Chapter 1-The Slip That Started It All
Professor Samuel Oak reviewed his flashcards. A quick glance from behind the curtain revealed a whole room full of Poké-researchers and journalists. It was funny how that despite the number of times he'd lectured, the Butterfrees in his stomach continued to flutter. He practiced his breathing exercises. Alright, he was ready. He smiled at the crowd, and stepped into out into the limelight.
"Hello there. Glad to meet you all! My name is Oak. People affectionately refer to me as the Pokémon Professor." He grinned as the crowd laughed. Almost everyone, Dr. Namba in the back seemed to have his expression permanently set into a frown. "As many of you already know, this world is inhabited far and wide by the mysterious creatures known as Pokémon. Some people live with Pokémon as companions. Others enter battles with them. Me? I study them."
"So you say!" A rather belligerent voice called from the back. Oak had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Why did the doctor even bother to come, if he didn't want to listen? His area of study was Pokémon strength augmentation. He wouldn't be interested in learning about living peaceably with powerful Pokémon. He would rather strap a device on them, and see how much power they could release. There were even rumors that the man was a former Team Rocket member. So why was he even here?
"Please Dr. Number…" Oak started to say.
"IT'S NAMBA! DR. NAMBA!" The other researcher screamed.
"Yes. Yes. If you are going to be dismissive, the exit is right over there. If you reconsider, you might be able to watch a rerun on the telly later." The room broke out into chuckles. "Now onto what the rest of you came here for. For your educational pleasure, the newest addition to the Legendary class… the GENESECT."
The curtain behind oak parted, revealing a screen. The lights dimmed, the only remaining lights shining on the stage. An image of a metallic Pokémon appeared before the people. "Now this Pokémon originally came from ancient fossils. There are only five of them known to be in existence. We do not know who created them, but…"
A hand raised from a reporter in the audience. "Professor, what do you mean created?"
Professor Oak nodded sagely. "That is a good question. I'm not sure how many of you realize this, but there had been several discussions between researchers on an experimental new field; cloning. Not to be confused with the revitalization projects that revive ancient Pokémon like Omastar and Kabutops. Cloning does not involve fossils, but creating a whole new Pokémon based on a DNA sample. The topic is highly controversial, because often there is a temptation to modify the DNA to create a more powerful specimen. Until today, there had only been rumors of super-Pokémon created by evil syndicates like Team Rocket."
In the back of the room, Dr. Namba blanched. Team Rocket was still reeling from the downfall of the Mew project. The original scientists were dead. The specimen escaped, and managed to wipe the memories of everyone involved with its capture. The Rockets still had the financial books for the projects, but no evidence pointing to where Mewtwo had escaped to. Giovanni was very eager to hear about an actually successful cloning project, hence why the bad doctor was there. The boss wanted a full report on the power of this new type of Pokémon, and how it might be appropriated for the glory of Team Rocket. However, they would have to be careful now. If the group was associated with cloning, they might be blamed for the trouble the Pokémon had already caused. They had enough heat. No need for more publicity, until the Boss was ready to lay out all of his cards.
"However, I believe that a different team was responsible for the experiments that modified these ancient Pokémon into weapons. Canons were attached to the Pokémon's back, and longer claws attached to the limbs. The Genesect have also gained another form. Their normal state is bipedal like in this photo here." The Poké-prof pointed at his first image of the Genesect, before clicking his hand held remote. The image changed to a flying disk with eyes. "They have another form that is flatter, and allows the Pokémon to hover at faster speeds. There are currently five of this new type in existence and each seem to have a different element of power it can emit. Team Plasma the strongest group in the Unova area are the most likely culprits. However, the five Pokémon escaped their clutches."
The professor clicked a remote, and the image changed to a red Genesect. "I believe that these Pokémon are pack oriented. This red one is the leader. The other purple Genesect follow his lead, and from my sources one of them is quite young."
"Wait a minute there Professor!" A male reporter asked. "What sources?"
"A very reliable one." Oak raised one eyebrow. "As I was saying…"
Dr. Namba realized this was his chance to derail the meeting, and give the Rockets more time to gather intelligence themselves. "Yes what sources do you have Professor?"
