ANOTHER US

LOG #1: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY ONE

Dear Father Commander Slowking,

I am very pleased to inform you that I have successfully and safely landed Aquarius 5 onto Gaia Centauri, along with my crew. The trip was quite smooth for the most part – while we did run into some asteroids here and there, they were swiftly and safely avoided with my expertise, and Aquarius 5 sustained no damage. Landing was done just as easily, thanks to my quick wit and superb knowledge.

I am most pleased to report that Gaia Centauri, as our imagery back home predicted, is indeed a lush planet full of life. With my naked eye alone I have been able to identify at least thirty five unique plant species not found back home on Arcais, and as our research into the land progresses, I expect us to find many more.

I have taken your advice and have tried to bond with my crew as much as possible. It has been an… interesting experience. I am very lucky that my quartermaster, Fornax Houndoom, was a classmate of mine in the Academy. He was someone that I knew previously, someone who was at least easy to talk to. Admittedly, in the Academy, we used to be at each other’s throats, but I suppose that being on a spaceship with someone you used to hate for six months with very little connection to others changes how you view that person. Now, I can proudly say that I am very lucky to have Fornax by my side in this strange new frontier.

I do have some concerns about the cook, Agni Emboar, and the doctor, Deimos Grimmsnarl. They are both quite nice, but over the course of the six months it took us to get to Gaia Centauri, I have noticed that they have a very casual… relationship… with each other, to put it as respectfully as I possibly can to my father commander. While I do know that they will be spending a lot of time at the camp regardless, and that their jobs do not require as much precision as the others, I still cannot stop myself from worrying that this casual relationship will distract them from the research project. Fornax tells me not to worry, that my worries are unfounded, but I cannot help but feel that he is a tad biased, as Agni and Deimos were part of Fornax’s crew during his first space missions, and he will be relying on them a lot to make the food and medical supplies portions of our rations.

The others… I am less certain about getting along with. The scientist, Vela Espathra, and the electrical engineer, Geuse Vikavolt, have been nothing short of disrespectful of me and my spacecraft. With Fornax’s help, however, I have been able to convince them to participate with me for the duration of the research project. They are both very talented in their craft, and as long as I have them under my control, they should prove to be valuable assets to the project.

The maintenance mon, Styx Rhydon, is also one I have my doubts about. His large stature and brutish strength belies a soul full of timidness and anxiety – when I attempt to talk to him, he shakes and shudders like a Dedenne being preyed upon by a Mightyena. It worries me – I worry that he will not be a good fit for the project, that the environment of Gaia Centauri may be a little too rough for him. Styx seems to hang around Vela and Geuse quite a bit, so I am hoping for their… tendency to stand up for themselves… to rub off onto Styx.

The ones I am the most unsure about are the communications director, Barnard Goodra, and the navigator, Kepple Breloom. From the start, they rubbed off on me in a way that I cannot describe. They are both insistent on me lending my time and space to them in ways that are unbefitting of a commander to treat their underlings. It is almost as if… they want me to be their friend? Or perhaps…

No. I must be imagining things. Forgive me, Commander Slowking. I must steel my emotions, just like how you taught me to do.

Back to Barnard and Kepple. They infuriate me in quite a few ways. Barnard is too friendly and denser than a black hole when it comes to critical thought. Kepple is too much of a jokester and more stagnant in his movement than a neutron star. I fear that now that we have landed on Gaia Centauri, they will treat the research tasks at hand as nothing more than a game. I will keep my eyes on them as much as possible over the next few weeks and make sure that they are pulling their weight.

Oh, it’s getting late here. The sun is setting now. From what I can see from the light coming into my tent, it looks… quite beautiful. The hues of orange dappling the tent are truly spectacular. I think I will wrap up this log now and go watch the sunset. I am very much looking forward to beginning our expeditions tomorrow. I will not let you down, Father Commander. I will make sure that this planet is safe for Pokemon to live on and make you proud.

Signing off,

Your son Your loyal underling, Captain Cetus Empoleon of Aquarius 5

LOG #2: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY TWO

Dear Commander Father Slowking,

I am pleased to report that our first expedition into the wilds of Gaia Centauri has been a resounding success. We have all seemed to settle down, and adjustment has been surprisingly smooth to the environment and time cycles of the planet. Vela and Geuse have been doing research on this topic, so I will get back to you on this later, but there is a part of me that believes that the day length of Gaia Centauri is exactly the same as it is on Arcais.

Again, more research needs to be done on this topic, but it gives me hope. This will be the perfect new home for our people. I will make sure of it.

No. I am sure of it. Gaia Centauri is the perfect planet for Pokemon to make their new home on.

The incredible discovery I made earlier today only confirms this.

There is life on this planet, Commander Slowking.

And I am not simply referring to plants. There are a vast array of plants on Gaia Centauri, but we knew that already.

There are creatures on this planet, Father. They look like us, but they’re not sentient like us.

What was the word for them? I could have sworn I learned this in the Academy…

Animals! That’s right, they were called animals! I’m surprised I even managed to remember that. Professor Kricketune’s classes always bored me to the point of falling into a comatose state…

…I’m getting way off tangent, am I not? I deeply apologize, Commander. Anyways, there are plenty of animals living in the forest surrounding our campsite. My team and I identified at least twenty unique animal species during a single six hour expedition!

What’s more, all of these animals look quite familiar! Some of them even highly resemble Pokemon!

