This chapter marks the official 100k mark on my document. It's taken a long time, but hey. It's something to celebrate, you know? Expect the next chapter before December. But what am I talking about, you have to read this one first.

Dr. Tortican

I have performed many experiments in my long and lustrous career. Many of those have won me fame, fortune or recognition. I have had my share of minor set backs and even some near-critical failures… However, it has been a long time since I miscalculated so badly.

As any great experimenter, I considered the worst-case scenarios of every test. Was I willing to deal with the consequences? For the most part, the risk is acceptable. However, how could anyone predict that Subject 192 would completely flip my experiment by applying the amnesia to the scientist sent after him? What a miscalculation that not only would he avoid the amnesia but completely leave me in the dark about what happened.

As to be expected by an ex-Rocket administrator, he doesn't fit into the realm of the expected. So I have to assume the worst, least plausible scenario from now on. Which right now is as follows: I'll assume that the subject has his full memory back, learned everything from the scientist I sent after him and has contacted Giovanni. All of this seems unlikely, but I must assume this. Even though this information seemingly could end my experiment altogether, it actually works in my favor if this is how it played out. First, the scientist sent after Subject 192 was not in the inner circle of my experiment. If the subject got information on the experiment, it could easily be wrong.

Most important of the information the subject would look for would be our timetable. Until recently, we believed the maturation process to be around four months before each soldier would be ready. However, after the surgeries applied, it only takes the subjects a few weeks at most to gain pace to where Subject 192 is. Why is this, you might ask? Well, the time the pokémon cells take to develop in their respective hosts is largely determined on the age of the pokémon they were merged with… and since a darkrai has an exceptionally long lifespan, it takes a very long time for the cells to completely accept the new body as their own. The scientist knew the estimates to be four months. So assuming Giovanni hears about this, he may move slowly… I still have time. And even if he responds right away, I'll have an army waiting for him. But I will have to make my move within the timespan of four months or risk Giovanni expecting the attack.

Giovanni might have bigger issues, though. The rumors of Rocket having kidnapped the world-renown 'researcher', Crystal, has put them in a hole. What can I say; I killed two birds with one stone… Giovanni is delayed and I have more subjects for my experiment. People might wonder if it is my own jealousy… she has captured nearly 80% of the known pokémon, including legendary pokémon. However, I assure you it is not. After all, I have solved one of the greatest causes of death ever known to man in cancer. I simply needed a test subject. Even though her mind is not as sharp as my own, I'm going to see if she can control a psychic type. She is above average compared to the riff-raff of the general public, so it could work. Speaking of which, I should get back to that experiment… This one may be a lost cause for now. I'll continue observing him, but his progress is too delayed compared to the more recent models and other lines of pokémon used. And at this point in time, the resources to contain and eradicate him might be too much. It's not all bad, though… Meeting the man N from Plasma could still give Giovanni yet another problem.

~From Charon's Personal Journal, Entry 813 of the 192 Experiment

Gray

Once Lawrence and I had parted ways, I had made my way to the South end of Jubilife, preparing to take the relatively short trip to Sandgem town. However, it quickly occurred to me that I had to accommodate for Sarin, something I had not planned on before receiving her. So it took me another hour or so to figure out what food she was willing to eat and then finding that food. Luckily for my back, there wasn't much food to add to the backpack. Sarin had been so awkward that I ended up just getting the berries I had seen Sarin eat a few days ago. Though large, I didn't need many. So at roughly 16 WST, I was ready to finally head out. The sun was starting to set and the clouds were filling the sky, meaning there could very easily be rain soon. Well, at least the temperature was comfortable for the moment. Sarin had decided to travel beside me for the time being, a nice change of pace from the reclusive Shedinja.

"I guess we should probably get to know each other a little better…" I started a bit awkwardly. We were five minutes into our trip and neither of us had talked. The dirt road to Sandgem town was so empty that I didn't even have to worry about anyone overhearing me.

