Pokémon Gakutensoku--Cultivate The Vine

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

This is the third part of Gakutensoku, with the first two parts being Safe Passage and All Together Now. To summarize, AI Turo has returned from the future.








The grand city of Mesagoza was an ancient and storied one on its own, the site being home to various peoples dating back to before recorded history. Even the modern incarnation encapsulated an older era, with the elegant brick and stone giving it a distinctive feel of an earlier time.

And yet, the presence of Uva Academy, itself over eight hundred years old, kept it firmly in the modern age. Within the grand facade, the school was constantly modernizing, keeping abreast of the latest in scientific and social advancements. All who attended were to be seen as equals, and the hopes were that this would extend to the greater world beyond, all Paldea partaking of the fruits of the academy's offerings.

The director's office hadn't always been in the same room. But the devotion of a young scientist, one who had carried the hopes of the academy on his shoulders from an early age, had influenced the decision of the current director to move his office to that boy's former private lab.

The room was filled with mementos of across Paldea, plaques and papers and rare stones and the like dotted around. The memories of Turo in his youth were everywhere. His accomplishments and discoveries and experiments were tucked into every corner of the room, the memory of the young student's brilliant mind shining as bright as the sun.

Shadow seeped around the edges of that memory, however. The knowledge of Turo's descent into obsession, his wicked plan of "Paradise", his mounting isolation, his sudden and brutal death at the claws of one of his test subjects, all weighed heavily on Clavell's mind. Turo had been the brightest star that Uva had known in centuries, perhaps ever, but Clavell would have gladly seen that potential squandered if it meant the man could have had a happy life.

So when Arven had entered the office with a grim expression and said he needed to talk, some part of the director's heart felt as though this was owed.





The children had told Clavell much that had happened. Over the past few years, either directly or through little things that came up in conversation, he had formed an image of what had transpired that day in the depths of the crater. The robot, the terrifying machine, the crystals sprouting from nowhere, the..."Guardian", they had called it. A few months later, Juliana had come to him in tears, having fought and captured the beast in a fit of anger and then not knowing what to do with it.

Nemona had confided that the battle in the lab had invigorated her, made her want to keep pushing forward, until it dawned on her later what was truly happening, what the fight had meant. She had bemoaned that such a promising trainer had been forced to leave to wherever and whenever the machine led, but admitted that losing out on such an opponent was nothing compared to what Arven had lost.

Penny had simply asked in passing "Do you think I could have fixed him? The robot, I mean," but hadn't waited for a response before returning the subject to her work with the League.

And Arven's words had avoided that day entirely, preferring to ask about his father's earlier life, before his heart and mind had been dominated only by whatever dreams that book had given him.

What Clavell had learned included the detail that the AI had looked exactly like Turo, but even knowing that the man he had spoken to that had given Miraidon to Juliana was, in fact, an artificial being and not the man that had been so dear to him and everyone else in Paldea, even knowing that he could not tell that anything was different, nothing prepared him for the man seated in front of him.

"I'm sorry," Clavell murmured. "Where are my manners? Would you care for some tea?"

The AI blinked. Why would a robot blink? "That is very kind of you, however, I would be unable to drink it."

"Ah, yes, that's right..." The older man nodded and brought his folded hands to rest under his chin. "You understand my hesitation, I trust. From what the children told me, your departure was quite final. They believed that it would be impossible for you to return."

"That is correct. I believed it as well at the time. The means I used to return do not exist in this era. Or..." The AI paused at exactly where Turo would have inserted a pause in a lengthy explanation. "...rather, it is not currently capable of that task."

Clavell drew in a sigh. "And of course there is the matter of uncertainty. How can we be certain that you were returned to the same world you left from?"

"Of course, the matter of infinite parallel universes. I do understand."

"So you will..." He sighed again, and though it was shorter, it carried much more weight to it. "...understand that I would like to ask you further questions."

That wasn't why, of course, and the AI knew it. But he nodded and, a moment later, added a short smile. "It is important."

The true reason, they both knew, was to ensure that the AI was who he said he was. "Very well. How did Turo and I first meet?"







Behind them, in the old lab, Arven slouched in an office chair. It was newer than the others, and that made it the only chair he would use. "Man, I thought Clavell would be happy to see him."

Penny fiddled with the surgical mask that the AI had worn on his way through the town and school. Hiding his distinctive features was key to avoiding undue attention. "He is, Arven. But people deal with their emotions differently."

"Like you," Juliana pointed out, gesturing to Penny. "You're twirling that thing around so much because Clavell won't let you use your phone in his office."

The younger girl bristled. "H-hey, the robot's the one getting interrogated here, not me!"

"I think you have to be asked questions to be interrogated," Nemona chuckled. She had donned the hat that the AI wore on their trip, an unfashionable bucket hat that Juliana had bought on a whim during their original journey. It didn't suit them, or the AI, or Nemona, and it was hard to imagine anybody it *would* suit, but it did the job. "Anyway, he seemed to enjoy the walk over. Even if it overstimulated him."

Penny groaned slightly. "It overstimulates *me* and I just have normal human senses. I can't imagine what it must be like if you can pick up on the vital signs of everything in your proximity, and hear the humming in electrical wires and from electronics...basically if a human sensed all of that, they wouldn't be able to function. There'd be too much data to process."

Juliana was about to ask wasn't it normal to hear all those things but decided against it. "So he can hear us right now?"

Arven blanched at that. "Oh god. Uh, if we're quiet will they think we're spying on them?"

"I donno. I'm not him and I'm not Clavell. I only hear conversations from far away if I'm hacking someone's phone and I don't do that anymore."

Nemona cocked her head and pouted comically. "Every time you say that, I feel like I should get it in writing."

"Hey," the younger girl smiled as she leaned back, "Cassiopiea's word is her bond."

"That doesn't do much to reassure me."





Clavell's questions continued. "What were the names of those who worked here alongside him?"

"Unclear. Define 'here'."

"Ah, yes, I suppose that was a bit indirect. Here in this lab."

The AI nodded a single time, firmly, only breaking eye contact briefly. "Thank you. In the first year, it was--" He rattled off a handful of names, one of which caused Arven to look up for a moment. But with the AI's back to him, the distressed look went unnoticed. "In the second year, it was--" The second list was nearly identical, but now included Clavell among the few changes. "I apologize. I do not remember the name of one of the researchers. He was only present for a month. In the third year, it--"

This time, Clavell cut him off. "Thank you, that will be sufficient. When I first began work with him, I was under a different name. Do you remember that name?"

That was the longest the AI had looked away, seeming hesitant to respond. "I do. But it would be impolite to speak it."

"I am giving you permission."

"Very well." The name he spoke was a relatively unremarkable one, but stood out as being distinctly feminine.

Clavell's expression was impossible to read. "Thank you. Now, I'm going to give you a few dates, and I would like to know if you associate them with anything."

The AI listened patiently to the series of numbers, saying no to most of them. At one, he smiled faintly. "A certain researcher told him to remember that date, as a movie she was eager to see was coming out. They went together."