There was an animal that strongly resembled a Vulpix, but with darker paws and a white tail tip.There was an animal that strongly resembled a Tepig, but larger and scruffier and a solid dark brown in color. There was even an animal that strongly resembled an Ursaring, but it walked on all fours instead, and it lacked the signature circular ring! With how similar the wildlife is to Arcais, Gaia Centauri will be the perfect place for Pokemon to live!

I must admit, Father, that the strong resemblance of these animals to Pokemon bothers me. They are just so… uncannily similar…

…Ahem. Sorry about that. You heard nothing there, Commander Slowking.

Aside from these wondrous discoveries, this was also an ample opportunity to get to know my comrades in arms in better detail through expeditions… or rather, two specific ones. Agni and Deimos have no need to join us, Styx’s main job is looking after Aquarius 5 (and besides, the mere mention of exploring Gaia Centauri seemed to scare him out of his wits) and Vela and Geuse prefer to go on expeditions by themselves.

I am, of course, referring to Barnard Goodra and Kepple Breloom. I need to keep a good eye on those two. They still do not seem to take these expeditions as seriously as they should. While they are quite diligent workers, they spent much of our expedition laughing and joking around. Thankfully, Fornax was also with us, and he was able to get them on track quickly enough. I worried for quite a while that they would end up becoming so loud that they would scare off all the native wildlife. I will make sure to keep a good eye on them over the course of our time on Gaia Centauri, Commander Slowking. These expeditions need to be taken seriously by all of the Pokemon undertaking them, and I will make sure that Barnard and Kepple will take things seriously.

…Besides, there is a part of me that kind of wants to get to know them a little more…

…Ack! I am very sorry, Commander. I should probably head off to bed soon. It is very late, and the tiredness is muddying my thoughts.

Signing off,

~Your loyal sonderling underling, Captain Cetus Empoleon of Aquarius 5

LOG #3: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY THREE

Dear Comfather Commander Slowking,

Today has been an… interesting one, for sure. I have learned many things about the other members of my crew, some of which I wish to forget that I ever learned in the first place.

Remember my first log, where I shared suspicions of Agni and Deimos being in a casual relationship of sorts? This morning, these suspicions were not only confirmed in the most embarrassing way possible, but I also discovered that my own quartermaster, Fornax Houndoom, is also involved in this casual relationship.

I will not go into detail about how exactly I discovered this. The images of what I saw have been burned into my skull and will not leave my brain until the day I die.

Admittedly, Fornax and I did have a bit of a row over this encounter, which I deeply regret now. We used to have spats like this in the Academy all the time, but back then, we were rivals, not captain and quartermaster. Not only were our previous spats never this serious, with us having a crew to watch over, but they were never this serious and caustic. Back then, it was just two juvenile officers in training having juvenile little spats.

Thankfully, Fornax has outgrown the juvenile matter that he used to act in, so he has not thrown any such childlike insults towards me. However, when I went to collect rations from him later on, he visibly shrank when I first entered the room, and his eyes were full of fear. He told me politely that he didn’t feel like going on an expedition today, but I could clearly see him tremble as he said so.

My heart hurts so badly. I cannot believe that my actions made one of my crew members feel so ashamed of themselves and fearful of me, let alone my own quartermaster.

What is even more shameful is that I have not yet been able to apologize for what I did. I very much know I should, but somehow I cannot find the words to express my regret to Fornax.

What ended up happening instead was Barnard and Kepple stumbling across the awkward exchange and offering to join me on an expedition instead. I was very much surprised by their offer, considering that they did not seem to take the expeditions seriously at all the previous day. If I am being honest, Commander, I so very badly wanted to turn those two down, what with how much they were annoying me before.

But they were the only ones available. Vela and Geuse think too highly of themselves to let anyone else join them on their expeditions, except for Styx, perhaps. But Styx prefers to cling closer to the landing site and the safety of Aquarius 5. And not only are Agni and Deimos busy with their own affairs, but I also know that they would not appreciate my company after what went down this morning.

So I accepted Barnard and Kepple’s offer.

We spent at least six hours exploring the wilds of Gaia Centauri. We made a lot of progress, collecting samples of water and soil and even some insect and fish specimens. But while we were collecting samples, Barnard and Kepple just would not stop talking. I now think I know more about those two than I do any of my other crewmates, even Fornax. Though I most certainly don’t know if they engage in such activities as the one I caught Fornax participating in this morning…

I can recite Barnard and Kepple’s story to you by heart now, Father. They have known each other since they were a young Goomy and Shroomish respectively. Apparently they endured much hardship in their young lives, and have stuck together through it all through thick and thin.

To hear them tell it, they have survived one of every kind of natural disaster that has plagued our planet within the past fifty years. The earthquakes of Groudon, the floods of Kyogre, the volcanic eruptions of Entei, the hurricanes of Tornadus and Thundurus. They have been homeless four times each as a result of these natural disasters and have managed to persevere through it all… at least, that is what they say.

It was quite amusing, I must say. Those two certainly have a penchant for storytelling.

At one point, they both reached into their purses and pulled out two family photos. The first had a Goomy standing alongside a Baxcalibur, a Scrafty, and a Trapinch, while the second had a Shroomish standing alongside a Roserade, a Slurpuff, and a Snubbull.

I, in all my infinite wisdom, asked if being adopted was another check on the list of seemingly endless woes. That was my second mistake of the day. I am very thankful that they took it much better than Fornax took my mistake earlier today. They laughed a lot at it, which made me feel even more embarrassed than I already was, but they quickly explained to me that they both came from blended families, that there was a stepparent and a stepsibling in each picture alongside them and their biological parents, and that it was a mistake that other Pokemon very commonly made when seeing that picture for the first time.