"Yeah… I guess. It's not like we just met though," Sarin replied timidly. It was probably a product of her completely new environment. She was with a new trainer, away from everyone she had known prior to last week and traveling to a foreign area.

"Well, I guess I'll start… Hi, my name is Gray Murk, it's nice to meet you," I smiled, stooping down to shake Sarin's paw. My smile was a bit forced, but it worked anyways.

"Ah… I'm Sarin… Uhm, nice to meet you… again," Sarin giggled. She shook my hand a bit tentatively, but at least we were getting somewhere. She had been so very awkward ever since leaving Sal's side.

"So Sarin, what do you enjoy doing?" I asked easily as we began walking again.

"Uhm… I don't know. It's been a long time since I've had time to enjoy myself. I guess traveling has always been a dream of mine. That and winning battles," She grinned. I was fairly certain her interest in battling came from her desire to not be left behind, as Latias explained. Of course, I remained silent about it.

"I guess I'm similar to you. I haven't had a lot of time to enjoy myself recently. I also enjoy winning battles, but I think adventuring can be rather lonely. At least now, I have a few people to talk to," I said wistfully.

"It's better than being cooped up all the time! I think I could get used to this!" Sarin smiled broadly, looking around at all the trees lining our path. "It's hard to appreciate how open the world is when you're always inside a pokéball."

"I guess. One of my friends, Espeon, would agree with you. Once I gave her the option to be outside her pokéball, she never went back," I grinned, remembering how sassy she had been about being in her pokéball.

"Oh, you have other pokémon besides Shedinja?" Sarin questioned, appearing a bit nervous.

"No, she isn't mine, but I was taking care of her for a bit. She's with another friend of mine, though, so it may be a while before we come across her again. So stop being so nervous… I didn't ask to have you along so I could coop you up, okay?"

"Ah… yes, sorry. It's just hard for me to believe that this is true… It's like a dream," Sarin replied.

"Well, I hope it stays that way for you… I travel because I have some work to do. This means sometimes we won't have much choice on where we head. For example, I have to meet someone in Sandgem town. Depending on how that goes really decides how we'll end up traveling later on, so I can't really make any promises on what we see." I wasn't going to inform her of what I was doing quite yet; there was no need to turn her dreams sour so soon. But eventually, there'd probably come a time when I'd have to explain my whole situation.

"It's more interesting to have a goal. Anyways, an adventure is an adventure! You have no idea how happy I am just to get this chance, don't spoil it for me," Sarin smiled, unperturbed.

"Alright, alright," I laughed. "But as a last note, I do try to keep the fact that I can talk to pokémon pretty hidden. I think you might've noticed this by now, but it'd just be unnecessary attention if everyone knew I could talk to pokémon so easily. So if we're around someone and I'm not responding, it's because I'm keeping that a secret. Other than that, if you have something you want to do, I'll try my best to help you do whatever that is."

"Yeah… Thanks Gray. I'll try to not be too demanding," Sarin grinned mischievously.

And so we tracked on to Sandgem town, conversing most of the way. Because of our late start, we were on course to arrive in Sandgem town just an hour before midnight… Not exactly a great time to arrive anywhere. Sarin had started to drag her feet sometime around 22WST, so I ended up putting her in her pokéball so she could rest.

The last hour was very quiet, to the point of being obnoxiously so. The night was a bit overcast, so I had a slightly more treacherous walk once the sun completely set. Luckily, the moon was bright enough to light up my path when the clouds weren't covering it. Unfortunately, the air temperature was quite chilly. Normally, this wouldn't bother me but I was only wearing a polo shirt; apparently Meg had forgotten to give me anything with long sleeves. By time I got to Sandgem, I felt like I was close to shivering. I'd have to remember to buy a coat later.