"And who was that?" It hadn't been one of the dates that Clavell expected to hear anything from, but it seemed through sheer coincidence he had managed to hit on something meaningful.

The name was the one that had caused Arven's reaction. The simple name of Sada. "She had been very excited. Admittedly so had he, since he had greatly enjoyed the book, and looked forward to seeing how the ancient creatures would be portrayed. It did not age very well, but it was considered highly scientifically accurate at the time." The AI smiled quickly but it dropped away within a second. "I suppose that is the passage of time."

"It is. Shall we continue?"

"Of course."

Clavell read the next date and unconsciously narrowed his eyes. That was the first date he had expected to have meaning.

The AI's gaze dropped slightly. "That was...yes, of course. That is the day that Turo's father passed away."

The older man closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before reopening them. "I apologise for asking these things. But what do you remember about that day?"

"..." Though the AI's hands balled on his knees, though the question seemed to make him wince, his voice was calm and even, something so reminiscent of Turo's direct and professional manner. "I remember that the man had been ill for some time. That Turo had been expecting the call." He shook his head and seemed to sigh. "I apologize. The call itself was very personal, and I do not wish to speak further of it."

"Very well."

"I am aware that this may cause you to view me with some suspicion, as I am directly refusing to answer--" A small bit of distress marked the AI's expression, a slight creasing around the eyes, coupled with his refusal to look towards the older man.

Clavell nodded just a bit. "It's all right. We can continue."

The AI rubbed at his left arm, a gesture he hadn't made in a long time, but one Clavell knew very well. "Yes, thank you."



Behind them, Juliana tightened in their seat. "That sounded really upsetting."

Arven sighed. "Dad never...talked about his family. Like at all. I didn't know he had any until I was seven or something. I've never met any of his relatives."

Penny fiddled with her phone but, true to the rules, kept it off. "Ever tried to reach out to them?"

"Nah. They never tried to reach out to us. Same wi--" He stopped mid-sentence and shook his head. "They'll probably try once word gets out what happened to him, so I'm glad I'm going to be out of the region then."

At his sudden stop, Nemona had looked over at him. "Arven, if you ever want to talk..."

He brightened and stuck his arm out with a bold thumbs up. "It's ok. I know. I'm ok!" Relaxing, he brought his arm back down to his side and leaned back. "Once I get back, if I get accosted by reporters or weird calls or whatever, I'll need your help. But I'll be in food heaven for a few years and it'll be great. The only scientists I'll have to hear about are nutritionists! And I don't have to think about any sort of family drama with any of them."

"Unless the teacher invites their significant other to trauma dump at you for the entire class," Juliana laughed to themself. "But I don't think that would happen at culinary school. Least I hope not."

Penny smirked. "I'll live to a hundred and five and never forget that."

Nemona looked confused. "Wait, did that really happen?"

"Ok, so, this was a few years ago..."

Arven's focused had shifted back to the conversation at the desk, however, and he barely noticed.




The AI's eyes flashed at the latest question, and he was about to apologize until noticing that Clavell didn't react to it. If he didn't, the AI wouldn't draw attention to it, and would proceed as planned. "His primary inspiration was his boundless curiosity. However, I believe you expect me to cite the Violet Book, correct?"

"I'm not expecting anything but answers," Clavell answered plainly.

The AI tried to find any give or tell in the man's manner that would reveal his thoughts. Even his vital signs were neutral. His breathing was calm and even, and his heart rate, though slightly elevated, was within normal range and could be attributed to any number of unknown factors. "Very well. While he was certainly driven by the Violet Book, it merely fueled an already raging fire within him. He wanted to understand the great mysteries of the world, and there are none greater than Area Zero." The AI shifted a bit, though his gaze remained fixed on Clavell. "Even now, after all this time, I find that my understanding of the place is limited. It seems, perhaps, that even with every effort, it may simply be something that we are not meant to know. But humans cannot accept that, and..." He glanced for a split second at a fossil displayed on the wall. That had not been Turo's contribution, instead dug up by a researcher from an earlier age, but Turo had gleefully taken part in Sada's attempts at studying it. "...I myself struggle with that possibility as well. I wish to know everything as well, even knowing that I cannot."

Clavell noted that the AI made a clear distinction between humans and himself.

"It would frustrate my creator to no end that he could not know every answer." The AI brought a hand to his chin in that distinctive way that Turo had long had. "I of course inherited that from him, but I believe my questions would be different. Perhaps even my reason for asking them."

"And what would one of those questions be?"

"Do you wish me to answer in his stead, or for myself?"

Clavell's expression stayed as even as ever. "Both, if you would."

The AI glanced toward the window. "His most pressing question..." He looked back with a shake of his head. "I am sorry. There are too many of them, fighting for priority within him. It would be akin to trying to single out a droplet in a storm."

"And as for you?"

That was far simpler, and the AI answered immediately. "I would want to understand how to lead a fulfilling life."

"I see. And do you consider yourself alive?"

Despite the immediacy of his prior response, the AI pondered this new question, hands again curling and gaze again falling, drooping to the front of the desk but only passively taking it in. Before speaking, he released a simulated sigh. "I initially did not. I am, after all, entirely artificial, inorganic and constructed rather than birthed." His hand came to his forehead in that way of Turo's and he shook his head, expression subdued, before dropping that hand to his chest, splaying his fingers out over where a heart would be. "And yet over the years, I realized it. Though I am not human, though I do not draw breath nor does a heart beat within me, I am, for all intents and purposes, a living being. I possess thoughts and actions independent of my creator and even formed opposing viewpoints from him. I react to stimuli, both physical and emotional." He paused, thinking for a moment with a quirk of his head. "From a purely technical standpoint, I do not possess emotions as an organic life form would. But what I experience...it is functionally the same, in an entirely inorganic way. I believe you are familiar with Porygon, for instance--" But he drew back before he could launch into a fuller explanation, setting his hands on his lap once more. "I am sorry. You did not ask for me to continue as I did."

Clavell only nodded. "Very well. I believe we have diverted from our task. Shall we return to the questions?"





"How do you think it's going?" Nemona wondered, craning her head as if a better view would make a difference.

"I'm just wondering what Clavell is after," Arven sighed. "Obviously he's from this universe. Even if he went to another one, he came back to this one. He'd be really different if he was from somewhere else."

Juliana felt a sudden pang in their stomach and doubled over sharply. "Y-yeah, I'd think so too," they dismissed, trying to cover up their sudden movement.

It wasn't enough to dodge Arven's attention. "You ok there, little buddy?"

"Oh uh, I think breakfast just isn't agreeing with me."

"Well, I'll make you something for lunch that can clear that up!" The young man flashed a smile and thumbs up, but it lacked his usual enthusiasm.

"Nah, it's ok. I just need..." They shook their head. "I'm nervous. Anything with him still has me on edge. I was so worried about him for so long and it doesn't just go away."

Penny patted them on the back. "Yeah, I get it. I still get nervous about going to class sometimes. Nemona, you're lucky you've graduated already."

Nemona rolled her eyes with a smile. "Yeah probably. Though now it's the working world! Learning how to be the perfect champion is hard!"

