Takuya Wong opened his eyes, his head spinning. He struggled to get his bearings, coughing up what seemed like water from his lungs. He felt so weak, like all his stamina had been drained out of him. Did he nearly drown? He didn't remember being near a lake or river…
As his vision started to clear, Takuya realized he was laying on a tile floor in a dark room. The kind you would expect to find in a Pokemon center or hospital, minus the necessary light.
This wasn't anything like where he was earlier. He remembered making camp in the Eterna Forest with his cousin Kasi Martens, along with her friend Avery Cornell. They were nowhere near any town or building. How did they end up here, what was going on?
"The subjects are awake." A voice said as Takuya felt his strength coming back to him. Takuya looked up and saw several men in lab coats near him, behind a plate of glass. Scientists, but what kind of scientists?
"Looks like the Splicing procedure was successful!" A second man said. "This is great news that they survived the initial procedure…"
"Splicing… Procedure…?" Takuya asked, looking up.
The men in coats froze temporarily but regained their bearings just as quick. "They speak! They can still understand human speech! Get Doctor Kazuki, and radio Mister Denzel about this!"
"What are you talking about…? What's going on…?" Takuya heard the voice of Kasi. Then he heard Avery speak next.
"What happened…?" Avery asked. "And why is it so dark in here?"
The scientists began to panic. "Get the lights on in here! We still haven't seen the full physical effects of the splicing!" A woman, who seemed like the lead scientist ordered.
"Are you crazy?!" A man shouted. "They're not ready to see themselves yet! It could traumatize them into physical destabilization, and who knows what else…"
"That doesn't matter!" The woman snapped with authority. "Mister Denzel wants the subjects conscious and ready for testing in a few hours! He's funding all this research and our paychecks, and I'm not about to jeopardize that! Now do as your told and turn on the lights!"
Several strips of electric lights came on overhead, banishing away the darkness.
What Takuya saw struck him with reeling horror! He, along with Kasi and Avery were in the middle of some sort of genetics lab! Their bodies had been changed! Takuya was covered with brown, loose fur! His hand now had pads on them, like animal paws! His nails had been replaced by claws, and his arms and legs looked bigger and thicker, now displaying much more definition! He felt his face. It didn't feel like a face at all, more like the face of a lion, with a mask-like crest around his eyes that extended to his forehead and went down past his chin on both sides like fangs!
Takuya looked over to Kasi and Avery. They too had been changed! Kasi now was covered in short blue and white fur, with some sort of crest on her forehead though it didn't cover her face! Her hair was now colored a purple hue! Avery also had a small crest on his forehead with purple hair also, with short fur! Only his was colored yellow, with black stripes in a pattern that had the shape of lightning bolts!
The only good thing is that they were still clothed. Takuya and Avery were dressed in gray sweatpants, while Kasi had on some loose shorts and a tank top.
The panic shot through all of them like an electric current! Avery got up and turned to the glass, furious! "What happened?! What have you done to us?!"
"Calm down!" The woman said. "You shouldn't be angry; you are now the beginning of an ambitious new species! You have been spliced with the DNA of Entei, Suicune, and Raikou! You are the start of a new breed of humanity…"
"A new breed of humanity?!" Avery was furious. Takuya then saw sparks start to erupt from Avery's body. "I am not some Pokemon that you caught to breed, and I sure as hell am not your guinea pig! Change us back, now!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that. There are still many more tests to do…" The woman stumbled.
"I SAID CHANGE US BACK!" Avery screamed, slamming his fists on the glass repeatedly as the sparks started to change to electric bolts as the glass started to crack. "CHANGE US BACK!"
Takuya on instinct grabbed Kasi and turned his back, hoping to shield his cousin from whatever was about to happen.
"Stop this right now!" The woman shouted.
"NO!" Avery shouted, jumping, and breaking through the glass as it shattered, grabbing the woman by the neck. Takuya saw his chance, and jumped through the opening, taking cover behind a wall with Kasi as Avery lost control. "You… You've ruined my life! YOU'VE RUINED MY LIFE!" The electricity building around Avery's body began to reach critical levels, as guards swarmed in the room with police batons. They tried to strike at Avery, but he hit them away with his free hand. He then threw the woman into a wall, the impact of her body smashing it in, leaving an indent.
"No…" Avery shouted, holding his head as he was engulfed in an electric bubble, the sparks began to turn into thunderbolts. "I can't… I can't control it!"
Takuya held Kasumi close, covering her as he tried to shield her from what was about to happen. "Kasi, close your eyes…"
Then Avery let out a scream as his newfound power overwhelmed him, the bubble erupting into a corona of energy, tearing apart the lab around them.
# # # # # #
Some time later, Takuya dug his way out of the debris of the lab with Kasi in his arms. She wasn't badly hurt, thank goodness. Takuya lay Kasi in the sunlight, then went back into the rubble and dug Avery out, along with some of their belongings which included their backpacks, though their Pokemon were missing. Avery was unconscious, but alive.
"Takuya… What are we going to do?" Kasi asked, tears in her eyes. "…Where can we go?"
Takuya looked at the sky as the sun began to rise. He looked at their surroundings. The building had imploded after Avery lost control, the ruins of what was the lab now nothing but rubble with a few fires here and there.
"I don't know, Kasi… But we can't stay here. If these scientists had any friends, they are going to be looking for us. We need to get moving. Can you walk?"
"Yes." Kasi got up on her legs, standing up.
"Okay, then. Come on." Takuya put on his backpack and slung Avery and his bag over his shoulder. He held out his hand to Kasi. "I don't know what we're going to do now, but we'll figure it out on the way. We will figure something out. I don't know what yet, but we will figure it out. Together."
After a small pause, Kasi got her duffel bag and took Takuya's hand. They walked away from the ruins and into the wilderness that surrounded the lab.
"I won't let anything else hurt us. I promise." Takuya reassured as Kasi started clinging to his arm as they walked into the unknown.