SHOCK isn`t even a word to describe what we felt seeing this. I could not collect my thought together. Who in a frigging world would come to such a horrible idea? A monstrous idea! And what`s the most important – what for?!
Then I looked at the table near it and came closer. There was another page of 'Chronicles', torn out of the book and left there by someone – maybe, by that guy.
And, comparing to all others, this finally gave me the answers I need.
The short readable parts described the actual process of 'breeding' Mew. But actually it was not breeding at all – it was cloning! They tried to clone Mew, because he escaped and a single hair was all left. So the group 'Omega' tried to extract DNA from it and construct their own Mew… Using cells of other pokemon as a material. They did it.
September, 1
MEWTWO is far too powerful. We have failed to curb its vicious tendencies…
They succeeded in creating a pokemon, but not exactly Mew. The artificial creature looked different and possessed much, MUCH more power than its original. Scientists feared it, feared this power. But this is exactly what Giovanni wanted.
The power. The ultimate pokemon. A creature, whose power can compare to legends or even exceed them! Everything leads to this – to creating a perfect monster… and creating a perfect cage for him – the Masterball. With this Giovanni could actually become the strongest trainer in the world, and possibly… even conquer it.
But something went wrong, and now this place lies in ruins. Everything here is dead… The 'material' pokemon, the scientists, the result. The unimaginable power unleashed outside and destroyed everything, possibly, even Mewtwo himself.
"GWAAAAAAAAA!" The loud long screech of Harry reached me. It was a howl, a howl full of pain and despair. He have found his flock, but he found it too late.
We have found it too late.
Suddenly he turned his angered look on me. The look full of hate and fury… He knows it`s my fault. He knows I was delaying him all this time. If it wasn`t for me, we could find them much earlier and save them.
It`s my fault they all are dead now.
Harry went berserk, he was slashing everything with his vines, loudly screeching and dangerously approaching me. And I didn`t know what to do.
So I remained motionless as he comes to punish me. I deserved it - I failed him.
With a furious cry Harry smacked me in shoulder. The hit was so strong I fell back… in the end, I trained him. I made him stronger.
"Stop this!" Suddenly someone shouted behind me. "Arcanine, Fire Blast!"
A huge flame pokemon jumped before me and released a powerful charge of flame, knocking down my Harry. Then the creature stomped on him, pressing to the ground.
"Damn it…" I swore, not sure whether I`m glad to see someone here or not.
The man was another scientist, pretty old comparing to the previous one. He was bald, had short white moustache and dark round glasses. And also his strict style was completely ruined by a colorful tie with pokeballs picture. In his right hand he had a crowbar that he hurried to hide behind.
"Mind your own business, man!" I grumbled, carefully stepping away from him and his Arcanine. I still don`t like his presence here.
"Hey, it's not like this Victreebel was going to give you a massage…" He put his hands in pockets and looked at me seriously. "And now tell me, how the hell did you get there?"
"I`m very good at finding secret rooms, Rocket!" I straightened to make me look more serious. "Among your men I`m known as Vengeance. So you better not mess with me, old man!"
"Vengeance, huh?" He surprisingly asked and threw a look at Harry. "Yes, you`re well-known in Team Rocket now… A trainer that almost destroyed the whole organization. A trainer whose head everyone wants to give Giovanni as a present… But getting beaten by your own pokemon?! Is that a thing?"
"Enough of this, tell me what you need! You want to shoot me – then shoot me!" I spread my hands before him.
"I think there is no need to." Suddenly his voice began to sound a bit… softer. "I`m not in Team Rocket. Not anymore."
That sounded like a bit of relief, but still suspicious.
"Who are you, then?!" I questioned him straightly.
"Hm…" He fixed his glasses and gave me a brutal look. "I`m Blaine, the gym leader of Cinnabar Island. And also an ex-leader of "Omega" group of Team Rocket."
So, I have found the gym leader of Cinnabar. I can now suggest what 'problems' he had when we needed him in Saffron City… Heh, Douchebag definitely is angry now.
"If you`re not in Team Rocket anymore… Does that mean we are on one side?" I carefully asked him, expecting a negative answer.
"More than that – I can actually need your help." Blaine nodded to his Arcanine to release my Victreebel so I can return him back into a pokeball. Oh, I`m gonna have a lot of troubles with him now.
"What kind of help? What exactly happened there?" I asked interested. Getting a new ally here is dangerous, but I can`t miss the opportunity to interrogate him too.
"I`ll tell you on our way there. We may have not much time." Blaine answered and rushed to the further door.
"Wait a second! Do you know… that guy with Magnemite over there?" I timidly asked, pointing at the door I came in.
"Ivan? Yes, he`s my assistant… What have you done to him?!" He suddenly angered.