Juliana had straightened back out, but looked towards the AI with concern. "...What do you think he's going to do now that he's here? After everything he's been through, and as alone as he's been, integrating into society is going to be hard."

For a moment it seemed like Arven was going to say something, but didn't. All four of them looked over at the artificial man without thinking about it.




The interview, such as it was, continued for some time. The sun shining through the windows had shifted, casting a golden pall through the room. Arven's thoughts wandered as he watched the light catch on a monitor, briefly imagining his father's youth in the same room.

Clavell unfolded his hands and set them on the armrests of his chair. "I see. You have given me a great deal to think about." His stern, professional manner softened a bit, with a slow exhale and his eyes falling closed. "Pardon me."

The AI watched with an impassive expression, but nodded slowly even knowing that Clavell wouldn't see it.

"Pardon me..." the older man repeated as he removed his glasses and set them on the desk before him. "Pardon--" And the normally composed director was overcome with tears, covering his eyes with a hand as the other gripped the desk with such intensity that his knuckles turned white near immediately.

At the back of the room, Arven shot to his feet but froze, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to figure out what to do. Nemona watched from her seat, concern creasing her brow. "Should we help?"

"Y-yeah," Penny stammered as she fumbled for a packet of tissues in her backpack and handed them off to Juliana.

Clavell seemed to hold in place at their voices. "I'm dreadfully sorry..." he muttered, trying in vain to hide his tears.

But Juliana and Nemona were already there. "It's all right," Juliana said, handing him the packet. "I cried too."

Nemona asserted this with a firm nod before gesturing for her companion to step back. "I think we should leave them be."

The younger trainer agreed, and Clavell was once again alone with the AI. He took a few deep breaths and wiped at his eyes with one of the offered tissues before looking back at his companion. "You'll have to excuse me. It's unacceptable for an administrator to cry in front of a student..."

With a gentle smile, the AI nodded. "I understand. Though I was not a student here myself, you knew my creator as one."

"I certainly did, yes...there is no doubt in my mind now that you are exactly who you say you are." He sighed and retrieved his glasses, wiping the lenses with a cloth before sliding them back on. "I'm sorry for my outburst."

"It seemed to be a reasonable reaction, given the stimuli at hand," the AI replied. "If you wish to apologize, I admit I do not understand what you believe you did wrong, but I will accept it just the same."

The corners of Clavell's mouth turned faintly up, hesitantly and smally, but enough to be distinctive as a sign of happiness. "Thank you," he whispered, still not back to his usual self, but determined to press on.

The AI glanced back at the younger visitors. "They have the utmost respect for you. I believe they always will." When he turned back towards Clavell, he added "As do I. If I may, I would like to speak freely."

"Of course."

"I know you cared deeply for my creator," the AI began. "That brilliant smile of yours when you heard from me, in his guise." He tilted his head back and wrenched his eyes closed, the same way he had in the initial call. "I did not want to deceive you, but felt that I had to, for the greater good of Paldea and potentially the world. And unfortunately, I was correct." He resumed that distinctly sharp eye contact. "I wish to make amends for my lie, and that is to tell you the absolute truth."

Clavell leaned in, just a bit. "Please continue."

"I know that you..." Though the direct address continued, the AI shifted his hands in his lap as he spoke. "...wanted to help. You wish you could have changed things. But the truth is that you could not. Professor Turo did not want your intervention, and would have rejected it."

One of Clavell's hands balled up on the desk again, but only a stray tear fell from his eye.

"He believed in his path. In Paradise. And nothing you could have said would have dissuaded him."

Arven excused himself from the room, with Nemona following after him.

After a long exhale, Clavell replied only "Thank you for telling me." His hand faltered as he drew it back to his side. A moment more and he stood up, slightly stretched his back, and extended a hand. "I would like to thank you further for meeting with me. I have no doubts about you, and you've..." His hand faltered slightly "...set my mind at ease over some things."

The AI looked at the offered hand for just a moment before reaching over to shake it in return. "I thank you deeply for listening to me. I feared you would not agree to do so."

"Nonsense. I would never turn away a person in need."

The AI paused the handshake, maintaining the grip but stilling his hand. "I am glad to hear you say such a thing. Not simply that you regard me as a 'person', but that you bear such a generous nature towards others." After a beat, he resumed, shaking the offered hand a few more times before releasing and taking a step back. "I am honored to be able to meet you in person."

"And I you." Clavell permit himself a small smile. "If there is anything I can do for you, please, let me know."

"Right now, there is only one thing that comes to mind."

"Oh?"

"...I must go after Arven." The AI looked back at the door the young man had left through. "I believe our conversation upset him. So I must see to it that his emotions are not ignored."

"Yes, by all means!" Clavell returned to his seat and gestured back to the door with both hands. "Feel free to contact me at any time, but for now, yes, go to him!"

With a flash of that too-broad smile, the AI left, picking up his pace as he did. Behind him, Penny followed. Juliana grinned back. "Are you all right?"

Clavell sighed heavily and leaned back, pausing briefly to flick away a final tear. "I am. I will be. Thank you."

Next part--A Little Something Extra​

 

[IFBench]

This has torn out my heart in a similar way as your fic Answering Machine.

Admittedly, I have been having an extremely stressful week, and that might be part of why I teared up at this fic. However, this fic has also cheered me up, helped me lose that feeling of numbness that has been plaguing me this week.

Thank you for that, sincerely.

But to my review!

This fic was absolutely wonderful! I remember you talking a lot about the Professor AI a while back, and it was really nice to see that you wrote a fic about AI Turo! Especially one involving Clavell, one of my favorite characters from SV!

I really felt the silent but sheer emotion that Clavell had during the interview with AI Turo, especially at the end when he began to cry. Clavell is such a fascinating character, and I always wanted to see a fic of him interacting with the AI Professor. And here thiis fic is, and how wonderful it is!

I also loved the side bits with Juliana, Nemona, Arven, and Penny. I loved seeing them overhearing the conversation between Clavell and AI Turo, adding their own tidbits to it. And the bits about them wearing parts of AI Turo's presumably disguise were rather funny.

All in all, this was an absolutely wonderful fic! Thank you for writing this!

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I'm so glad I could help you feel better, even if it meant The Feels got you haha

There's not enough Clavell out there. Good to find more fans!

 

[Astinus]

My review of this part is going to be rather short, unfortunately. That's the problem with reading something without knowing all the canon information behind it! I'm missing some details. Again, though, through the way that the characters act and talk to each other, I get a sense of the heavy emotions that this situation brings with it. I'm sure that there were plenty of questions at the end of the game. It's good for everyone to have the AI come back to answer for Turo, bringing them some comfort.

I will say that I did like how the younger characters' interactions and reactions are mixed in with the conversation between the AI and Clavell! By including those, it's a reminder that all of this doesn't just affect whatever "main" characters there are for each part. Whichever characters that you're focusing on. The information shared between the AI and Clavell affects Arven, and allows for further interaction between the AI and Arven as they try to figure all this out.

Juliana was about to ask wasn't it normal to hear all those things but decided against it.

