==The Oak Residence==

Gary lies sleeping in his bed while outside his window a symphony of katydids chirp their song into the night air. His door creaks open and shut and with a loud thud his grandfather seats himself him causing him to awaken abruptly. He looks up to see the professor's forehead beading with sweat as he stares down at him sternly. "Come with me. We need to talk."

Gary slips out from underneath his sheets and clambers out of bed to follow Oak outside in his silk pajamas. As his bare feet step on the uncut grass he can feel the early morning dew dampen his toes. As they draw closer to his grandfather's cabin Gary sees that the door has been left wide open and boxes are stacked around the tail end of his station wagon. Through the door he can tell that the cabin is nearly empty as Oak has been busy packing up all of his belongings.

"What's going on?" he asks bewildered.

Oak stops walking and turns to Gary while sitting down on the steps of his porch. "I cannot stay here any longer" he pauses to admire the scenery, "but I want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened with your friend… or the dragon. You are almost a man grown and I trust you Gary. To show you that I want you to have this." Oak digs into his side pocket and from it hands Gary a worn CB, "Do not go giving this one away. I caught her personally when I used to work field assignments years before my tenure. Her name is Eevee. Take care of her; she will take care of you."

Gary marvels at the ball and rubs his thumb across the vintage CB Corp logo, "What is she?"

Oak tilts his head up proudly, "She is a docile jungle cat that is highly adaptive to any environment. In the years I spent with her, she's swum with glaciers, scaled redwoods, and withstood barren desserts; all with ease."

"I don't understand. Why are you giving me this now and where are you going?"

"I'll be honest with you. I got careless and the corporation knows I've stolen their animals. I have to get away before they get a chance to take them back to their despicable laboratories." From the look on his face Gary can tell just how serious he is, "I want Eevee by your side to keep you safe, but it is imperative that you keep her away from prying eyes. I've made sure that no one will ever come looking for me here, so you don't have anything to worry about."

"But what about you?" he asks despondently.

"If you learn anything from me Gary, learn to be prepared. Now help me pack."

==Viridian Forest==

It is a few hours past sunrise and Ash is riding his bike with the curves of the river as his pets follow. Pikachu is running on all fours at his side and Squirtle is a streaming wave of water with a shell at the crest. By early afternoon he comes across what should be the bridge marked on his map. The three support pillars that held it still stand, but half of the walkway is broken away into bricks and debris. By the damage it appears a large object crashed through it going against the current. He was planning to cross, but having no alternative recourse Ash carries on along the riverside. It is late afternoon by the time he finds another way to cross by means of a temporary zip line rope bridge strung up by a caravan of travelers. Curios Ash pulls his bike towards one of the more welcoming members bearing a warm smile on his face. To the weary group this young kid with his following mouse and turtle is quite a spectacle.

As Ash slows his bike next to the inviting stranger the mans asks him kindly, "What are you doing all the way out here alone youngster?"

He bows his head politely before responding, "I'm headed up to Viridian. I was wondering if it would be possible for me to cross your bridge?"

"Sure, you can cross if you like, but Viridian is no place to be going to right now. The tsunami devastated most of the city; and…" he hesitates as if pondering whether to tell him or not, "I'm sorry but, after no government response came rioting and looting took over."

"What about the gym? Is that still open?" Ash asks with a hint of optimism.

"Sorry child I doubt it, but for now it's best you keep away from Viridian." The man looks at the two animals following Ash and pities him with a queer look. "Are these the animals you mean to challenge the King of Beasts with?"

"The King of Beasts?" Ash sounds out in puzzlement.

"That's what they call it, I don't know the actual name, but I do know that people spend years training for the rite to challenge him for the Earth Badge. Maybe its best you avoid that city altogether." The man seeing that he obviously discouraged Ash tries to remedy his temper. "If you're still trying to cross the bridge talk to that women over there." He points to the person that has been helping the young and elderly harness themselves to the rope.

"Thanks" Ash bows his head and jogs his bike over to the woman standing at the side of the river, her hand gripped to the rope.

She watches him as he approaches, "Are you trying to get to the other side?"

"Yes ma'am" says Ash with a beaming smile.

"Well aren't you courteous"

The woman harnesses Ash's bike to the zip line and sends it across first with Ash holding Pikachu in his arms coming second. When he reaches the other side he unhitches and waves his thanks to the women. A large group of the caravan is settled on the north side of the bank and Ash passes by a cluster of them fishing with nets and lines.

