Resident Hybrid infection

by thedarkpokemaster

A viral outbreak spells trouble for Ash and friends when they enter a city to have some fun? Who is this mysterious Corporation behind this outbreak, and what exactly is the virus that has now infected the town that Ash and his friends are in? They will find out and it shall change them forever in more ways then they know! This is a Ash/Harem story so please read and review thanks.

22. Chapter 22 The Horrors within

Disclaimer: Okay, we are back with a new chapter for everyone, and here we'll have the horror our group will find within the lab, mainly the many failed experiments of hybrids.

Chapter 22: The Horrors within

"Sherry…"

"Huh?" asked Sherry as she looked around to see herself in a familiar place, or at least a place she remembered most fondly from long ago. "That voice, why does it feel like I know what it is?"

"Sherry, where are you?"

She looked around to see where the voice was coming from. She could tell it was a female voice, but it didn't sound like the one trying to make her succumb to the infection that had made her into what she was now. "Who is that?" Sherry asked herself again, deciding to go in the direction of where the voice was coming from.

"Mama?" came another voice as she realized this one sounded exactly like hers. "I'm right here!"

This made her even more confused as she made her way outside, surprisingly having some familiarity with the place she suddenly woke up in compared to the lab that she escaped from. "Okay, this is starting to get absolutely weird," Sherry told herself, becoming worried. She looked around to see that she had exited a rather nice-looking house and saw the front yard was good-looking, making her feel safe.

"Sherry!"

The voice called out her name again, but it wasn't angry. She sounded happy, as it seemed that she was playing with someone who bore the same name as her… or maybe it was something much more than that. "Surprise, mama!" said the younger voice, causing Sherry to be surprised before running to the backyard. Subconsciously, she wondered if she was dreaming or experiencing something that occurred before her suddenly being in the lab all that time ago.

By the time she arrived, she quickly noticed a lovely young woman happily playing with her child. Upon a further glance, her eyes widened in shock as she recognized the child. "Is that me...?!" she asked herself silently as she watched the scene between her younger self and the woman she was having fun with.

"Okay, Sherry… I give… I give…" said the woman in question with a bright smile on her beautiful face as she eventually conceded to the tickling that her daughter was giving her. "You seem to be getting pretty good at this game, aren't you, sweetie?"

The younger Sherry nodded with a cheerful smile that her older self noticed. "I know Mama," young Sherry said as she picked up a nearby Pikachu doll. "I also can't wait till I reach ten I want to become an awesome Pokémon trainer,"

Older Sherry closed her eyes, fighting back her tears, knowing this woman was her mother. "Mum," Sherry whispered as she took a single step forward. "MUM!" Sherry cried out, running to her mother only to see a dark shadow block her way.

The dark shadow loomed over Sherry, blocking her view of her mother and younger self. "No, let me through!" Sherry yelled, but this shadow raised his claws and soon got ready to strike Sherry as the poor girl screamed.

Soon, Sherry woke up, and the Pachirisu woman fought back the tears from the memories of her mother. The blonde girls soon began to cry as Pikachu came over to see if there was anything he could do.

'Are you okay?' Pikachu asked, looking at Sherry and seeing the tears. Pikachu wanted to comfort her and find out what had happened.

---

Meanwhile, deep within the laboratory, Misty looked around, seeing dead bodies scattered on the floor. "What do you think caused this?" Zoey questioned, looking at one female scientist.

"I have no idea," Misty responded, seeing something had torn this woman in half. Blood soaked her white lab coat and her brown hair. "But it seems some didn't become hybrids," Misty added, but it didn't make her feel any better about what did this, or the lower half was missing.

The situation was made worse by the darkness of the laboratory, with only a few lights still working. Some flickered occasionally, making the atmosphere far creepier.

Soon, the four heard a banging in the distance, making them jump in fright as Zoey held onto Dawn, something she only realized when Dawn looked at her. "Umm, Zoey, you can let go of me. After all, I'm sure it was nothing," Dawn told Zoey, trying her best to reassure her friend.

Zoey blushed as she let go of Dawn. "Oh, sorry Dawn, let's hope it was nothing," Zoey whispered, looking away from Dawn, wanting to hide her blushing face.

"Okay, we should try and look inside some of the rooms," Gary said, hoping they could find what they needed.

"Yeah, but we should still stick together since we have no idea what might still be here," Misty told the three, worried about what might be here in this evil place.

Misty soon looked at the dead woman, checking if she had anything on her, and found a security card with a photo of the woman on it. "It seems she has high access to parts of the laboratory," Misty told the three, who nodded as the four walked into one of the rooms.

The four walked in as Gary turned on the light, which flickered to life and thankfully stayed on for them. "Okay, let's see if we can find anything helpful," Dawn said, looking around the room.

Gary made his way to the computer, turning it on as Misty and Zoey looked at him. "Can you hack into it?" Zoey asked, seeing the computer had a password. Gary remained silent as the three saw him get to work while Dawn found some notes written down on a few pages.

Dawn looked at the notes, which included a list of hybrids with a red underline saying failed and defective. "Girls, I think I have something," Dawn cried out as Zoey and Misty came running over. That's not good."

The three saw photos of the people used for the experiments. They found many never made it past the infection, dying before they changed into a hybrid."Oh my god…" muttered Misty in absolute disbelief.

"…These are all…" began Zoey as she, too, couldn't believe what she was looking at.

"…Humans who were test subjects but were marked as failures due to them not lasting past their infection…" finished Dawn, feeling like she was going to throw up from this.

Misty and Zoey were left even more speechless as everyone continued to look through the pages regarding those poor victims used in these horrific experiments. "And to think I thought Team Rocket would be cruel enough to do such a thing," muttered the Tomboyish Mermaid as she reflected on what Team Rocket had done back at the Whirl Islands and even the Lake of Rage.

"And even Team Galactic, especially since I still haven't forgotten what they did in Sinnoh…" added Dawn with a shiver, thinking about Team Galactic's desire to use Dialga and Palkia to accomplish their goal but were thwarted in the end before that could come to pass.

"Huh?" wondered Misty as she heard the name Team Galactic, looking at Dawn with a look of confusion on her face. "Who's Team Galactic?"

"I'll explain later…." Dawn replied with a frown, knowing there were bigger problems on their plate right now. "Once this mess is resolved, okay?"

"Okay."

It didn't take long before Zoey noticed something on the next page, which caused her eyes to widen in absolute shock. She looked back at Dawn and Misty. "Guys, you better take a look at this," she said with some uncertainty in her voice, knowing what she was about to reveal would shock the two female hybrids with her. You're never going to believe what I found."

Misty and Dawn looked specifically at the page that Zoey told them about, which caused their eyes to widen when they looked at it. "No way…" began the orange-haired hybrid from Cerulean City, recognizing the girl in the photo as Sherry, or more specifically, what she looked like before she became the hybrid she was now. "Is that Sherry…"

"And in her original human form no less…" added Dawn. She had to admit that Sherry looked cute, but she was at a loss for words.

"Yeah, that's me and what I used to look like before I became like this," Sherry said, frowning. The others looked at her, shocked. She had joined them since she had told them she didn't want to come down into this lab.

"Are you sure that you want to be here?" Misty asked, looking at her friend, knowing she didn't want to be down here. "You can go and wait back outside."

Sherry said nothing, only smiling at the Vaporeon woman. "Yeah, I've got to do this," Sherry said, remembering the dead bodies she had seen.

"There's more," Zoey spoke again, referring to the notes that coincided with the photo of their new friend, especially as she read through it thoroughly. "Turns out whoever was behind the infection, actually kidnapped her at some point after she became a Pokémon Trainer."

"Kidnapped?!" asked Dawn and Misty in absolute shock; the two were horrified and disgusted that these bastards resorted to kidnapping the poor girl to make her into what she was now. The two could only imagine how her family must feel, unable to contact her or find any trace of her whereabouts, no less.

"Yes, but there's something else that you need to know," said Zoey, noting a large part of the notes that were basically unreadable, and it also concerned Sherry. "Seems like they were trying to hide something important about her. I can't even make anything from it."

The two girls with Zoey frowned, examining that specific part, worrying them because there might be more to their new friend than meets the eye, and those in charge of the lab knew that, too. "I have a feeling it might have something to do with why Sherry doesn't want to come back here," Misty was the one to speak, remembering how the Pachirisu Girl freaked out earlier.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I mean, it would make sense if you looked at why there's one part of the notes involving her that was taken out entirely," Misty told Dawn and Zoey, slowly putting it all together, and it worried her more than ever. "It's just a hunch, so I could be wrong, and it's also too soon for me to confirm or deny it."

"Do you think it has anything to do with why Sherry is so scared of this place?" Dawn asked, her eyes widening in fear.

"Maybe," Misty replied before looking around the lab, her eyes narrowing. "It's possible that whatever happened to her here must have been terrible, and that's why she's so scared."

No one said a word, feeling bad for their new friend, knowing this laboratory was where the hybrids were first created.

