Saffron City - Kanto Capital Champion's Headquarters
Champion Oak strolled into his private quarters after bidding his team farewell. Walking up to a mosaic that displayed the entirety of the Kanto region and took up an entire wall, his fingers found a tile in the northern part of Viridian City with long-practiced ease and pressed it. The wall melted away, revealing a stainless steel door that opened silently. Beyond lay a small elevator with no visible controls. Samuel stepped inside, and the doors slid shut. The elevator descended, whirring at high speed for ten minutes before alighting smoothly. The doors opened, revealing a bustling laboratory filled with scientists.
Samuel Oak took a deep breath, smiling as he looked around. *This is where I belong, he thought to himself. There was a pang of disappointment as he realized he wouldn't be able to stay long—his fingers itched to join in the work unfolding around him. He continued walking until he reached a room full of cryogenic stasis pods, rows upon rows of them, stretching out as far as the eye could see.
"Blaine!" Samuel called, his voice echoing among the pods as he strode further into the room.
"Here, sir!" A young voice responded, and Blaine emerged from the far side of the cryogenic chamber. Tall, gangly, and in his early twenties, Blaine had a head full of unruly blonde hair and wore a lab coat stained with a kaleidoscope of chemical residues.
"Blaine, good to see you!" Samuel greeted warmly, clasping Blaine's hand in a firm handshake.
"It's been a while, sir! Have you come to review the latest analysis?" Blaine smiled, well aware of Samuel's preference for being knee-deep in research rather than guiding and protecting an entire region.
"Not today. I'll make time for it tomorrow." Samuel's expression turned grim as he added, "It's time to initiate Project Guardian, Blaine. The Legendaries and Johto have left us with no choice."
The color drained from Blaine's face. He stared at Samuel, his long-time friend and mentor. "It's that bad, is it?" he muttered, moving toward the vast array of computers and monitors at the entrance.
"Worse, Blaine. Much worse… and it involves my family once again." Samuel followed Blaine, his expression heavy.
"What do you mean?" Blaine asked, pulling up a chair and typing away at a terminal, bypassing layer after layer of security.
"The Legendaries have awakened, rampaging through Johto and across the territories they control. And… my nephew Giovanni has been blessed by Arceus." Samuel's voice wavered slightly as he continued. "From the psychic monitoring and from the hospital reports on his death and miraculous recovery, it's undeniable—he's been marked as a Chosen One. I will not stand by while my family is sacrificed for the whims of these godlike beings. I refuse to lose another family member to the Legendaries."
Samuel's words reverberated through the underground structure, his rage and resolve palpable. He closed his eyes, took deep breaths, and calmed his aura, the furious energy slowly dissipating. He listened to Blaine's methodical typing, the sound filling the room.
"I'm sorry, Sam," Blaine said softly, not looking away from the screen. "It's all tauros-shit, the lot of it. No one should have to go through what your family has endured."
Blaine unlocked the final security protocol, an ever-changing key of quantum morphology that could only be bypassed by someone with both genius-level intellect and an attuned aura. "As you know, Project Guardian is our best shot. We will create our own legendary deterrent—one that walks, one that acts. The data doesn't lie, and the early prototypes have shown immense promise. I'm honored to be a part of this. I truly believe this is how we bring your vision of harmony between humans and Pokémon to life."
Blaine turned toward Samuel and offered the keypad with a wry smile. "Would you care to do the honors, sir?"
Samuel rolled his eyes, his lips quirking into a grin, as he pressed the key combination that could turn all their hopes into reality.
A soft chime rang out, and dull warning lights flashed as the cryopod labeled *M2* powered up. Samuel and Blaine approached, watching intently as the internal controls of the pod whirred to life.
Inside, a small blob of pink matter began to glow, pulsing with rapid biogenesis. The entire pod filled with an intense white light before revealing the developing form of a small, pink Pokémon—its features clearly still that of a baby.
As the glow dimmed, they gazed upon a tiny creature with tufted ears, small paws, and larger hind legs—almost reminiscent of a young Kangaskhan—with a long, slender tail ending in a tuft. Samuel activated the release mechanism, and the alchemical fluids drained from the pod, disappearing through the grates below.
The small Pokémon slowly opened its eyes, revealing startlingly bright blue irises. It looked up at Samuel and Blaine, tilting its head curiously.
"Mew?" it cooed softly.