[WAR] SOLR Infection.

[3m0d0ll]

SOLR Infection.

One of two scenarios were happening around you depending on who you were. For the bakers, plumbers, students, the authors and the readers, alike, all that could be heard was what sounded like a faint shotgun echo. But for the mentally elite, the scientists, astrophysicists, and well-certified janitors, the sound was terrified chaos.

A single, smokey strand fell from the sky, tipped with yellow fire. Thick clouds trailed behind the falling object and seemed to pulse, creating thicker lines in some sections with more-translucent smoke in between. Falling and falling faster, the vessel was now more audible, and filled the skies with rumbling static.

Swimmers on the outskirts of Mossdeep City let the waves pull them onto the beach. While some stood cemented and others crawled onto the shore, all eyes were fixated on the black stream in the sky. Sealeo and Wailmer near the island felt fat pains in their stomachs as they filled their lungs with more air than they seemingly could hold, then dove into the deep ocean. Migrating through complex underwater caverns, huddling in submerged caves, and making their way for the open sea, aquatic Pokemon of all types responded to the falling machine in the sky. They responded with fear.

Near the Mossdeep Space Center, some people fled, running to their homes to warn their family of the danger plummeting to Earth. Fewer individuals, all dressed in intelligent-looking clothing, ran into the building. Once inside, the visible panic had spread like wildfire. A loud siren was wailing, meant to be background noise and informative, though it seemed to only add to the intensity. Nearly everyone was shouting—in an attempt to be heard over the screeching alarm—and several people were running back and forth within the Space Center.

Bouncing around the room you could hear sentences like, “SOLR is off target and parachutes are not responding, crash landing eminent!” and, “I thought I had extracted all combustion air from the holding chamber! This never should have happened, it's all my fault!”

A green-haired man near the windows that stretched up and touched the ceiling is sitting, hunched forward in his chair. Rambling on about how the inconsistent stream of smoke erupting from the butt-end of the rocket is caused by what's called the pogo effect. Fuel is moving within the machine roughly, causing the engine to fluctuate too quickly and function inconsistently. He keeps talking, his eyeballs rattling in their sockets as an image of a rocket crashing into the ocean reflects in his glasses.

After what seemed like days of falling to some, and half a second to most, the machine landed in the dark waters on Route 127. From the impact, an utterly seismic tidal wave spread inland from the ocean, followed by a deep rumbling. The ocean surrounding Sootopolis City rose, but never leaked over the chalk-white walls. Mossdeep flooded slowly, with most citizens packed either into their houses or the city's Gym for shelter from the rising waters. South in Pacifidlog Town, it was a good day for boogie boarding.

In Sootopolis, that last thing a young woman will remember is the sound of the parietal bone in her skull, cracking against her shower's tiled wall as the earth shook. Many people drowned as sea levels increased suddenly, and boulders were ripped from their sturdy bases by massive waves.

First responders weren't fast enough, mainly because most people died within minutes. Either pulled under the surface by intense suction, or forced into rocks by the weight of the waves, by the time Pokemon Rangers had arrived the ocean was gaining a red tint. Sharpedo, more desperate for a bite of meat than bodily preservation, lurked in the darkening waters below. Clamperl shut their lids and burrowed underneath the sand as soon as they sensed the radiation in the water.

By sunset, the physical impact the crash had on humans, and Pokemon, was apparent. Those who survived the flooding were nauseous and struck with fever. Many vomited, and even more were so dizzy and sick that they were unable to leave their beds. Radiation gathered by the rocket had been released once it struck the water, leaking into the ocean. Now polluted with syrupy toxins, Pokemon either died due to sickness, or become heavily mutated and deformed. Humans weren't safe from the bodily destruction, and many lost limbs, patches of skin, hair, and use of their internal organs due to the exposure.

Island hospitals were overcrowded and unable to provide any relief. Many were turned away to rot in the streets because there weren't enough beds, and others were flown to the mainland for their medical assistance. Countless people weren't able to be saved at all, meeting a painful death locked in their dark basements.