"We should find out what's going on," Zoey declared, her voice determined.

Dawn smiled as she nodded at her crush. "Zoey is right. We still might find a cure that can change us all back to human again," she said with hope but looked at Gary. Hey, Gary, have you hacked into that computer yet?" Dawn questioned the young man from Pallet Town, hoping for some good news.

"Almost," he told the three. "I just need a little more time," Gary said and knew they were all on a limited time before the rest lost their human minds to this virus.

"We don't have much of that," Misty muttered as she glanced at the clock on the wall. "We need to find out what's going on and fast."

"I know," Gary said before typing in a few more commands into the computer. "I'm almost there."

"Misty, how can there be someone else here when Sherry said this place was deserted when the hybrids were unleashed," Dawn answered, worried some experiment was still lurking in the darkness.

As Gary was busy working something in the dark laboratory. "Huh?" asked Misty with a frown as she heard a scream nearby.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know," said a worried Misty, fearing that someone was being attacked right now. "All I heard was someone screaming, and I think she needs our help right now."

Soon, the four heard the scream again, but it wasn't human or Pokémon. It was a failed hybrid, a mutant created by the lab's experiments, something the scientists thought they had killed.

"Girls, go and look around. I'll keep trying here," Gary said as Dawn, Misty, and Zoey nodded and headed to find more answers. Hold up here," Gary added as the three girls opened the door and handed each other a headset. This way, we can all stay in contact."

The three young women nodded as they all left the room while Gary continued to work to hack into the computer. It took a while, but Gary finally cracked the code and found many videos on how this hybrid madness started.

Gary clicked on the first video diary and pressed play; he could already see a man smiling. "He must be one of the people who caused this virus," Gary whispered as he hit play.

"Today is test run number 45 or our experiments," he began, but Gary noticed he wasn't pleased. "We have tried everyone we can to make powerful weapons. However, the legendary DNA of the Pokémon and that of the other DNA never seems to stick to our test subjects. The result thus far is death," he said as Gary watched with anger.

"But today, I have a surprise. I think we finally have a successful subject. She looks normal and healthy, but she has something special in her. I can't quite explain it, but it's a feeling I have. We should test her out and see what she can do. If this works, then we can make an army of powerful weapons!"

Gary felt sick but knew he needed to keep watching; they would have to have notes on a cure. "Doctor West here again. We have the girl, and we're ready to try the test," he began with a smile. "The DNA we'll be using is that of Mew and Growlithe," he said as he turned to a girl, a young brunette.

"Please let me go!" she cried, and Gary felt so sorry for her since he knew what would happen as Dr. West smiled, ignoring her pleas.

"Let's begin the test," he said as he injected the hybrid DNA into her. Gary watched as the others did what Dr. West told them and injected the poor girl.

The girl screamed in pain, and all the scientists watched, hoping this would work. "It hurts, it hurts!" the poor girl screened in pain. The poor brunette watched as, from her backside, she grew a tail resembling a Mew.

"Yes, it's working keep recording!" Dr. West ordered as he watched the girl grow the fur of a Growlithe on her arms and legs before her face pushed out into a muzzle. The girl continued crying in pain until she passed out and wasn't moving. "No, we can't lose this one we can't!" Dr. West yelled, worried this girl would die like all the others, but something miraculous happened.

"Dr. West, she's alive. It worked," the female scientist cried out with a smile. On the video, Dr. West smiled at the recording, ended gray sighed, and soon played another one.

"It's been two weeks since we made our first hybrid," Dr. West explained, putting his hands together. Unfortunately, the girl's mind isn't stable; she attacks and kills anyone who enters the habitat we made for her," Dr. West said, taking off his glasses and beginning to rub his eyes. We have had fifty hybrids since we created her. All of them are mindless beasts unfit for what we need them to be."

Gary was angered and saddened by the video, but he had to keep watching for a cure. The next video showed that some scientists had gained control of the hybrids, but their minds were still unstable.

"We have managed to make them obey our commands, but they still lack the mental capacity to be used as weapons," Dr. West said as he watched the hybrids fight each other. "We have the power to control them, but we need something more, something that will make them invincible."

Gary soon played the next video and noticed Dr. West was angry. "Damn, they can't infect others. They are useless to us!" Dr. West yelled with rage. "It seems we'll have to go to our other plan to make humans into the normal hybrids of single Pokémon."

Hearing this shocked Gary; from what he could tell, the scientists could never work out how to make more people into hybrids. As he hit the play, he saw DR. West again. "We'll just have to find another way," Dr. West said before he switched off the recording.

Gary felt anger and sadness as he watched the video. These people were monsters. They were playing God and creating monsters like the ones they were fighting. "Okay, here is another one," Gary said with a sigh, ready to watch more.

"We captured more trainers today," Dr. West said as he looked at two test subjects. My assistant says this is the only way we can get our army that can infect others," he said with a frown. We will test them and see if the virus can spread through the trainers."

Gary felt scared as he watched the video, knowing this would be bad. "If this works, then we will have an unstoppable force that can turn trainers into hybrids, too," Dr. West said before he switched off the recording.

Playing the next video, Gary saw the male trainer had transformed into a Machamp hybrid as he tried to get free. "Let me out, let me see my mate!" he cried, hitting the glass.

Dr. West smiled before laughing at the work he had created. "It worked. We have our first successful hybrid," he said before he switched off the recording.

"We have studied the new strain, and it's fascinating," Dr. West said with a smile. "The new virus is better than we could have hoped for. The male we injected had a strong desire to mate with his girlfriend. To make her a hybrid like him," Dr. West said with a mad smile. "Tomorrow, we'll bring in his girlfriend and see what will happen. "How many people have they hurt," Gary whispered, clicking the next video, thinking he would see Sherry, but it wasn't. Gary saw it was a young, redheaded woman.

"Let me go!" she cried as the scientists held her arms tight. "What are you going to do to me!" she cried, trying to get free.

Dr. West smiled as he looked at the young woman. "Throw her into the cell her mate wants her," he ordered. The two scientists holding her nodded, and soon, she was in the cell. "Don't worry, my dear; your boyfriend has missed you," Dr. West said as the cell wall moved, and the girl noticed the Machamp hybrid. Wonderful, wouldn't you agree? Humana and Pokémon becoming one?"

The girl screamed in utter terror as the hybrid Machamp stood there looking at her with a menacing look in its eyes. Dr. West laughed at what would soon happen. "Well, let's see what happens next." He clapped his hands, and the hybrid Machamp advanced toward the girl. She screamed and tried to run, but she was trapped. The hybrid Machamp lunged at her, but before it could reach her, the scientists had her in a secure hold.

"You shouldn't fear him, my dear. This is your dear boyfriend reborn as a powerful hybrid," Dr. West told the girl, who was shocked to look at her transformed boyfriend.

The girl looked at the hybrid Machamp and then at Dr. West. Tears filled her eyes as she said, "What have you done to him? He was perfect, now he's a monster."

Dr. West smiled. "No, he isn't a monster, he is a powerful hybrid. He is stronger, faster, and smarter than before. I have done what I had to do, to make sure this world becomes a better place," he said proudly.

The girl looked at the hybrid Machamp and then at Dr. West. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could someone do something like this to her boyfriend? She thought he was perfect the way he was. She started sobbing at what was happening. "Please let him go. I can't bear to see him like this."

Dr. West sighed, pretending to be sorry. "I'm sorry, my dear, but this is how it has to be. The world needs strong hybrids like him to protect it. He is the future." The girl looked at the hybrid Machamp and then at Dr. West. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Soon, you will join him in our army," Dr. West added as the girl looked at him with fear. "Don't worry, you will be stronger and faster than ever before."

"No, I want to stay human!" the girl cried. Dr. West smiled. "You don't have a choice my dear. You will join him in our army."

The girl looked at the hybrid Machamp and then at Dr. West. She couldn't believe what he was saying. "Open it!" he told one as the door opened. The Machamp hybrid walked in as he looked at his mate.

The girl screamed as the hybrid Machamp advanced towards her. She closed her eyes and waited for the worst, but instead, she felt his hands gently touch her face as he whispered to her. "It's okay. I'm still me."

The girl opened her eyes and saw the hybrid Machamp looking at her with love in his eyes. Tears filled her eyes as she said as she looked at her boyfriend. "I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it."

The hybrid Machamp smiled at his mate, sensing the fear. "It's okay, I understand. I'm still the same person you fell in love with." The girl smiled as she hugged him tightly.

"We can find a way to change you back we just need to escape," she said, still feeling scared, but her boyfriend stopped her and smiled at his girlfriend.

"No, I can't let you do that," he said with a smirk, pulling her closer. "I only want you," he said before biting her shoulder, thus infecting her.

The girl cried as she pulled away from her boyfriend before she fell to her knees, holding her sides in pain. She noticed another pair of arms as they soon turned gray. "Hmm, it seems you're becoming a Machamp hybrid," Dr. West said, shocked by this revelation, thinking she would have become something else. "Argh, no, it hurts. Make it stop, please!" she cried as she continued changing into a Machamp hybrid, her fair white skin turning into a light gray; she even grew in size.