In my embarrassment, I made my third mistake of the day.

I told them that you, Commander Europa Johto Slowking, the CEO of the Arcais Planetary Exploration Company, are my father.

It was stupid and foolish of me, I know. But since the embarrassment came from them sharing something about their families, I thought it only fair to tell them something personal about my own family life.

I was terrified of how they would react. But they actually took it quite well.

There were some jabs about how my being assigned Captain was an act of nepotism, but somehow, I could easily tell that their jabs were nothing more than playful. And then they told me that they looked up to you, and that they wished you were their parent instead.

Barnard and Kepple both tried their best to make it seem like another joke, but there was a deep sadness within their eyes. Why that sadness is there, I have no idea. I feel as if their family lives were not as happy as they had described to me prior.

Regardless of their reasonings for that, it felt refreshing to not be judged for having you as my father, to have someone else say they look up to you.

…Perhaps I have misjudged them.

Oh dear. I have been rambling for quite a while now, haven’t I? I am very sorry about this, Commander. I know that hearing about such silly and trivial manners must be very boring for you.

All in all, despite the rough start, I feel as if today was successful. I have a better idea of how to work with Barnard and Kepple now, which will help out greatly on future expeditions. There is just the small manner of apologizing to Fornax… which will hopefully come sooner rather than later.

I must be going now, Father. I started this log right after supper, and it is now almost midnight. I must get some good sleep now. Another day of expeditions awaits me tomorrow, and I must be well rested for it.

Signing off,

~Your loyal subsondinate subordinate, Cetus Empoleon

LOG #4: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY FOUR

Dear Commander Slowfather Slowking,

I come with you this morning with some most unsettling news. Fornax, Barnard, Kepple, and I had some strange encounters during our expeditions today… strange encounters that provide evidence of what I believe to be other sentient life forms on this planet.

I know that you might think that I am crazy. Fornax called me crazy when I shared my theories with him, right before I started this log. But I cannot shake the feeling that we are not alone on this planet. Something was here before us.

It started with me leading Fornax, Barnard, and Kepple on another research project to collect soil samples for Vela to analyze later. Though there was a small part of me that just wanted it to be Barnard and Kepple accompanying me on this expedition, I also thought it might be a good opportunity to apologize to Fornax. He doesn’t appear to be scared of me anymore, thank Arceus. I hope I will find the chance to apologize soon.

…Back on topic. The expedition started out normally at first, but then, Fornax found… it.

The corpse of one of the native animals of Gaia Centauri. It looked extremely similar to a Sawsbuck – uncomfortably similar, in fact. The brown pelt color, the long, branch-like antlers.

The only difference between it and a Sawsbuck was the complete lack of any plant matter growing from its body.

It.. terrifies me, Father Commander. Why are the similarities so… uncanny? Are all the life forms on Gaia Centauri like this?

I am getting off topic. I apologize, Commander. What I mainly wanted to talk about was the way in which this animal was killed.

A singular hole, right through the beast’s heart. Small and round, barely the size of the smallest Joltik or Flabebe. But what really has me concerned was the slight glint of metal I caught from the object. Bringing the beast’s corpse back to Deimos and having him open it up only confirmed my concerns.

A bullet. The creature died from a bullet wound.

Could it really be…?

No. I must be imagining things. Perhaps one of the crew members smuggled a gun on board Aquarius 5, and I somehow completely missed it. Probably Geuse – he talked more about guns than I think is healthy. Or maybe Fornax was right – I am overreacting.

… Sorry about the pause, Commander. Barnard and Kepple, thankfully, have been by my side throughout this, helping to assuage my fears. I must say, they are… quite good with emotions. They not only recognize my fears, but have been working to help me find a way to handle them in a rational manner.

It feels… nice. Their company feels nice.

…Sorry about that, Commander. I got lost in my own thoughts. I should be signing off now. I am going to be leading another expedition now. Barnard and Kepple say it will help distract me from my thoughts, and I am very much inclined to agree with them.

For now, I will focus as much as possible on these expeditions. I know the future of Arcais depends on it.

Signing off,

~Your loyal sonordinate subordinate, Cetus Empoleon

LOG #5: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY FOUR

Dear Father,

I am very sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night like this, but I come to you to report a matter of utmost urgency and importance. I was hoping that the events of this morning were nothing but a strange coincidence, but I have been proven wrong in the most horrendous of ways.

Styx Rhydon… is dead.

He was murdered, Father. Murdered by the other sentient life forms on this planet. I cannot deny it any longer, Father. The evidence is too strong for me to do so.

Fornax, Barnard, Kepple, and I had gone out to survey the land around us, like I told you at the end of my last log. We had been making great progress sampling the water from a stream about two or so miles from our camp when we heard the sounds. They sounded exactly like gunshots, Father. No one brought guns along with them. I checked at least a hundred times. I don’t understand.

My first thought was that perhaps Agni had overheated a pot while making dinner. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. We finished taking our samples and ran back as fast as possible. Sure enough, my feelings had been proven right.

I wasn’t expecting how bad it would be, however.

All I could smell when we burst into the camp was blood. All I could see on the ground in front of me was blood.

I am very ashamed to admit, I froze at first. I couldn’t even process what I was looking at. His body was riddled with so many holes it didn’t even look like a Rhydon. I don’t even understand how his body had so many holes – a Rhydon’s skin is supposed to be impenetrable, is it not?