I'm also enjoying the small details about the characters, like this one about Juliana! It's such a small thing that it almost gets missed, but when I noticed it, it made Juliana come across as a more detailed character. They're actually becoming one of my favorites throughout this series.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Juliana being able to hear electronics is a detail from my life. It was worse in the CRT monitor era where I couldn't even go into a TV store without hearing a barrage of squealing!

Also you could always finish the game just putting that out there haha

 

[ShiniGojira]

Hello! How's your day been? Good? Bad? Well whatever it is, hopefully this little catnip review can do its part in brightening it just a tad bit!

Review:

So full disclosure, never played SV, don't exactly have a switch to do so and I've only watched like half a play through and a bit of the ending, also never read the two parts before this one. But yeah, despite not knowing much of everything but a general overview, I love this fic.

It's really cool seeing Clavell interrog– I mean interviewing Ai!Turo and the two talking and confirming just how accurate the Ai is to the real Turo and how different the ai is and how it views the world despite having real Turo's memories, personality and quirks. And I can tell how painful it is for Clavell to see someone so similar yet different to his dead friend and the part where he breaks down into tears is so good and Ai!Turo not knowing what to do and just kinda awkwardly sitting there and reassuring while the students help him was great.

And the constant back and forth to the students POV of the conversation was fun to read. Just seeing and hearing their different perspective on this situation was interesting though I can't help but feel like there was just something missing during the whole thing. I'm not sure if I can describe it properly since I'm pretty sure it's because I haven't read the first two part nor because of my lack of game knowledge. People who probably read or played the games likely wouldn't experience this problem so yeah.

Anywho, here's my line-by-line comments:

What Clavell had learned included the detail that the AI had looked exactly like Turo, but even knowing that the man he had spoken to that had given Miraidon to Juliana was, in fact, an artificial being and not the man that had been so dear to him and everyone else in Paldea, even knowing that he could not tell that anything was different, nothing prepared him for the man seated in front of him.

I mean, yeah. Imagine your dad dies and a complete replica of him literally appears in front of you suddenly, I don't blame him for being affected by that

The AI blinked. Why would a robot blink? "That is very kind of you, however, I would be unable to drink it."

I mean, isn't he supposed to replicate Turo as best as it can?

It overstimulates *me* and I just have normal human senses. I can't imagine what it must be like if you can pick up on the vital signs of everything in your proximity, and hear the humming in electrical wires and from electronics...basically if a human sensed all of that, they wouldn't be able to function. There'd be too much data to process."

Well technically, your body already does experience a crap ton of data being thrown at it every second. Temperature, the feeling of your clothes, the wind, the air, humidity, breathing, blinking etc etc. It's just that a lot of it is regulated to background noise that your brain can selectively ignore so I don't really think it'd be that overstimulating if your body was made for it

But he drew back before he could launch into a fuller explanation, setting his hands on his lap once more. "I am sorry. You did not ask for me to continue as I did."

Aw man, I was really getting invested in Ai!Turo's outlook on his living status. Like I always enjoyed just reading philosophical questions like this.

Because seriously, what does it really mean to be alive if you're an ai? The ability to form unique thoughts? Experiencing emotions? Or the ability to learn and interpret things with your own mindset? A lot of the things Ai!Turo said reminds me of another Ai I absolutely adore in the streaming sphere. Neurosama, fyi, while isn't alive, does apparently have the ability to have an internal monologue and act out said thought without vocalising it. She also appears to have emotions that aren't quite real or 'true' yet she still has unique 'wants' or 'needs' to achieve her purpose in being entertaining. And depsite all of this, she is still explicitly not aware or alive.

So I do wonder what exactly makes Ai!Turo different in his experience in being alive? Is it the ability to form memories and build upon them with real world experience? The ability to use a 'physical' body to affect reality and learn from it? 'cause I'm really curious.

For a moment it seemed like Arven was going to say something, but didn't. All four of them looked over at the artificial man without thinking about it.

I don't remember if this was explicitly said but where exactly are they from Ai!Turo and Clavell? Are they just across the room or something 'cause I've been imagining them just sitting on a bench just outside a door and leaning real hard against it to listen.

At the back of the room, Arven shot to his feet but froze, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to figure out what to do. Nemona watched from her seat, concern creasing her brow. "Should we help

Oh okay, nvm I guess they are in the same room

After a long exhale, Clavell replied only "Thank you for telling me."

Think it's fine if you remove 'only' here and add a comma instead

Clavell permit himself a small smile.

Tense change here

Clavell sighed heavily and leaned back, pausing briefly to flick away a final tear. "I am. I will be. Thank you."

Aw, that's cute.

And that's it for now! It was a great short read about Ai!Turo and the other peeps reactions! So see ya and hope you have a great rest of your day!

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I think the existence of Porygon would complicate how the general public would view a sapient computer program, honestly, since everyone in that world just kind of accepts "there are ducks made of programming code", but at the same time it seems like they also kinda stopped any sort of research along those lines. Nobody's even bothered to fix Porygon-Z. So the philosophies of a human AI in a setting where "glitchy duck" is the paragon of programed life is fascinating to think of.

You mentioned you haven't played the game, but we learn in the postgame that Clavell's office, which has a bunch of computers and other scientific equipment in it, used to be the professor's private lab when they were students there. Clavell, who had been a staff member at that time, admired them greatly, and had his office set there out of respect. So the kids are sitting back in the lab area. That's why Arven is so weirded out and only sits in the newer chair because it's the only one he can know for sure his dad never had.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, thanks for your patience all this time, but I figured that I’d kept you waiting long enough and that it was about time for me to deliver on my half of our robot perspective review trade. It’s been a little while since I last read this series, so apologies in advance if there’s a few details here and there that I’m shaky on:

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

The grand city of Mesagoza was an ancient and storied one on its own, the site being home to various peoples dating back to before recorded history. Even its modern incarnation encapsulated an older era, with the elegant brick and stone giving it a distinctive feel of an earlier time.

Small wording nitpick here.

And yet, the presence of Uva Academy, itself over eight hundred years old, kept it firmly in the modern age. Within the grand facade, the school was constantly modernizing, keeping abreast of the latest in scientific and social advancements. All who attended were to be seen as equals, and the hopes were that this would extend to the greater world beyond, all Paldea partaking of the fruits of the academy's offerings.

I mean, considering how there was a massive systemic bullying scandal that forced Clavell’s predecessor to resign, I think the school has a bit of work to do on that front.

The director's office hadn't always been in the same room. But the devotion of a young scientist, one who had carried the hopes of the academy on his shoulders from an early age, had influenced the decision of the current director to move his office to that boy's former private lab.

The room was filled with mementos of from all across Paldea, plaques and papers and rare stones and the like dotted around. The memories of Turo in his youth were everywhere. His accomplishments and discoveries and experiments were tucked into every corner of the room, the memory of the young student's brilliant mind shining as bright as the sun.

So wait, just what sort of unhinged adventures is Sada off to at the moment given that if you’re sticking to hard canon, she blew off Turo and Arven almost immediately after Arven was born?

