Chapter two: Doctor Bartoli

It is night. The darkness is only mere inches from a large building in the middle of a forest. The roof has large spot lights that continually turn clockwise and counterclockwise at 180 degrees, it keeps the darkness on the ground at bay. There are silhouettes of men walking left and right on the roof, carrying guns...or tranquilizers. Barbed-wire surround the walls that enclose this facility and several guard towers have the same spot lights like the roof. This is a prison. It's not a prison for humans, but rather Pokémon and despite the amount of light that this place gives off, no one knows it even exists because of the many scouts that patrol the area. It is also deep into the forest and there are countless nests filled with poisonous Beedrills, so it would be foolish for anybody to ever think of coming to a place like this. This area belongs to Team Rocket and it's a perfect place for them to hide from the authorities.

This prison is also a community, housing many Team Rocket members on the first floor and having several amenities for them. The second floor, which is inaccessible to most members, is where all the imprisoned Pokémon are kept: in cages or in Poke Balls. The larger ones are kept inside storage until otherwise used for experimentation. It is also where, if you were just there at the right moment, you can hear laughter down the long corridors of the facility in the middle of the night. The laughter belonged to this facility's most respected researcher and scientist.

Dr. Sarah Bartoli.

...

I close the door behind me with the greatest satisfaction. I love the feeling of torture, It always made me want to learn more about impulsive behavior, which is one of my fields of study. At least for Pokémon. After all, our goal here is to make them serve us and us only. Not only that, but Pokémon are meant to be destructive anyways.

Today I was given the opportunity I have been waiting to get. For years now it was always the same results, the same similar behavior in Pokémon; however, now that I have a 'human' Pokemon as a test subject, my days as a scientist just got interesting once again. All the possibilities that can come from this were limitless. A human mind inside a Pokémon's body. How would the human mind adapt to these subtle changes? Will he be able to learn moves just like any other Pokémon? Can he still 'think' like a human? So many questions flood my mind that I almost did not notice my boss coming down the steel corridor.

"Dr. Bartoli"

"Y...yes sir?" I press my heels together as I salute him.

"Is everything alright with you?" Mr. Giovanni asks me in an almost concerned voice. This makes me slightly raise an eyebrow at his question, "Yes, I'm a bit shaky with what just happened inside the test chamber, but I am alright..."

"Good. If you can find a way to fix this problem without causing mass hysteria inside the complex, it would be much appreciated."

"Sir? You mean you want me to change him back?" I ask. My hands tremble slightly at my unnecessary question.

"As a matter of fact, yes. It is possible that he is still a 'human'. Therefore, treat him like one unless you can prove to me that there is nothing human left in him."

I was at a loss for words, "You...saw what I did?" I muttered several words silently, "sneaky bastard."

Of course, I completely forgot about the surveillance camera inside the 'cage'. Needless to say that he did not look impressed. How could I have been so reckless! I can't let my guard down or I'll surely ruin years of commitment with this organization! Years of research that I single-handily brought that benefited Team Rocket will all become nothing more than ashes because of one barbaric act in front of my boss!

"Let's not give our guest any more pain and suffering. What he went through was painful enough. Continue with your research until then."

I sigh with relief, "I will do my best sir."

A rather strange mood shift in his part, but I didn't care as long as I wasn't in trouble.

"Good. And by the way, you did well today. Despite the mess that the formula made-"

"Sir if I may say, this test subject may be more powerful than any regular Pokémon out there. Give me time to study him before I attempt to change him back. Perhaps the effects of the formula worked as intended. At least to some extent," I blurt out without thinking.

"Perhaps, it's your job to find out. Goodnight...sis." He turns around and walks down the hallway with his Persian. They both eventually make a left turn toward the main lobby. I take a deep breath. I walk in the same direction until i eventually lay on the cold steel wall.

Yes. Giovanni, the leader of the criminal organization Team Rocket, is my older brother. It's hard enough to think he's my own flesh and blood when he's bossing me around like a hound dog. At least he and I are successful at what we do. I guess he's afraid that his grunts will laugh at him behind his back. I just wish he would treat me better publicly.

I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around to see two Team Rocket Grunts: one is short and thin and the other tall and glamorous. Unlike the other grunts, both have direct access with the second floor facility.

"Cy, Km. Nice to see both of you. Did you happen to get any useful Pokémon?" I ask. Km, a young woman, walks toward me and carelessly throws a bag down by my feet. It fell on the metal floor with a loud bang. I pluck my lips together as i crouch to grab the brown bag, attempting to hide my sour expression.

"Thank you," I said in a noticeably annoyed voice, "You both are dismissed."

"Whatever," I hear the tall brunet say as she struts down the opposite side of the hallway, "If you need me, I'll be in my sleeping quarters."

Cy, on the other hand, walks toward me and helps to pick up the numerous Poke Balls that were now scattered around the floor.

"It was fun today, I think we've caught more Pokémon today than the rest of the week combined. Several of them belong to a couple we stole from near the city."

I look up toward the twenty-year old Team Rocket grunt, "Do tell."

"Well, Nothing out of the ordinary considering Viridian Forest is notorious for the bugs. But I happened to steal this particular Pokémon from them. The rest you see here are just bugs of course and several flying rats."

My eyes widened slightly, "A Pikachu?"

"Not as rare as other Pokémon in more rewarding areas, but I guess everybody is itching for their own electric mouse these days. They're getting quite popular."

"We have enough Pikachu's as it is. How about you keep this one?"

He crosses his arms over his chest several times, "No, no, no. I need strong Pokémon. A Pikachu will only slow me down."

I sighed, "If you insist. I guess I'll take it to the cage." I stood up with the bag full of Poke Balls again, "You should have been here today during the experiment."

"Why so?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Because we got ourselves a 'special Pikachu', one that may as well make you reconsider your opinion about them."

He coughs slightly, "But I thought the experiment required a human-" Cy never finished his sentence.

The boy runs towards me, "Wait, wait. You mean to tell me, you turned someone into a Pokémon!?"

"An accident, but yes. He just seemed to have the perfect genetic makeup, and his bloodtype seemed perfect...oh well." I bring a smile out to the younger adult, "Would you like to see him?"

Cy nods as I smile. I open the door that leads into the cage, but this time I tried not to get too worked up at torturing our 'guest'. As i brandish my most prized possession, Cy raises an eyebrow yet again, "How do I know you're not fucking with me?"

I chuckle as I took a clipboard from the Pikachu's cage and show him the data results.

Cy is silent.

"If you still don't believe me, we have footage of the experiment inside surveillance. Would you like to see it?"

"Yes. Right now."