"This is the last of them, sir," a white-uniformed man saluted. "However, I still don't see why we must use them; they're only little ones."
"It's all in the name of science," the superior stated, his green sunglasses glinting malevolently. "Besides, no one will miss them; I've personally made sure of it. Now which number will we give this one?" he asked, gesturing to the soundproof metal box, mounted on wheels.
"It is the ninth of them, sir," the lower-ranked man replied.
"Very well," the other concurred. "Then this one will be Subject 009. Take it to the labs for analysis. Chop chop."
The man saluted before wheeling the box to the elevator. With a push of a button, the elevator descended down to the lower floors. Once at the desired floor, the man wheeled the box down the white and gray halls, with a white-uniformed woman joining him.
"Who is this one, brother?" the woman asked.
"This one has no name," the male replied. "Chief Faba wishes to call it Subject 009. I was ordered to bring it for analysis."
"The tests for the ninth subject were to be delayed until President Lusamine sees it," the woman relayed.
"The Chief sounded quite confident that the President would approve, sister," the man recalled as the two reached the lab. The man passed the subject's prison to a masked lab assistant. The assistant nodded to the siblings in thanks before bringing the box into the lab.
"President Lusamine wanted a female to be Subject 009," the female recalled.
"And a female is what I got, sis," the older sibling replied. "I made sure of it."
"So this is the ninth test subject," a blonde woman mused as she looked over the form on the experimental bed on the other side of the glass. Lying there was an unconscious pale-skinned girl, held to the table with iron bands on her ankles, wrists, and midsection. The tiny, six-year-old girl wore a thin, white gown that slightly rose and fell in time with the girl's shallow breathing. A single wire connected to her left wrist monitored her vitals on a screen.
"Just as you wished it to be, ma'am," the lab assistant confirmed. "We only kept her sedated until you came to oversee the tests. Now, we only need your permission and the code name and research assignment for Subject 009."
"Good," the woman smirked, lime-colored eyes narrowing. "Subject 009 seems sufficient for the tests. You may proceed; show me the results when you're done. Keep her heavily sedated during the tests. Let her code name be... Moone, like the altar of the same name. Oh, and use the DNA acquired from the legendary pokemon that was collected a while ago."
"Of course, President Lusamine," the masked person bowed as the blonde left the room. Once she was gone, the person turned to the computer. After typing the desired code name into the computer file, the scientist entered a command and submitted it.
A robotic arm lowered to the unconscious subject. The pen-like end of the arm turned yellow as it heated up, inching closer to the girl's forearm. Just as it began to scratch the pale skin, the robotic arm burned permanent letters and numbers into the skin. The girl's peaceful face contorted in pain, but the girl remained unconscious. Once the robotic arm was retracted and cooled down, the girl was officially branded as a test subject. Tears fell from the girl's closed eyes, but the lab scientist was already preparing the tests.
More robotic arms lowered over the girl. One took a blood sample from her wrist. Another attached wires to her temples to monitor brain activity - which was surprisingly active, given that she was unconscious. A couple of others attached needles and wires to her body. The needles injected dark blue liquid into her bloodstream, and the wires hummed as they sent shocks of electricity through the girl's body.
The girl began to twitch and writhe against the iron bands. She screamed a bit in agony, eyes briefly opening despite the sedatives in her system, revealing gray eyes that were turning violet. The mark of a red eye glowed beneath the female's sideswept bangs as the blue liquid took effect. The girl's white hair instantly grew longer and turned to a shade of bluish purple that was almost black, while a few occasional strands remained silver.
"The pokemon DNA is proving compatible with the subject's body," mused the scientist as the tests ended. "And we didn't lose her on the first try this time." The wires and needles retracted, leaving only the one monitoring her vitals. The girl silently sunk back into her sleep-like state, relieved and exhausted. He took the printed results from the computer and gave them to a lab assistant, who left the room. "Soon, little girl," the scientist whispered in the girl's direction. "Soon you will become a full-fledged cross between people and pokemon. You will be neither entirely human nor entirely pokemon. You'll be an outcast; a hybrid. From this day forward, your DNA will forever hold a part of a legend."
A bespectacled woman watched the lab assistant from another lab. She frowned sadly, having heard the girl's screams. She knew the girl was just forced onto a long, painful road; one that she may have to endure for a long time.
A tiny whimper pulled the woman's attention back to the creature on the table, with a blonde boy standing silently beside it. The blonde gripped the red and white ball in his hand, waiting for the lady to speak. The creature pawed at the table nervously, eyes gleaming under the heavy iron mask it wore.
"Go, young Master Gladion," the woman whispered, gripping the boy's shoulders. "Take Type:Null and leave this place. When you're both stronger, return and rescue the children held here: your sister, and all the subjects that have been kidnapped. But until then, make yourself invisible to the Aether Foundation." She turned to the pokemon. "Type:Null, protect your trainer, and bear him safely through this dark path of life. When the time comes, destroy President Lusamine's deranged plans; but always remember me as a friend."
The blonde boy and creature nodded silently and firmly. The boy retracted the creature into the ball, his bright green eyes now brimming with determination. With a final look at his only friend, the boy ran to the elevator. Running away from his friend, his sister, and all the test subjects he was now destined to save.
And, most importantly, away from his deranged mother, who started this whole mess.