Shadow seeped around the edges of that memory, however. The knowledge of Turo's descent into obsession, his wicked plan of "Paradise", his mounting isolation, his sudden and brutal death at the claws of one of his test subjects, all weighed heavily on Clavell's mind. Turo had been the brightest star that Uva had known in centuries, perhaps ever, but Clavell would have gladly seen that potential squandered if it meant the man could have had a happy life.

Guardian of Paradise: “Look, it wasn’t my fault, okay?! The game script literally says not to blame me!” O_O;

So when Arven had entered the office with a grim expression and said he needed to talk, some part of the director's heart felt as though this was owed.

The children had told Clavell much that had happened. Over the past few years, either directly or through little things that came up in conversation, he had formed an image of what had transpired that day in the depths of the crater. The robot, the terrifying machine, the crystals sprouting from nowhere, the..."Guardian", they had called it. A few months later, Juliana had come to him in tears, having fought and captured the beast in a fit of anger and then not knowing what to do with it.

Juliana: “... Hey, Nemona! You like battling, right? Do you want a free Miraidon that’s all about battl–?”
Clavell: “Juliana, no.”

Nemona had confided that the battle in the lab had invigorated her, made her want to keep pushing forward, until it dawned on her later what was truly happening, what the fight had meant. She had bemoaned that such a promising trainer had been forced to leave to wherever and whenever the machine led, but admitted that losing out on such an opponent was nothing compared to what Arven had lost.

Yeah, I can already tell that Juliana tried dumping the Guardian of Paradise on Nemona to try and pick up that Blueberry Academy Tauros trade of hers before Clavell slapped that down.

Though you know that something’s serious when even Nemona gets snapped out of her normal “harder, faster, stronger” shtick for battling.

Penny had simply asked in passing "Do you think I could have fixed him? The robot, I mean," but hadn't waited for a response before returning the subject to her work with the League.

Don’t worry, there’s a whole different series by your writer where we get an answer to that question, Penny.

And Arven's words had avoided that day entirely, preferring to ask about his father's earlier life, before his heart and mind had been dominated only by whatever dreams that book had given him.

Uhh…

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers

"To stop the time machine, you will need to use the professor's ID, which has been embedded within the Violet Book. It was very like the professor to put the final key we would need in that book, of all places. He loved that volume since childhood."

Arven: “Okay, let me rephrase that: ‘my father’s earlier life, before his heart and mind were dominated by that book to the point of becoming an attempted supervillain’.” >_>;

What Clavell had learned included the detail that the AI had looked exactly like Turo, but even knowing that the man he had spoken to that had given Miraidon to Juliana was, in fact, an artificial being and not the man that had been so dear to him and everyone else in Paldea. Even knowing that he could not tell that anything was different, nothing prepared him for the man seated in front of him.

… That actually makes me wonder if AI!Turo ever hallucinates himself, unless that’s just what his glitching in the endgame was.

Though I think that this particular sentence is long enough that it’s probably worth considering dividing it up into smaller parts.

"I'm sorry," Clavell murmured. "Where are my manners? Would you care for some tea?"

The AI blinked. Why would a robot blink? "That is very kind of you, however, I would be unable to drink it."

I was just going to ask there. Though wait, did he blink? Or did he do that lightflash thing with his eyes from the endgame?

"Ah, yes, that's right..." The older man nodded and brought his folded hands to rest under his chin. "You understand my hesitation, I trust. From what the children told me, your departure was quite final. They believed that it would be impossible for you to return."

"That is correct. I believed it as well at the time. The means I used to return do not exist in this era. Or..." The AI paused at exactly where Turo would have inserted a pause in a lengthy explanation. "...rather, it is not currently capable of that task."

… I mean, there’s also the possibility that you’re just flatly not the same AI!Turo they sent off in light of that cutscene in Indigo Disk. But that’d take things down a really depressing direction, so let’s not right now.

Clavell drew in a sigh. "And of course there is the matter of uncertainty. How can we be certain that you were returned to the same world you left from?"

"Of course, the matter of infinite parallel universes. I do understand."

Oh, never mind, we are addressing that possibility in the story here.

"So you will..." He sighed again, and though it was shorter, it carried much more weight to it. "...understand that I would like to ask you further questions."

That wasn't why, of course, and the AI knew it. But he nodded and, a moment later, added a short smile. "It is important."

The true reason, they both knew, was to ensure that the AI was who he said he was. "Very well. How did Turo and I first meet?"

I was about to blow this off as “nah, it’d be the same”, but then I realized that this would literally encapsulate “two separate novelizations of Violet” where even if they’d agree on the same fundamental core events, the fine details between them wouldn’t necessarily agree.

Behind them, in the old lab, Arven slouched in an office chair. It was newer than the others, and that made it the only chair he would use. "Man, I thought Clavell would be happy to see him."

I mean, A: he doesn’t know if he’s even your Robodad, B: I’m sure that talking to a doppelganger of someone that you know is dead is off-putting on some level.

Penny fiddled with the surgical mask that the AI had worn on his way through the town and school. Hiding his distinctive features was key to avoiding undue attention. "He is, Arven. But people deal with their emotions differently."

Yeah, that, too.

"Like you," Juliana pointed out, gesturing to Penny. "You're twirling that thing around so much because Clavell won't let you use your phone in his office."

The younger girl bristled. "H-hey, the robot's the one getting interrogated here, not me!"

I mean, is she really wrong there, Penny?

"I think you have to be asked questions to be interrogated," Nemona chuckled. She had donned the hat that the AI wore on their trip, an unfashionable bucket hat that Juliana had bought on a whim during their original journey. It didn't suit them, or the AI, or Nemona, and it was hard to imagine anybody it *would* suit, but it did the job. "Anyway, he seemed to enjoy the walk over. Even if it overstimulated him."

Should’ve hired an Air Taxi, girl. If you could keep him from looking out the windows, that’d be a pretty fast fix to the whole ‘overstimulation’ problem.

Penny groaned slightly. "It overstimulates *me* and I just have normal human senses. I can't imagine what it must be like if you can pick up on the vital signs of everything in your proximity, and hear the humming in electrical wires and from electronics...basically if a human sensed all of that, they wouldn't be able to function. There'd be too much data to process."

Penny: “... I suppose that we should’ve asked him in advance if there was a way to set up a signal filter for him, but I don’t even want to think about what sort of nightmare his OS code looks like.” .-.

Juliana was about to ask wasn't it normal to hear all those things but decided against it. "So he can hear us right now?"

Arven blanched at that. "Oh god. Uh, if we're quiet will they think we're spying on them?"

Bold of you to assume that Robodad has a standard human range of sensory perception, Arven. Especially since Turo built him to be the optimal assistant for his whole research and attempt to build a robot paradise thing.

"I dunno. I'm not him and I'm not Clavell. I only hear conversations from far away if I'm hacking someone's phone and I don't do that anymore."

Small typo there.

Juliana: “... But you do still hack webcams? Since I’m pretty sure there’s some on the computers in–”
Penny: “Juliana, no.”

