attractive man and woman in predominantly white, fitted, vaguely military-esque attire with golden buttons, gold-lined cargo pouches, and distinctive white flat caps featuring two large golden buttons on top.
"Welcome to the Aether Paradise~" greeted the duo, offering bows with their hands folded neatly over their laps before rising to their full heights, the male adding, "And welcome back, Assistant Branch Chief Wicke," with a polished customer service voice and smile.
"It's good to be back~" hummed Wicke, gesturing to Jason and Korrina with her left hand as she added, "These two are guests of the President and associates of Professor Burnet. They're here to tour the conservation area and dine at the President's estate, so see to it that they receive Level A-2 Access Cards and inform Dr. Mari of their arrival."
"Understood, Ma'am!" responded the two employees, clicking their heels together before offering sharp salutes. What followed was Jason, Korrina, Ren, and Audino being ushered to a processing room, where they were required to provide identification and have their faces, retinas, and other pertinent biometric data recorded to avoid triggering the facility's security drones. After that was a twenty-minute video of Lusamine explaining the importance of Pokémon conservation, the goal of the Aether Foundation, and the rules of the Aether Paradise. Most importantly, catching Pokémon within the facility was strictly prohibited, requiring anyone who wanted to enter to turn over all Poké Balls, including those actively in use. There had been incidents in the past where Trainers had released captured Pokémon to smuggle out rarer ones, so unless you were a high-ranking employee of the Foundation or given special permission by Lusamine, Poké Balls of any kind were prohibited...
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Following nearly an hour of screening, Jason, Korrina, Ren, and Audino were ushered into a second room, where an older but attractive woman with distinctive pink hair, fashioned into hanging loops behind her head, and clear blue eyes awaited them. Though it was their first time meeting, Jason immediately recognized the kindly-looking woman as a Nurse Joy, causing his brain to briefly short out as the woman's presence suggested there were dozens, if not hundreds, of nearly identical women populating Pokémon Centers around the world.
"Nurse Joy? What are you doing here...?" asked Korrina, leaving Jason at an even greater loss as the blonde-haired Gym Leader seemed genuinely surprised by the pink-haired woman's presence.
Covering her mouth and giggling, the older Nurse Joy playfully remarked, "You must be mistaking me for one of my sisters, nieces, or cousins. Also, I've completed my residency and been licensed as a practicing Pokémon Breeder and Doctor, so please, call me Dr. Mari. It's very nice to meet you both—and your Pokémon too!"
"Likewise~!" affirmed Korrina, nodding enthusiastically and smiling before looking to her left, where Jason modeled a distinctly taken aback, slightly lost expression.
Seeing Korrina stare at him, the gears in Jason's mind began to turn anew as he smiled awkwardly and quickly excused, "Sorry...I'm not sure how to explain it, but I got a...strange feeling just now..."
Before Korrina could ask Jason to explain further, the Nurse Joy—Dr. Mari stepped toward Audino, her blue eyes glistening slightly as she remarked, "Well, hello there. It's not often you see a veteran Audino accompanying a pair of Trainers. Where were you before?"
"Auwa, auwada-dinn..." responded Audino, spreading her hands, shaking her head, and shrugging exasperatedly. To Jason and Korrina, her words made no sense, but Ren covered her mouth and snickered in amusement while Dr. Mari exhaled a faint chuckle and happily hummed, "I see. I wish you both the best~" in a playful, sing-song tone.
"You can understand her...?" asked Jason, prompting Dr. Mari to meet his gaze, nod, and confirm, "Those in my family grow up alongside Pokémon like Audino from the moment we're born. With time and effort, you would be able to understand her as well. I'm sure of it."
Blinking in surprise, Jason tilted his head and asked, "And what makes you so sure?" Ordinarily, he would interpret Dr. Mari's words as lip service, but there was a degree of certitude in her almost gem-like eyes that gave the impression she could see or sense something he couldn't.
Placing her right hand on her chest, drawing Jason's gaze to her modest but shapely bosom, Dr. Mari casually but confidently asserted, "You may be full of doubts right now, but you have a kind heart that is receptive to the wants and needs of others. Pokémon like Audino are sensitive to that type of thing. Her choosing to accompany and support you is all I need to understand you're a good, caring person."
"I agree," affirmed Korrina, exuding a similar degree of certitude as she stared at Jason with a smile and nodded approvingly. The latter wanted to argue that he wasn't a good person, but he instead just frowned and avoided the duo's gazes.
"Rena!" chimed Ren, smacking the back of Jason's right thigh with her heavy, paradoxically hard yet soft paw. She didn't mean to, but since she was still learning to control her strength, she ended up causing Jason to stumble and nearly fall backward. Before he could, Audino propped him up, her voice sounding exasperated but a supportive smile adorning her face as she chimed, "Auwa dinn" before pushing him forward with a bit too much force. Jason tried to catch himself, but since his mind was still trying to process his sudden fall and recovery, he ended up faceplanting into Dr. Mari's chest, prompting her to giggle, casually cup the back of his head with her right hand, and hum, "You're easily overwhelmed, aren't you~?" in a playful, almost motherly tone...
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