Unbroken Disguise

Cynthia didn’t answer N immediately.

Instead, she walked over to Mimikyu, kneeling down next to him. With the way she and the Lucario had positioned themselves, N couldn’t make out what they were doing to his friend, but when he moved to approach them the Steel type turned back towards him, glaring in a way which conveyed that coming closer would invite bodily harm.

To N, it felt like there was a strong tension in the room, but it would seem not everyone thought the same.

“How was I supposed to know that would happen?” Gallade asked. The voice sounded male, though if his memory on Sinnoh Pokemon was correct, only males could become Gallade.

Now it was the Gallade who faced Lucario’s ire.

“I know for a fact that League Psychics are taught better than that.” His voice was deep and gruff, almost as if he growled every word. “Lady Cynthia asked for transport, not an immediate probing. Perhaps you need some remedial-”

“Enough.” Cynthia cut her Pokemon off before he could go on a tirade against their ride. “His actions will be properly dealt with later. Focus on the situation at hand.” The two conscious Pokemon in the room continued their little staring contest, but did not say another word. Apparently finished with her inspection, the Champion stood back up, her gaze falling to N. “I apologize for this. Mimikyu seems to have reacted poorly to Gallade’s probing. Had Lucario not knocked him out immediately, that may not have ended well for us. I think it would be best if we gave him a moment before reviving him, lest he panic again.”

That… was not the explanation he had been expecting. Though with how quickly things had happened he hadn’t really had the time to reach a conclusion other than “they hurt Mimikyu”. But that overwhelming, primal fear, the pitch black that had overtaken his vision… it made him think back to what he’d been warned about back in the woods. Mimikyu’s arms were the same pitch black that he’d just experienced. Had Mimikyu been about to end the lives of everyone in this room? Perhaps, in this one instance, he could overlook the Champion using her Pokemon for violence. He couldn’t make the change he wished to see in the world if he died after all.

“I…” A shudder ran down his spine merely remembering the horror he had just suffered from. “I suppose letting him rest for a moment would be acceptable.”

“Good. Now,” Cynthia continued, “perhaps we should try to figure out the cause of such a reaction? Because it was not a normal one.”

Nothing about his new friend was normal, but after this fiasco he was hesitant to tell the Champion as much. “And what is considered normal then?”

He had been made aware of the basics of mind probing during his many lessons, and a few methods of countering such tactics, but that didn’t help much. The way that a Beheeyem tried to peer into your mind would differ from the methods of a Gothitelle, and the same could be said of any species capable of such a thing. Their minds worked in fundamentally different ways, and this was his first time encountering a Sinnoh Psychic.

“Normally you wouldn’t even notice it.” Elesa finally spoke up. She still seemed shaken. Trying to save face in front of Cynthia? “Not unless you had a lot of training specifically tailored to make you aware of it.”

“For humans and most Pokemon, yes, but that is not always true.” Cynthia corrected. “An average human mind, and the vast majority of Pokemon, are not attuned to the minute changes that occur when a Psychic probes their mind. Certain types of Pokemon are more sensitive to it. Psychics, obviously, are well aware of foreign influences in their minds. Certain Ghost types are mildly aware of it, and Dark types are completely immune. I’m not terribly familiar with Mimikyu given their usual distance from anything League related, but based on the reaction we just saw, I assume that they’re Ghosts?”

N nodded in agreement. “Yes, Mimikyu is a Ghost and Fairy type.”

Something in the room changed with those words.

“Gallade.” Cynthia called out. The Pokemon didn’t respond verbally, but it was clear that he was listening. “Fetch Alder for me, and then quarantine yourself.”

The Psychic teleported away with a small flash of light.

“Wait, what?” Luckily for N, it seemed Elesa was just as confused by the sudden turn as him. “Why do we need Alder? What would a quarantine be needed for?”

Cynthia ignored her questions, closing in on N, her Lucario right beside her. “How long has Mimikyu been in Unova?”

“Wha- I- I don’t know? I only met him earlier today. Why does that-”

“Locations then. Where have the two of you been since you met?” her voice was commanding. Demanding even.

“I don’t see how that’s any of-”

“Locations. Now.” Her hand went to a pokeball.

Threatening to release another, even with Lucario looking ready to throttle him already?

“We met in a forest just outside the city, I brought him to the Pokemon Center, and then here.” He tried to keep his voice steady, realizing that he had unknowingly stumbled into something much larger than he could have imagined.

“Which forest?”