Nemona cocked her head and pouted comically. "Every time you say that, I feel like I should get it in writing."

That would be wise, yes. Even if I would imagine that Penny would have trouble getting into hacker antics in Paldea after the main narrative ends given that the Paldea League canonically starts watching her like a hawk after the whole “hacking the Pokémon League to generate an infinite LP glitch” thing.

"Hey," the younger girl smiled as she leaned back, "Cassiopiea's word is her bond."

"That doesn't do much to reassure me."

I was going to question why Nemona would be so slow to trust Penny here, but then I remembered that she literally got an object lesson in how close to home in electronics doing things they weren’t supposed to do can hit in the S/V climax, so you know what? Fair enough.

Clavell's questions continued. "What were the names of those who worked here alongside him?"

"Unclear. Define 'here'."

[ ]

"Ah, yes, I suppose that was a bit indirect. Here in this lab."

I get that as a stylistic thing, you tend to gloss a number of moments where in an animation there might be specific changes in mood or reaction in your writing, but this particular one feels like it’d have benefitted from a more explicitly depicted one.

The AI nodded a single time, firmly, only breaking eye contact briefly. "Thank you. In the first year, it was--" He rattled off a handful of names, one of which caused Arven to look up for a moment. But with the AI's back to him, the distressed look went unnoticed. "In the second year, it was--" The second list was nearly identical, but now included Clavell among the few changes. "I apologize. I do not remember the name of one of the researchers. He was only present for a month. In the third year, it--"

Oh, so that’s what AI!Turo hallucinating looks like—

This time, Clavell cut him off. "Thank you, that will be sufficient. When I first began working with him, I was under a different name. Do you remember that name?"

Small wording tweak that I’d recommend here.

That was the longest the AI had looked away, seeming hesitant to respond. "I do. But it would be impolite to speak it."

"I am giving you permission."

… ‘Clive’?

"Very well." The name he spoke was a relatively unremarkable one, but stood out as being distinctly feminine.

Well, that’s certainly unexpected. Though Clavell’s apparently trans in this series. Duly noted for the future, even if I kinda wonder if it’d have made sense to roll some throwaway names for these different name listing sequences instead of leaving it all described in ‘after the fact’ fashion.

Clavell's expression was impossible to read. "Thank you. Now, I'm going to give you a few dates, and I would like to know if you associate them with anything."

The AI listened patiently to the series of numbers, saying no to most of them. At one, he smiled faintly. "A certain researcher told him to remember that date, as a movie she was eager to see was coming out. They went together."

I’m guessing that that’s Sada that they’re talking about there.

"And who was that?" It hadn't been one of the dates that Clavell expected to hear anything from, but it seemed through sheer coincidence he had managed to hit on something meaningful.

The name was the one that had caused Arven's reaction. The simple name of Sada. "She had been very excited. Admittedly so had he, since he had greatly enjoyed the book, and looked forward to seeing how the ancient creatures would be portrayed. It did not age very well, but it was considered highly scientifically accurate at the time." The AI smiled quickly but it dropped away within a second. "I suppose that is the passage of time."

Oh, so they were watching the equivalent of Jurassic Park together, huh? Since that description of the movie and its description lines up with Jurassic Park to a ‘t’.

"It is. Shall we continue?"

"Of course."

Clavell read the next date and unconsciously narrowed his eyes. That was the first date he had expected to have meaning.

The AI's gaze dropped slightly. "That was...yes, of course. That is the day that Turo's father passed away."

Hrm, the more that I think about it, the more I wonder if for these dates that Clavell brings up, if it’d have been worth rolling throwaway ones for them. Especially since you could always do something like slipping in the calendar dates of stuff like S/V pre-release announcements as an easter egg or something like that.

The older man closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before reopening them. "I apologise for asking these things. But what do you remember about that day?"

"..." Though the AI's hands balled on his knees, though the question seemed to make him wince, his voice was calm and even, something so reminiscent of Turo's direct and professional manner. "I remember that the man had been ill for some time. That Turo had been expecting the call." He shook his head and seemed to sigh. "I apologize. The call itself was very personal, and I do not wish to speak further of it."

"Very well."

I actually wonder if this correlates at all with his stint outside of Area Zero and keeping Miraidon at the Poco Path lighthouse for a while, since if there was anything that could tear Turo away from his work for an extended period of time, ‘personal tragedy’ feels like a pretty decent candidate for something that’d do the job.

"I am aware that this may cause you to view me with some suspicion, as I am directly refusing to answer--" A small bit of distress marked the AI's expression, a slight creasing around the eyes, coupled with his refusal to look towards the older man.

Oh, so the way that Turo took his dad’s death is something that AI!Turo also finds distressing. I wonder what that looked like back in the day in that case.

Clavell nodded just a bit. "It's all right. We can continue."

The AI rubbed at his left arm, a gesture he hadn't made in a long time, but one Clavell knew very well. "Yes, thank you."

AI!Turo: “Though if I may, I get the distinct impression from my sensor readings that you seem uncomfortable, Clavell—”
Clavell: “Let’s just move onto the next question, please.”

Behind them, Juliana tightened in their seat. "That sounded really upsetting."

Arven sighed. "Dad never...talked about his family. Like at all. I didn't know he had any until I was seven or something. I've never met any of his relatives."

Yeeeeeah, it probably doesn’t help that Arven’s family life is canonically disastrous. Since of course Turo of all people would neglect to keep Arven in touch with his grandparents short of maaaaybe “Hi mom, Hi dad, something happened at the lighthouse and I need to go back to my lab for a while, can you watch over Arven for me? kthxbai”

Though I suppose that the implication here is that it was Sada’s side of the family that looked after Arven after Turo dipped back out to the crater.

Penny fiddled with her phone but, true to the rules, kept it off. "Ever tried to reach out to them?"

"Nah. They never tried to reach out to us. Same wi--" He stopped mid-sentence and shook his head. "They'll probably try once word gets out what happened to him, so I'm glad I'm going to be out of the region then."

I’m going to guess that he was about to talk about his mom there, since that was an abrupt cutoff there.

At his sudden stop, Nemona had looked over at him. "Arven, if you ever want to talk..."

He brightened and stuck his arm out with a bold thumbs up. "It's ok. I know. I'm ok!" Relaxing, he brought his arm back down to his side and leaned back. "Once I get back, if I get accosted by reporters or weird calls or whatever, I'll need your help. But I'll be in food heaven for a few years and it'll be great. The only scientists I'll have to hear about are nutritionists! And I don't have to think about any sort of family drama with any of them."

Let’s check in on how Arven’s doing right now:

"Unless the teacher invites their significant other to trauma dump at you for the entire class," Juliana laughed to themself. "But I don't think that would happen at culinary school. Least I hope not."

… Okay, now you’ve jinxed it and that’s going to be one hell of an awkward culinary lesson there.

Penny smirked. "I'll live to a hundred and five and never forget that."

Nemona looked confused. "Wait, did that really happen?"

"Ok, so, this was a few years ago..."

Arven's focus had shifted back to the conversation at the desk, however, and he barely noticed.

Small typo in this section here.