That isn’t even the most terrifying thing, Father.

They took his horn. Sliced it off of his face.

What kind of monster is capable of such a feat?

Not even Deimos could tell me what kind of monster could have made these wounds. All he could tell me was that Styx went to check on Aquarius 5, and when he returned, he was… like this.

Deimos tried his hardest to save his life, he truly did. Even Agni tried to pitch in. But it was too late.

I am certain that Styx was ambushed by whatever sentient lifeforms exist on this planet and attacked by them. There is no other way I can explain what happened, Father. The wounds on his body could not have possibly been made by a normal animal. And a normal animal most certainly would have been unable to remove his horn.

Styx had something clutched in his arms when we found his body. I cannot tell exactly what Pokemon it is because of all of the blood, but it appears to be a plush toy of some kind. Father, I implore you, please do not let the collectors throw it away when they come to collect his body. Tell them to bring it back with them. Bury it with him. It seemed to provide Styx with some comfort in his final moments. I failed him as a commander. I let him die. The least I can do is let him hang onto this comfort. Maybe it will provide him with company in Arceus’s abode.

…

… I am very sorry, Father. I know you hate it when I cry. I know it makes me look weak. But at this moment, I cannot help but be weak. I’ve let you down, Father. I am a horrible captain.

…Oh. It seems like Barnard and Kepple are calling me. They must be ready to prepare Styx’s body. I will go and join them now, Father. I may not have been able to provide Styx comfort in his final moments, but I will at least be there to prepare him to meet Our Heavenly Father in the Hall of Judgement.

Signing off,

Your son, Cetus Empoleon

LOG #6: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY FIVE

Dear Commander Slowking,

Today has been much better than yesterday.

Admittedly, the ramifications of last night’s events… are still present. Vela and Geuse especially have taken Styx’s death quite hard. It seems that they were much closer to him than I originally assumed, that he wasn’t just following them around for protection. They have been in the most sour of moods ever since his body was discovered, and I have unfortunately taken the brunt of these sour moods.

It is totally understandable why they are behaving like this towards me. I let Styx die, after all. But it does not stop it from hurting as much as it does.

Thankfully, I have Fornax, Barnard, and Kepple with me. Fornax has fought off Vela and Geuse’s anger towards me with the strength and fiery fury of a billion Pyroars. I do not deserve to have a second-in-command as relentlessly loyal as he is. I deserve what Vela and Geuse have brought down on me and much more. I cannot comprehend why Fornax defends me as fiercely as he does, especially after the spat we had a few days prior.

Fornax has also brought me to talk with Agni and Deimos a few times. He told me that the whole reason their relationship started in the first place was because of how good of listeners they were.

Truth be told, Father, I do not care about their relationship anymore. I am going to let them be happy. Gaia Centauri is a cruel, cruel world. I cannot succumb to the cruelty of this world. I will let them hold onto what little happiness they have.

…Sorry for rambling, Father.

While Agni and Deimos’s words have certainly helped, the ones whose support I am the most grateful for are Barnard and Kepple. I see now that I misjudged them harshly while we were on Aquarius 5.

Yes, Barnard may be one sandwich short of a picnic. Yes, Kepple may be a bit of a slack master.

But they were the ones who cleaned up the campsite of Styx’s blood. They were the ones who helped me to prepare Styx’s body for the collectors. When I couldn’t handle seeing Styx like that any longer and broke down, they were there to console me, and gave me space to let my feelings out while they finished preparing his body.

And today, through everything Vela and Geuse have thrown at me – both physically and verbally – they were the ones to stand by my side and console me, to tell me that they still believed in me, that Styx’s murder was not my fault.

Truthfully, I have a hard time believing that. I cannot even fathom why Barnard and Kepple are so insistent on consoling me in the first place. But I am eternally grateful to them for taking the time to do so. Through all of this self- doubt, they have given me the most courage to move on.

…I should be going now. I will be leading an expedition to survey the nocturnal wildlife of Gaia Centauri now. I must not allow myself to drown in my own grief. The expeditions must continue, for the good of all Pokemon-kind.

Signing off,

~Your loyal subordinate, Cetus Empoleon

LOG #7: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY SIX

Dear Commander Slowking,

I am very pleased to report that things have mostly smoothed over now. Do not be mistaken – the wound that Styx’s death created on our psyches will never be healed. Vela and Geuse especially are still hurting – they even took the day off from expeditions, which is incredibly unlike them. They are also still treating me unkindly, but I am trying my best to console them. I understand that they are expressing their grief in their own way, and I will support them as they heal, however caustic their expressions of grief may be.

Overall, it seems that Styx’s death has brought us closer together. The bond between Fornax and I has grown especially strong in the aftermath of all of this. We went out on a survey, just the two of us, and I thought that it was far past time for me to apologize to him for the row we had gotten into six days ago.

But he surprised me by apologizing to me first.

He explained to me that he was simply fearful that I would kick him off of the crew. He told me a story, of back before he had joined the Academy, when he was still in undergraduate school. He had had two romantic partners back then – a Floatzel and a Pangoro. He brought them to his house during winter break one year. His parents, however, didn’t know about their relationship, and they caught him in bed with them that very night. They kicked him out of their house and told him to never see them again.

His partners broke up with him soon after. They told him that it was because of his cowardice in not properly dealing with his parents. It soon came out, however, that they had been cheating on him with another couple – a Sceptile and a Cinderace. The four of them entered a formal relationship soon after.