Oak sighed. "Every trainer that receives a Pokédex offers the data they collect to the prominent professor of the area. For me, the trainers from the Kanto region offer their data. I focus mainly on the relationships between people and Pokémon. Professor Elm in Johto uses the data for his research on breeding. I believe Professor Birch in the Hoenn region uses most of the info from the trainers there to study the habitats of people and Pokémon. My friend Professor Rowan has just made a major breakthrough in Pokémon evolution, thanks to the information provided by his trainers. Finally Miss Aurea Juniper is the leading expert in the mythology of Pokémon. Every time a Pokédex scans a new specimen the device sends the data to our own personal computers. From there we are able to measure the newest entries with software. Then we approximate the height, weight, and if there have been previous sightings the trainer gets whatever data we've been able to collect. Needless to say, the more scans, the more accurate the information. That is what we Poké-profs get our data."
Another reporter in the back called out. "So who provided the data on the Genesect?" Now Oak rubbed his eyes. It seemed no one wanted to hear his lecture after all. "I cannot reveal the individual who provided most of this data. That would be breach of their trust."
The whole room broke out into murmurs. Dr. Namba grinned evilly. "One individual Professor? You wanted to lecture the scientific community on a brand new Pokémon, based on the say so of one person? How presumptuous of you Oak."
The media personal in the room were in a frenzy. Several tried to talk over each other, to get their question answered by the Professor. One resorted to outright screaming. Oak was fed up. "QUIET! Alright I will answer one more question, and then we get back to the actual reason we all came for. Please confer amongst yourselves, and then let's get back to business."
The room got a little more focused, but Oak was getting irritated. Finally, one brave reporter was ready to ask the man on the podium a question. "Is this mysterious source the basis of some of your studies with other Legendary Pokémon?"
"Well, yes of course. They've provided me with firsthand accounts of nearly all of my data on Legendary Pokémon." The Professor nodded sagely. Meanwhile the whole room had quieted. It seemed now that had finally silenced the critics. He found his remote, and was all set to get back to the lecture.
"WHAT?"
The room exploded into chaos. Every person with the media was screaming at the top of their lungs. Several were pressing against the stage, fighting amongst themselves to get closer to the professor. The Poke-professor froze in terror. How could his educational venture have turned into such a mess? One brave reporter jumped on the stage. "Okay all of you hold it. Shut up! Stop!" The room quieted a little. "Okay Professor, level with us. Who is this person that's seen more Legendaries than anyone in all of history?" He held up a microphone into Oak's face.
"Now cut that out." Oak pushed the microphone out of the way. "We don't know if they the only person to have ever met so many Legendaries. There could be others; they are just the only one I know. You could argue they are the most recorded trainer, but we can't be sure that there have not been more interactions between Legendaries. I doubt it, but we have no evidence that could refute that."
One of the reporters pressed up against the stage couldn't hold it in anymore. "But who is this person Professor?"
Oak gave up. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the headache he could feel coming on. "I can't reveal a trainer's name as that would break their confidence in me. They want to be famous for their own accomplishments. They didn't give me this information for his own gain, but to help a friend."
Dr. Namba wasn't done yet. "Well how do we know that this source is trustworthy then Oak?"
"Of course they are trustworthy! They are my grandson's best friend!" Oak paled when he realized what he'd done. The room exploded into turmoil again.
Dr. Namba struggled against the crowd, elbowing those who couldn't get out of the way. He ran out of the conference hall as he got clear of the people. He headed straight for the phone booths at the end of the hallway. He dialed furiously, tapping his foot while he waited for the call to connect.
"What?" An irritated voice answered.
"Sir, it's Dr. Number, er Namba. I have just found our newest secret weapon." The professor tried to get out in his excitement. "Not only is the media attention off the Genesect project, but there is someone that could lead us to every other Legendary in existence!"
"Who?" The voice on the line deepened, and the villainous doctor could hear a Persian purring in the background.
"Well, that's just it. I don't know who sir." The doctor hurried on when he heard a growl, and it wasn't from the Persian. "But Professor Oak does, and he's let slip that it's someone close to his grandson."
"Find out who immediately doctor. And doctor? Don't fail me or I'll feed you to a horde of Houndooms." The line went dead, and Namba had gone so white he looked like death warmed over.