The AI's eyes flashed at the latest question, and he was about to apologize until noticing that Clavell didn't react to it. If he didn't, the AI wouldn't draw attention to it, and would proceed as planned. "His primary inspiration was his boundless curiosity. However, I believe you expect me to cite the Violet Book, correct?"

"I'm not expecting anything but answers," Clavell answered plainly.

I’m pretty sure that that’s a ‘no’ there, Robodad.

The AI tried to find any give or tell in the man's manner that would reveal his thoughts. Even his vital signs were neutral. His breathing was calm and even, and his heart rate, though slightly elevated, was within normal range and could be attributed to any number of unknown factors. "Very well. While he was certainly driven by the Violet Book, it merely fueled an already raging fire within him. He wanted to understand the great mysteries of the world, and there are none greater than Area Zero." The AI shifted a bit, though his gaze remained fixed on Clavell. "Even now, after all this time, I find that my understanding of the place is limited. It seems, perhaps, that even with every effort, it may simply be something that we are not meant to know. But humans cannot accept that, and..." He glanced for a split second at a fossil displayed on the wall. That had not been Turo's contribution, instead dug up by a researcher from an earlier age, but Turo had gleefully taken part in Sada's attempts at studying it. "...I myself struggle with that possibility as well. I wish to know everything as well, even knowing that I cannot."

I… kinda wonder if this paragraph should’ve been broken up into a couple pieces, since this feels like you have a lot going on in between an opening description chunk and three separate dialogue sections, since this felt a bit wall-of-text to me when reading it.

Clavell noted that the AI made a clear distinction between humans and himself.

"It would frustrate my creator to no end that he could not know every answer." The AI brought a hand to his chin in that distinctive way that Turo had long had. "I of course inherited that from him, but I believe my questions would be different. Perhaps even my reason for asking them."

"And what would one of those questions be?"

"Do you wish me to answer in his stead, or for myself?"

Clavell's expression stayed as even as ever. "Both, if you would."

Given the emphasis that the AI is placing on trying to read cues from Clavell at the moment, I’m a little surprised that there’s not more attention given to that in the narration right now.

The AI glanced toward the window. "His most pressing question..." He looked back with a shake of his head. "I am sorry. There are too many of them, fighting for priority within him. It would be akin to trying to single out a droplet in a storm."

"And as for you?"

That was far simpler, and the AI answered immediately. "I would want to understand how to lead a fulfilling life."

I mean, there’s always that cranky and aggressive Miraidon that needs wuv someone to socialize it, so…

"I see. And do you consider yourself alive?"

Despite the immediacy of his prior response, the AI pondered this new question, hands again curling and gaze again falling, drooping to the front of the desk but only passively taking it in. Before speaking, he released a simulated sigh. "I initially did not. I am, after all, entirely artificial, inorganic and constructed rather than birthed." His hand came to his forehead in that way of Turo's and he shook his head, expression subdued, before dropping that hand to his chest, splaying his fingers out over where a heart would be. "And yet over the years, I realized it. Though I am not human, though I do not draw breath nor does a heart beat within me, I am, for all intents and purposes, a living being. I possess thoughts and actions independent of my creator and even formed opposing viewpoints from him. I react to stimuli, both physical and emotional." He paused, thinking for a moment with a quirk of his head. "From a purely technical standpoint, I do not possess emotions as an organic life form would. But what I experience...it is functionally the same, in an entirely inorganic way. I believe you are familiar with Porygon, for instance--" But he drew back before he could launch into a fuller explanation, setting his hands on his lap once more. "I am sorry. You did not ask for me to continue as I did."

Clavell only nodded. "Very well. I believe we have diverted from our task. Shall we return to the questions?"

This second paragraph here is another section that feels a bit wall-of-text-y for my tastes here. IMO, the section where AI!Turo pauses is probably a pretty organic place to divide things up, since a division in the paragraph feels like it’d lend itself well to reinforcing an in-setting pause.

Though boy is AI!Turo giving off some strong P3!Aigis vibes right about now.

"How do you think it's going?" Nemona wondered, craning her head as if a better view would make a difference.

"I'm just wondering what Clavell is after," Arven sighed. "Obviously he's from this universe. Even if he went to another one, he came back to this one. He'd be really different if he was from somewhere else."

Since just saying, Sada and the different set of Paradox Pokémon aside, the only real other difference between Scarlet and Violet’s Paldeas is the name and color of their academy. Wouldn’t it be entirely possible that you could run into an AI!Turo that would pass the initial sniff test for coming from your universe only for it to fall apart once the details started coming out?

Juliana felt a sudden pang in their stomach and doubled over sharply. "Y-yeah, I'd think so too," they dismissed, trying to cover up their sudden movement.

It wasn't enough to dodge Arven's attention. "You ok there, little buddy?"

"Oh uh, I think breakfast just isn't agreeing with me."

Arven: “Juliana, you’re not exactly good at hiding your emotions… which is really impressive considering how I remembered you being really quiet back during that year we met.”

"Well, I'll make you something for lunch that can clear that up!" The young man flashed a smile and thumbs up, but it lacked his usual enthusiasm.

Ditto, you, Arven. Not that that isn’t already basically canon with the way your ‘I don’t like Miraidon’ shtick was very obviously not entirely genuine by like three Herba Mysticas in.

"Nah, it's ok. I just need..." They shook their head. "I'm nervous. Anything with him still has me on edge. I was so worried about him for so long and it doesn't just go away."

Penny patted them on the back. "Yeah, I get it. I still get nervous about going to class sometimes. Nemona, you're lucky you've graduated already."

I was going to ask why, but then I remembered that even if she and the rest of Team Star effectively chased them out of school, Penny was canonically bullied while attending Uva Academy, so of course she wouldn’t fully feel comfortable in a class setting.

Nemona rolled her eyes with a smile. "Yeah probably. Though now it's the working world! Learning how to be the perfect champion is hard!"

Priorities™!

Juliana had straightened back out, but looked towards the AI with concern. "...What do you think he's going to do now that he's here? After everything he's been through, and as alone as he's been, integrating into society is going to be hard."

For a moment it seemed like Arven was going to say something, but didn't. All four of them looked over at the artificial man without thinking about it.

I mean “deal with the aggressive anole I don’t trust to not raze half the school for me” sounds like a decent day job if you can get someone to pay AI!Turo enough to have enough of a normal life to pass off as being human from a glance.

The interview, such as it was, continued for some time. The sun shining through the windows had shifted, casting a golden pall through the room. Arven's thoughts wandered as he watched the light catch on a monitor, briefly imagining his father's youth in the same room.

Clavell unfolded his hands and set them on the armrests of his chair. "I see. You have given me a great deal to think about." His stern, professional manner softened a bit, with a slow exhale and his eyes falling closed. "Pardon me."

The AI watched with an impassive expression, but nodded slowly even knowing that Clavell wouldn't see it.

I kinda wonder if there should’ve been a bit more passing acknowledgement for what the rest of the interview was about, since it’s a touch hazy at the moment.

