Pokémon Chronicles 零 (ZERO)

Episode 40: Lucca Aska

"So what you're saying is, it's only a matter of time... before it's all over for her," Lucca stated, sighing afterwards.

"It's really quite remarkable, to be honest. I'd like to look at it in as positive a light as possible, but the more I think about it, the darker it gets," Azu sighed with him. She went quiet for a bit, trying to distract herself with her surroundings. The duo were taking a walk together so early in the morning that stars were still visible in the sky. Azu had finally spoken to Lucca about the contents of the book that Shelly had found. Lucca was trying to read it while walking with her, and eventually scrunched his face up from his difficulty with doing so.

"Azu... what positivity could there possibly be to this? If we tried to explain this to Megan, she'd be crushed. Everyone would be crushed," he asked, tilting his head.

"Hey you've got to admit, from a technological standpoint, Panzer's work truly is incredible. Using an arte to reanimate a dead body is one thing, but physically cloning yourself using that arte... If the processes written in that book are correct, then Panzer really is Crystal right now," Azu remarked. "It kind of backs up Ion's little alibi about helping to sabotage Panzer. The book's written by Panzer, but it was in a place where we would find it, despite containing every last detail to do with Project Zero."

"Even if it's impressive, it means that Panzer... it's like, you know, she's sealed this in a way that she can't lose. If Crystal stays alive for too long, her brain will degenerate, and she'll become as crazed as Panzer was. And with Panzer's orders riddled into that mind, along with the fact that Crystal will live for many years after we're gone, there's no telling what future generations will have to put up with," he explained. "It's so weird... they're different Pokémon, yet they have the same brain, and so, the very same knowledge, views and instincts? Even though the book explains it well, I'm super confused about exactly what this arte does and how that came to be."

"It revives dead cells and causes them to become active again. Do this to a brain before it rots, and the entire body becomes active again, provided it isn't punctured anywhere. And even if it is, that just requires a little surgery," Azu explained. "Panzer figured out that if you implant enough cells into another brain and then use the arte, you can practically 'reprogram' a dead person, not only bringing them back to life, but getting them to do what you want. Crystal is part of a project where she has a large number of Panzer's brain cells, thus she obtained Panzer's mind-set and physical ability, despite being an entirely different species."

"I... still don't get it, but it is a very uncomfortable thought regardless. Wait, if her body is in full motion thanks to her brain working, how comes she doesn't need to eat or sleep?" Lucca asked.

"You're getting it already. You already figured out the major problem here," Azu answered, making him freeze to think about it.

"... It... it couldn't be... her body and mind couldn't be starting to decay already, could it?" he asked in fear. Azu slowly nodded, and his mouth hit the floor. "Azu, are you serious? Dear lord, that's awful!"

"According to the book, the records of previous replicas made this way often resisted keeping Panzer's characteristics until their brains started to decay. Once they did, they descended into drones that knew nothing but to follow the orders written into the implanted brain cells. Since their bodies decayed with them, nutrition wasn't necessary," Azu continued, having to look back through a few pages to remind herself. "Once the brain decays enough, the body's cells stop multiplying, leading to a state of malnutrition, like the one you said Panzer was in, where she struggled to breathe and move. But that process takes thousands of years. I think the machine she walked around in somehow helped her to continue living."