A man standing knee deep in the river wearing a sullied garment with torn sleeves calls out to Ash, "Hey boy. Is that your tortoise?"

He is uncertain what to do; he can hear Professor Oak's words ringing in his ears about remaining cautious with his animals at all times.

"I know it's yours it followed you across the river. Look come here and see." The fisher beckons him over, "You see how it's chasing that fish?"

He follows where he's pointing and through the clear water sees Squirtle chasing a common fish. As the pursuit draws them near to the banks the fisherman hurls his net into the water and traps the fish. "Ha you see that boy." He reaches his hands in and wretches up the writhing grey fish still caught in the netting, "You fish with this turtle of yours and you never go hungry."

"Cool." Ash says with wonder, "Can I have the fish?"

"Sorry boy. I've got kids of my own, but I've got something else for you." The fisher reaches into his knapsack and pulls out a sheet of netting. "Something nasty bit through this one and it's too small for me, but it will be perfect for you."

"Thank you so much" Ash eagerly receives the net and immediately sits down to roll up his pant legs. He high steps into the river and begins tracking Squirtle in circles with it raised in his arms.

The fisherman looks on amused, "No. No, not like that. You gonna scare away all the fishes like that."

==Pallet Town==

It is a calm day and Gary walks alone uphill passed the empty town diner overgrown with entangled vines for years now. He turns up a small trail in the woods and follows it to the clearing he used to come to with Ash, back when he had a dragon. His reminds himself that the creature was more trouble than it was worth before releasing Eevee: the graceful feline with a fluffy brown coat. While bigger than any domestic cat, she is still much smaller than any of her feral counterparts. Gary bends down to pet her and she conforms her body to his touch after having grown accustom to Professor Oak's hand. Together they run deeper into the woods and he watches as she strides with finesse over logs and around trees.

==Viridian Forest==

Beating through the sky with heavy leather wings Charizard lands near a river's edge and begins lapping water into his mouth. Its colossal wingspan stretches out completely before retracting gracefully onto its back as its heavy tail slithers across the dirt.

It's midday and Ash is finishing up a lunch made from what remains of the food Gary gave him. As he's zipping up his backpack he notices a saucer plate sized tarantula climbing the trunk of a nearby tree. Reaching over he grabs Pikachu from nibbling away at a pile of berries and places him in view of the arthropod. Pikachu instinctively stoops low and creeps toward the base of the tree, until he's close enough to waddle down in a pouncing stance. He bounces on top of the spider and the two of them fall to the ground a few inches from each other. The tarantula flips to its legs and retreats backwards at a cautious pace while keeping its several eyes on Pikachu. Having the bug right where he wants it Pikachu arches his back and takes in a breathe of air. For a split second a single spark of electricity cracks between the mouse and bug, resulting in the tarantula folding to its back and cringing into a ball. Having never seen such a display of his powers Ash jumps to his feet in excitement and hoists Pikachu up above him.

A few hours pass and he is back on his bicycle riding down river flying past the blur of trees.

Once dusk starts to set he parks by a towering green Katsura tree and pulls the net out from the saddlebag of his bike. He signals Squirtle over –whose upriver grubbing wild greens- and crouches into the shallows of the cool evening water. By nightfall he's caught three fish and is busy starting a crude fire pit with matches and piles of twigs. He guts one with his pocketknife then fillets the meat and stabs it through a narrow branch like a kebab. After charring the first one nearly black he decides to save the other two in his bike's saddlebags for later. Once he finishes eating, he smothers the flame and assembles his things together for the night's sleep. Squirtle retracts into his shell at Ash's feet and Pikachu balls up next to him as he rests his head on the backpack. He fades off into sleep.

It's past the midnight hour when Ash's mouse brusquely wakes him in a distressed fit. He pushes him aside to the startling realization that something in the dark is tampering with his bike. His heart pounds and he's frozen in place, as his eyes dilate he can make out the imposing silhouette of a mountain lion ripping through his saddlebag. Trembling he shuffles back in sheer terror, as the lion devours his two fish destroying his bike in the process. Ash crunches over a pile of dead leaves and beast's ears perk up in his direction. Its gaze diverts from its meal and falls upon him; his jaw quivers and his body is gripped in terror. From the distance a blood shriek comes rushing through the trees causing the lion to avert its attention. In response it lets out an impressive roar of defiance and crouches, ready for the impending predator. An oncoming thunder of broken branches bustles towards them as Charizard rips through the canopy above and crashes into the lion. Their bodies twist on the ground for several meters until the dragon comes out on top with its claws dug firmly into the hide of the lion, and jaw clasped tight around its neck. The struggling cat manages a few good gashes until a loud crunch from Charizard leaves its body limp and the low rumbling of its guttural roar fades out. Ash stares on, both hands clenched tightly to strands of grass, as the dragon engulfs the torso of the bloodied mountain lion. Ash snaps back to his senses and edges slowly towards his backpack to retrieve Charizard's CB. Triggered by the movement the dragon rises from its meal and gallops into a flight back through the canopy, still holding the battered carcass in tow. Ash gathers himself back up and walks over to his ruined bike; the entire back end has been shredded to pieces. Squirtle managed to sleep through the whole incident and Pikachu comes out of hiding. Left feeling uneasy after the night's events, Ash decides he doesn't need sleep anymore and begins packaging his things to continue on.

