Operation GEAR variety worldbuilding thread

Since there's a board for it, I figured, why not bring over some of the various worldbuilding details I've posted on my sideblog? I should mention that I'll only bring over ones that are relevant to what you're seeing on Canalave Library, at least for now. The details that only apply to stories that exist outside here aren't relevant at the time.

There may be spoilers ahead, as always.

I decided to work up this post as I was working on chapter 21 [of a fic not on this site], when questions relating to these subjects were raised by some of my beta readers.

In order to establish firm understanding of what Gaia is at the beginning of this post, I’ll point towards the Pokemon movie starring Victini, where it “appeared” for the first (and only direct) time in a canon source.

In this movie it was referred to by the name “Dragon Force,” ”Dragon Pulse” in Japanese. In this story the name “Dragon Pulse” will not be used in order to avoid confusion with the attack also called Dragon Pulse.

It is a powerful energy that flows through the planet, normally giving life to everything. Because the Tenganists spread throughout the world in ancient times, different regional sects of the religion know it by different names. The sect that lived in the mountainous regions of Sinnoh refers to it as Gaia, which will be the main name it is known by in the story. (Eagle-eyed readers may recognize this name as the force that allows Pokemon and trainers to achieve synergy in Pokken Tournament. For this story, it is the same energy as that of the Victini movie, and labelled as such. In other words, Gaia = Dragon Force.) Other sects, such as the People of the Vale depicted in the Victini movie, know it as the Dragon Force.

It is thought by some sects that Gaia is not just a force of energy but may have a will of its own; accordingly, the belief that certain events take place according to “Gaia’s will” (or whatever the name that sect uses) is not uncommon among Tenganists. One sect in particular is said to have communicated with it as if it was alive, and thus called it the “Voice of Life.”

Most living things have a small amount of Gaia energy as well. This is how Gaia becomes the source of Transcendence, the powers utilized by the Tenganists and others. Most individuals who display complete mastery of their respective Transcendence ability are Tenganists who were given a traditional upbringing in preparation for it. Those who are being raised to follow the traditional path spend several years early in life carrying out various customs that prepare them mentally and physically, and ultimately, in what is seen as a highly important rite of passage, they are introduced to the flow of Gaia, which reacts with their own life energy and allows them to manifest their respective Transcendence. This is usually accomplished through use of a small shard of a Jewel of Life under the possession of the community’s leadership, though in cases where the community has direct access to a Gaia wellspring, that may be used as well.

It is, however, not unheard of for those with the potential to use Transcendence to manifest it without training or even going through the traditional initiation to gain it. It is influenced by the individual’s emotional state, and if a sufficient state of stress or otherwise elevated emotion is experienced for enough time, the ability may manifest by itself. This is generally considered a risky way to gain Transcendence because it tends to cause unstable manifestation, which can lead to difficulty using or even a lack of control over the power that is gained without the traditional training. Transcendence powers often tend to have a hereditary element as well, as families often pass down similar Gaia patterns through each generation, leading to manifestation of the same or similar abilities. Transcendence can also be inherited via a exceptionally strong emotional connection between two people. This is another reason that families tend to have similar skills passed between generations, but it must be noted that the exceptionally strong emotion does not necessarily have to be a positive one, meaning emotions such as fear or hatred, if sufficiently strong, can trigger a reaction.

The Tenganists are not the only ones who have an ancient connection to Gaia. When a meteor struck the land that would become Sootopolis City over a thousand years in the past, it struck open a powerful Gaia wellspring in what would become the Cave of Origin. Those who would become the earliest Sootopolitans were directly exposed to this energy, causing them to develop their own type of Transcendence. The Sootopolitan Transcendence is not as specialized as the traditional type, and manifests in such forms as energy manipulation and the ability to create seals, amongst other things. Through the spread of people across the world and the mixing of different types of Transcendence, a number of offshoots developed, such as the abilities commonly known as Aura and used by a group of warriors known as Aura Guardians.

Most humans, even those trained in the traditions of Transcendence, cannot directly control Gaia themselves. A number of different devices and other things can either control Gaia directly or allow their users to do so:

-Pokemon: Certain Pokemon can manipulate or utilize Gaia. Primarily, Reshiram and Zekrom are able to redirect and drive the flow of Gaia due to their massive stores of fire and electrical energy. Some teachings state that Reshiram and Zekrom were created by Arceus for this purpose. Accordingly, Kyurem - the remains of the original dragon created by Arceus that later split into Reshiram and Zekrom - is a void that either completely lacks Gaia or is animated by negative Gaia (the second image at the beginning of the post) that takes life instead of giving it. Riolu and Lucario have, as species, unusually strong life energy that empowers their Aura abilities.

-Meteonite: The asteroids known as Meteonites and the mineral of the same name that composes them are highly conductive to Gaia. While the teachings about it vary wildly throughout different Tenganist sects, there is a general theme of space being held in high regard throughout the religion. More recently, scientists have begun to study these teachings in relation to the Meteonites, and have started to advance the theory that the Meteonite element may be the element that comprised the egg that gave rise to Arceus at the beginning of time in “The Original Story,” the myth about the universe’s origin. Structures built using the Meteonite element, such as the Ultimate Weapon built by Tenganist king AZ, can be used to conduct and direct Gaia.

Jewel of Life: Utilizing the Plates that give Arceus its own life energy, the Jewel of Life is created. Because of the extreme rarity of the Plates powerful enough to create one, a complete, fully spherical Jewel of Life is exceptionally rare. Tiny pieces of the Plates can be used to create partial Jewels of Life, which many traditionalist Tenganist communities possess. Even a tiny shard of a Jewel of Life contains massive amounts of Gaia and can be used to draw out the life-giving properties of the planet’s Gaia flow, as the original was used for. If misused, however, a Jewel of Life can cause a terrible backlash of negative Gaia that will destroy its surroundings and all people around it.

Key Stone and Mega Stone: Stones irradiated by the energy of Meteonites that enable the Mega Evolution phenomenon. When on a Pokemon’s person, a Mega Stone will draw out the full potential of that individual Pokemon’s Gaia and induce a transformation once triggered by the trainer’s Key Stone. Rayquaza is able to bypass the need for these stones to achieve its Mega Evolution due to its diet of meteorites that contain the Meteonite element.

Z-Crystal: Another type of stone with Meteonite within it. Unlike Mega Stones and Mega Evolution, Z-Crystals require the Gaia of both trainer and Pokemon to successfully allow a Pokemon to use a special move. In order to trigger the phenomenon, the trainer must carry out a particular series of movements; these movements, which were first discovered by the native people of the island region of Alola, are more widely known to the general public as traditional Alolan dances. Because this requires the Gaia of the trainer as well as the Pokemon, however, people whose life energy is diminished experience significant difficulty using Z-Moves, or find them impossible to perform at all; and example of this is Matt Chiaki, whose body has been significantly altered with mechanical components by the present day.

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