Before I get to this new chapter, I have to thank everyone for their support of this story so far. The resposne has been better than I thought, even if the first two chapters weren't partically great or exicting. However, I promised this chapter would be very interesting, and I'm happy to say it's even exceeded my expectation, so I hope you all like it.
Oh, one more thing. This will probably be the last chapter to this story for a while. Exams start a week from today, which means I probably won't have access to a computer until I can go home for Christmas break. I might (keyword: might) be able to get up another chapter before then, but even if I don't I promise to continue this story ASAP. I hope you all can hang on until then. (I so need my own computer….)
Anyway, Chapter 3….
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The Edge of Tomorrow: Chapter 3 – Shadows of the Past
The 20-year-old trainer sat at the bedside of his sick Pokémon. The small, electric creature simply lay there, sleeping. Its body was tucked underneath the white bed sheets, slowly moving up and down. It was breathing very heavy. The virus was in its early stages; it was starting to spread to its lungs. Its trainer looked on intently, sorrow evident in his eyes. He reached for the Pokémon's small, tiny paw and held it in his hands. The pain in his heart was becoming unbearable. There wasn't much time left; a week, at the most. The virus never took long to fell its victims. With no known cure, there was little anyone could do but hope, and pray.
"I'm sorry. I wish I had the power to stop this. I wish I could save you. Please, fight this."
The sound of the television, which was fixated to the wall directly across from the bed, drew the trainer's attention.
"Scientists this hour are raising further concerns over the PX Virus. For those of you who haven't been following this story over the past couple of years, the PX virus is a lethal infection that affects only Pokémon. It's 100% fatal and a cure has yet to be developed for it. Pokémon nurses have worked feverishly to prevent the spread of the virus, but that fight may now be rendered useless; scientists studying the virus report that it may be evolving once again. Early lab tests show that it may now be developing into a gaseous form. The constant changing nature of this virus makes it hard to develop a vaccine to stop it. If this new strain of the PX Virus does indeed spread itself into the air, researches say it could be only a matter of months until Pokémon are completely gone from this planet."
The trainer took the television's remote and switched the picture off. Then, in a flash of rage, he threw the changer across the room. He didn't want to hear anymore. He was tired of listening to reports about the PX Virus, sick Pokémon, quarantines, extinction...it was all too much for him. He just wanted his Pokémon healthy again.
The trainer looked up as a shadow was cast over him. Light poured in from the doorway, a figure stood in front of it. It was a young woman, carrying an infant in her arms. She was the trainer's wife.
"I'm glad you're here. There's not much time left."
**********
"Miss Jade, please wake up."
Jade lifted her head off the bus window that she had been using as a pillow during the ride home. Looking out that window, she noticed the house outside the bus. It was hers.
Still a little groggy, she thanked her EPA for waking her and proceeded to exit the hoverbus.
A flash of light caught her eye. She looked down at her necklace. Lifting it up to eye level, she was almost certain that it had just been glowing, even if it was just for a second. Now, it seemed normal again. She wasn't entirely certain, but the calls of the drier for her to get off the bus shifted her attention away for the moment. Saying goodbye to her classmates, Jade stepped off the bus and walked towards her front door.
**********
Glen West stormed through the front doors of the R Corporation. Holding a stack of papers underneath his right arm, he marched steadily towards the elevator. The doors slid open, and he stepped inside. He scanned the buttons, finally pressing one at the very top of the panel. It was a long way up to the top floor. The headquarters of the R Corporation was the tallest building in Viridian City; in fact, it was one of the tallest in all of Kanto. The elevator began its ascent. West closed his eyes and collected his thoughts, his mind calmed by the soothing elevator music.
The elevator dinged; it had reached the top floor. Taking a deep breath, West opened his eyes and exited the elevator. Walking forward, he noticed the desk up ahead, with a woman sitting behind it. West knew who she was; her name was Karen, the secretary. He continued walking forward. Karen noticed him coming.
"Hello, Glen," she said. "Long time, no see. Mr. Valencia has been expecting you. Please, go on in."
West silently nodded to her and proceeded to the large double doors that served as the entrance to the office of one of the most powerful men in the world. He knew Lorenzo Valencia all too well. They had been friends since childhood. They also had been partners in running the R Corporation, until disputes tore them apart. Each had different ideas on where the company should go. Naturally, the more powerful Lorenzo won out, and Glen West moved onto to pursue his own passions. Each of them, however, shared a strong love for Pokémon, which was why West decided to speak to his former friend for the first time in two years. And now, here he was.
West took another deep breath and entered the office. Slowly he marched towards the desk at the back of the room. A man sat there, leaning back in his large, leather chair. He sat there, hands folded, obviously waiting. West brought himself to look at up him as he arrived in front of the desk. The man's face was covered in darkness. Even though the late afternoon sun was shining in through his large, office windows, odd shadows still covered him from the shoulders up.
"Lorenzo."
"Glen West, so good to see you."
West said nothing in return. He merely slapped down the papers he had been holding onto Lorenzo's desk. The CEO of the R Corporation leaned and picked them up, glancing it over slightly.