The waters stunk of corpse and salty decay, though they had receded back to near-normal levels. Many Pokemon and humans were never accounted for, the bodies that were found received closed-casket burials. Protected populations of Relicanth and Gorebyss were burned to extinction, adding to the chyme of decomposing bone.

In the years that dragged on after what became known as the “SOLR Infection,” Jubilife TV and Goldenrod Radio stations will air shows each year as the anniversary rolls around. In Hoenn, the day has been titled “Remembrance Day,” commemorated by wearing blue.

Scientists now will tell you that the actual cause of the accident was heavy, sudden impact within the stratosphere. Apparently, spacecraft SOLR made contact with an object that knocked us off course and damaged the parachute release. Their explanation is supposed to mean something or help somehow, but it usually doesn't. Knowledge now cannot repair the hundreds of lives that were lost, nor can it bring back any of the Pokemon that were not spared.

While information won't be able to restore Hoenn's eastern coast, the activism it inspired has increased awareness of marine preservation; Lilycove Museum has dedicated its bottom floor to stunning renditions of the SOLR Infection, the most expensive piece being a gorific (gory+horrific) clay sculpture of a Tentacruel swimming away form the blast. Slateport City added a wall of information regarding the effects of both radiation and pollution to their Oceanic Museum, and the empty lot next to the Pokemon Center was built on by a charity, focusing on Aquatic Pokemon Rehabilitation.

Recently, some nights in the Shipyard you can find strange fish squirming along just underneath the surface of the water. They glow a faint yellow and smell like excreted stool. Their four asymmetrical eyes make it difficult to understand their intentions. The weak swimmers float with the current, feasting mainly on the salts and minerals found in ocean water. Samples have been captured and can in fact be contained by a Pokeball—suggesting that this new species stems from a previously known Pokemon that comes in contact with moderate amounts of beta radiation.

Theoretical Pokephysicists across the globe are now testing to see if we can harness this radioactive energy to devolve Pokemon, though so far there aren't any supportive findings. Other hypotheses state that constant exposure to radiation will prevent the Pokemon from Megavolving.

Now, almost 30 years later, the radiation seems to be wearing thin. Sootopolis and Mossdeep are now able to be repopulated by small amounts of people, though traveling that area is no longer possible for swimmers. Aquatic life is little to none, mainly claimed by resilient Magikarp and unaffected Tentacool.

In Sootopolis City, all arrivals and departures must be done via hot air balloon, due to the unsafe waters leading into the city. A bridge has been constructed along the northern ridge of the city's walls, allowing people to walk from each side to the other. The Gym is empty. Has been ever since Juan fled a few months after the SOLR Infection.

The Pokemon League has been brought to a complete halt as challengers are unable to reach the Elite Four's battle arenas. Because of this, members of the Elite will occasionally host battle festivals on Route 118, allowing trainers to challenge them and fight for the title. Phoebe is the only remaining member, holding her ground on the battle field for all these years.

Through all the devastation, and through the scientific advancements over the past three decades, progress is being made. Volunteers are constantly stepping up to help clean forests and beaches. The use of renewable energy sources has increased over 500%; rural pollution is nearly nonexistent; the most common, urban waste product is outdated machinery, instead of litter or smog; the amount of sulfur dioxide humans are releasing into the environment has plummeted, so much so that the largest producer of S0₂ are now volcanoes.

From tragedy emerged a beauty, named coexistence. Because of the global reaction in response to what occurred on Remembrance Day, wild Pokemon in unaffected regions have become much healthier and more heavily populated. Viridian Forest is lively with Butterfree and Karrablast. Floaroma Town's meadow has never been full of such bright flowers, Pokemon of all types are attracted to the field without the use of honey.

Under the thick sunlight, a middle-aged woman and her father with green hair sit in the sand of what remains of the Slateport beach. The water splashing onto the sand is coated with noxious grime, dying the sand underneath the color of a plum. She asks if her father has heard about the weird fish Pokemon floating into the Shipyard. The sun burns their bumpy skin pink. The tan lines left behind act as a boarder between damaged and protected skin—serving the same purpose as this purple beach.