Gallade returned with a flash, alongside a man recognizable to everyone in Unova. Champion Alder, with his wild hair, but lacking his usual easygoing smile as Gallade disappeared once more. N didn’t think Cynthia wanted to wait for introductions before she got her answers, so he pressed on.

“The- I don’t remember the name- it’s just east of the city, to the north of route 16?”

“Lostlorn Forest?” Alder replied. “Does someone wanna explain what the sudden summons was for? I don’t see anything on fire.”

“We need a quarantine established. The entire city, the forest, and perhaps more.” Cynthia answered.

“A quaran- why in the world would we do that?” Alder asked, clearly bewildered.

Cynthia pointed to Mimikyu, still collapsed on the ground. “Fairy.”

N didn’t understand why, but that shut the Unova Champion up right away as he rushed out the door, presumably to set up the quarantine.

“Cynthia, will you slow down for just a minute and explain? What does Mimikyu being a Fairy type have to do with quarantining every location he’s been to?” Elesa pleaded.

“Fairy types are banned from League territory. Or at least, they have been.” Cynthia sighed in resignation.

“What? I’ve only heard of them in passing, why would they be banned? Shouldn’t a ban on an entire Type be something I’m made aware of as a Gym Leader?”

“It’s information we keep on a need to know basis. Gym Leaders are only informed once they’ve served in their position for a certain amount of time, and even then their access may not be given depending on League assessment of their personality. Unfortunately, with the two of you at ground zero for this incident, you’ll need to be read into the situation and placed under strict confidentiality measures.”

That set off alarm bells in N’s mind.

“What sort of confidentiality measures?” Given that they had just discussed Psychic probing, he had a feeling that he knew the answer already.

“You will have two options. The first is to submit to a mental lock, in which a League Psychic will alter your mind in such a way that you become physically unable to share the information specified. If you choose this option, your privacy will be respected and no other probing will be conducted. If you would like another Psychic present and participating in the locking to ensure that the agreed upon terms are followed, that will be allowed so long as their secondary typing would not interfere with the process.”

She wanted N to consent to having his mind altered? Was she insane? Nobody in their right mind would agree to such a thing. He had known that the League was a corrupt organization, that trainers were cruel, but to think it went to this extent? Though if that was the option she led with…

“And the second option?” N asked.

“The second option is to be transported to League headquarters, where you would either live the rest of your days, or stay until the possibility of an information leak is no longer a hazard, whichever comes first.”

“But, wait-” Elesa looked flustered. How could someone be such a prominent figure in the League and not realize the depths to which their depravity ran? She seemed as hopelessly naive as the children starting their journeys were. “I thought the League did away with practices like this after the war! What happened to moving on to better times?”

“That is true for everything beyond this one topic. But…” Cynthia looked down at Mimikyu, still limp on the floor. “This may have been the straw that broke the Machoke’s back.” Did that mean the League Headquarters was the better option? If everyone was about to find out anyway then keeping them locked away wouldn’t do the League any good. “Depending on what Pokemon Mimikyu has come into contact with, it may be too late.”

“Too late for what exactly?” N asked. “You still haven’t actually told us what the problem was with Fairy types.”

Cynthia leveled him with a serious look. “The short answer? It’s an alien infection. Nothing about it is natural, and we’re afraid of what will happen if the spread becomes too great.”

The room was silent for a moment as N and Elesa processed her words.

Eventually, N broke it. “Is this a joke?”

Cynthia turned to Elesa. “You said the Mimikyu was asking you questions directly, correct? Perhaps it would be more convincing if you heard from the source.”

I feel like I just had an ice pick driven through my skull. Do I have a skull? Ugh, it’s way too bright in here.

Mimikyu sat up, taking in his surroundings.

Huh. That’s Cynthia. Neat.

Wait, what happened?

“Uh, N? I don’ s’pose you could tell me why I’m wakin’ up right now? I don’ remember goin’ ta sleep. Did I pass out or somethin’?”

No. Something isn’t right here. What’s with the looks on their faces? I don’t remember… no… there was something in my head, wasn’t there? Something hurt my head… do I have brain damage? Maybe I’m concussed.

“How are you feeling, Mimikyu?”

“Like trash, but that doesn’ answer my question. What’s goin’ on?”

“I’ll make sure to get you some sitrus berries as soon as we’re out of here. Cynthia wanted to talk to us about a few things. Think you can answer some questions?”

“I don’ mind, but why are ya- hmmm. Are ya tryin’ ta hide the fact that you can understand me?”

N subtly nodded, not responding verbally to the question.