Dr. West smiled as he watched with a smile as the girl had now finished her transformation into a Machamp, only unlike her male counterpart, she kept her more refined feminine features. The new female Machamp opened her eyes with glee as she looked at her boyfriend. "I feel so much stronger," she said with a primal look in her eyes. "And it feels so damn good," she said with a grin before her eyes looked at her mate. "You don't look bad either, my dear love."

The two hybrids smiled as they shared a loving kiss. Dr. West smiled as he looked at the others who had done this work. "We have done it. Not only do they still have their minds, but both subjects not only live but can infect others, too," Dr. West cried, feeling great satisfaction.

"Indeed, we have succeeded in creating a powerful new breed," the other scientist said, feeling relieved and proud of their work. "Still, will they infect other humans?" he asked, looking at Dr. West for answers.

"We'll see," Dr. West said, turning on the intercom so both hybrids inside could hear. "My creations, you have been reborn. Now tell me, if you see any humans will you infect them too?" Dr. West asked the two hybrids.

The female Machamp looked at her mate before they locked eyes and nodded. "Yes, we will infect humans," they said in a single voice, their eyes glowing with fierce determination. We will create a new breed of powerful hybrids to take over our world."

"Ahh, good," Dr. West said with a smile as the camera went off. Gary frowned and turned on another video as he noticed it was Sherry when she was human.

As Gary watched the next video, he noticed Dr. West, a man he had grown to hate. "Today, we run another test, we have tried this on many others, and it seems when our hybrids infect someone of the opposite gender, they always turn into the hybrid that infected them. So, today we are going to see what happens when our female hybrid infects another female," he said with a calm that Gary hated.

Sherry backed away as she looked at the mad doctor. "Please let me go," she cried, but Dr. West only smiled, knowing he couldn't stop now.

"Do it," he said as the female hybrid bit Sherry's shoulder, infecting her. Sherry screamed as the pain increased before she fell to her knees, her body changing.

"Oh my god…"

Everyone watched the video as they witnessed poor Sherry's transformation into the hybrid she was right now. The group soon noticed the video coming to a stop, but it wasn't the end just yet since there was still more from what they could tell. "Huh?" asked Misty before realizing that their friend had stopped it and had the same horrified expression. "What are you doing, Sherry?"

"I don't want to see anymore!" said the young girl, hating being reminded about how she became what she was because of that monster. "Please, can we just leave now?!"

"But we've come so far, and we can't depart from this place yet," explained Dawn, becoming more concerned than ever for Sherry's well-being, and believed there was something in the video that could help them undo the damage… assuming the scientists here were no longer around.

"You know I still have bad memories of when I was here the first time around," Sherry protested, knowing that she ended up causing the massive damage that was done to the building prior to meeting the others and feared that if they all don't leave soon, she might lose control again. "Besides, how do you think this place looked abandoned?"

"Well…"

"That's because I was responsible for it…" Sherry spoke again, knowing that she needed to tell them right now before they reached that part of the video. Misty, Gary, Zoey, and Dawn were completely shocked when they heard this.

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Zoey in disbelief. "Is this true, Sherry?!"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it is…" Sherry replied with a frown. This was one of the many things that she wanted out of her head forever, but now that she'd been forced to return to the very lab she was taken to… the one that made her into a hybrid, there was no sense keeping it from the others. "I really wish that this whole infection thing never happened; that way, we'd all be living our normal lives."

Misty and the others in the group looked at the poor girl, wanting to do something to help her feel better, given the revelation. "Why didn't you tell us before?" Dawn frowned.

"I told you; I didn't want to remember that very moment…" said a tearful Sherry, wanting to make it clear that there were things she preferred never to be reminded about ever again. "It's just too traumatizing for me to think about, especially hearing the screams of those I ended up killing and the blood that ended up on my body when I took their lives."

It didn't take long before she found herself being hugged by Misty, Dawn, and Zoey almost immediately, which made her completely speechless when hearing this. "What are you…" she asked but stopped herself before she could finish her sentence as she didn't know what to say.

"Please, you need to stop... blaming yourself and what happened in the past," Misty said, leaving Sherry even more speechless than ever as the Tomboyish mermaid continued. "You can't change what happened in the past none of us can. All we can do is keep moving forward and learn from the mistakes we make. That's what my mom told me before she died."

Sherry and the others were left completely speechless; they had no idea that Misty's mother was even dead; then again, she was not usually one to keep secrets from anyone. "Your mother is dead?" asked the young man once again, becoming worried.

She nodded her head. "Both of my parents are dead," she told the other girl, which made everyone present become sad.

"Oh my god…" muttered Zoey, completely at a loss for words. "That's terrible."

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Dawn asked, shocked to hear this.

"Because it hurts talking about losing them," Misty replied, knowing it still pained her to reveal this to the group or anyone in general. The rest of the others weren't sure of how to respond as they had no idea how or when her parents had died; they could only hope they'd be able to find clues or even a cure to undo the damage that was being caused by the spreading virus soon.

"Can we just leave it at that?" asked Gary, deciding to speak up since it was clear they still had more important matters to deal with, and they shouldn't be wasting time being sentimental when they had a situation to resolve. "I can see that it still hurts Misty talking about how she lost them, and I have a feeling that's why she never told some of us."

"Oh sorry…" muttered Zoey with an apologetic frown on her face.

Dawn only looked down, ashamed for asking such a question, and looked at the Tomboyish Mermaid with a frown on her face. "You're right, Gary. I'm sorry, Misty," she said to the other girl.

"It's okay; don't worry about it," Misty replied, appreciating Dawn and Zoey's apology.

"Good, now let's see about getting more information from the video," began Gary, only for Sherry to stop him almost immediately. "Sherry, what are you doing?!"

"Please, don't do this… I really can't bear the thought of remembering what I had to go through."

"Look, I'm sorry you've been through this kind of hell, Sherry, but right now, we need to find out more about what's on this video as well as how it ended," explained Gary with a frown, understanding how Sherry's feeling but there are no options available to them now.

"Gary does make a good point. Sometimes, we just need to face our fears if we want to help the people we care about," began Dawn, looking at their friend and praying they could find out more about this place and its hidden surprises. "I'm sure Mother would agree if she were here."

Hearing her friend from Sinnoh say that made Sherry frown, especially as she still missed her mother even now and prayed, she, too, hadn't become a victim of the spreading virus. "Dawn, I…" she spoke but couldn't find the right words to say due to her feelings of uncertainty.

"We've come this far, and we can't back out now," Zoey added with a determined expression. "But we're going to need you to be okay in order to continue watching the footage; we can't force you after all."

Sherry continued staying silent, taking in what the others were telling her. "Please, Sherry, you have to trust us here…" said Misty, praying there was a chance that she might understand what they were getting at as even their respective Pokémon felt the same way they did on the matter.

This made Sherry remain silent, but after nothing but deadly silence, she gave a defeated sigh. "Alright, fine, do it…" she told the group as Gary started the video back up to where it left off, much to her dismay. At this point, there was indeed nothing she could do to dissuade them.

"We need to keep looking around the labs," Gary began, knowing they still had to find anything on a cure or more information on how this had started and maybe even how they could fix this mess.

Misty had to agree with Gary, and she and Dawn picked up everything they could carry, but they would need to head deeper into the labs. Sherry didn't say much since she was still worried about what could be left deep down here. She had already seen many of the failed experiments.

As Misty, Gary, and Dawn gathered their belongings and prepared to venture deeper into the labs, the weight of uncertainty hung heavy in the air, which stunk of decay. Sherry's silence spoke volumes, her mind preoccupied with the haunting memories of the failed experiments she had witnessed.

The dimly lit corridors stretched out before them, casting long shadows that seemed to whisper of hidden dangers lurking in the darkness. Each step they took echoed softly, a reminder of the desolate emptiness of the abandoned facility.

As Misty, Gary, Zoey, Dawn, and Sherry delved deeper into the labs, the tension thickened with each step. Misty broke the silence, her voice calm yet determined. "We need to keep moving. The sooner we find what we're looking for, the sooner we can get out of here."

Gary nodded in agreement, his expression grave. "Agreed. But stay alert. Who knows what else might be lurking in these corridors."

Dawn tightened her grip on her backpack, her eyes darting nervously around the dimly lit passages. "I don't like this. It feels like we're walking into a horror movie."

"Hey," we'll be okay," Zoey began as she looked at Dawn, doing her best to give Dawn a reassuring smile.

Sherry remained silent, her anxiety palpable. Finally, she spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just hope we don't encounter any more... experiments."

Misty placed a reassuring hand on Sherry's shoulder. "We'll stick together. And if we come across anything dangerous, we'll handle it together, just like before."