Because it was such a cloudy night, I didn't see Sandgem until I was almost on top of it. What I could tell immediately was that Sandgem had little to no nightlife. The town was very dark but for a few buildings that had the occasional window lit up. From what I could tell, most of these buildings in this town were small houses with a comfortable amount of property… some had enough property to be called farms. Well, this would make finding some place to stay more difficult…

I didn't want to drift through a town as quiet as this. I'd just look suspicious. The town was dead to the point that I was the only person on the streets. This was a rather refreshing change from Jubilife were I constantly felt slightly claustrophobic. There were a few streetlights here and there; just enough to make sure you were able to see where you were going, but not enough light to make a lone stranger walking the streets look any less suspicious. Still, I couldn't deny that I enjoyed this change of pace compared to Jubilife. Sandgem was small, peaceful, and wide open. But perhaps most importantly, Sandgem town was quiet. I could get used to a town like this.

It took me roughly thirty minutes of wandering and following street signs to find Sandgem's main street, "Beach Street". I had heard Sandgem was bordering the ocean that surrounded Sinnoh, but the town seemed like such an underdeveloped rural farmland that access to a beach didn't make much sense. Regardless, from my earlier research, I knew Beach Street had a Pokémon Center. While I wasn't delighted about the prospect of staying in the same place as some obnoxious trainers, I needed sleep. Open 24/7, I could easily find shelter at one for the night. It was either this or a bench somewhere… Not the most comfortable prospect.

Once entering the Pokémon Center, an exhausted Nurse Joy greeted me halfheartedly. She seemed to be stuck with the graveyard shift, watching over an empty lobby on the off chance a traveler like me showed up.

"Are you here to stay the night?" I nodded. "Trainer card please." Upon verifying that my trainer card was indeed authentic, I paid a small fee, just slightly less than what a night cost at the Cozy Cresselia. I was directed to a room down a side corridor. My room was about ten rooms down, suggesting that there were about twice as many trainers in the pokémon center. Oh well, I had heard from Ben that Jubilife's center had over 150 trainers. This wasn't bad when put into that frame of reference.

Though I wasn't terribly concerned with the room outside of providing a comfortable place to sleep, I was pleasantly surprised with the layout.

It had been a few years since I had given the reigns of Rocket's newest covert division, Cancel. If Giovanni needed something solved, he'd simply ask for me to 'Cancel it', hence the odd name. As a program, I had led my group to an 80% success rate, the highest among Rocket's 'shadowy' divisions. Hey, for a 16 year old, this was a fantastic accomplishment. For me, I wanted to be THE division Uncle Giovanni relied on for these operations, not just one of the many.

Currently, I was just inside of a very famous cave in Kanto, the Cerulean Cave. The cave was only supposed to be accessed by league officials, the Kanto elite four and the Kanto champion. None of Rocket fell into any of these categories, so the mission fell to me. So, I had taken a group of five to infiltrate the cave by any means necessary. But for a cave that was supposed to be very exclusive, the security was basically non-existent.

"Boss, why's the big man want that hydreigon so much?" Colin asked. He was one of Cancel's outstanding lieutenants. Well, being an outstanding Cancel operator was a prerequisite to be on a mission with me. "Just because it doesn't exist in Kanto doesn't mean it's important enough for you to come out."

"It isn't about the hydreigon as much as it is finding Mewtwo… As stupid as it sounds, the frequency and timing of hydreigon coming to Cerulean Cave lines up almost perfectly with when we've known Mewtwo to be here," I said quietly. Even with my quieter voice, the cave made my voice echo much louder than I'd prefer. Part of the side effects of a cave shaped by water for thousands of years… it was damp and echoed like crazy.

"Boss still wants that Mewtwo after it screwed us with Deoxys?"

"Those 'three beasts' were as much an issue as Mewtwo. Uncle ought to rely on our group more. In fact, I owe Mewtwo a big thank you for taming Giovanni's three pets. And, perhaps even Red after I beat him."

"Boss talks pretty big for only having two pokémon," Colin joked. I just rolled my eyes as we came to the first split in the cave. Just as our maps showed, there were three splits. Supposedly, two of the lanes linked up, while the third went to the "Monster's Den": Mewtwo's personal hangout. We'd have to check all three to prevent an escape.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, group up. I'm going into the Monster's Den," I said, turning to face my small group. They all wore the standard Cancel division gear: a simple black ballistic vest over a gray collared shirt. Underneath the vest, the collared shirt would have the Rocket emblem, but we kept it hidden for… various reasons. That we looked like professionals should be the only thought crossing anyone's mind when they saw us.