Fornax explained to me that it was Agni and Deimos who had helped him get over the breakup, helped him get over the revelation of his previous partners cheating, and helped him understand that what his parents did to him was cruel and wrong. The experience was what made him fall in love with them.

The story made my heart ache. Fornax had been quite surly during his early years in the academy – it was one of the many reasons we clashed during our days there. I assumed at the time that he was just a bad-tempered mutt. But now I know that there was an actual reason for the acidic anger that he often directed at me back then – he was hurting from the loss of his first loves and the rejection of his parents.

All I could do in turn was apologize. I see now that I had greatly misjudged him. He is truly the most loyal quartermaster I could have ever asked for, and I was a fool to even think to question that loyalty.

He simply smirked and told me that I was forgiven, and that I had at least learned my lesson just in time for “a similar revelation”.

I do not know in the slightest what he could have meant by that. But I am at least thankful that he has forgiven me. I made a grave transgression, and I should not have been forgiven for it, but I have come out of this experience a better person for it.

Barnard and Kepple came to join us soon after that. They had been worried that the two of us would get hurt by whatever had killed Styx. They should not have been so worried. Those two are some of the clingiest and most overly worried Pokemon I have ever met…

But in that moment, I was extremely happy that they were worried enough about me to check on me.

…Ahem. What I meant to say was that afterwards, the four of us had a very pleasant time, not only collecting samples, but also just talking and sharing stories about our lives. Fornax had a good many stories to share with Barnard and Kepple about our time at the Academy, which I will admit were… not flattering. And it was even less flattering to hear Barnard and Kepple laugh at these revelations.

But at the same time… their laughter was so infectious…

Back on topic. Even though the stories themselves were quite embarrassing to relive, the experience itself was one that I will treasure forever. Just the three Pokemon I had grown closest to and I, surveying this weird and wonderful world and enjoying ourselves while doing so.

I should be going now, Commander Slowking. It is getting quite late. I am hopeful that there will be many more expeditions like this in the future. It feels… nice to have fun like this.

Signing off,

~Your loyal subordinate, Cetus Empoleon

LOG #8: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY SEVEN

Dear Commander Slowking,

There have been a couple of concerning developments today. As you recall, a few hours before the untimely death of Styx Rhydon, my comrades and I had collected soil and water samples from a nearby stream. Today, Vela and Geuse have shaken themselves out of their mental funk enough to be able to test these samples. The results are… concerning.

The levels of radiation found with the water and soil samples we have collected are… exceedingly high. Higher than any normal animal should be able to sustain.

Yet the insect and fish samples that we obtained on those same days have been… normal.

While there were slightly higher levels of radiation present in the bodies of these insects and fish, everything about them looked… normal, otherwise. There were no deformities present in their bodies, both internally and externally.

I will be leading another expedition soon – alongside Fornax, Barnard, and Kepple, of course – to see if we can collect the bodies of any of the more advanced life forms. Our current hypothesis is that perhaps the insects and the fish are newer species, having evolved alongside the high radiation. The more advanced species may have evolved before whatever incident caused these heightened levels of radiation, and they may show signs of mutations themselves.

Though, now that I think of it, that Sawsbuck-like animal we found the day of Styx’s death did not seem to display any mutations… Agni and Deimos still have the body for butchery purposes. I should probably ask them to slice it open and take a look…

…Anyways. What I am most concerned about is the idea that the radiation is the reason why the sentient life forms of this planet are as vicious as they seem to be. It certainly does explain why Styx’s death was so… gruesome. Perhaps these life forms have had their minds irreversibly corrupted by radiation, and they are now in a constant state of madness because of this.

The other discovery we made today seems to back this up.

The footprints.

We found them just about a mile away from the docking site of Aquarius 5. They are oblong, almost like the footprint of a Machamp, But they do not have any toes. Their toes appear to be fused together.

With how similar the rest of the wildlife of Gaia Centauri appears to be, I have to assume that this sentient species looks a lot like Machamp, based solely on the footprints. The fusing of the toes must be a radiation-borne deformity. Who knows what other deformities these creatures have? Who knows what they are truly capable of? Who knows what we are truly up against?

…Oh! It seems as if Fornax is calling me. It seems that he, Barnard, and Kepple are ready to head out on the expedition.

…And it seems that Vela and Geuse are with them! I am worried a little bit about Agni and Deimos staying behind in camp, all on their own, but I am pleased that they have decided to join us. Maybe this is a sign that things will change now?

I must go now, Father. It looks like Vela and Geuse are getting impatient. Hopefully nothing happens while we are out exploring. This will be a new beginning for the crew of Aquarius 5.

Signing off,

~Your loyal subordinate, Cetus Empoleon of Aquarius 5

LOG #9: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY SEVEN

Dear Father,

It happened again.

Two more of my crew have been murdered. Slaughtered like wild animals.

Agni Emboar and Deimos Grimmsnarl are dead. We found them in the rations tent.

They tried to fight back, but they failed completely.

Agni’s stomach was sawed open. All of the muscle and fat was removed. Only the organs were left, floating aimlessly in the pool of blood that used to be his abdominal cavity. Deimos’s hair had been plucked and shorn off of his body. His arms and legs were completely devoid of hair, and covered in so many cuts they had been turned red from all of the blood.

I do not want to scare my crew even further… but I cannot shake the feeling that this was intentional.

What reasons could one possibly have to mutilate someone like that?

Did they… want to use what they took from Agni and Deimos…? Why would they want to do so? What could these life forms possibly have to gain from taking flesh and hair from…

…

BLEUUUUURGH!