As they ventured deeper into the old lab, the air grew colder, sending shivers down their spines. Gary's flashlight flickered intermittently, casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls. "This place is so fucked up," Gary said, seeing more dead bodies of failed hybrids.

Dawn's voice trembled as she broke the uneasy silence. "Do you think there's anyone else down here?" she asked the others, rubbing her arms, still worried that there might be something down here.

Misty exchanged a glance with Gary before responding, her tone steady but tinged with uncertainty. "It's hard to say. This place has been abandoned for a while, but we can't rule out the possibility."

Sherry's breath caught in her throat as she peered into the darkness ahead. "What if there are... things down here that shouldn't be?"

Gary gripped his flashlight tighter, his jaw set with determination. "Then we'll deal with them, whatever they may be. But we have to keep moving forward."

With a collective nod, they pressed on, the echoes of their footsteps mingling with the faint hum of machinery in the distance. Every creak and groan of the dilapidated facility seemed to echo their apprehension, but they refused to let fear paralyze them.

As they rounded a corner, they saw a nasty sight that sent chills down their spines. Rows of glass chambers lined the walls, each containing remnants of experiments gone awry. Some were shattered, and their contents spilled across the floor in a grotesque display of scientific hubris.

Sherry was still worried seeing another dead body on the ground, and this one seemed to have been fused between Arbok and Beedrill, with the lower half having that of an Arbok. While the upper half, which to her seemed to have the wings of a Beedrill, one arm had formed into a stinger, but the other arm was still human, and so was the poor man's face.

"I'm so thankful we didn't turn out like that," Misty said, looking at the poor victim who seemed to have died a painful death from the people who had tried and failed to make hybrids. "Sherry, I know this is hard, but can you tell us what they were trying to do?" Misty asked as she looked at the Pachirisu women.

"I agree it makes no sense as to why they tried to make something like this," Zoey said as she looked at the only three hybrids, seeing they didn't look like the one on the floor. "When it seems, they could have just made something like you, Sherry," Zoey adds, wishing she knew more. "Since you became a Pachirisu, Misty is a Vaporeon, and Dawn is a Buneary."

"Yeah, Sherry did the people here say why they were trying to make things like this?" Dawn questioned, pointing to the dead hybrid on the floor, wanting to know why they had tried to splice two different species together.

Sherry shook her head, her expression troubled. "No, they never fully explained their motives. I was brought here under the guise of medical research, but it quickly became clear that they were experimenting with things far beyond conventional science."

Misty's eyes narrowed as she studied the lifeless hybrid on the floor. "It's possible they were attempting to create new species for... who knows what purpose. Power, control, curiosity... the possibilities are endless, and none of them are reassuring."

Dawn's brow furrowed in frustration. "But why splice two different species together? What could they possibly hope to achieve?"

Zoey's gaze lingered on the hybrids, her mind racing with questions. "Maybe they thought they could combine the strengths of different creatures to create something superior. But it's clear from what we've seen that their experiments were nothing short of reckless."

Gary stepped forward, his expression grim. "Whatever their reasons, it's clear that they were playing with forces they didn't fully understand. And now, it's up to us to uncover the truth and ensure that no one else falls victim to their folly."

Misty nodded in agreement, hoping to get this done quickly. "Agreed. Let's split up and search each room thoroughly. Look for anything that might give us a clue about their experiments, their motivations, anything."

"Good idea, we'll split up into teams. I'll go with Dawn this away," Zoey said, pointing to a few rooms on her left. "Gary, you should take Misty and Sherry to the rooms on the right."

Misty nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. Let's stay in contact via our radios and be cautious. We don't know what we might encounter."

Gary gave a solemn nod. "Agreed. Keep your eyes peeled and stay together. We'll reconvene in fifteen minutes, no matter what."

With the teams formed and with their tasks assigned to them, they set off in opposite directions, disappearing into the labyrinthine corridors of the abandoned labs. Each step brought them closer to the truth but also to go deeper into the unknown dangers that lurked within.

Once in a lab, Zoey began looking at random files on a desk, but she stopped and looked at her crush, Dawn, still shocked by what she had become. "So, Dawn, how does it feel being a hybrid? I mean you're a Buneary girl."

Dawn shifted uncomfortably under Zoey's gaze, her ears twitching nervously. She took a moment to compose herself before responding. Her voice tinged with resignation and curiosity.

"It's... complicated, Zoey. At first, it was overwhelming, trying to come to terms with this new form. But as time went on, I've learned to adapt, to embrace what I've become," Dawn said as she looked at Zoey sitting on the desk. "I know what will happen, Sherry said. In time, I will lose my mind."

Zoey listened intently, her heart aching for Dawn's struggle. "I can't even imagine what you're going through. But just know that no matter what, you're still you, Dawn. And I'll always be here for you, no matter what form you take."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Dawn's lips as she met Zoey's gaze. "Thank you, Zoey. That means more to me than you know."

Zoey smiled, still worried that her friend and the young woman she had feelings for would end up like the many others who this evil virus had sadly infected. "Dawn, we will find a cure, okay? I know we can find one for everyone who has been infected, so you need to fight longer. Can you do that, Dawn, for me?"

"Okay, I'll can try but you need to promise to do the same thing."

"I will, don't worry," assured Zoey with a light smile. "You know, I kinda wished that I had gotten a chance to go with you to the Unova region, in all honesty."

"Oh? Is that right?" asked Dawn, frowning as she took this time to think about what her rival had just said to her. "Why would you ask me that?"

"No reason, that's all…" said Zoey while shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe I would've won the Pokémon World Tournament Junior instead of that Trip guy."

"Like how you won the Sinnoh Grand Festival?" Dawn reminded the orange-haired woman from Snowpoint City, knowing that she had to admit her rival would've been better as the winner of the Pokémon World Tournament Junior than it was Trip becoming the winner; part of her wondered how he could've been able to defeat Ash, along with the fact that she's glad Trip didn't win against Alder.

"Glad you remember that," Zoey replied, thinking back to her battle against Dawn in the final battle of the Sinnoh Grand Festival and how far the bluenette had come since the early contests. "Then again, part of me has to wonder how things would've gone if the roles were reversed."

"Huh? What made you say that?"

"Well, I have been thinking about it for a while, and it's been on my mind ever since," Zoey told Dawn, reflecting on this moment more and more. She had to admit Dawn would've made for a truly wonderful champion if she had won instead. "Now that I think about it, how's Kenny been doing these days? Before the whole virus outbreak, I mean."

"He's doing well, I guess… we hardly keep in touch anymore, though," explained Dawn with a frown. Part of her hoped that Kenny, Barry, and Leona were okay, as she didn't know if they were infected and had succumbed to the effects of the virus spreading across their world. "Although, I have something that I've been meaning to ask of you lately."

"Alright, go on ahead," began a confused Zoey, hoping that it wasn't anything too crazy.

"With the way you've been rather… close to Gary, have the two of you… well you know…" Dawn started speaking when her cheeks turned bright red, especially as she started suspecting that the two of them were starting to develop feelings for one another and wanted to find the right words not to offend the orange-haired woman. "… No, I am not talking about… that…"

"That's a relief…" Zoey replied, blushing red as she knew what Dawn was talking about. "As for what you're trying to ask of me, well it's complicated and I do think he's a really nice guy and…"

"And?"

Zoey thought about it for a moment, but then Sherry approached the two, becoming worried when she saw them blushing. "Is something the matter?" she asked them with concern on her face.

"It's nothing. We've just been talking with each other, that's all," Zoey answered with a slight smile while looking at Sherry, who was looking at both her and Dawn. "Besides, it's just me answering a question for my friend Dawn and reflecting on something we've experienced prior."

"She's right. It's not like we're telling each other anything embarrassing," added Dawn. "I've been curious if she and Gary have started dating each other by this point."

"Oh, I see," Sherry said with a forced smile. Part of her did notice that Gary and Zoey had been getting closer these days ever since meeting following the start of the pandemic, but she never knew if they were a thing by now, so it made her just as curious as Dawn.

"Yeah, and to answer Dawn's question fully before you came, no Gary and I aren't dating," commented Zoey while smiling; part of the bluenette became relieved when hearing this, something that didn't go unnoticed by Sherry, which made her suspect the real reason for asking Zoey this question.

"Um, Dawn, can we talk for a moment?" asked Sherry before turning her attention to Zoey, hoping that it would be fine if they had a private conversation. "I hope you won't mind."

"Uh, sure no problem…"

This led to Sherry taking Dawn to a place where they could talk to each other in secret. "I'm not trying to be rude, but I want to know the real reason for asking Zoey if she and Gary are dating," she said to the bluenette with a frown. "I'm just curious…"

Dawn frowned as her cheeks turned red again. "It's complicated, really," she said, unsure of how to answer Sherry's question. This made the other female hybrid immediately realize something, given the way the Buneary girl was acting and her talk with Zoey earlier.