"Groups of two, flush out the rest of the cave. Keep in communication. Just remember, there's one more branch in the left tunnel so I want Cory taking it himself." Cory was my second in command, a 15-year-old single battling genius I had picked up off the streets. It was a blessing he had run into issues with loan sharks so I could make such a great acquisition to Cancel.

"Don't screw up, Boss!" Colin joked.

"Worry about yourself, Colin. I have yet to see you take down a pokémon since you've joined Cancel," Cory responded.

"That's because you only watch me battle when you're fighting me…" Colin muttered. I shook my head and started to head down the rightmost tunnel to the Monster's Den. It was a blessing in disguise that Cancel had a rough time with formalities. Although we were 'barbaric' when seen with other divisions, it was good for my own sanity to have people talk to me on a human level.

My footsteps echoed as I crept through the long trail to the Monster's Den. I was generally incredibly quiet but there were just no way around these large puddles and even the hard, damp stone made light footsteps echo. To me, I sounded like a freight train… It didn't help that most pokémon in the cave floated, flew or swam. I might've well been telegraphing my position. However, there was no other way out of the Monster's Den but through me, and I was confident I could destroy any opponent I met.

There were a few pokémon this way, but they mostly ignored me. The new Rocket ballistic vests had a small device emitting ultrasonic waves to scare away pokémon that got close… The waves didn't travel very far and I could toggle the signal on and off, so I could trust that it wouldn't be the reason I'd lose a target.

Finally, I came across the Monster's Den itself. It was a quaint space: a small underground lake surrounded a peninsula on the far side of the cavern. The peninsula seemed to have some shrubbery suggesting a pokémon bedded there. But the current inhabitant certainly wasn't a pokémon. A short, old woman stood leaning against an old knotted cane. She had graying-blonde hair and a magenta dress… She could've easily been my grandmother… Well, this was based off of Georgie's look.

"Ah, what's such a youngster doing in such a dangerous place? You certainly don't look like a league official…" She started easily. My ballistic vest was a very easy tip-off for that… Such an obvious conclusion was almost annoying.

As she spoke, I realized something suspicious about my shadow. It was just for an instant, but it had shifted. I looked around to see if there was any light source that could've called such a mistake, but the only culprit could've been light bouncing off water. The water level was lower than my shadow, making it impossible for the water to have caused that. Most likely, there was a ghost sitting behind me. So that left it to be this old woman's fought… Her age probably wasn't a great indicator of her strength.

"Ah… I must've gotten lost my way. I was looking for my dragon and ended up here…" I said, turning to leave. First order of business would be getting away from this woman. If the hydreigon wasn't here, I could simply leave.

"Heheheh, perhaps you're talking about this guy?" the old woman asked, tossing out a pokéball. A large black dragon appeared floating above the pond, his three heads roaring. He was thrashing about, a trait of a newly caught pokémon. It had an incredibly heavy presence, it's anger almost physically permeated in the surrounding air. She quickly withdrew the hydreigon, silencing the cave once more.

Why was she picking a fight with me? If my shadow was anything to go by, she probably was a ghost specialist... All the more impressive to catch a dark type. I had seen some Rocket admins practice sitting a ghost in a shadow before and it was fairly effective. However, if I could remove the shadow, I could force the pokémon away. So, my first plan of action was immediate.

"Magmortar, lava plume!" I said, deploying my starter. The shadow was struck with a heavy amount if lava hit the shadow, not only destroying the shadow but super-heating the ground. As suspected, it forced a ghost out. It was a gengar, Kanto's only native ghost. It snickered a bit as it tried to taunt Magmortar, but it was largely irrelevant… He wouldn't be able to hide without getting destroyed.