"Nothing, nothing, just… knocked out and paralyzed." I admitted honestly.
"Damn! Stay right here, I`ll be back in a minute!" He ran back to Ivan to help him, leaving me alone in this wretched place. Shit, I can`t even look at this. What horrible bastards these Rockets are! Blaine has much to tell me.
He returned really quickly, with Ivan following him. Now this guy looked pretty fine, just limping a bit.
"Let`s go." Blaine strictly ordered me, and the three of us headed deeper into the base.
"So, what monstrous experiments you had there, rockets?" I asked showing real disrespect to them. The fire gym leader noticed this, but didn`t react.
"We worked on a secret project, tried to recreate a mythical pokemon Mew. We had its DNA, so taking cellar bricks and constructing a body with DNA blueprint looked ambitious." Blaine kept telling with quite friendly tone.
"And why are you… in Team Rocket no more?"
"We have uncovered WHAT our bricks were made of." Now his tone turned to really grim and serious.
Looks like his group was working on Mewtwo without even knowing about the… material pokemon at all. This rises them a bit in my eyes, but not enough!
"So… You did not know about all those pokemon killed there?" I questioned him to make sure.
"The material source was the work of another group, codenamed "Alpha". It was them who disintegrate pokemon into stem cells for us to work with."
"Well, I can`t say your hands are clean after all…"
"They are not." Blaine answered with very guilty voice. "We had a lot of failures in the beginning. We managed to animate the cellar structure, but… it was not what we needed."
"What do you mean?!" I carefully asked, feeling that there is something else. Something very, very bad.
"There is a room filled with living jell ready to turn into any creature." Suddenly Ivan joined our conversation.
That sounded like a thunder in my mind. Holy crap, this doesn`t sound good.
"It was us who destroyed the mansion. We wanted to erase it completely, but even after our departure Giovanni managed to finish experiments. They awakened Mewtwo to stop us, and it escaped during the fire, making everything even worse. It didn`t let us finish the job and destroy the last of lab… But it also died in flames."
"And now you want to destroy that… cellar-something pokemon?"
"This abomination does not have the right to exist!" He furiously shouted. "I was foolish to work for Team Rocket, and now I must fix my mistakes. My friend left it long ago, I must have walked away with him…"
"Wait a second… What friend exactly it is?" I asked a question, feeling that somehow I already know the answer I was looking for so long.
"Alfred Fuji… Why do you ask?" Blaine sounded confused by this.
Of course… Mr. Fuji did work for Team Rocket! That`s why he moved to Lavender Town, that`s why Rockets kept chasing him! I knew this old man knows something, and I was right… But he may still be in coma.
"I tried to save him in Lavender Town… I failed."
"I heard about that very recently. But you saved his life, and… someday he will get better." Blaine emotionally replied. "I`m grateful for that."
We made a turn over the corner and reached the corridor end.
"This is it." Ivan said and took a crowbar from Blaine.
"Be ready!" The gym leader warned us, and his Arcanine stepped before us. By a short glance on me from Blaine I understood that I should send a pokemon too.
"Okay, Moment can help us there." I sent out Golbat to assist in our uneasy mission. He is good at fighting in long, dark and closed places. Maybe, this brawl will help him to wake up a little.
"Open it!" Blaine gave the command, and Ivan pulled the crowbar. The doors creaked and heavily crushed inside the room… an empty room.
We rushed inside and looked around. The whole place was completely burnt, but also covered in pink slime. But what`s more important – the dirtiest place there was a big area around the ventilation shaft entrance on wall.
"They are gone!" Blaine angrily kicked the door. "These idiots put Dittos in a room with vent!"
"Dittos?" I asked.
"Yes, we called these creatures Dittos. Usually they are passive, but it looks like fire reached this room and forced them to find the way out." Gym leader answered while examining the vent. "At least, it leads to the blocked filtration room, they could not escape from there."
"Then what are we waiting for?" I shouted. "Quickly, to the filtration room!"
Blaine and Ivan nodded in agreement, and together we ran to another destination, with Ivan leading the way, until we soon reached it.
I observed carefully this place through the small door window. The filtration room appeared to be a closed compartment filled with different tube devices, but everything was literally swarmed with pink ameba-like creatures. They were moving chaotically from one corner to another, sometimes squeaking and, in general, behaving themselves quite peacefully.
"And… what are you going to do with them?" I interested without sticking away from the window. Sudden click of gun trigger made me shiver.
"Relieve their torment." Ivan said, pushed me aside and wide opened the door. He and Blaine together ran inside and began to shoot poor Dittos. Arcanine and Magnemite entered inside too, ready to cover their trainers if needed.
Crap, for some reason I began to feel… sorry for these creatures. They were created as failures from bodies of other pokemon, and do not belong to this world.