…

I am very sorry you had to hear that, Father. The very thought of what those life forms could be doing with Agni’s flesh and Deimos’s hair just makes me sick to my stomach.

Just… What kind of monsters are we dealing with, Father?

I need to go now. Barnard and Kepple are calling me. It most likely has something to do with Fornax. He’s been a wreck ever since we found the bodies. My heart aches for him, but I have to be strong for him. For everyone.

Signing off,

~Cetus Empoleon

LOG #10: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY NINE

Dear Father, I am very sorry for missing yesterday’s log. Unfortunately, we were not able to embark on any expeditions yesterday. Most of our time yesterday was devoted to the issue of rations. With Agni and Deimos gone, we are suddenly left without any way of getting proper food or medicine. We still have enough rations to sustain us through another week, but with Agni and Deimos gone, we will have no way of getting more. It greatly worries me.

At one point, I nearly suffered a breakdown myself, which greatly ashamed me. I should not have let my emotions get to me like that. I have to stay strong and be a good leader for the rest of my crew.

At that moment, however, I just felt hopeless. Without food and medicine, how can we even hope to survive against the vicious monsters that call this planet home?

Thankfully, Barnard and Kepple came to my rescue once again. Every day I learn something new about them, and they somehow manage to astound and impress me every single time. It turns out that Barnard has some experience in the medical field, and Kepple has some experience in the culinary field. They were able to put together some basic food and medicine for field rations.

It is very rudimentary stuff, but words cannot express how grateful I am that they put them together. Their knowledge, little as it may be may very well be the difference between life and death.

My main worry, however, is Fornax. His grief has fully manifested in its full form now… pure, unadulterated anger.

He kept going on and on about how he was going to rip every single one of the beasts that killed Agni and Deimos from limb to limb, while Barnard, Kepple, and I desperately tried to console him. With how loudly he was howling, I was terrified that he would alert the monsters to our location.

Thankfully, the three of us managed to tire him out eventually. He’s now sleeping in Agni and Deimos’s old tent, and I am watching over him.

I despise being in Agni and Deimos’s old tent. The floor is still completely soaked with their blood. The walls have been splattered red with their blood. Everything in here still smells of blood.

But being in their tent is the only thing that got Fornax to calm down. He’s currently wrapped around Agni’s apron and Deimos’s surgeon jacket. They are tattered and bloody, but he is calm, and he is smiling.

They truly made him happy, Father. My heart swells upon seeing it – with happiness that he found two Pokemon who truly loved him above all else, even after what he went through in his youth, with sadness that he had to lose those two Pokemon, lose some of his loved ones all over again, and with fury that he had to lose these loved ones in such a bloody and inhumane matter.

…I must try and find these sentient lifeforms, Father. They must know of the hurt they have inflicted on my friends. They must kno-

Barnard? Kepple? What’s going on?

…OH ARCEUS. NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, N-

[COMMUNICATION SIGNAL LOST. LOG SAVING AND SENDING NOW.]

LOG #11: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY NINE

Dear Father, I am incredibly sorry that the last log ended off the way it did. I am completely fine. Please do not worry about me.

Unfortunately… I cannot say the same about Vela and Geuse.

They went out to survey the local wildlife four hours ago. Barnard and Kepple tried to convince them to let at least one of them tag along with them – I myself was busy watching over Fornax, so I could not go – but they refused.

They always seemed like the stubborn types. Their stubbornness may very well be what leads to their deaths. I am not even sure how they managed to survive long enough to get back to camp. Geuse’s mandibles were torn off of his face. Vela’s wings were torn off of her body. And those were just the largest wounds they had. They were covered from head to rear with them.

They had just enough energy to limp into camp before collapsing. I thought that they were dead for sure, but by the miracle of Arceus, they weren’t. They’re currently in Agni and Deimos’s old tent. Barnard and Kepple are trying their best to heal them, even though their medical expertise is still rudimentary. I don’t know what I did to deserve those two. They are truly incredible souls.

But if I can be honest with you, Father, I am not sure if Vela and Geuse will survive the night. I can only pray to Arceus that they somehow make it.

If I can be honest with you, Father, I am not sure that He is listening to me any more. But what kind of captain would I be if I didn’t at least try?

Signing off,

~Cetus Empoleon

LOG #12: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY TEN

Dear Father,

Geuse Vikavolt passed away at 10:04 PM last night. Vela Espathra followed shortly after, at 10:17 PM.

Barnard and Kepple tried their best, may Arceus bless their souls. But without Deimos’s medical expertise, there was no hope of treating their wounds. They were simply too grievous.

Why me, Father? Why must I be the one to bear this burden? Why must I watch my crew die like this, one after the other? Why does Arceus hate me?

There are only four of us left now. I can only take comfort in the fact that the ones who have survived with me are the three who I have become the closest with. My best friend and trusted quartermaster, Fornax. And Barnard and Kepple, who somehow broke through my shell against all odds, who have surprised me time after time with their kindness and sheer willingness to help, who I…

No. I don’t think I have the strength to admit it yet. I’m not even sure if I can trust my own feelings anymore. I’m not even sure I can trust myself anymore.

I should go. I need to get some sleep.

~Cetus

LOG #13: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY TEN

Dear Father,

This will be a shorter log. But I felt that I should inform you that Fornax, Barnard, Kepple, and I had a talk, and we decided that we would be taking Aquarius 5 and moving it to a different landing site.