"Wait, don't tell me you actually have feelings for her?!" asked Sherry. Her answer was a simple nod, which left her even more speechless. "How long have you had these feelings?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain later once this is all over," said Dawn, as it was clear now wasn't the time for her to tell Sherry the details given the current circumstances. "Although to be honest, ever since Gary and Zoey started getting to know each other, I've been feeling rather jealous."

"Did Ash know about this?!" she asked Dawn.

"No, neither did Brock, May, Kenny, Ursula, and Leona, really," Dawn replied with a frown, looking at the ground. "The only ones who know are my Pokémon."

"I see…" began Sherry, although part of her had been wondering if females could be with each other as this had been something she never knew about until recently. "To be honest, I actually thought you have feelings for Ash, but I guess…"

"No, actually I do!"

"Huh?" she asked with a confused expression. "But you just said that you had a crush on Zoey."

"Yes, but I also have on Ash as well," Dawn told Sherry, blushing even more than ever since it was really leaving her with mixed feelings regarding who to be with. She suddenly felt Sherry's hands on her shoulders, which surprised her almost immediately. "Sherry?"

"Take it from me, while I'm not really good at helping people when it comes to love, but you definitely need to fight for the ones you love," she assured the bluenette with a smile. "You just have to play up your strengths and go for it."

This made Sherry blush even more; part of her had to admit the other girl was rather cute, much like Zoey, and she did make a good point. "Listen, Sherry, I…" she tried to speak but found herself being interrupted by the other girl.

"You have to be confident," Sherry told Dawn again, giving Dawn a confident smile. "I'll be more than happy to help you out."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course, it's the least I could do for you," said Sherry, giving Dawn a nod of approval. "Besides, the worst thing that can happen is that Zoey just wants to be friends but I'm sure the two of you ending up together would be good to see happen."

Dawn considered it for a moment but eventually relented. "Okay, thank you, Sherry," she said, forming a smile after accepting the offer.

"You're very welcome, Dawn," Sherry replied, smiling back. "Since you have a crush on both Ash and Zoey, I can imagine a way you can be with both of them but for now, let's focus on one thing at a time."

Dawn didn't say anything to Sherry. All she did was smile but sighed, looking at a mirror and her body. "What if we can never turn back? What if this is it for us?" Dawn questioned, looking at Sherry, already seeing the concern the Pachirisu woman had. "Are we going to be stuck like this, slowly losing our minds until we are like the others?"

Sherry watched Dawn with a mixture of understanding and worry in her eyes. She knew all too well the weight of their situation. The transformation had been gradual yet undeniable, and the uncertainty of their fate weighed heavily on both of them.

"We can't lose hope, Dawn," Sherry said softly, reaching out to gently touch her friend's arm. "We've come this far; we can't give up now. We'll find a way to reverse this, I promise. We need to keep fighting to keep our minds. Besides, you will keep your mind longer than me," Sherry said, giving Dawn a weak smile.

Dawn could see the fear Sherry had since the poor Pachirisu woman could feel her human mind slipping away, and soon, it wouldn't be long until she was like the many other hybrids.

Dawn squeezed Sherry's hand, seeing Dawn's expression filled with determination despite the doubt that lingered in Sherry's heart. "We'll find a way," Dawn affirmed, her voice unwavering. "Together, we're stronger. And I won't let you face this alone. Misty and myself we're all in the same boat."

Sherry nodded, her eyes reflecting gratitude for Dawn's steadfast support. "Thank you, Dawn. I'm going to keep fighting for as long as I can," Sherry said, but she still had some concerns about losing her mind. "We better still look around the lab and see if we can find anything."

Dawn nodded in agreement, her determination matching Sherry's. "Absolutely, Sherry. We'll search every corner, leave no stone unturned. There has to be something in this lab that can help us reverse this... condition," she said, her voice faltering slightly at the word 'condition.'

The two rejoined Zoey, who looked over some who looked at more paper, hoping to find anything to help Dawn and the others.

As they reunited with Zoey, Dawn, and Sherry shared a look of determination, silently reaffirming their commitment to finding a solution. Zoey glanced up from the papers she was studying, sensing the gravity of their expressions.

"We need to find something," Zoey said, her voice echoing their shared urgency. "There has to be a clue, a hint, anything that can shed light on how to reverse this... transformation."

"Hmm, I hope we can," Dawn said, looking at more notes, scowling as she looked at some notes from the ones who had created this virus. "Hey, you two might want to read this."

Scientist note: Day 1 of the hybridization process

We have captured a number of trainers today and have started our wonderful hybridization project. With this, we can have an army! One that will obey only us as their masters.

Dawn's scowl deepened as she read the scientist's note aloud, her voice filled with disgust and anger. Sherry's fur bristled in anger, her eyes narrowing as she processed the implications of the chilling words.

"This is sickening," Zoey muttered, her voice trembling with emotion. "They're using innocent trainers as subjects for their twisted experiments, all in the pursuit of power and control."

Dawn's expression mirrored her crushes, her fists clenched in frustration. "We can't let them get away with this," she declared, her voice tinged with determination. "We have to find a way to stop them and undo the damage they've caused."

Scientist note: Day 10 of the hybridization process.

Another failure. Today, we tried making another hybrid, but like the other five, she died after her transformation finished. We tried combining her DNA with two species of known Pokémon. The two we used for this test were two psychic-type Pokémon. Abra and Espeon. However, after we injected the subject, she screamed in pain.

We thought this time would be different, but it seems like the others. The girl's body was too weak for the hybridization process. What are we missing? I thought we had it this time. It doesn't matter; we shall try again.

"How many died because of the people here?" Zoey said with disgust at what the scientists had done.

Sherry said nothing as a fresh set of memories came rushing back of the poor victims screaming in pain before they died a horrific death. "Too many," Sherry said as she wrapped her arms around her body.

Dawn's heart sank as she read the scientist's note, the weight of their failed experiments and the lives lost in their pursuit of power hanging heavily in the air. Sherry's embrace tightened around herself, a mixture of sorrow and anger evident in her expression.

"This is unforgivable," Dawn said, her voice trembling with emotion. "They've caused so much suffering, all in the name of their twisted ambitions."

Zoey's fists clenched at her sides, her eyes flashing with anger. "They treated these people as nothing more than lab rats, experimenting on them without regard for their lives or well-being."

"Look, there are more notes," Zoey said, showing the two hybrids more notes from the ones who had caused all of this pain and suffering.

Dawn and Sherry leaned in to examine the newly discovered notes, their eyes scanning the pages for any additional information that could aid them in their quest. Each word they read added to the growing outrage and determination burning within them.

Scientist note: Day 15 of the hybridization process.

Progress at last. One of our subjects has shown promising results after the latest experiment. The combination of DNA from two different Pokémon species seems to have stabilized, and the subject is exhibiting enhanced abilities beyond our expectations. We've named her Subject Zero and believe she could be the key to perfecting our hybridization process.

Dawn clenched her jaw as she read the note, a flicker of hope amidst the despair and horror. "Subject Zero..." she murmured, her mind racing with possibilities.

Zoey and Dawn looked at Shery, knowing she was one of the many victims. "Sherry, do you know anything about this?" Dawn asked but could see Sherry was just as shocked by learning about this.

Sherry's expression mirrored the shock and disbelief evident in Dawn and Zoey's faces as she shook her head slowly. "I... I had no idea," she murmured, her voice tinged with a mixture of horror and sorrow. "I didn't know anything about Subject Zero or these experiments. I was just... taken from my home and subjected to those awful transformations."

Dawn reached out to place a comforting hand on Sherry's shoulder, her eyes filled with empathy. "It's not your fault, Sherry," she reassured her friend. "None of this is. You're not alone in this."

Zoey's gaze softened as she looked at Sherry, a sense of solidarity evident in her expression. "We're in this together, Sherry," she said firmly. "We'll help you find the answers you seek, and we'll put an end to this nightmare once and for all."

The three looked around the room, knowing everything they were finding was helping them learn more about what had happened in the evil labs. However, they still had many questions that they needed to answer.

"Girls!" Gary cried as he and Misty arrived, the two carrying more notes and even tapes of everything that had happened here. "We found a few documents on what they were doing.

Misty nodded, not liking what she had found out about this virus, but Sherry, Dawn, and Zoey needed to know what she and Gary had found. "We found all of this in the other room."

Dawn, Sherry, and Zoey turned their attention to Gary and Misty as they entered the room, their hearts heavy with anticipation of the new information they had gathered.

Dawn, Sherry, and Zoey turned their attention to Gary and Misty as they entered the room, their hearts heavy with anticipation of the new information they had gathered.

"Hmm, it seems there is another note," Zoey said, looking at the note, which was day 45.

Dawn, Sherry, and Zoey eagerly gathered around as Zoey unfolded the note, their eyes scanning the words with a mix of anticipation and dread.

Scientist note: Day 45 of the hybridization process.

Subject Zero continues to surpass our expectations with each passing day. Her abilities are growing stronger, and she exhibits remarkable resilience to the hybridization process. We believe she may hold the key to unlocking the full potential of our hybrid army.

