#wouldn't complain if she were a scheming villain but I very much adore paldea as this genuine pokemon and knowledge loving region

[wyrdle]

General Geeta + Professors + other Area Zero HCs/Theories

I have some stray thoughts over the unexplained questions, such as why Area Zero's labs have no staff, why the Academy continued funding Ops despite the dangers, how things went so unnoticed, how Geeta got her Glimmora etc.

I think I'll preface this by saying I don't think anyone in this story is nefariously evil in a way we're used to in past Pokemon games. By and large the biggest ? is the mysterious creature in Area Zero, but I like to think most of the people of Paldea are just average people with flaws that cause ramifications (Ie. The professors being the prime example.) No one has crazy wild ambitions like taking over the region as an authoritarian leader etc.

Anyway! On those questions I mentioned, I think a lot of it is attributed to the lack of fleshing out for Geeta tbh, and her role as Chairwoman to the academy. I like to think that she was appointed just about when Tera orbs were founded, and by then Area Zero's official Academy funded explorations/research was wrapped up. This means Clavell and any other lab folk leaving the area for other pursuits. AKA Academy wiping their hands of further research in the area, since they've gotten the crystals.

I've seen some writings of the violet and scarlet books being mostly thought of as fiction, and the Academy controlling all source of knowledge being highly sus... but maybe it really is just that. The Academy-funded researchers in their time in Area Zero spent enough time to not witness/have any evidence pointing to Heathe's observations being true, even if it might be once upon a time. (I have some other theories that the time machine is really just a giant pokemon that Sada and Turo figured a way to induce into opening its portal back but eh. next time.)

In light of all this, post tera crystal discovery, everyone packs their bags and vacate Area Zero, all except the professors of respective games. With their obsession, it works narratively for them to be so inclined to self initiate research and fund it themselves (I can't imagine they wouldn't be loaded for inventing terastilisation). To do this, maybe they required some sign off of approval from the Academy chairperson (Not funding or backing, just permission to continue using the existing labs at their own expense), gifting Glimmora as some sign of thanks. Geeta comes to regret her oversight on the professor and the leftover labs in later years.

All this explains why the labs only have Turo/Sada and lack maintenance despite being Academy funded once upon a time. The Academy + League saw no harm in letting their most brilliant scientist continue studying the area + the crystals possibilities, probably not knowing about the whole time machine and strange pokemon thing until things turned out the way they were. Extreme oversight on their part, and I'm hoping more people catch on to this just because I love the thought of Geeta being prim and proper as a mask, internally she's also overworked + stressed and extremely regretful that her leadership led to so much danger.

Alternatively, Glimmora is just a gift from the researchers post Tera crystal discovery. Simple explanation that's very plausible imo. From this very fine post dissecting Geeta's team composition, Glimmora is an odd one out from the rest. I like to think it makes sense for the leader of Paldea to have a pokemon from the area's greatest scientific discovery to parade publicly, no? Glimmora is a pokemon for Paldean pride, their pride in their knowledge and especially, the success of this Academy funded expedition: Tera crystals.

I think it's more fascinating for me personally, to see how the flaws of these people affect things/people around them. There's a lot more potential for side characters to have meaningful grounded conversations with the player and so forth. As opposed to wiping away all of this complexity with some grand scheming.