==Pallet Town==

Gary steps into the general store and walks the aisles looking over the contents of the shelves. Unimpressed by his findings he approaches the counter and asks the clerk, "Do you carry any Containment Balls?"

"So you fancy yourself a trainer now, huh? More of a specialty item I suppose, but I can order it from Celadon City. Be here by the end of the month if I called in for it today."

Dejected Gary consents, "Alright, I'll take two."

"Not cheap you know. I'll require the money upfront. Not the sort of item I need on my shelves collecting dust out here."

Gary was prepared for this and pulls his savings out to handle the transaction. The store clerk deposits the money and writes him a receipt, "Say, how's that friend of yours Ash doing? Poor kid, I heard about his mother."

Gary's caught off-guard by the question, "Oh.. He's doing OK."

"He came in the day of tsunami, last time I saw him too now that I think of it. Used to see him crossing in front of my store everyday" his eyes trail out beyond the window.

"Yeah, he was sent off to some family out of town."

"That so? Well, if you ever see that boy send him my regards."

Gary responds awkwardly, "For sure."

==Oak's Office==

A private investigator has been called in to examine what little evidence the professor left behind in his overnight escape. The Detective casually rummages through Oak's desk drawers as one of the corporation managers catches him up on the case.

"What initially caught our attention was when he logged into an account containing one of the missing animals," the manager says while peering over the investigator's shoulder.

"How do you know it was the same one? What if they were simply identical species and you mistook it for one of your own missing?"

"They are tracked by a one of a kind genetic code; there is no mistake. It is our animal in the account. Do you not have a basic understanding of the CB animal systems?"

"What do I look like a fucking veterinarian?"

"Of course not. I understand you have been briefed on the professor's escapades in the security office."

The detective smirks, "An old man with a pee shooter. Sure, I heard about it."

"He subdued one of our senior security officers."

"I've seen the little two bit security operation you got running here. I could carve through it with a wet sponge. And with all this expensive equipment too."

"This is an isolated town. We do not require the same force you are used to in that repugnant pit of a city you hail from."

"Tell me about this account." The Detective snaps.

"It is registered under the pseudonym 'Red'. We believe it to be one, of a number of accounts created by Oak to store the animals he stole from us."

"How many is it that he's supposed to have stolen?"

"Fifty eight."

"How does an old man steal that much from you?"

"To be fair that is a cumulative number from over two decade. It is entirely possible that he is not responsible for all of them."

"What's so special about these animals? Why don't you go out and catch yourself some more rabbits?"

"While a majority of the animals could be labeled as rather common, some are unique species invaluable to our research. Most recently was a prized flame dragon out of a litter we were able to procure and an experimental hybrid tortoise, bred for war. The latter of the two is currently stored under the alias 'Red'."

"War you say? I've never heard of a turtle on the battlefield."

"Do all detectives have such simple minds? The naval battlefield. He was meant to sink enemy submarines; the water pressure he would have expelled could pierce the hull of a ship."

"My tax dollars at work aye?"

==Doctor's Lab==

==Kanto Mainland==

The prototype of the new helmet has been completed and they are initiating contact with Mew using a third subject. The helmet covers the scientist's entire head and neck and resembles an early motorcycle helmet. Below he is wearing a white lab coat and surgical gloves. He steps into the entrance chamber and then in through to the cage. In the attached room the Doctor and his staff look on from the limited space of the aero gel observation window. From their perspective they can clearly see the scientist in what appears to be an otherwise empty room.

Inside, the man's legs begin to shake uncontrollably and he throws up into his own helmet. The shaking consumes him and he drops to the floor in an irrepressible fit. He continues to dry heave as he struggles towards the way out banging for the exit procedure to initiate. When scans show the creature is far away in the back corner a small team pulls him from the chamber. Outside he rips the helmet off to wipe his face clean, but he can't subdue the twitch that lingers in his joints.