However, concerning developments have occurred with some of our other subjects. Several have begun to exhibit signs of aggression and instability, posing a threat to our research facility. We must proceed with caution and take necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and assets.

Dawn's brow furrowed as she processed the implications of the note, a sense of unease settling in the pit of her stomach. "So, Subject Zero is not only the key to their twisted experiments but also a potential danger," she muttered, her mind racing with possibilities.

Sherry's eyes widened with concern as she considered the implications of the scientists' words. "If Subject Zero is as powerful as they claim, then we'll need to be careful when confronting her," she cautioned, her voice tinged with worry.

Zoey nodded in agreement, her expression serious. "We'll need to approach this with caution," she agreed. "But we can't let fear stop us from putting an end to this madness."

"But, how come they stopped," Misty said, knowing it was strange. "I mean, we are just normal hybrids."

"I think I know why they stopped," Gary said, showing another note, which was five days after the last one.

Dawn, Sherry, Zoey, and Misty turned their attention to Gary as he revealed the new note, their curiosity piqued by his words.

Scientist note: Day 50 of the hybridization process.

Subject Zero has become increasingly difficult to control. We are all still amazed by her exponentially growing powers, and she has begun to exhibit signs of rebellion against our authority. We fear that she may become uncontrollable and pose a threat to our operations.

In light of these developments, we have decided to suspend further experimentation with the hybridization process. Our priority now is to contain Subject Zero and prevent her from causing any further damage.

Dawn's eyes widened as she absorbed the contents of the note, a sense of realization dawning upon her. "They stopped the experiments because they lost control of Subject Zero," she concluded, her voice tinged with understanding.

Sherry's expression hardened with determination. "So, Subject Zero is the reason they abandoned their plans for an army of hybrids," she surmised, her gaze reflecting her resolve.

Zoey nodded in agreement. "It makes sense," she agreed. "But it also means that Subject Zero could still be out there, a threat to anyone who crosses her path."

Misty's brow furrowed with concern. "Then we need to find her before she causes any more harm," she declared, her voice filled with determination.

"Hmm, hey, look at this one," Dawn said, showing the three another note. "It seems that in total the combined hybrids that they made were around 15," Dawn said with anger as the others looked at the next note, which had new plans on just making hybrids from one species of Pokémon.

As the group examined the new note, their anger and concern deepened at the revelations it contained.

Scientist note: New Plans for Hybridization.

In light of the failures and complications with our previous experiments, we have decided to shift our focus now to a new approach. Instead of combining DNA from different Pokémon species, we will now focus on creating hybrids using DNA from a single species.

Initial tests have shown promising results with this new method, and we believe it will lead to more stable and controllable hybrids. Our goal remains the same: to create an army of powerful creatures under our control.

Dawn clenched her hands into fists as she read the note, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. "They're still determined to create their army, even after everything that's happened," she muttered, her voice filled with frustration.

Sherry's eyes narrowed with determination. "We can't let them continue," she declared, her voice firm. "We have to put an end to their plans before they can inflict any more suffering."

Zoey nodded in agreement. "Agreed," she said. "But we'll need to act quickly and decisively if we're going to stop them."

Misty's expression hardened with resolve. "Let's find Subject Zero and put an end to this once and for all," she said, her voice filled with determination.

"That doesn't sound good," Zoey said, worried, as she looked at another note. This one said how to deal with hybrids who had human minds, something that shocked the ones who caused this.

The group's unease deepened as Zoey read aloud from the disturbing note, their expressions reflecting a mix of shock and concern.

Scientist note: Containment Protocol for Hybrids with Retained Human Minds.

It has come to our attention that some of the hybrids resulting from our experiments have retained traces of their human consciousness. This poses a significant risk to our operations, as these hybrids may possess memories and emotions that could compromise our control over them.

In light of this development, we have devised a containment protocol to deal with such hybrids. These individuals are to be isolated immediately and subjected to intense psychological conditioning to suppress any remnants of their human identity. If necessary, more drastic measures may be taken to ensure their compliance.

Dawn's eyes widened in horror as she listened to the note's contents, her mind reeling at the cruelty and callousness of the scientists' actions. "They're trying to erase the humanity of those poor hybrids," she exclaimed, her voice filled with outrage.

Sherry's fur bristled with anger hearing about this. "It's barbaric," she growled, her voice trembling with anger. "They're treating them like nothing more than disposable tools."

Zoey's expression darkened with determination. "We can't let them get away with this," she declared, her voice tinged with resolve.

"I'll say, besides there's a chance that they're still out there somewhere, whether it be inside this lab or otherwise, plus since they caused this whole mess to begin with then they know how to fix it too," Misty said, knowing they were all insane.

"That is if they're willing to give us the information we want," Gary replied with a frown, knowing there was something else they were hiding. "Huh? Look at this?"

"What is it?" asked Sherry with a frown before noticing a name in the next note. From the looks of it, a lot of the note was missing due to it appearing to be destroyed, but something about the name looked familiar. "Oh my god…"

"What's wrong, Sherry?"

"They didn't… they couldn't have…" she said again, her expression changing from horror to anger the more she looked at the name she saw in the destroyed note. "No, no, no, no, no, no…"

"Okay, Sherry, what are you jabbering on about?" asked Zoey before she looked at the name that was currently on the destroyed note and became confused. "Lori…"

"That's my mom's name!" said Sherry, looking at Zoey for a moment and then at the name. "I can't believe they would do something like this!"

This made the others even more confused, although they had a feeling that if the name of Sherry's mother was on the note, then it meant the people behind the infection must've used her for an experiment, but they had no idea what it was. "You don't mean…" began Dawn, being the one to speak after being unsure of what to make of the revelation in question.

"Those bastards used her in their experiment? Then yes, or at least that's what I'm assuming," Sherry told her. Sadly, nothing more had been revealed since it appeared that either the scientists tried to destroy the evidence involving Lori or she destroyed it herself when attempting to escape from this lab. "The question is, why would they want her?"

"Well, there's nothing that we can do right now, since this bit of information is lost, probably forever."

"Or maybe it isn't," Gary informed the others, causing them to look at him with slight surprise. "I mean, it doesn't look like it was burned, so it means there might be a chance to find the missing piece in order to get the whole story regarding Sherry's mom."

Soon enough, Umbreon sniffed around, and his expression suddenly darkened. "What's wrong, Umbreon?" asked the young Pokémon researcher the moment his Dark-type Eeveelution immediately tensed up, which was never a good sign.

'I smell something… it's not hostile, but I think we need to be on our guard just in case.' said the Moonlight Pokémon with a frown, suspecting that it could be a trap or there might be a chance that there might be some hybrids that made this lab their home without them realizing it. 'Stay close to me. I have a feeling that we might not be alone here.'

"Okay," said Gary before he and the rest of the group followed Umbreon; even Pikachu, Glaceon, and Buneary were keeping an eye out in case anything was to happen.

---

Brock was in a strange black void; there was nothing but darkness everywhere he went; it wasn't like the fog that he, Ash, and Misty had gone through at certain points of their travels together, as that didn't really last long anyway. Still, part of him was wondering why Clemont, Bonnie, or any of the other people with them weren't here either. "What is this place?" he asked himself, knowing it couldn't be any kind of cave or cavern as nothing showing that it was either could be seen.

"Brock…"

"Huh?" asked Brock as he looked around, but there was nobody there at all, which made him wonder if it was either a prank being pulled on him or if he was hearing things. Still, he had seen and heard stranger things before this, so he was starting to really have mixed feelings. "Whose there? Show yourself!"

"Brock… Brock…"

"Here we go again, although that voice sounded very familiar," said the former Pewter Gym Leader turned future Pokémon Doctor as he looked in the direction where the voice was coming from, knowing that it was female, and decided to get to the bottom of it. "Hello, can you hear me?!"

So far, nothing was responding to him. "Clemont, Bonnie, anyone, are you there?!" he called out again, but the same result happened, which started making him more worried. "Okay, I think we've had a good laugh, but this is getting on for far too long! So enough with this joke already!"

"It's not a joke, Brock…" came the female voice again, nearly making him jump the moment he heard it. He soon found himself face to face with a beautiful young woman smiling upon him, although something about this woman looked familiar. "Surprise to see me again?"

"Lokoko?" asked Brock in disbelief, although he immediately remembered that Lokoko was just an illusion created by the Ninetales whom he, Ash, and Misty met back in the Johto region long ago. Speaking of which, he noticed that said Ninetales wasn't there this time as Lokoko couldn't even exist without the female Fire-type. "What are you doing here? In fact, where's Ninetales?"

Lokoko frowned, giving a small sigh. "It's complicated, but that is not the point," she told the former Pewter Gym Leader, knowing there was a reason why she had appeared before him in this void of darkness, and it involved what was happening around the entire world. "I'm sure you're aware of a terrible infection happening across the Pokémon world as we speak, correct?"

