Previously on Oranges to Grapes...
Dendra takes Camilla, Pico and Balto over to Miriam to get patched up before reporting the incident at the schoolyard to Director Clavell, both of whom assure the anthros that they "did the right thing" before Clavell calls Professor Jacq again and tells him that the struck down "three sleeper agents..."
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After Clavell made his statement to Professor Jacq, nobody moved or talked for about ten seconds. Then, Camilla threw her paws up in exasperation and asked out loud, "Am I the only one around here who needs context for this discussion!?"
"No, I'm lost here, too," Balto said. "What do you mean by 'sleeper agents?' And we still don't know how we 'did the right thing' here."
"Perhaps Professor Jacq will care to explain, if you will let him," Clavell answered.
"I'd be glad to," Jacq said, and everyone went silent to listen. "You see, kids, four years ago when I was still a teacher at the Academy, I was doing some research on Terastal energy, the life energy of the Paldea region that allows its Trainers to Terastalize their Pokemon. One of those facinating tidbits I found out about Terastal energy was that it mainly comes from the innermost depths of the Great Crater of Paldea, usually in pulses that generate crystal caverns containing Tera Pokemon, or Pokemon that have Terastalized on their own."
Pico raised his hand, pausing the explanation. "Still doesn't get us to the 'sleeper agents' and 'the right thing,' sorry for interrupting."
"Just providing context," Professor Jacq explained. "Anyway, another tidbit I discovered was the pulses from the Great Crater come in different strengths, and the stronger the pulse, the stronger the Tera Pokemon in the crystal caverns that result. Back then, I had some of the Academy's students help me on the sly... or not-so-sly, with my research by investigating the crystal caverns made from the stronger pulses. Thankfully, they were able to take on the Tera Pokemon inside them, but then came the black crystal caverns; made from the strongest pulses the Great Crater could emit, and holding the strongest Tera Pokemon there was!"
Camilla raised her paw, pausing the lecture again. "Still waiting for the agents and right thing here, please."
"All of you, have patience," Clavell sharply cut in, keeping the students quiet. "Now then, as you were saying, Professor?"
"Right, thanks," Jacq said. "As I was saying, I tried to keep the students I recruited safe and told them not to push anything, but for some reason, they started getting foolhardy and challenged those Tera Pokemon, too. Somehow, they managed to best them, I don't know how, but that's when the pulses from the Great Crater started getting irregular. But the Trainers didn't stop there, oh no they did not. They seemed to be overtaken by an unnatural impulse to keep challenging Tera Pokemon in crystal caverns, so that's just what they did. Wherever Paldea had a crystal cavern pop up on its surface, a Trainer was there to defeat or catch the Tera Pokemon inside, and as time went on, more and more Trainers had the same mindset. Meanwhile, the Terastal energy pulses from the Great Crater started happening less and less, until eventually, two years ago, the last pulse was pulsed, and the last cavern was raided."
Camilla, Pico and Balto were drawn into the story, and this time Balto had his paw up. "What happened to the Trainers after the last cavern was raided?"
"Good question," Professor Jacq answered. "All of them just... stopped, as if the unnatural impulses they were influenced by were suddenly broken. But, back at the Great Crater, everything seemed to go dark, almost as if there was a giant battery powering it, and that battery ran plumb out of juice. Since no one dared enough to go into the Great Crater to investigate, out of respect or fear of the law that the inside of the Great Crater was off-limits, no one had any idea what happened. But, some new people started appearing in Paldea shortly after that, and no one knew where they came from. But they all seemed harmless enough, and wanted to start lives in Paldea, so they were welcomed with open arms."
The three anthros nodded, but their main question still wasn't answered. "Go on..."
"Well, a few weeks AFTER that," Jacq continued, "there had been altercations from those new people... who weren't really people at all. Somehow they turned into crystal humanoid creatures with exaggerated spikes on their shoulders, threatening to make people 'answer for their crimes,' but no one could get any answers other than that. Only interference from really strong Pokemon could get them to stop, but when the victims were questioned, all they could say was that they were 'minding their own business and enjoying the beautiful day.' However, several witnesses reported that the victims mentioned the scenery of the landscape, and the people that became the crystal humanoids changed expression... which led to believe that those people were sleeper agents that were sent to Paldea to mingle with the locals, only to be activated once a trigger phrase was said around them."
"Huh," Balto said. "Now that you mention it, Pico was complimenting the schoolyard earlier before the alter...cation happened, hope I said that word right. What exactly did you say, Pico? Maybe the trigger phrase could've been in there somewhere."
"Ah," Clavell said. "You may be on to something, Balto."
"Let's see," Pico pondered, trying to remember the conversation with Rima, Sylvan and Spike. "I said, 'The sun is out, the sky is blue, and look how green the grass is in here.'"
Professor Jacq had a pen and notepad out, and was writing those words down. "Sun out, sky blue, and you said 'how green the grass is IN here, didn't you?"
Pico nodded in confirmation, and Camilla raised her paw again. "Okay, thanks for the context about the sleeper agents and how we did the right thing, I understand fully now. But here's a follow-up question: who could've sent those sleeper agents, and why?"
"That... we haven't figured out quite yet," Jacq replied sheepishly. "But that doesn't mean we aren't trying. In fact, after this call is over, I'm eager to test what I've written to try and induce a controlled trigger so we can get more answers to fill in the blanks."
"Very well, Professor," Clavell said. "Then I shall leave you to your studies while I have something else to say to my students." The image of Professor Jacq waving goodbye was quickly shut off, and the screen went blank as the director of the Academy continued. "So, now you know why I called you to my office, and once again, you were not in trouble."
The three anthros smiled and said in unison, "Thank you, Director Clavell."
"However," Clavell carried on, making his students drop their smiles, "what occurred beforehand did result in injury, and I can not, will not, SHALL not be held responsible for any student leaving the academy grounds impaired. So, while what I am about to instate may sound like an unfair outrage, bear in mind that it was made with noble intentions and your best interests at heart. And thus... it is with a heavy heart that the three of you be confined to your dormitories for seven days, which means that you will be participating in the independent study project later. This should give you enough time to recuperate and recover from your injuries. In the meantime, however, I will give you all special permission to attend classes through electronic means, as well as let you bypass the criteria to attend further education. This should give you plenty of incentive for free time during your confinement and recovery, after which you must return to my office for a short briefing of your next task on the docket."
The sudden paragraph of new information was a lot to take in, but each of the anthros understood the reasoning behind it. With Camilla unable to walk for long periods of time, Pico unable to maintain his balance now that it was offset, and Balto unable to sustain himself on solid foods he'd have to chew, there was no way any of them would be able to go out of the Academy anytime soon. So, they simply nodded and said together, "We understand, Director Clavell."
"I'm glad," the director replied. "And no need to worry. Once I explain the situation to my faculty, I'm confident that they will be more than sympathetic. Dismissed."
The three anthros then left the office, where Miriam was waiting to escort them back up the stairs to their dorms...
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To be continued.