The dejected doctor erupts on the scientist in charge from the observation room, "This is what was paid for? This was your breakthrough?"

Medical staff is carrying the shaken subject away.

"A minor set back, for I see success in our endeavor today. The reaction was yet again different; the response our subject exhibited showed signs of failed synaptic responses in the peripheral and digestive systems. Unlike previously when our data shows it acted directly upon the subject's minds."

The Doctor stares the scientist over with a look of admiration, "So what you are proposing is a full body suit."

==Viridian Forest==

Ash finishes his route up the subsidiary and comes upon the much larger river that it feeds into. To his dismay he finds that the bridge across is down, and just like the last one the wreckage paths is going against the flowing waves of the current. Staring at the collapsed bridge Ash wonders what sort of object, or creature, could have caused such devastation to what would otherwise appear to be a durable structure. The bridge being down is no concern to Ash since it only leads back to the side of the river he came from. Looking out into the horizon he sees another bridge further on that connects to the landmass he intends to reach. He starts for that direction when he notices something missing. He searches around and can't find Squirtle anywhere in the river, so he runs as close to the edge as he can reach and scans the waves. About 10 yards from him he sees a group of bubbles emerging that are steadily growing bigger. Focusing his attention on this he can make out what appears to be some sort of struggle taking place beneath the surface of the water. As Ash debates whether to jump in or not, the commotion comes topside and he is able to make out the perpetrator. A three-meter long bottlenose dolphin has latched onto Squirtle and is in the process of cracking through his outer shell with its powerful mandibles. Squirtle, crying out in pain, is unable to muster the force necessary to free itself from the dolphin's jaw. Fidgeting through his backpack, Ash reaches into unbutton the inner pouch and retrieves Squirtle's CB. His first attempt to call back his turtles fails due to being too far away; the ongoing struggle is bringing the animals further from the bay. Reaching as far as he can Ash digs his feet into the muddy trench and is just barely in range to retract Squirtle from the clenched jaw of the sea creature. Upset by its lost meal the dolphin clicks out a few shrills of disagreement and dives back into the darkness of the deep. Relieved Ash lays back into the mud and Pikachu begins licking at his face. From his new perspective he notices the ominous clouds gathering above.

==Pallet Town==

The detective is sitting in front of a computer screen that is showing Red's recent activity with the hybrid. He leans forward and contemplates the implications of this latest transaction in the notorious account.

Gary is looking to the dark clouds gathering on the horizon, but judging from the distance he can tell he'll be fine. He and Eevee travel through the woods side by side, when suddenly a wild animal appears. It's a large predatory forest rat with protruding front teeth and it's got its eyes locked on to Eevee. Having never seen his cat in a battle before Gary tentatively reaches to her CB incase he needs to save her. The rat charges forward for an attack, but the feline is too quick and evades the attempt.

Gary hearts rate rises as he feels the sting of regret; this feral beast could have rabies or some other infection, and this is exactly what Oak told him not to do.

His cat bursts forward off her hind legs and tackles the off guard rat to the ground and swiftly maims its arm with its sharp teeth. Eevee then goes straight for the large rat's neck for what would have been a kill strike, but Gary pulls her back in time to prevent it. He steps forward curiously to the poor rat that wiggling around in the dirt in pathetic attempt to escape. He kneels down to its side, not an ounce of the ferocious predator he encountered remains; now it's just a meager animal in fear for its life. Gary takes off his long sleeve shirt and carefully wraps it around the rat like a babe in a blanket to contain it from lashing out with his claws. Lifting him up he pushing through the dense shrubbery with his free arm and begins his walk home with the creature in tow.

==Viridian Forest==

Blankets of rain are bombarding the empty fields as Ash scurries across the bridge holding his mouse to his chest. With a hand over his eyes and a shirt wrapped around his head, Ash keeps to the paved road in hopes of finding any form of shelter to wait out the inclement weather. His current area is populated by immense hills spanning the entire landscape, offering no trees large enough for hiding from the downpour. Gusts of wind start up, wrapping the rain all around Ash into patterns as his visibility shrinks to only the ground before him. Desperate for an escape, he notices the candlelight glow of a lantern coming from the window of a decrepit log cabin. Anxious for respite, Ash runs to the porch of the cabin only to find that the rusted condition of the porch roof protects just as well from the rain as a colander would. He begins banging through the torn screen door for the occupant's attention to find that the doorknob is open. The door ajar, Ash can see the miserable state of the interior and hear the heavy rumble of raindrops crashing down on the tin roof above. The deafening noise intensifies as Ash steps into the house calling out for anyone to hear.