“...should I be worried? I wake up an’ I feel like I got hit by a bus an’ yer actin’ all weird an’ secretive.”

N didn’t bother responding at all.

Welp. I guess no response at all tells me all I need to know. What happened though?

Grabbing the marker off of the ground from where it had presumably fallen when he collapsed, Mimikyu brought it up to the white board.

“I’ll answer yours if you answer mine.” Mimikyu wrote. “What happened?”

“It seems you reacted poorly when my teleporter tried to probe your mind. My apologies. We have a rather urgent matter to discuss though. How long have you been in Unova?”

What is this, customs or something? I think me getting my mind probed is a bit more important than how long I’ve been stuck here!

Wait.

Is it actually customs?! Mimikyu aren’t native to Unova. Did I have an invasive plant on me or something?

“I got here yesterday.” He wrote. “Is this a customs check? Did I bring an invasive species? I didn’t have any belongings or plants with me when I got here.”

Cynthia raised a brow at the line of questioning. “I suppose you could frame it that way. Fairy types are banned from League territory. N said that he found you in Lostlorn Forest, where else in Unova did you go before getting there?”

I’m the invasive species?! Or rather, the invasive type. How can an entire type be banned? What counts as League territory?

Mimikyu erased his last message, replacing it with “Nowhere. That I know of at least. I went to sleep like normal, but when I woke up I was in an unfamiliar forest in a region I’d never been to. Your guess is as good as mine for how that happened. Also, what is your reasoning for banning an entire type from this “league territory”?”

“You just woke up here? It’s certainly possible but that leaves the question of who and why… At least the quarantine zone won’t need to be expanded any further. I suppose those answers can come later though. Mimikyu, how much do you know about the Fairy type?”

Mimikyu considered it for a moment. “I guess I know quite a bit, but I don’t think you want me rambling aimlessly. What sort of info are you after?”

“Tell us everything you know, if you would.”

Everything I know? Fine then, she asked for it.

In much smaller handwriting this time, to ensure that everything would fit on the limited space, Mimikyu began writing. Even then, he had to wipe the board clean several times to get all of the information across because he kept writing, and writing, seemingly endlessly. From how Fairy types stacked up on the type chart, to all of the species he knew of with a fairy typing, even listing off Fairy type moves, before ending with some speculation.

“...though I’ve heard some conflicting information in a few areas. Back when pokeballs were first being created, and Sinnoh was still called the Hisui region, there were Fairy types present. This included a now presumably extinct/dead legendary Pokemon called Enamorus, which had some relation to what would now be called the Unovan Forces of Nature. N told me that he is entirely unfamiliar with Fairy types though, and I have a suspicion that the same would be said for the average citizen in your “league territory” given the look on Elesa’s face. So we have a discrepancy on our hands. There are a few possible solutions, but I have no clue which would be correct.

The first possibility is that I was lied to. Fairy types have never existed in these regions and the whole “The Fairy type existed in ancient Sinnoh” story is a complete fabrication.

The second possibility is that N and Elesa here are extremely sheltered and just somehow never heard of the Fairy type, despite them being somewhat common around the world. I suppose the only one native to Unova would be the Whimsicott line though, and with what you said about Fairy types being completely banned here, while I think it unlikely, this situation is something to consider.

A third possibility is that, somehow, the Fairy type used to exist in these regions, but doesn’t anymore. I’m not sure how that would work though.

My first thought would be a regional difference, like how Alolan Meowth are Dark types instead of Normal. But that doesn’t quite fit. Regional differences seem to happen in one specific region with a considerable geographic separation from where the rest of the species lives, while this would be in however many regions make up your league, which would have to be at least two considering the people in this room. There’s also the issue of there not being a visual difference between the Fairy and non Fairy counterparts for these species. If you’ve ever seen a regional variant, you’ll know that they’re always strikingly different in appearance even with their similarities.

Of course, I don’t have all of the information, and there’s no telling how reliable any of my sources are. You probably know more about this sort of thing than I do.”

When Mimikyu finally put the marker down and turned to his audience, even Cynthia looked impressed.

“When things settle down, I might just take you up on that offer for joint research into the Spear Pillar.”

“You actually kept up with all of that?!” Elesa asked, her brow furrowed as she tried to catch up in her reading. “I wasn’t ready for him to launch into a full dissertation on a type I know basically nothing about.”

“Ancient legends and archeology are a hobby of mine, I read through research papers for fun.” Her eyes wandered back to the section on Hisui. “Though quite a bit of what’s been shared about ancient Sinnoh is novel, even to me.”