"I feel the time is right to move forward with Project Exodus," West said, crossing his arms. He watched Lorenzo's face; it never shifted from its usual stone-cold look. Lorenzo looked over a few pages, then promptly tossed the document back to West.
"Look, West," he said. "We were both young, idealistic kids. Even ignoring the fundamental flaws of your little report, which I'm sure are there in abundance, one fact remains: the Edge of Tomorrow does not exist."
"Just give it a chance, Lorenzo," West pleaded. "We're on the verge of history here!"
"What's convinced you this time? Find another children's book in the library?"
West reached into his jacket. A moment later he produced a photograph, and tossed it straight at Lorenzo's chest. West watched as his former friend examined the picture, once again seeming unimpressed.
"It's nice to see you've developed a passion for photography," Lorenzo said. "But, if you still insist on wasting my precious time, what exactly am I supposed to be convinced about?"
"The necklace," West said.
Lorenzo further examined the girl in the photograph. She had a necklace on; a bright, green one that reflected light in a rather peculiar way.
"Okay, so you have an interest in photography and jewelry now."
"It's the Soul of Celebi, Lorenzo. I know it is. This young girl possesses the key to unlocking the gateway to the Edge of Tomorrow. Restoring Pokémon to this world is evident in that very picture!"
Lorenzo sighed and tossed the picture over his shoulder. West watched as it slowly floated to the ground.
"We're moving forward with Project Genesis," Lorenzo explained.
"You're what?"
"My technicians ensure me we can have the final product out within the next two years. We hit the breakthrough we were looking for earlier last month. Our first test subject is already created."
"You can't be serious, Lorenzo. You know the regional government banned the cloning of Pokémon."
"You can't be afraid to circumvent a few laws now and then for the sake of progress, my old friend. My great-great grandfather certainly wasn't."
"Well, Lorenzo, that would be because he was a criminal. In fact, we all have your great-great grandfather Giovanni to thank for the viral outbreak that killed off the Pokémon. If they had ever traced it back to him, you wouldn't have everything that you do today."
Lorenzo's eyes narrowed. He stood up from his chair, placed his knuckles on the front of his desk, and looked Glen West straight in his eyes. West shivered from the cold stare.
"You and I both know very well the experiment got out of hand," he said slowly. "Giovanni only dreamed to control Pokémon, not annihilate them. But, where he failed, I shall finally succeed. That's the beauty of Project Genesis. That's why you feeble little plan will never have a chance. Not even the regional governments can stop me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Technically, we're not even cloning Pokémon. We're re-engineering their DNA. On the outside, they'll look just like they did before, but on the inside, their molecules will be completely different. They'll be an entirely new species that no law can cover. We've already obtained the necessary patents. We're going to make a fortune on this."
"You already bought Silph Co. You stand to make a fortune anyway from Pokémon products anyway if they ever did return. You're insane, Lorenzo."
"And you're a fool. This plan goes far beyond money. This is about carrying out a legacy. This is about my family's destiny. Now get out of my office, and take your pathetic plans with you."
"Kids aren't going to want fakes, Lorenzo Just give me a chance, and I'll produce the real thing. We've already got the special quarantine balls to capture them in. Then, it's only a matter of time before a vaccine is developed. You said it yourself years ago, you were close."
"Kids will want what we tell them to what. And you know they'll never be a vaccine. We gave up long ago because it's just far too complex. We've moved forward, Glen. Embrace the future or be destroyed by it."
"We'll see about that."
West picked up his papers and marched out of the office. He could hear Lorenzo laughing manically behind him. He didn't care. He had a plan to carry out.
**********
"Mom, I'm home!"
"I'm in the living room, Jade. How was the field trip?"
"Great, Mom. Just great."
Jade threw his schoolbag to the floor and walked into the living room. She found her mother there, just as she said she was. Mrs. McCloud was hopping from one place to another on the floor. Jade realized she was looking through the family photo albums, again. She never seemed to get tired of reorganizing them. Jade rolled her eyes and walked past her on the way to her room.
She stopped suddenly. Jade glanced down to the album that was next to her foot. Specifically, she glanced at a particular photo that immediately struck her, as if it was calling out to her to find it. Jade fell to her knees and removed the picture from the book. It was worm and slightly tattered. Jade guessed it to be well over a hundred years old. However, it was the man in the photo that struck a chord with her. She almost couldn't believe her eyes. The young man in the picture was the one who had been haunting her dreams for the past week.
"Mom, who is this?"
"Who is who, dear?"
"This!"
Jade thrust the picture in front of her Mom's face. Taking it from her daughter, she looked at it carefully.
"Why, that's your great-great grandfather, Ashton Ketchum."
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(Dramatic reverb)
Okay, so it wasn't that dramatic, as many of you may have guessed that ending from the first paragraph. But yeah, overall this chapter goes up there with some of the best chapters I've written (Chapter 11 of Ultimate Masters would be there too). Let's see what everyone else thinks.