I know that moving a spaceship from its initial docking site is very dangerous, especially when there is no maintenance mon on the ship to correct any emergencies. I remember your lessons very clearly, and I passed on those lessons to my dear friends. But they very quickly reminded me of a dangerous but harsh truth: that if we stay at this landing site any further, we will most certainly be killed.

Unfortunately, they are right. As much as it pains me to admit so, they are right. Those beasts are most certainly out there, somewhere in the woods, watching and waiting for the perfect time to slaughter us like wild beasts.

I must not let Fornax, Barnard, and Kepple succumb to this fate. They are the most precious mons I have left in my life. I must keep them safe at all costs. And those costs include finding a new place to dock, as far away from those monsters as possible.

I must at least keep Barnard and Kepple safe. I need them to know. I need to tell them how I feel…

…Anyways. I have a simple request for you, Father. Before docking the ship. I will lay out the bodies of our five fallen crew members.

Styx Rhydon, Agni Emboar, Deimos Grimmsnarl, Vela Espathra, and Geuse Vikavolt.

It pains me to leave their bodies out in the open like this. It pains Fornax especially to have to leave behind the bodies of Agni and Deimos. But we all agree it will be the safest thing for all of us. We cannot risk the smell of rotting corpses alerting those fiends to our location.

Please stop by the original campsite first. Make sure to pick up their bodies, and reunite them with Our Heavenly Father.

I will be going now. It is time to move the ship to its new docking site. Please pray for our safety, Father. All four of us are going to need it.

Signing off,

~Your son, Cetus Empoleon

LOG #14: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY ELEVEN

Dear Father,

I regret to inform you that there has been an abrupt change in our plans to move Aquarius 5 to a new docking site.

We did try, but we soon made a very sudden and shocking discovery that crumpled our plans into complete smithereens.

All this time, we thought that Gaia Centauri was completely made up of untamed forest. But we were wrong.

There is a whole city in the center of this forest, Father. Rows and rows of buildings as far as the eye can see. All completely deserted.

My friends and I explored this ghost city for a good while, trying our best to locate any signs of life. While we did run into plenty of animals, we found almost no sentient life forms. All of the buildings appear as if they have been deserted for centuries. Many of them have been overrun with plants.

And there is also the matter of the reactor.

A giant dome right at the center of the city, half of its roof blown off completely, the other half crumpled in on itself.

And it was glowing. Glowing a bright neon green, almost like a child’s toy.

But I know better.

That is no mere child’s toy.

This is the source of the radiation, Father.

I cannot fathom what must have happened here to have caused a nuclear collapse of this size. I am astounded that life here still manages to flourish as much as it does.

I am astounded that there are any sentient life forms still around here in the first place. It seems like the collapse wiped the vast majority of them out. It doesn’t seem like this area will be in a state that is hospitable to these sentient life forms for many years… so why have they returned?

…It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we defend ourselves against them for long enough to be able to make it home.

The presence of the abandoned city made it impossible for us to move Aquarius 5 any further than a few miles, but I was able to land the ship on the other side of it. I can only hope that the intense radiation coming from the collapsed reactor will be enough to keep the fiends at bay.

I will sign off now, Father. Hopefully I will be able to survive long enough to see you again. I miss you. I cannot wait to see you again.

~Cetus Empoleon

LOG #15: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY TWELVE

they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us they found us

save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die save me dad I don’t want to die

LOG #16: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY TWELVE

Dear Dad,

I am very sorry if my voice sounds crackly. I am recording this log on my smart watch, at the top of a small abandoned building about five miles northwest of where we originally set up camp. It was the furthest place I could reach while carrying two severely wounded Pokemon and being pursued by a pack of creatures, and it is surrounded by a giant cluster of trees, so it is also relatively obscured.I have faith that I will not be found here.

The sentient life forms of this planet stumbled across Aquarius 5 early this morning. They barged onto the ship and woke us all up. If their boots weren’t loud enough to wake up a comatose Snorlax, waking me up just in time to spot them, I am sure that we all would have been slaughtered in our sleep.

I do not know how I managed to get away mostly unscathed. I have a few cuts from the bullets they shot at me grazing my feathers, but somehow, those are all of the wounds I received from the beasts. I was the luckiest one, however. Barnard and Kepple may be many things – kind and courageous and loyal and funny and somehow so unbelievably dashing even in the most dire of situations – but they are not fast. They were shot multiple times as we were escaping, lagging behind both Fornax and I at several critical points. They are alive, thank Arceus. I am doing my best to tend to their wounds. They are grievous, but I must at least try.

By all accounts, they should have both died. The only reason they didn’t was because of Fornax.

That brave, foolish, loyal, loveable mutt sacrificed himself to save them.

He pushed them towards me and told me to carry them to somewhere safe. He told me to do anything and everything I possibly could to help them recover, to help all of us get home. He told me that he was doing the best thing for all of us – I would be getting my happy ending with Barnard and Kepple, and that he would be joining Agni and Deimos in The Hall of Judgement. And then he turned to face the vile beasts, fangs ablaze, and roared at them with all of his might, before pouncing on their leader.

The last thing I saw before I started to run was a rainstorm of bullets descending on Fornax Houndoom, and his hole-ridden body crumpling to the ground.

I can’t even go out to find his body, Dad. I can’t even give him a proper burial. The beasts will find me then. Fornax Houndoom saved my life, saved the lives of the two Pokemon who mean the most to me, and I can’t even repay him with a proper burial.

Gaia Centauri is a cruel, cruel world.

But truthfully, Dad, those beasts are still what haunt me the most.