“That was very enlightening, thank you Mimikyu,” N interrupted before the lecture could continue any further, “but I fail to see how this is relevant.” He turned his gaze to the Champion in the room. “You have Champion Alder quarantining an entire city right now, and when your joke of an answer as to why that is necessary gets questioned, you allow Mimikyu to give every factoid he knows about the Fairy type. I happened to notice a distinct lack of the “alien infection” that you mentioned before he woke up.”

“Ah, so I have.” If one were being generous, they might consider the look on Cynthia’s face to be embarrassed. “I have a bad habit of getting wrapped up in academic pursuits. It is strange though… Mimikyu, are your kind not taught about the origins of the Fairy type? You seem to have rather in depth knowledge, even if I can’t verify it all myself.”

“I have no idea what you’re on about.” Mimikyu replied. “What’s this about an alien infection? Are you talking about how some of them are connected to the moon?”

“So you do know something about it then?”

Mimikyu underlined the first line again before erasing his last message. “I don’t see what you’re trying to point out. I’m not sure how much credit I give to the theory that various Fairy types are alien in nature, and even if it is true, there are multiple Pokemon confirmed to be from space that aren’t Fairy types.”

“The alien part was true?!” N exclaimed in astonishment.

“What other Pokemon are from space?” Cynthia asked.

“Off the top of my head, I’m fairly certain that Minior, a rock and flying type, literally come from meteor showers. I can understand you not knowing that one since they’re typically found in Alola, but shouldn’t you be familiar with Deoxys? I saw that the incident got mostly scrubbed from the internet, but a Champion of all people should know what happened when Rayquaza comes down from the ozone layer to duke it out.”

Where an academic lecture on the Fairy type had gotten Cynthia to relax, bringing up a government cover up made her tense once more.

“How do you know about that?”

“Hold on,” Elesa looked overwhelmed, “Did you just say that Rayquaza, as in the Hoenn legend, fought an alien?”

Elesa went ignored. “You’ve got your secrets, I’ve got mine, and you still haven’t explained your little Fairy alien infection conspiracy theory.”

Cynthia frowned, but seemed to accept Mimikyu’s point. “Before the last war, the Fairy type was restricted to a small number of Pokemon. Not species, but individuals. Xerneas and Diancie in Kalos. Perhaps the Tapus in Alola, though the record keeping is so awful there that we’re not sure if they were Fairy type from the start or if they were simply some of the first to be infected. They were a far away oddity that few from this part of the world had even heard of.

But then there was a new eeveelution.

Eevee are well known for their adaptability, their genetics making them ideal for fitting all sorts of new environments. Evolving to share a rare type was unexpected, but perhaps the fact that this particular Eevee lived close to where Xernas is rumored to slumber had something to do with it. Nobody thought it to be anything too crazy, just a new scientific discovery.

But it didn’t stop there.

Suddenly Pokemon from all over the area with a cutesy look were found to have Fairy as a secondary typing, or in some cases even replacing their original typing. You’re an Alolan Pokemon, so you probably know of Comfey, right? Originally they were classified as Grass types, but to my knowledge not a single Grass type Comfey still exists. Clefairy in the area had their Normal typing replaced, and now the only Normal type Clefairies still left are the ones in League territory because we stopped the infection from spreading here. We’ve had lots of close calls in the past, but these past few months… I’m afraid that there’s no stopping it at this point. If what you say is true, and someone is dropping unsuspecting Fairy types in the middle of League territory, then for all we know it’s already too late.”

She paused, either for dramatic effect or to give them a moment to digest that information, it was hard to tell which. “You can believe what you will, but the Fairy type is infecting Pokemon.”

“Suppose we take everything you just said as true. That the Fairy type is some sort of infection that somehow targets cutesy Pokemon. You’re still missing the part that makes it alien.” N rebutted.

Cynthia cleared her throat and hid her face behind her hand. “Admittedly, that much might be a bit of a stretch, but it’s our best guess at the moment. The Clefairy line were some of the first infected, and many moon and generally space related moves were found to be of the Fairy typing now.”

This is going to be a major setback in my plans.

It’s interesting to think about though. I guess she has a point with Moonblast, Moonlight, etc…

Though their strong opposition to it seems odd. It sounds just about impossible to stop it from spreading, and she didn’t list any part of it that actually sounded harmful to the Pokemon affected.

Unless…

Is it politics?

Did-

Did I just get an entire city quarantined because a bunch of the top league trainers are Dragon type users who are afraid of getting dethroned by an adorable little Fairy?