"HELLO? Is anyone in here?"

After no reply he shuts the door to keep water from splashing in and begins scanning over the state of the derelict cabin.

"HELLO?"

Setting his backpack down he unzips it to find something dry to wipe his face off with, when a shadow emerges from the backroom. The tin roof continues to explode with sound of rain as a shotgun is hoisted in Ash's direction.

"What the hell are you doing in my god damn home? You stealing from me boy?"

"No! No sir, not at all I just wanted-"

"You're stealing from me huh? Give me that damn bag!" The belligerent local snatches his backpack and searches its contents with the gun still aimed at Ash. Seeing the valuable gear, mainly the CBs, alerts the gunman to the possibility that he may indeed by a thief. He grabs the wallet and pulls it out.

"Looks like I found a little pickpocket! You stole all this from this man right here huh?" Pointing to the face on the ID, "and you was fixin' to do the same to me? That how it is, huh boy?"

"NO! Please believe me I didn't steal any of that stuff.. I.. I found it."

"You think I'm a damned idiot?" The middle-aged man throws the bag to his couch and presses the gun to Ash's chest. "You get the hell out of my house you little thief!"

Ash is backed out of the cabin onto the porch and into the rain once again. Standing in the downpour he pleads with the man to give his gear back. With his gun still aimed the man starts kicking at Ash to leave his property. Ash is now on his knees grabbing at the man's legs begging for his things.

"YOU GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

He plants a foot firmly on Ash's shoulder and heaves his body off of his porch and into the mud. Sobbing, Ash is gathering himself back up when a deafening bang consumes his senses. Certain the gun just went off he crouches down to a fetal position and waits in an eerie silence as the rain continues to pour. His ears ringing, he slowly looks up to find the gun no longer pointed at him, but rather, a much more grotesque sight. A bolt of lighting struck clear through the gunman ripping his limbs from his body; leaving him a charred mess bundled on the porch. The gun partially melted to the leg of the gunman now rests pointed harmlessly away. Ash's face goes pale as he tries to look away from the image now burned into his memory. Looking down he sees Pikachu shuffling about at his feet and notices each of the mouse's hairs standing on end. Putting two and two together he realizes it was his pet that caused this carnage. Unaware that this little thing could muster so much power a new daunting fear sets on him. Unable to hold back the tears he inches around the dead body, grabs his things, and tries to run away from it all. The corpse, the cabin, but most of all, his mouse. With adrenaline pumping through him he longer feels the rain pummeling him as he runs faster down the road trying to escape Pikachu. Further and further he runs from the cabin, but he cannot manage to get more than a few strides away from the mouse. Soon he reaches a horse drawn carriage with two men beckoning to him from the inside.

"What are you doing out in the rain? You're going to catch a cold. Come on in here little guy, you can't stay out there."

Ash stops in his tracks but is too timid to respond. His face painted with the tragedy that just unfolded.

"Hey are you all right?" The first person asks with genuine concern.

"Come on in. It's OK little guy." A second man says from within the cabin.

Reluctantly Ash moves forward and climbs into the carriage.

"Where could you possibly be headed to in all this rain?" The first man asks.

Ash gathers himself and looks straight into his eyes, "Pewter City."

The carriage rides off as Pikachu follows.

==Pallet Town==

Gary carries the wounded rat gingerly in his arms as he continues walking home uphill when he spots an unusual sight. A black 'Packard' style car is parked along the side of the road with a stranger seated at the wheel reading from a newspaper. Being that there are only a few dozen cars in town, this is definitely odd he ponders, as he walks by trying not to be seen peering in.

"Gary Oak isn't it?"

Gary pays him no mind and quickly carries on his way.

"Ought to be, walking around here with a wounded animal in your hands. Must run in the family."

Not wanting to lead him to his house Gary turns around, "What do you want?"

"I was hoping to have a talk with your grandfather, the professor."

Breathing deeply, Gary doesn't respond.

"Look kid the old man is in over his head. I can help him out, but only if you let me."

"Thanks, but we don't need your help."

"I got a lotta people breathing down my neck about your old man. See kid, I don't work for them. They hired me. Now I'm the guy you want findin' your gramps, cause believe me, if they find em', it ain't gonna be a slap on the wrist."