"Oh, so you noticed? That's rather sharp… Gengar, come on back. I guess I should introduce myself," the old woman started.

"Don't bother. Just give me that hydreigon and we'll all get along fine. Magmortar, flamethrower," I commanded. Magmortar braced his arm cannon and aimed it straight at the woman standing across the pond before unleashing a perfectly aimed stream of flames. The shot was strong enough that his arm recoiled up just a bit. But before the flames could strike gengar and the old woman, another ghost type rose up from the water and absorbed the flames. The new pokémon appeared to be oversaturated with water, incredibly blue and bloated. The ghastly tendrils hanging off its main body dripped with a disgusting mix of water and ectoplasm… It was the jellyfish ghost, jellicent.

"As I was saying, I am the oldest Elite Four member, Agatha. I'm sorry youngster, but this hydreigon is a gift for one of my close friends… you're gonna have to go home empty-handed." The jellicent disappeared underwater again. So it'd be hard to get to her without taking care of it first and I wouldn't be able to hit them with hire attacks… Jellicents could recover at a ridiculous rate in water.

I could call back my squad and work at taking this woman down, but their help would take a long time to arrive at this point. Regardless, I had to utilize them properly. It was my responsibility. "Cancel core, this is leader. Group up at the entrance, prepare for heat."

"Ah, so you've brought friends… However, let me give you some advice. Stop playing soldier and leave if you wish to survive," Agatha smiled easily.

"I'm sorry, but I warned you. I need that dragon. Elite four or not, I have my own mission. Now, let's finish this. Magmortar, smoke screen!" There was no hope of Magmortar crossing the pond, but I wasn't limited to Magmortar. Scyther had been following me quietly to make sure no one was tracking me. It was standard tactic for any Cancel member to leave a pokémon tailing you from behind to make sure tracking you was more difficult. My scyther was already covering the water, the thick ink of the smokescreen sinking into the pond. However, I was giving more shadows. Agatha could attack me much easier. I'd have to cover that.

"Magmortar, thunderbolt!" I commanded after a split second delay. That would allow my scyther to come free of the electrical storm and force the jellicent out of the water. As the smoke screen cleared, I watched the lightning fall on the pool. The jellicent was fleeing away, static buzzing through its body. My scyther had gone clean through only to be engaged by a… dusclops? Scyther would definitely win this fight, but how many ghosts were coming my way? The jellicent was heading my way, as was the gengar. But was there another? Luckily, my ballistic vest had a few tricks.

"Flashbang out!" I called for Magmortar, dropping the grenade-like canister directly behind me and covering my ears. The large bang still rang my ears and echoed in the cave, the light burned my retinas through my eyelids. For as vicious as the flashbang was on my senses, it was far more tolling on the unprepared approaching pokémon. I opened my eyes to count 3 ghosts… the gengar, the jellicent and then a mismagius… I only had Magmortar to defend myself; without a doubt, I was outmatched. However, I had a trick remaining.

"Magmortar, maelstrom!" Suddenly, the air became superheated and wisps of fire started to swarm somewhat aimlessly. There was electricity coursing the air as the flames began to spin faster in unison and gain density. The ghosts were starting to recover as the ground started shaking and the flames became intense. Within moments, a whirlpool of fire with a 50-meter radius trapped the ghosts in with Magmortar and I. I was prepared, though. My ballistic vest was made specifically for withstanding electricity and my collared shirt had a liquid lining to prevent me from dying of dehydration. However, what happened next would take skill on Magmortar's part and some luck on mine.

The ground erupted in flames; lightning shot between the swirling whirlpool of fire and the heat became so intense that my body was losing water without it ever condensing to sweat. The ghosts were suffering, too. The jellicent was already half its size, the mismagius was getting burned badly, and the gengar already a melting blob of toxic waste and evaporating fast. As I watched, the jellicent ate a huge electrical shock from the firestorm, fainting. The mismagius followed suit quickly. I had fended them off. All the ghosts fell within a minute and fifteen seconds.

