Rise To The Challenge!

I’m Professor Blair S. Tenaza (she/her), and I’m now the head researcher at the Holon Research Tower, located in Holon City in, you guessed it, the Holon region! Our topics of interest at the HRT are as follows:

Find and study the mythical Pokémon Mew

Research the effects of electromagnetism both on the region and on its Pokémon, including and especially Delta Pokémon

Develop and refine artificial equivalents to existing Pokémon (this task primarily falls to our lead roboticist and his team)

Now, I’ll share a brief primer on Delta Species and Holon, as I know that is certainly the least known aspect of our research here. Originally, Holon was a region devoid of people. It wasn’t especially habitable for humans, and so Pokémon were its sole inhabitants. Then my predecessor came along and established Holon City and the HRT, specifically in pursuit of Mew. His machinery used in the search emitted electromagnetic waves on a scale previously unheard of, even beyond the special magnetic fields found in places like Mount Coronet and Chargestone Cave.

Prolonged exposure to these extreme waves altered the Holon ecosystem permanently, resulting in many Pokémon permanently obtaining different typings and mannerisms. Some of these Pokémon, remarkably, are recognizable as extant regional forms! For example, Kantonian, Alolan, and Galarian Meowth are all native to Holon now, where before only the Kantonian variety existed, and Cyndaquil evolved here become the once thought lost Hisuian form of Typhlosion. Many other Pokémon took on entirely new forms, such as the Gardevoir family becoming Psychic/Steel-types, and exposing a male Kirlia to a dawn stone produced an entirely new Psychic/Dark-type Pokémon known as Callord. For these altered Pokémon, the designations Delta Species (for all) and Holonnite (for the unique ones) were introduced.

These accidental changes to the environment were seen as both fascinating and concerning, and studies on their full impact were launched. It was quickly deduced that not only would removing the electromagnetic waves not revert these Pokémon to their previous forms, but that doing so would be detrimental to their health. Furthermore, it was discovered at this time that the islands off the coast of Holon’s mainland, distant from Holon City’s emissions, also held Delta Species. Prism Island was laden with crystals that seemed to be producing Delta Species, which briefly drew comparison to the Terastal phenomenon before further research confirmed no true link. Meanwhile, the further-out Scale Archipelago was found to be a nesting ground for Dragon-like Pokémon, and home to new forms that were determined to be natural Holonnite variations.

And that more or less covers the basics! I can get into Holonnite geography another day for those curious, but I think this post is plenty long already. Just know that those early days of research were nearly 20 years ago, now, and much of the staff here at the HRT has changed since then. We feel very strongly about not altering Holon’s ecosystem any further, and work hard to ensure the continued health of all people and Pokémon in Holon.

Finally, allow me to introduce the Pokémon I keep as research aides!

Claire the Castform. She helps me with studying the weather here in Holon, which has also been impacted.

Sprout the Holonnite Meganium (Grass/Ground). He’s great at judging the health of plant life, another important aspect of our impact.

Trace the Holonnite Smeargle (Normal/Ghost). He sketches anything I need documented, which is great because it can be hard to take pictures here in Holon. There’s solutions, but I just find him much more reliable.

Beacon the Artificial Starmie (Water/Steel). One of our robotics team’s creations. It’s extremely reliable for taking electromagnetic readings, and a trustworthy ride if I need to do work out on Holon Lake or along the coast, above water or below!

Shade the Alolan Persian. She’s my tracker. If I’m looking for a specific Pokémon, she’s almost always able to hunt it down. I chose her over the other Meowth variations present here because her Dark typing further helps in keeping a low profile to observe wildlife.

Magnus the Scorlev (Electric/Flying, evolution of Holonnite Gligar). He’s my aerial transport, and incredibly in-tune with Holon’s electromagnetic field. There’s quite a few options here for those needs, but what sets him apart is that Holonnite Gligar are a natural Delta Species from the Scale Archipelago!

Plus Zed, my PoryPhone. We use PoryPhones here in Holon because Porygon are native and already proven unaffected by the extreme electromagnetism. We actually impose some fairly strict regulations here in order to protect visitors’ Pokémon, and that includes barring entry for many species which might be impacted by Holon’s unique conditions.

N: Just until we decide you can graduate!

F: …

Whoaaa! That's incredible, yup yup! I reckon there was the time two of our guildmates got sucked through time and space, but... everyone knows that one by now...

N: incidents here in the guild, though… I’m sure Farry would have his stories to pick on me with~ But I’m not telling those! A guildmaster is supposed to have some dignity! So instead why I’ll talk about Faraday and I’s third member from our days as just a team. Froslass. No names! She’s retired now and values her privacy. But she was a guild founder with us, and used to be in charge of intelligence. Scouting, research, surveillance, whatever we had to know, she could find it. But one day Froslass was short-staffed, and an urgent request to locate this ring of thieving Salandits came in. Apparently they’d stolen a guild friend’s pair of priceless human artifacts, and had some nefarious intent~

N: So off Froslass goes!~ Decides that damn it all, she’ll do the tracking herself if she must! And she does track them. For days, aaaaall the way through Verge Desert and the Translucent Dunes (both oddly empty of Cubone). Across the Smog-Choked Magmafields (very much missing the usual Salandit population), up Mount Sulfur, and right into the Ashy Caldera where she finally corners them! Now remember. She’s an ice-type who hasn’t been in the field in a while. Very capable as a guild founder, of course! But not in peak condition. And she just chased a gang of fire-types DAYS away from home, up an active volcano. She’s PISSED for our friend. At this point it isn’t about information anymore. She already knows they’re based up on Mount Sulfur and could send for a team to handle things. But instead she goes charging in alone, bless her heart. And do you know what she finds?

In short: cereal that tasted like crap and skirts dangerously close to being considered a warcrime.

N: Well! Apples did exist in my old home, but we had a lot of variety~ Sour, sweet, syrupy, and tons of not-apple foods! I think pellets were around, but you didn’t really wanna feed THOSE to Pokémon! We had all sorts of other things for them to eat! And what humans ate? Oh, I do miss it sometimes~ Perhaps I should try to figure out cooking here, again. It has been years… We do know some fairies with relevant skills~ :3c

Oran Berry- Something the muse considers important in day to day life

Aspear Berry- Something the muse does to stay warm and cozy on a cold day

Rawst Berry- Something the muse does to stay cool on a hot day

Pecha Berry- The muse’s favorite dessert

Cheri Berry- How the muse deals with nervousness

Chesto Berry- The muse’s bedtime routine

Persim Berry- Something the muse has trouble understanding

Lum Berry- Something (an item or a method) the muse finds to be useful in difficult situations

Sitrus Berry- A way the muse likes to rest and relax

Liechi Berry- A physical activity the muse enjoys

Ganlon Berry- Something that makes the muse feel safe

Petaya Berry- Something the muse finds mentally engaging

Apicot Berry- An aspect of themselves that the muse is proud of

Salac Berry- A time in the muse’s life they wish could have lasted longer

Micle Berry- A subject the muse is well-versed in

Lansat Berry- Something that brings out excitement in the muse

Custap Berry- How well the muse keeps their cool in a crisis