Alchemical Creations: Sneed Oil
I was startled by the tap on my leg, and with a leap of surprise I turned around to see Linoone patiently waiting and watching me with a smile.
“Ah, hello Linoone,” I say, trying my best to slowly articulate my words to make sure they come out properly. Still, I cannot hear. Nor do I know when I will finally recover.
Unthinking, I turn around and offer Linoone some of the berries I was eating while doing my work, only for my heart to skip a beat and realize what I had just done.
And yet, Linoone merely smiled, and I could see his lips form the word “thanks” before getting a small handful.
I am struck by a feeling of melancholy. How nice it is, I think, to have at least one person who knows me well enough to dismiss all those rumors as the falsehoods they are. But if only it weren’t merely Linoone and perhaps Enny. Aside from them – and I avoided seeing Enny since I invented Sleep-Aid – I really did have no one else.
Linoone begins to speak and I have to ask him to slow down; although I’ve managed to improve my lip-reading ability thanks to him often visiting me after his job and practicing with me, the journey is still a slow one.
“Unfortunately, this time I’m here for business, not pleasure, Ikarus.” I can make out.
I nod, then ask for Linoone to shut the door behind him. I begin to walk away from the fireworks I’ve been working on – as per Lliam’s request for the New Year’s festival – and towards the table in the back.
Motioning to the substances Linoone has given me to analyze, I speak while not looking away from these interesting case studies. First I point to the small vial full of purple liquid.
“The first, the syrup derived from Cornn berry, seems to, on its own, be fine. Suitable for sweetening foods but little else. However…” I trail off as I point to the large beaker full of a sickly yellow liquid.
“This oil, from what you told me was called a special kind of seed called ‘sneeds,’” at this I look back at Linoone and see that he appears to be laughing internally at some joke, “seems to have within to it a particular enzyme that, also on its own, is not harmful. And yet..."
I look at the Sneed Oil and frown, and Linoone does the same, seemingly knowing what I am about to say.
"When combined, this Cornn Syrup and Sneed Oil undergo a chemical reaction that increases subservience to authority to an extreme degree and, so long as I am not mistaken, makes anyone affected more susceptible sensory illusions."
I pause and blush. “I am forced to admit that the alchemy of whoever made this is beyond me. The effects, from what I have managed to determine, do not have any half life; they remain permanent once ingested.”
I think for a moment before I continue. “Fortunately, not all hope is lost. I can discover a reversal given enough time, I’m sure, but a stopgap seems to already exist. By fate, I spilled some raw Moomoo Milk I was testing and was surprised to see the chemical reaction inducing obedience was halted. Not reversed, unfortunately, but raw Moomoo Milk seems to stop the progression of the enzyme…”
At this I turned to Linoone with the worry clear on my face. “However, whenever Moomoo Milk is heated, as is commonly sold in Capim Town, the enzyme is lost in the process.”
“Linoone,” I continue, trying my best to ensure one of the few people I can call a friend remain safe, “I have no clue how all of this fits together, but if these three things: the Cornn Syrup, Sneed Oil, and near-absence of raw Moomoo Milk all somehow tie in together, we are not only dealing with an adversary whose alchemical abilities, for the time, surpass my own, but also a cabal powerful enough to control all these separate industries.”
I turn back to see only an angry resolve on Linoone’s face. I sigh. If he is to try to fight whatever leviathan this is, so be it. I owe it to him to help.
“Linoone, you’ve made it clear before you wish for me to make you some ‘forbidden potions.’ While I have no idea how well they might transfer over to Pokemon physiology, if you indeed plan on stopping whatever this is, then you will most certainly need it. You have my word I will make breakthroughs soon.”
At this I offered my paw to him and he took it, shaking on my word. “Thank you, Ikarus, but if you’ll excuse me I have another ‘package’ to deliver,” he said before hurriedly leaving with a wink.
As for me, I return to my work as I am left to wonder, just how deep does this rabbit hole go?