"End." The flames started to wear down, finally letting me go. Magmortar, in slaying mode still, went over to the pool of acid and blasted it with lava. My scyther had just broken through the dusclops. I grabbed a water bottle from my vest to drink and rehydrate... If I didn't drink a lot, I still ran the risk of dying. Well, it could be a victory drink, I guess. This was my w…. No, my shadow jumped. Just as scyther finished the dusclops, I realized I had been had. For as good as Maelstrom was, the fire would've spread a great deal of shadows… Perhaps I had missed a fourth ghost?

No… When I had dropped the flashbang, I dropped it behind me. Of course, the sudden light would seem to eradicate all shadows, but if it didn't manage that, it would cast my shadow a very long was towards the approaching ghosts. Perhaps at that point in time, I had already lost.

"That… was truly wonderful, youngster," Agatha smiled easily, leaning on her cane even with my scyther bearing down her neck. "Let's not end this with bloodshed. We were both aiming for each other's neck, but no matter how fast your scyther is… my gengar is faster. Your scyther has been burned, and your magmortar is probably tired after such an impressive attack… if he isn't tired from my gengar's pain split. That acid puddle you got was a young haunter, not my Gengar. I've won."

The truth stung. For as good as my fight, Magmortar wasn't going to be able to help me, he was exhausted. Scyther indeed was burned, but he could still get Agatha… it would just lead to my roughly simultaneous end. To be honest, I wasn't sure how long that dusclops would be out.

"However… I'm not willing to let talent like yours not get rewarded. With only two pokémon, you managed to go toe to toe with my second team… something most contenders can't dream of. What's your name, boy?"

If I wanted to beat Agatha, I needed team support, so playing along was necessary. "Gray Gambino, Rocket division leader of Cancel."

"A Rocketeer…" Agatha said, a hint of disgust evident in her voice. "Oh well, I disagree with the life choice, but I guess we've both had our share of bad choices… Your talent is comparable to that of Red, Kanto's champion… Good talent should be rewarded regardless."

"I appreciate the compliment, but please don't compare me to that man. It's just a slap in the face."

"Hmm… Jealousy? Red has given Rocket some major setbacks in the last five years. Although, right now he's getting over the work of that medusa your Rockets had. Just out of his stone shell and you already want to hit him again? Ah, such an obedient Rocketeer, disliking the champion…" Agatha cackled.

"Boss, boss, you there? What's the plan?" My intercom crackled, static showing up due to the thick walls of the cave.

"Well, whatever. How about I offer you a once in a lifetime deal. We go free, even as friends. I keep the hydreigon… yes, this makes you fail, but you lost. Even if you bring back the rest of your crew, if none of them are your level, Gengar will handle all of them. Jellicent only needs a few minutes to recover, and dusclops comes back in a bit…"

I rolled my eyes, listening to her cutting words, but accepting my defeat as gracefully as possible. Depending on the terms determined my response… I still had Cory, an incredible battler.

"You let me win this gracefully and I'll get Oak… yes, that notoriously old and senile professor, to get you a Pokédex. You realize what that means, right? A dexholder, you'll get your shot at Red and the rest of those dexholders. Recognition, an exclusive club… more importantly, a shot at revenge for the 'honor of Rocket'… how about it, Gray of Rocket?"

Revenge? No… More like a chance to prove that I truly was the best Rocket had, doing something no one in Rocket had done: beat the champion. While I had never intentionally failed a mission, the chance to face Red was overwhelming. I knew that short of a miracle, there'd be no chance he'd even waste his time with me… this was that miracle. This was the means to my personal end. "This sounds like a fine deal, Mrs. Agatha," I said, calling back Scyther and turning to leave. I grabbed my radio before speaking into it. "Boys, we're going home. There's nothing here."

"A pleasure to meet you, Gray Gambino. Let's meet again."

"The honor was mine. Thank you for the battle and future opportunity," I smiled sadly, bowing. Losing hurt, but I had gained something invaluable today.

So I hope you all enjoyed. Thanks for the continued support.