But Dittos were not that simple – some of them were agile enough to dodge bullets, and some just ignored them due to liquid form of body. The hole was quickly regenerated again, like it was nothing.
And then they really paid attention to the intruders. Suddenly, their bodies began to glow blue, like they were evolving, grew bigger until they formed… Arcanine, Magnemite and Golbat. Each Ditto turned into one of our pokemon, and now a whole frigging army of Arcanines, Magnemites and Golbats stands before us.
"Damn it…" Blaine swore and immediately rushed back into the corridor. As everyone returned back, I closed the door shut. The hostile pokemon attacked us with all they had: fire moves, electric moves, some even attacked on contact with their wings.
"They are invincible! And copied our pokemon!" Ivan yelled terrified. "How the hell can we kill them?"
And then we heard some more move blasts, but not into our wall. I looked into the window and…
"They broke through the wall outside." I informed my companions. "We LET them to copy our pokemon and escape."
We remained silent for some seconds. Damn, it looks like now we have a bunch of crazy genetic pokemutants wandering around Cinnabar Island. And I thought it can`t become crazier…
"So… what do we do now?" I addressed Blaine. Maybe, for the first time in my life I had no idea what to do.
"Let`s head back to the gym. I will take my guys and we search through the whole island for them." Leader quickly explained. "We can`t let these creeps get into the city. I would be grateful if you help us."
"Saving cities seems to become my specialty. I`m in." I replied with a bit better mood. "I`ll search the area from the sky and inform you of their locations."
"Deal. Let`s go!" Blaine squeezed his fist in determination, and we opened the door again to follow Dittos through the path they made.
"A bit lower…" I told my Charizard so I could see the street with my binoculars. I was patrolling the city on Dumpling and sending coordinates to Blaine.
Unfortunately, we were too slow to react, and Dittos swarmed the city. People tried to battle these things, but they look invincible, turning into their opposing pokemon and using the same moves. Each separate transformed pokemon looked weaker than usual, but in a flock they were the real destructive power.
In two hours of useless battles, Blaine had to tell police to evacuate the city. Now the safest place on Cinnabar Island is its volcano.
"East side, near the large red building." I informed Blaine through the radio. As I know no shit about city`s streets, I had to improvise with coordinating.
"Moving out!" He answered and returned to his work. He had some students of his own, all of them are ex-Team Rocket scientist, and now they all work with police to return control over the city.
"You just can`t NOT bring troubles with you, yeah, loser?" Suddenly a familiar voice sounded in the radio.
"Douchebag! What are you doing on this frequency?" I asked him, really surprised and also irritated. "What are you doing on ANY frequency?"
"Hey, it`s not my fault the damn gym`s closed when city is sieged by transforming monsters! And I really want that badge, so I`m working with Blane now too."
Oh, boy… Leader Blane doesn`t even know what he`s into.
"Then go help people!" I shouted at him. "And don`t bother me, I`m busy."
I switched the radio off and returned to observing the streets. Some guys fight Arcanine Ditto on this street… and a Pikachu Ditto over there… and another one, disguised as some cool shell pokemon here.
They battle, but they don`t win. Dittos don`t attack hard enough to kill people, but they are invincible by themselves – they get a bullet in head as Charmander – they take the form of Squirtle that is perfectly fine.
A couple of Dittos that turned into flying pokemon right near me, but Reaper and Moment don`t let them close. Loser and Lei Sheng battle on the street under me, assisting the group of scientists. I decided to keep Harry in pokeball for a while, it can be dangerous to release him now – not only for me, but for him also.
The sounds of battle near us became quieter and changed to screams of retreating people. I looked down and noticed three men returning their pokemon and running away. Dittos in form of Arbok and Sandshrew chased them.
"Loser, Lei Sheng, over there!" I rerouted my pokemon. "After them!"
But those creatures were faster, and turned into two Pidgeots to attack me this time.
"Whoah! Moment, Reaper, attack is here!" I called out to the rest of my partners to cover me. Dumpling launched a powerful Flamethrower to scare away these damn things and actually hit one, but Ditto just immediately turned into Charizard and attacked in return with Flamethrower too. We managed to dodge it, and then Reaper with Moment joined us too. Too bad their two Ditto-Fearows came too, so we are still in shit now.
Damn it! How can we beat them? They keep coming and keep restoring themselves!
But what if we won`t let them do it?
"Team, focus attacks on this one! Flamethrower, Bite, Poison Sting!" I gave the command to my flying band.
Moment and Reaper rushed to my targeted Charizard Ditto to launch an attack in close combat, and after them Dumpling struck the enemy with powerful Flamethrower. Finally, the fake Charizard roared in pain and blacked out right in the air, heavily crushing down and taking back the jelly form.