"I don't believe you. Please, just stay away from me!"

The Detective lets out a sigh and sinks further into his car seat. The engine rumbles to life, "Have it your way, but I warned you kid." The car pulls from the dirt shoulder and U-turns to head downhill.

==Viridian Forest==

The rain has stopped but the clouds still hover, blocking out the moon and stars. Ash is sitting on top of the carriage, next to the driver, looking over his map in the lantern light. He glances around him at what he can make out in the dark, unsure of his location. He turns to the driver, "Shouldn't we have come to the turn for Pewter by now?"

Annoyed by the question he responds, "We already made that turn back when you were nappin'."

"But how come we're not in the flatlands? They're hills all around us." He says pointing to his map in protest.

"Let me see that map." Ash hands it over and the driver scans it before slapping it with his backhand. "Look at how old this thing is! It doesn't even have Harbor's town. They repaved the roads a few years back kid, you can't rely on this old thing."

Ash grabs his map back and looks it over suspiciously.

"Say, what's in that jar of yours?" The driver asks curiously.

Enthusiastic to talk about the bug, Ash reaches for the jar and pulls it into the lantern's light. "It's a cocoon I found of a special type of butterfly."

"What makes it so special?"

"I read that when it's in danger it releases a spore to knock out predators and escape."

"Wow kid you must be pretty smart."

"Well, it was just a picture book."

==Pallet Town==

==PT Laboratory==

It is early morning and the Detective steps into Oak's former place of employment eyeballing the door guard from head to toe. He makes his way through the now familiar corridors until he finds his intended target, a young green-faced scientist. "Say, do you know who I am?"

"No, I don't believe I do." He responds nervously.

"I'm the guy your bosses hired to find the ole kook professor. You heard of me right?"

"Yes, yes they told us." He stammers.

The Detective wraps his arm around the young scientist's shoulder, "That practically makes us partners ya know."

"Sir, I'm sorry but I'm busy at the moment."

"Fair enough. I just need a little help getting that door open over there." He points at a locked door to a separate wing with 'RESTRICTED' printed in bold letters across the top.

"Well that's a restricted area I can't let you in."

"Now when I go disturbing the big boys upstairs the first thing they're going to ask is why didn't I get one of you chaps down here to do it? And do you know who I'm going to have to blame? I don't want to have to do that to ya, you seem like a nice guy."

Hoping for another employee to chance by the scientist finally resolves to unlock the door for him.

The Detective pats him on the back, "You're all right; I don't care what anybody says about you."

Inside the detective takes off his jacket, switching it with a lab coat off the rack. He drops his hat onto a counter and proceeds into the R&D wing. Keeping his distance from the staff within, he walks the halls peering into the occasional observation window. In the first he sees a chimpanzee slumped in a corner alone, in another, a flooded room with a trainer petting a dolphin. Further down he sees a group of scientist huddled around some sort of iron lung. At a different angle he's sees it's attached to a decapitated goat head, save the esophagus and other vital organs. From the meager jaw movements, he can tell that life still lingers in the miserable animal. The Detective maintains a drab face as he walks further down the brightly lit halls.

Ahead he overhears a couple of scientists, "She seems to be responding well. Let's introduce twenty more Kelvin."

Through the double plated tempered glass, and steam, the Detective can see what appears to be a large furnace with something inside. Stepping closer he can make out a burnt orange dragon the size of a small horse curled up on the ground, his limbs and side seared a blood red by the blistering floor.

"What do you got going on here?" The Detective interjects.

The two scientists turn to him and one proceeds to answer, "It's actually a-"

The other scientist throws his hand to his colleagues chest, "Don't answer him." He gives the Detective a begrudged stare, "You don't belong in here. Who are you?"

"Ah come off it. I'm working for the big man up stairs, he's got me sniffin' out leads down here."

"That doesn't sound right. No, I'm sure I would have heard of the arrangements. I am going to need you to come with me." The scientist grabs for the Detectives to usher him out.

"Easy buddy." He yanks his arm away aggressively, "I'm comin'."

The scientist follows him to the exit and once they're outside he informs the nearest security guard, "This man was trespassing in the R&D wing. I demand to know who allowed him in the building."

"He's the P.I. the bosses hired to track down Oak." The security guard responds.

"Well, inform him that he has no business in my halls. And make sure it does not happen again."

With that the scientist makes his way back to his wing, slamming the door behind him. The Detective gives the lingering guard a smirk. "Say, could ya open the door back up I left my coat in there."