I finally got a good look at them, when they broke into Aquarius 5, and I will never be able to unsee their image. They wear clothes like us. These ones wore camouflage getup, almost exactly like the ones the members of our Army wear, but mottled green and brown instead of white and yellow. They wielded guns like us. They had packs of rations strapped to their belts like us. They even spoke like us, though they spoke in a language all their own, guttural and rough and twisted.

But there were still some words they said that I was able to understand.

The leader called us aliens. Intruders. Monsters.

How could that beast say such a thing? Did it not see what it and its underlings did to my loyal comrades?

But the most unnerving thing of all were their faces. Their bodies were covered up in their camouflage getup, but I could still see their faces.

They had absolutely no fur or feathers or scales on them. No doubt it was a side effect of the radiation that lurks around every corner of this place. They simply were coated in skin – pale white, almost translucent skin. Their eyes were similarly translucent – a light blue that almost pierced my very soul.

The faces of these beasts will linger in my mind for as long as I live.

…Which, honestly, might not be for long. Barnard and Kepple’s wounds are so grievous, I do not see how they could survive the night, let alone the week it will take for reinforcements to arrive to Gaia Centauri.

Without Barnard and Kepple, what is there to live for anymore?

…No. No! I must not allow myself to give up hope! I will do everything in my power to make sure that they survive! And then the three of us will return to Gaia Centauri, and we will all be happy together!

… I must go now, Father. I need to make sure Barnard and Kepple survive. I will make sure they live to see the sun rise once more.

Signing off,

~Cetus

LOG #17: GAIA CENTAURI RESEARCH PROJECT, DAY THIRTEEN

Dear Dad,

They’re gone.

Barnard Goodra and Kepple Breloom passed away at 4:39 AM this morning.

I am the last surviving crew member of Aquarius 5.

I should be feeling many things right now. Fury, depression, horror. Instead, I simply feel… empty.

The one bright light in this entire situation was that we were able to confess our love for each other before they passed on.

Yes, Dad. I can finally admit it. I fell in love with Barnard Goodra and Kepple Breloom. I still love Barnard Goodra and Kepple Breloom. I will love them until the day I die myself. I was a coward to deny my feelings for this long.

Now that I have time to think and reflect in silence, I recognize that these feelings started to bubble up within me from the very moment I laid eyes on them. And as the days went by, and the rest of our crewmates began dropping like Venonats, one after the other, my feelings only grew stronger.

But I was scared. Scared that these feelings would make me seem like a weak captain. That they would distract me from my true task of confirming that Gaia Centauri would be a new home for Pokemon to live in peace and harmony.

And, if I am being honest, I was scared of these feelings myself. They were new and unfamiliar to me. Even though I am a decorated and renowned space captain, who explored eight alien planets before coming to Gaia Centauri, I still find myself scared of the new and unknown. This cursed voyage has confirmed that much.

Aside from these feelings being new and unknown, I at first found them to be preposterous. A Pokemon falling in love with two others at the same time, and wanting to be with both of those Pokemon at the same time! Scandalous! Unheard of!

…I suppose that was why I was so against Fornax’s relationship with Agni and Deimos at first. If it wasn’t for that loveable canine, I wouldn’t have ever realized that things like this were normal, and I would have never mustered the courage to confess my feelings to Barnard and Kepple. He has truly taught me so much. I am sure he was laughing from the Hall of Judgement as he watched me confess my feelings to Barnard and Kepple.

If I am being honest, Dad, the last part of my fears stemmed from the fact that I was worried that they would reject me. They were already so close, I assumed that they would have preferred to be in a romantic relationship with each other instead of me.

…I was right about that first part. But I was also wrong about that second part.

They did love each other. They had actually been in a relationship for six months before we began our voyage on Aquarius 5… which I feel very embarrassed for not noticing sooner. But they told me that, even though they loved each other very much, they always felt like there was something missing in their relationship.

And then they stepped onto Aquarius 5, and locked eyes with me.

According to them, it was love at first sight.

Heh… I suppose that was why they were so insistent on making friends with me during our voyage to Gaia Centauri.

And then… we kissed, Dad.

All three of us.

I will admit, the act of kissing two Pokemon at once was… unusual. It was quite awkward, especially when both of the Pokemon I kissed had mouths covered in blood. But it was also the best feeling I had ever experienced. For the first and only time, Gaia Centauri felt like home. I just wanted it to be Barnard and Kepple and I, sharing our love and passion for each other and being together.

…But a mere five minutes after that beautiful moment, they looked up at me, smiled softly, and simultaneously passed away in my arms.

It is so unfair, Dad. This planet is so unfair. It gives me the two things I needed most in my life – that I didn’t even know I needed in my life until I met them – only to tear them away from me, right after our happiest moment.

If I am being honest, Dad, I am not even sure I want to come home any more. But I am also not sure what else I can do here, on this Giratina-cursed planet.

I just want to go back to that moment with Barnard and Kepple.

I just want to be happy again.

I just want to…

Wait a moment.

What’s that sound…?

…

…

…

…ACK! STAY BACK, YOU VILE FIENDS! STAY AWAY FROM THEM! YOU WON’T TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME AGAIN! STAY BACK! STAY BACK! STAY BA-

_ _ _

GURK! ACK! IT HURTS! DADDY, PLEASE HELP!

_ _ _ _ _

GET OFF OF ME, YOU SCOUNDRELS!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Get… off… of… me…

I need to… get to… my loves…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[COMMUNICATION SIGNAL LOST. LOG SAVING AND SENDING NOW.]

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