Wayward Loser
Chapter IX
"Luxus et Nineball"
I took no time to fit my lower garments back on after that imbecile left. I looked over at the screen with the hope he hadn't tampered with anything, but I was wrong. There was an entry box that read 'INSERT SPECIES NAME HERE'. I assumed that that pinhead had done something to log his genetics into the computer. I approached the console, looking down at a myriad of buttons with footprint runes stamped on them. I looked closely, taking a moment to translate, then slowly typed out G-A-L-L-A-D-E. I hit the 'enter' button, which locked in the information. A picture of a Gallade appeared where there was a graphical display of the current Pokemon, and the name was registered on the list.
There must be more to this machine than simply a Pokémon data log. My search had only just begun, as I made attempts to locate other files- possibly a 'last accessed' log (so I could see when the ancient Pokémon had made their final entries). It took what felt like an hour to finally crack my way out of the Pokémon database. The machine had, graphically, zoomed out and sealed the data log with a sort of... sliding metal door? I suppose that's how to best describe it. Once that was done, I was at a master menu of archives. I started to browse at my leisure for articles of potential interest.
'PRODUCTION QUOTAS'
'EMPLOYEE RECORDS'
'GENE-SPLICING RECORDS'
'INTERSPECIES S&B ARCHIVE'
'HUMAN WORLD INTERACTIONS LOG'
'PROJECT NINEBALL'
'RECENTLY MODIFIED'
Gene-splicing? Interspecies S&B-
... The ancients certainly had a twisted sense of developing sciences... I'll open that file later.
Human World? What's a 'human'? Allegedly, Raichu of Team Syndicate was human, but that subject was dropped a long time ago. Most likely he's forgotten what it was like to be human and has remained a member of the Pokémon world for the rest of his days.
Project Nineball was another point of interest... I'll look at that after I investigate-
Recently Modified.
'PROJECT NINEBALL - LAST EDITTED BY MASTER LUXUS - FOUR HOURS AGO'
... FOUR HOURS AGO?!
That's preposterous! The Ancients had died out a long time ago! This requires investigation... I backed out of 'Recently Modified', and went to 'Employee Records'.
'COLD-AND-EFFICIENT STEELWORKS MASTER EMPLOYEE LOG'
'MASTER LUXUS - 4 HOURS AGO'
'FOREMAN SPM-014 - 327 YEARS AGO'
'FOREMAN SPM-025 - 329 YEARS AGO'
'SURVEYOR BETA - 333 YEARS AGO'
'SURVEYOR GAMMA - 341 YEARS AGO'
'DEVELOPER QUATTUOR - 354 YEARS AGO'
The list goes on. Just who exactly is this 'Master Luxus'? Perhaps it was that impersonating Gallade that had just left.
What an ego he had, calling himself 'Master'. At least I know his actual name is Luxus, now. The question is, how did he manage to log himself in this ancient database? There's no way some Northern idiot like him had the brain cells to even begin trying to gain full access to an archaic device like this. So many questions have arisen since I came here to the Abandoned Factory. I'll have to worry about those questions later; I'd much prefer to scan through this database for actual information.
I backed out of 'Employee Records', and opened 'Production Quotas'.
'THIS YEAR'S QUOTA'
'0 UNITS MAGNEMITE-CLASS MACHINES'
'0 UNITS GOLETT-CLASS MACHINES'
'0 UNITS PORYGON-CLASS "LIVEDATA" EXPERIMENTS'
'0 UNITS VOLTORB-CLASS MACHINES'
'MUTANT QUOTA T.B.D.'
It was a rather short list of things, most of which I know about. So steel-types like Magnemite were mass-produced in the past... Fascinating! Though, the thing that piques my interest now is this 'Mutant' quota. This is a factory, why would there be mutants? This calls for investigating the gene-splicing log...
'GENE-SPLICING RECORDS'
'NOTE BY DEVELOPER UNUS'
'The following experimentations with live Pokémon genetics is not to be released to the public whatsoever. The captives here were kept for the sole purpose of testing the compatibility of genes within like and unalike breeding pools to create new superwarriors. Some of the visages are not for the faint of heart, or weak of stomach. All of those involved with the project will be paid triple salary to remain quiet about our work. Thank you, and happy splicing.'
Riiiight... How bad could it be?
... Maybe I shouldn't ask that question. That's bound to actually make things bad.
I swallowed my pride and opened up the record files.
'EXPERIMENT-045C - APPLICATION OF METAMORPHIC GENE ANOMALY (CODENAME: DITTO) TO VARIOUS STABLE GENETYPES'
I gagged as I browsed the images. Various Pokémon were displayed, being in various states of physical... 'instability'. All of them were ancients, but some of them seemed to be...
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Seemed to be... children.