"Yes!" I gladly shouted, happy that my plan worked. We can defeat them!
If they won`t defeat us first… During my moment of triumph, two other Dittos attacked Dumpling with me on his back and turned him upside down, throwing me from him. Everyone was busy battling, so no one even noticed this… just Beedrill
"Reaper!" I called out to him, hoping with all my heart than he reaches me before I reach the ground and turn into a jelly too.
But of all my pokemon he wasn`t actually the fastest one. Among his kind – maybe, but just that. He tried his best, flapped his wings as fast as possible to save his trainer – and he couldn`t make it – his speed wasn`t enough.
And then… he went berserk and exploded in red light. He accelerated much more than I thought he can do. Only this let him reach me and grab with his stings before I touch the ground. Well, for a meter-height bee I was too heavy, so he just slowed down my fall and went down with me. We crashed together - very painfully, but stayed alive. We both did.
"Oooh… Thanks, Reaper…" I said to my pokemon while scratching hurt ass. "I keep falling down too much recently… Was that the Agility you just performed?"
"Bzrt…" He buzzed confusedly and spread his limbs questionably.
"Anyway, good job. Go help our guys in the air." I pointed at the closest enemy Ditto in the air. "Tell others to focus on him, I need to check one thing there."
He nodded and flew high to return back into the battle. As for me, I headed to the place where we struck down the first Ditto. This thing was lying there, slowly returning back to its senses and looking like a pool of pink oil… but with small lifeless black eyes.
An abomination, created as a result of failure. A creature having no right for existence… An immortal monster…
Somehow his color reminded me of one curious thing – the pokeball I found at Mark Steam. It is pink too, and has a small 'R' sign on it.
Maybe these things have absolutely no connection, they have something in common. The mystery of origin. I still don`t know what type this pokeball is – and no one knows, whoever I asked.
Ah, it doesn`t matter now. I don`t think it can help me now deal with Dittos destroying the city.
I returned my eyesight to the blob before me. They didn`t actually attacked us first – they just tried to survive. To survive the fire, to survive us… they had to adapt. To adapt to the world they don`t belong… by destroying it. How can we stop you?
With a held breath I dropped the strange pokeball in this living pool of jelly, and it was sucked into the capsule. Standard three shakes – and that is all.
That`s how.
The last Ditto was captured in an ultraball, and Blaine took it from the ground.
"I still can`t believe it…" He exclaimed, looking at the capsule.
"But I can." I stepped forward before all fighters that all now have a newly captured creature in their hands. Not all of them are just trainers from Cinnabar gym – a regular trainers, regular people helped us with their pokemon. The whole island united to capture all Dittos. "They are pokemon too. They, too, have their weaknesses and strengths, and they have their own soul. We do not need to destroy them."
"But they are dangerous!" Scientist Ivan interrupted me.
"Not more dangerous than your Magnemite… they even a bit weaker." I explained with a smile. "The copy never exceeds the original. So… we just need to get used to them. It`s a new pokemon we have discovered, yeah? A pokemon that can become ANY other pokemon. Isn`t that cool?"
Judging by approving humming, most people agreed with me.
"So… don`t be afraid of them. I can guess, they fear us just as much as we fear them. Train them, make friends with them, show them the world! Welcome a new specie to our home."
My speech really inspired all people there, even those who were against Dittos. Even Ivan looked at his own new pokeball and nodded with smile.
"I think, you`re right." Leader Blaine said and closed his eyes. "I was too fast to assault them. Now I think that people can actually coexist with Dittos. Thank you for opening my eyes."
"Ah, don`t mention it. Just tell me that you can accept my challenge tomorrow." I shook his hand and slowly moved the topic to my actual wish. To get a badge… and ask him some more uncomfortable questions later.
"I`ll be glad to!" He replied really positively. "Any time you want!"
"Great, then we`ll see you tomorrow!" I said goodbye to everyone and headed back to Pokemon Center.
On the corner of street Douchebag was standing and devouring me by his glance. He will definitely try to challenge Blaine tomorrow before me. Ah, I don`t care. Let him do whatever he wants.
I smiled and showed him middle finger. He will not spoil my mood anymore.
I returned back to my room in PokeCenter and tiredly fell on couch.
Damn… What a day. Finally, I got most answers I needed about Giovanni. I know his plan, his goal, his everything… And his plan failed even without me. Now I just have to find him and finish off… extracting the info about squad 2B first.
But to do that, I need one important thing done.
I took the hotel phone and dialed the number. It`s good I remember it.
"Hello?" The familiar man voice sounded from the device.
"Hello…" I slowly greeted him and exhaled. "It`s Vengeance. Listen, Bill… I need to tell you one very important thing…"