"Pardon me..." the older man repeated as he removed his glasses and set them on the desk before him. "Pardon--" And the normally composed director was overcome with tears, covering his eyes with a hand as the other gripped the desk with such intensity that his knuckles turned white near immediately.

At the back of the room, Arven shot to his feet but froze, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to figure out what to do. Nemona watched from her seat, concern creasing her brow. "Should we help?"

Wow, Nemona not being totally clueless about others’ emotions. The world must be ending, since that’s definitely different from how I remembered her in the campaign.

"Y-yeah," Penny stammered as she fumbled for a packet of tissues in her backpack and handed them off to Juliana.

Clavell seemed to hold freeze in place at their voices. "I'm dreadfully sorry..." he muttered, trying in vain to hide his tears.

Small wording tweak suggestion I’d advise here.

But Juliana and Nemona were already there. "It's all right," Juliana said, handing him the packet. "I cried too."

Nemona asserted this with a firm nod before gesturing for her companion to step back. "I think we should leave them be."
The younger trainer agreed, and Clavell was once again alone with the AI. He took a few deep breaths and wiped at his eyes with one of the offered tissues before looking back at his companion. "You'll have to excuse me. It's unacceptable for an administrator to cry in front of a student..."

I’m honestly a little surprised that he didn’t pull the convenient “look out the window to try and hide your emotions” move, since I could’ve sworn that Clavell did that at least once in the games’ cutscenes.

With a gentle smile, the AI nodded. "I understand. Though I was not a student here myself, you knew my creator as one."

"I certainly did, yes...there is no doubt in my mind now that you are exactly who you say you are." He sighed and retrieved his glasses, wiping the lenses with a cloth before sliding them back on. "I'm sorry for my outburst."

"It seemed to be a reasonable reaction, given the stimuli at hand," the AI replied. "If you wish to apologize, I admit I do not understand what you believe you did wrong, but I will accept it just the same."

Yeah, Robodad is really channeling those Aigis vibes right about now. Since boy is this dynamic familiar to P3 players.

The corners of Clavell's mouth turned faintly up, hesitantly and smally, but enough to be distinctive as a sign of happiness. "Thank you," he whispered, still not back to his usual self, but determined to press on.

The AI glanced back at the younger visitors. "They have the utmost respect for you. I believe they always will." When he turned back towards Clavell, he added "As do I. If I may, I would like to speak freely."

"Of course."

"I know you cared deeply for my creator," the AI began. "That brilliant smile of yours when you heard from me, in his guise." He tilted his head back and wrenched his eyes closed, the same way he had in the initial call. "I did not want to deceive you, but felt that I had to, for the greater good of Paldea and potentially the world. And unfortunately, I was correct." He resumed that distinctly sharp eye contact. "I wish to make amends for my lie, and that is to tell you the absolute truth."

Yeeeeeah, the cast really did let Roboparent off the hook for that one fairly quickly. I suppose it helps that the character who would normally have the biggest reason to be resistant against that had a chip on his shoulder against his dad/mom with Roboparent arguably being better than s/he had been in years.

Clavell leaned in, just a bit. "Please continue."

"I know that you..." Though the direct address continued, the AI shifted his hands in his lap as he spoke. "...wanted to help. You wish you could have changed things. But the truth is that you could not. Professor Turo did not want your intervention, and would have rejected it."

One of Clavell's hands balled up on the desk again, but only a stray tear fell from his eye.

"He believed in his path. In Paradise. And nothing you could have said would have dissuaded him."

That actually makes me wonder what would’ve happened in this setting had the cast challenged the actual Turo. Would he have just gone straight to the boss fight up to and including the ‘dons if the choice was between his own child and the time machine?

Arven excused himself from the room, with Nemona following after him.

I’m of two minds on this… on the one hand, I think that it might have been worth giving some smaller indications as to what Arven’s emotions/mood were in the background up to this point, since this is feeling a little sudden. On the other hand, I understand that AI!Turo’s perspective defines what he sees here, and he logically wouldn’t be paying attention to Arven and Nemona here.

After a long exhale, Clavell replied only "Thank you for telling me." His hand faltered as he drew it back to his side. A moment more and he stood up, slightly stretched his back, and extended a hand. "I would like to thank you further for meeting with me. I have no doubts about you, and you've..." His hand faltered slightly "...set my mind at ease over some things."

Ah yes, let’s check up and see how Clavell’s faring right now:

The AI looked at the offered hand for just a moment before reaching over to shake it in return. "I thank you deeply for listening to me. I feared you would not agree to do so."

"Nonsense. I would never turn away a person in need."

The AI paused the handshake, maintaining the grip but stilling his hand. "I am glad to hear you say such a thing. Not simply that you regard me as a 'person', but that you bear such a generous nature towards others." After a beat, he resumed, shaking the offered hand a few more times before releasing and taking a step back. "I am honored to be able to meet you in person."

AI!Turo: “Even if I admittedly wish it could’ve been in happier circumstances than this.” .-.

"And I you." Clavell permit himself a small smile. "If there is anything I can do for you, please, let me know."

"Right now, there is only one thing that comes to mind."

"Oh?"

"...I must go after Arven." The AI looked back at the door the young man had left through. "I believe our conversation upset him. So I must see to it that his emotions are not ignored."

Yeah, given that AI!Turo is a walking sensor array, it probably would’ve made sense to show off him picking up on some things like hearing Arven shifting or abruptly shuddering to sell the sense that he can percieve that Arven’s growing a bit upset.

"Yes, by all means!" Clavell returned to his seat and gestured back to the door with both hands. "Feel free to contact me at any time, but for now, yes, go to him!"

With a flash of that too-broad smile, the AI left, picking up his pace as he did. Behind him, Penny followed. Juliana grinned back. "Are you all right?"

Clavell sighed heavily and leaned back, pausing briefly to flick away a final tear. "I am. I will be. Thank you."

Juliana: “That honestly sounds more like a ‘no’ to me, but you know what? I think we should worry a bit more about Arven right about now since he was taking things… well.” .-.

And that’s a wrap. For a one-shot that was basically all a conversation in a single room, it worked surprisingly well as a character study both for AI!Turo and the rest of the core Violet protagonist cast. Like there’s some very author-specific choices for some character details, but otherwise it all feels pretty believable as places where the cast would’ve wound up a few years down the road. The character-building in absentia for Turo and Sada both also felt pretty on-brand, since it showed off both their more personal sides while not shying away from the fact that they got bit by their obsessions good and hard.

On the more critical end, there were a couple spots where I thought there was some wording that could stand to be tweaked. I won’t really talk too much about the formatting, other than that there were a couple paragraphs in particular that were very dense to read through, to the point where I legit thought they would work better as multiple paragraphs. I also thought there were a few points where it might have made sense to give more attention to the particulars of characters’ mood and body language, especially since the story makes a big deal about AI!Turo being able to pick up on cues thanks to the way he’s built, so it feels a little strange to see opportunities to play that up getting passed up.

Though altogether, I thought that this was a pretty fun oneshot @Blackjack Gabbiani . Hope the feedback was fun and helpful to take in, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing you around again sometime soon.