Some were simply a tad amorphous looking. Most likely the 'successful' applications. Others had deformations, such as having an extra appendage- but it seemed more like it belonged to a whole different species, and said appendage had come involuntarily as the tissue surrounding it seemed scarred and bloodied, and the subject's expression seemed to be that of pain and agony.
I panned through a few more until I close out of it entirely before I lost control of my stomach.
Eugh...
I stepped back from the console and paced about the room, meditating and taking deep breaths to calm down. What I had just seen was... It... It was downright horrific! I took a few more moments to recollect myself, and approached the console again.
I figured I'd need to be as collected as possible.
Time to open 'Interspecies S&B'.
'INTERSPECIES S&B (SELECTION-AND-BREEDING) ARCHIVE'
'NOTE BY MASTER LUXUS'
'This work is completely under the radar. Select individuals (Read: Bribed outlaws) are given a 5X paygrade task to undergo a special interspecies breeding program. They are given a 2X paygrade award for bringing in live 'subjects' for experimentation. This project is to test with females of all 'conscious' ages and most breeds to be a part of our task. Those who come willingly shall be paid to the degree of a 5X paygrade. All involved males will be injected with a special 'Ditto-Serum' to alternate their seminal genes to become compatible with any other species- at least, in theory. They are then allowed to... 'play', with the subjects of their choice. Any by-products (Read: Offspring) will be categorized as mutants and be subjected as such.
ADDENDUM: Thanks to our discovery of the 'Human' realm, we've had a new opportunity to add to the Interspecies S&B genepool. The 'Human' traits seem to alter a Pokémon's build in a drastic way. We're sending the by-product 'freaks', after training them how to survive in the wild, to the north for active testing. This new breed with latent psychic ability must be monitored for the time being.
And if you're reading this, you're fired.
EDIT: This may be a breeding program, but I don't want to see your 'awesome' moment pictures. Any future posts of in-progress scenes will result in termination of contract and to be subject to T.M.E. Thank you, and do your job properly. -Luxus'
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I quavered, and my knees started to go weak. It didn't take me long to piece together what the addendum meant, or what the human world interaction file contained. I realized that, in reality, all those times that... That that stupid brat 'Pure Soul' had called me a freak...
... It was a truth. A truth neither of us really knew based on the context, but now...
I sunk to the floor. I gazed down at my hands, clenching them into fists and unclenching them- getting another feel for who I was. I felt irreversibly different. I felt alien. I felt unnatural. I felt as though I was a monster amongst Pokémon. It took most of my willpower to keep myself from emotionally breaking apart in entirety. I had to breathe for a good while to get over this information- to swallow it, understand it... accept it.
I got back on my feet. There was one last file of interest I had to inspect. I adjusted my spectacles, and opened it up:
'PROJECT NINEBALL'
'NOTE BY MASTER LUXUS'
'This is our main project. Nineball will be a weapon of ultimate destruction to be wielded at our beck and call. It's shell shall be that of a Magnemite top-class (Read: Magnezone), and to be painted red with black, and given a decal '9' on both of its shoulders to signify that it's the subject of this project. The continual mass-production of self-producing energy machines (Read: Magnemite and Voltorb-Class machines) shall be necessary to provide Nineball with enough energy to break what I have labeled "Arceus' Barrier", or the glass ceiling in power growth for any Pokémon, categorized on our power-scaling machines as 'Level 100'. Project Nineball shall continue to be fed energy to allow it's power to grow once it shatters the barrier, as most of it will have been used up in the discharge. I understand we're trying to play god. Future sub-projects will take this even further, but details have yet to be disclosed. All factory employees are required to designate their production rally point through the deep tunnels built to each facility, leading to Nineball's mountain chamber. It is inaccessible otherwise, and there shall be no map provided in the facility's data logs to show where Nineball is being kept, in case of an intrusion (which may be unlikely, however I wish to take all precautions necessary), and the intruder finds this file.
If we do this correctly and things go as planned, we will be able to control- nay, DESTROY the world if we so wished. Everyone and everything shall grovel at our feet, begging for our forgiveness and our good blessings.
Keep working. May Nineball be successful. -Luxus'
... Scratch that. This 'Luxus' cannot be that Gallade impersonator... It has to be someone else. But who... There's absolutely no leads on the employee records, with no picture provided for him. All others have pictures, most of the Foremen being those large automatons (like the one I defeated) or other machines for other jobs. It seems that non-machine 'Employees' do not keep pictures, for the sake of anonimity.
Well...
This was the discovery of a lifetime. I found out about an ancient plot of conquering the world! This factory is going to become a museum, I'm sure of it. Though I don't know if some of this information is safe to share with all audiences... Perhaps just to the scientifically minded?
... Mayor Turv! I'd most likely get to meet such an intellectual thanks to this discovery!
It was worth slogging through this smut; I shall become famous and finally find...
... I'll find happiness!