"Wait how did you know about…"

"I noticed it while traveling, and I actually feared for your well-being, hence why I am using my powers to communicate with you telepathically at this moment," said Lokoko with a concerned expression. "Thankfully it has no effect on Pokémon, but who knows if that could potentially change later on if there isn't a cure made for those who were infected soon."

"I see, I guess that makes sense," Brock replied, remembering that Ninetales still had her powers from when he, Ash, and Misty met her back in Johto before something suddenly clicked into the back of his mind. "Still, if you're doing so telepathically, then does this mean…"

"This is a dream, and the dark void you're in is not real," assured Lokoko, making Brock somewhat relieved to hear this news from her. However, her smile faded almost immediately. "However, as I said before, I'm speaking with you telepathically as I wanted to make sure you're okay."

Brock started frowning again, realizing that there was another reason for her speaking to him in his dream. "Do Clemont and Bonnie know about you?" he asked, as he had a feeling that his new friends from the Kalos region were currently sleeping as well as he was.

"I'm afraid not, mainly because you are the one I have the strongest link with."

That wasn't exactly something he wanted to hear, but he understood why, as she never actually met Clemont or Bonnie due to potentially still being Johto or in another region at this point. "Okay, thanks for letting me know," he replied again, understanding that her powers had their limits. As for the cure, the Professors from every region, including regions like Alola and Galar, are currently working together to make something to get everyone infected back to their normal selves."

"You need to know something else," Lokoko told Brock, knowing he still didn't know what had happened to Ash and the others. "I don't like telling you this, but your friend Ash has fallen to the virus and lost his mind."

Brock's eyes snapped open as he heard Lokoko's words, his heart sinking with dread at the news of his friend's fate. "Ash... infected?" he whispered, his voice filled with disbelief and sorrow.

Lokoko nodded gravely, his expression mirroring Brock's sorrow. "I'm afraid so," he confirmed. "The virus has taken hold of his mind, and he is no longer the Ash you once knew."

Brock's mind reeled with shock and grief, the weight of Lokoko's revelation hitting him like a ton of bricks. Memories of their adventures together flooded his thoughts, and he couldn't bear the thought of Ash succumbing to such a fate.

"I have to find him," Brock declared, his voice tinged with determination. "I can't just leave him like this. He's my friend, and I won't abandon him."

Lokoko nodded in understanding, a sense of sympathy in his eyes. "Be careful, Brock," he cautioned. "The virus has changed Ash, and he may not be the same person you remember. You'll need to tread carefully if you hope to reach him."

Brock nodded; his resolve hardened by Lokoko's warning. "I won't give up on him," he vowed, his voice filled with determination. "No matter what it takes, I'll find a way to save Ash."

"I hope so, but please, you need to watch out. He may have already turned girls that he knew into hybrids and made them his mates," Lokoko began, knowing he was still searching for mates. "Ash is still looking for some of the women he wants to mate with."

Brock's eyes widened in alarm at Lokoko's warning, the gravity of the situation sinking in even further. "He's... turned them into hybrids?" he exclaimed, his voice filled with horror and disbelief.

"Yes, some of them he has turned, others turned thanks to the virus that was set loss, and others have managed to keep their minds," she said, but Lokoko knew it was only going to get worse for the ones infected, as many, if not all, would lose their human minds in time.

Brock's heart sank at Lokoko's grim warning, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on him. The thought of Ash succumbing to such darkness and causing harm to others, especially those he cared about, filled him with despair.

"I understand," Brock murmured, his voice heavy with sorrow. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect those he's targeted and to stop him from causing any more harm."

Lokoko nodded in acknowledgment, her expression reflecting a mixture of concern and determination. "Be vigilant, Brock please," she urged. "The safety of those he's targeted depends on it."

Brock nodded in agreement; Lokoko's words only strengthened his resolve. "I won't let him hurt anyone else," he vowed, his voice firm. "I'll find a way to stop him and put an end to this madness."

Lokoko nodded, still fearing the worst that could happen, but she knew things were going to get worse for everyone. "Okay, now wake up, and please stay safe," she began, but Brock knew there was something else. "But be ready, as you haven't seen everything yet," Lokoko said before the dream ended, and Brock woke up shocked by what happened.

---

Meanwhile, back in the laboratory, the others were looking over the notes and any data they could use to help end this virus.

As they looked over anything, Sherry had fallen to the ground, breathing deeply with her arms wrapped around her body. "Sherry!" Misty cried as she rushed over to her fellow hybrid. "Are you okay?" Misty asked, worried something was wrong.

The Pachirisu said nothing as she got back to her feet and smiled as she brought Misty in for a kiss. Shocked by this, Misty pushed Sherry away, wondering what had come over her. "Sherry!" Misty cried, shocked by the kiss.

Sherry only giggled as she looked at Misty and Dawn. "Aww, come on I was wrong this is fun and I feel so much better than I did when I was a human."

Dawn and Misty exchanged worried glances as they watched Sherry's unexpected behavior, unsure of what to make of her sudden shift in demeanor. This filled the two and the others with fear, worried that Sherry was losing her human mind.

"Sherry, what's going on?" Dawn asked, her voice filled with concern. "Are you feeling alright?"

Sherry giggled again, her eyes sparkling with an unsettling intensity. "Oh, I'm feeling better than ever!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with an eerie cheerfulness. "This new form is so much fun, and I feel so alive!"

Misty's brow furrowed with confusion and concern. "But Sherry, this isn't like you," she protested, her voice tinged with worry. "You've never acted like this before."

Sherry's smile widened as she stepped closer to Misty, her demeanor becoming increasingly erratic. "Oh, but that's the beauty of it!" she exclaimed, her voice dripping with mischief. "I'm not bound by my old self anymore. I can be whoever I want to be!"

Dawn and Misty exchanged a worried glance, realizing that something was seriously wrong with Sherry. Whatever had happened to her during their time in the laboratory had changed her in ways they couldn't begin to understand.

"You two watch out I think Sherry has lost her human mind!" Zoey cried out, warning the two that Sherry was like the others who were infected.

As Zoey's warning lingered in the air, Sherry's gaze shifted from Misty to Dawn, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes. Without a word, she reached out and pulled Dawn into an unexpected embrace, her touch sending shivers down the Buneary hybrid's spine.

Stunned and uncertain, Dawn tried to pull away, but Sherry's hold was surprisingly strong. "Sherry, what are you doing?" Dawn managed to stammer out, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and confusion.

Sherry leaned in closer, her breath warm against Dawn's ear. "I want to have some fun," she whispered, her voice low and compelling. "Don't you want to feel alive like me?"

Misty stood frozen in shock, unsure of how to react to the unfolding scene before her. She could see the wild look in Sherry's eyes, a stark contrast to the timid Pachirisu she had known. "Sherry, come on fight it!" Misty cried but Sherry only giggled and looked at the Vaporeon woman and smiled at her seductively.

Sherry moved over to Misty, pulling her in before kissing. "Hmm, let's fuck Misty," Sherry spoke with a seductive voice before she started kissing Misty again, as her hands started playing with Misty's large breasts making her moan. "Hmm you have such lovely tits Misty," Sherry added.

Misty's eyes widened in disbelief and horror as Sherry's hands continued to caress her body, her touch causing a mix of pleasure and fear to surge through her.

As Sherry continued to touch and kiss Misty, Dawn stepped in, shaking her head in disapproval. "Sherry, you can't do this to Misty or to myself," she pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion. "You have to stop."

Sherry only smiled as she looked at Dawn, and she couldn't help but giggle, using one free hand to pull the Buneary woman in for a kiss. "Shut up Dawn and fuck me," she said with a seductive smile. "Once I help you maybe you can turn Zoey into a sexy hybrid."

Zoey watched in horror as Sherry continued to seduce Dawn and Misty. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what had happened to her friend. The virus must have changed her, but how? It was clear that something had taken control of Sherry, but what?

As Sherry's hands continued to roam over Dawn's body, the Buneary hybrid tried to remain calm, but her heart was racing. She couldn't deny the strange pleasure that Sherry's touch was bringing her, but she knew it was wrong. She could feel the virus taking over Sherry's mind, and she had to find a way to stop it.

Dawn couldn't help but moan, pulling Sherry in closer. Their breasts were now rubbing against each other as Dawn grabbed Sherry's ass. "Dawn!" Zoey cried with fear, but Dawn only smiled as she turned to look at her crush.

"Sherry, you're not yourself," Misty pleaded, her voice filled with desperation. "I don't know what's happening to you, but we need to find a way to stop it."

Sherry only laughed, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Why would I want to stop?" she asked. "This is so much fun, and you're all just so sexy in your hybrid forms."

Zoey watched in horror as Sherry continued to seduce Dawn and Misty. She knew they needed to act fast before the virus spread any further. She glanced around the room, searching for anything that could help them stop Sherry and bring her back.

Sherry looked at Dawn, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "You know you want it," she whispered, her voice low and seductive. "Let go of your fears and embrace the pleasure."

All that came from Dawn was a moan as she fell to the ground with Sherry on top of Dawn. Both the Buneary and Pachirisu women only moaned, their lust growing. "Ahh!" Dawn cried as her primal side took hold of her mind. "Zoey, please join us!" Dawn moaned as she felt Sherry sucking on her nipples. "Ahh, good feels so good I want more!"

Zoey watched in horror as Dawn continued to moan beneath Sherry, their bodies grinding against each other. Her mind raced with thought and fear. The virus had taken control of Sherry, and now it seemed to be spreading to the others.

Tears welled up in Zoey's eyes as she watched her friends succumb to the virus. She wanted to scream, to fight, but her fear kept her frozen. All she could do was watch in agony as the virus turned her friends into something she didn't recognize.

Dawn only giggled, looking at the two humans as Sherry began licking her pussy. "Ahh, yes," Dawn moaned as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the pleasure Sherry was still giving her.

Misty looked at the two, seeing that Sherry and Dawn were totally lost in amazing pleasure. "We need to do something," Misty whispered, moving over to Zoey and Gary.

The two nodded as they looked at the door, and all three quickly left, locking the door behind them. "NO!" Dawn and Sherry cried out, watching as the door closed, trapping the two in the room.

Once the three were outside, they could hear the banging from inside the room. "Let us out!" Sherry cried with rage, banging the door with her fists. "Let me out, let me out! LET ME OUT!" her rage and Dawn's growing.

"Zoey, please let me out!" Dawn cried, but all Zoey could do was fight back the tears as she looked at Misty and Gary. Zoey wanted to say something, anything, but she could tell that, like with others, Dawn had lost her human mind.

Zoey stood there for what felt like hours, but only a few moments passed until she felt a hand on her shoulder; seeing it was Misty. Her blue, scaly face looked concerned. "We need to go. We have no idea how long the door is going to hold, and we still have to look around this lab."

Gary knew Misty was right they needed to go. He held what data he had on him even as the banging from the two hybrids continued. All three knew they needed to go before the door was busted open.

"Ah!"

This shocked Gary and Zoey, who saw Misty clutching her head in pain. "Misty, what's the matter?" asked the coordinator from the Sinnoh region before they realized something after witnessing this already happening to Sherry and Dawn. "Oh no, not you, too!"

"Great, that means we're going to have an even bigger mess to deal with now," said Gary with a scowl. He turned his attention towards his Umbreon, believing that the Dark type would be needed in case Misty ultimately lost her mind next. "Listen, I know you consider Misty a friend, but if she becomes our enemy, you need to attack should the worst come to it."

This made Umbreon frown when looking at his trainer, although part of him knew he made a good point, and it didn't go unnoticed by Zoey. "Wait, you're not suggesting that…" she spoke but didn't finish her sentence, believing that Gary was planning something he'd live to regret.

"No, but there's still the possibility that Misty might be losing her mind too," he assured her, showing his concern for the Tomboyish Mermaid. "Odds are sooner or later, she'll eventually attack us like Sherry and Dawn did."

"But still…"

"It's okay, you two. It stopped…" Misty spoke up, glad that the pain was gone, at least for the time being. This relieved the two, although they wondered if this was a ploy to make them lower their guard. "For a second, I thought I'd be losing my mind, too."

"That's a relief," commented Zoey with a light smile, although the expression failed. "Still, before she lost her mind, she mentioned that her mother was among those who had become victims of those in charge of this base. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I remember," Misty replied. "Why are you bringing that up?"

"Part of me has been thinking about something," she said to the Tomboyish Mermaid, thinking about a means to try and get Sherry's mind back. It wouldn't be easy, but hopefully, it'll be worth it. "Maybe if we find her mother, then maybe she might help us in our cause in saving everyone, including Sherry herself. And trust me, we're going to need all the assistance we can get."

"If she's even in this place… remember, it appears to have already been abandoned for quite some time as I recall correctly."

"Gary makes a good point here," remarked Misty with a frown, looking at her friend. "Odds are even if she was here before, she might not be anymore, I mean we don't know."

"That's true, but we still have to try looking for her," commented Zoey, understanding what Gary and Misty were trying to tell her. At the same time, there had to be something, but it'll have to wait since they heard banging on the other side. "First, we better get out of here now!"

"Good idea!"

Gary, Misty, and Zoey left with the Pokémon by their side, keeping guard just in case anything happened. Although Pikachu was still worried about the others, the ones who weren't affected by the virus or unaware of what was happening. "I really hope nothing else goes wrong…" muttered the Tomboyish Mermaid, praying that there would be some way to help everyone they cared about.

---

Delia was still worried for Ash's well-being, especially as he hadn't called for a long time, and she had no idea where he was or what he was doing other than traveling through the Kalos region. "I know that they say no news is good news, but I'm still worried about him," she said to herself, hoping that he hadn't gotten himself hurt or sick with Mimey the Mr. Mime being just as concerned as he saw her looking out the window of her house. "I just wish that I knew what's happening."

She then suddenly felt something that surprised her. "What was that?" she asked herself. Although the phone began ringing, she immediately answered. "Hello?"

"Delia? It's me, Professor Oak."

"Professor?" asked Delia, somewhat disappointed that it wasn't Ash, but she was glad to hear from Oak nonetheless. "What is it?"

"I have something to tell you, but you're really not going to like it," said Oak with a frown on his face, knowing that he needed to let his friend know. "Basically, I've got some good news and some bad news."

"Oh?" wondered a concerned Delia. "What's the good news?"

"The good news is, Professor Magnolia from the Galar region, her granddaughter Sonia, and the region's champion, Leon, are assisting us with a potential cure for everyone that's been infected," explained Oak, grateful that they were additional help from professors of other regions. "Even Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet, and Samson all from the Alola region are helping us out."

"Well, that's a relief," Delia replied, but there was something else that he wanted to tell her, and she dreaded what she was about to ask him. "And the bad news?"

Oak sighed since there hadn't been any word from Gary in a while or from Brock, Misty, her sisters, or even Tracey, which started worrying him even more. "The bad news is, more of the Pokémon world has been infected and a lot faster than even I had anticipated," he told her. This includes more of the Kalos region, which is where Ash is currently located."

"What are we going to do?" Delia questioned, with her eyes looking at Samuel for any solution to help stop this damned virus. Despite the small glimmer of hope and determination, Delia could see the fear within Samuel's eyes.

Samuel sighed, having told Lance he felt there wasn't much anyone could do until their cure was finally completed. "I'm not sure if there is anything we can do, Delia."

Delia could tell Samuel had no ideas on how to stop the spreading virus, but there was nothing, and the two felt nothing but helplessness. All Delia could think about at the moment, and the only thoughts were on her son.

Delia placed a hand over her heart as she felt the very ill sense of dread beginning to creep back. She wished the dreadful feeling would stop. Sitting down, Delia didn't say much, and she would need to wait and see what fate would bring.

"I just hope my son will be okay…"

Oak frowned again, knowing that Delia cared for Ash so much and didn't want to see him get hurt or, even worse, potentially killed if he hadn't already succumbed to the infection. "I hope so too, Delia," he said again with Rotom floating by his side. "For now, all we can do is continue our work, and once we have a solution, we'll be able to find a way to use it on everyone infected before it's too late."

Delia didn't say a word to her old friend; she couldn't help but think about Ash and wonder if anyone infected would even want the cure. "What if they don't want to be cured?" Delia questioned, her eyes looking at him knowing this could happen with many infected by this virus.

The aging professor knew Delia was right. He had seen reports of the few hybrids they had captured fighting to get free, even telling their captors how liberating becoming a hybrid was for them.

---

As they made their way down the dimly lit corridor, the sound of their footsteps echoed ominously. The uncertainty of what lay ahead weighed heavily on all of them. Gary glanced back at Misty, his mind racing with contingency plans. Zoey's eyes darted around, searching for any sign of Sherry's mother or a clue that might lead them to her.

Suddenly, a loud crash reverberated through the hallway, followed by a series of unidentifiable noises. The group halted, their hearts pounding in their chests. They exchanged tense looks before Gary nodded, signaling for them to move cautiously toward the source of the noise.

Zoey looked at Misty and Gary, wondering if it was Dawn and Sherry, but didn't hear anything that sounded like the two. It sounded primal and inhuman before the sound of gunfire went off. "What was..." Zoey began only to hear another inhuman roar.

The three looked at each other, wondering what it could be as Misty and Gary looked at each other. "You think it could be another fucked up Pokémon hybrid?" Gary said, knowing all the ones they had seen were not pretty.

"How, everything down here is dead?" Misty said as she saw a broken mirror, seeing her reflection with blue scales. Looking back at her, still shocked, she began a Vaporeon hybrid, but she would keep fighting until she helped Gary and Zoey find a cure. "If I start to lose my mind, you two will need to run okay, I don't want to infect you two," Misty told the only two humans within this abounded lab.

As Misty spoke, a chilling howl echoed through the abandoned lab, sending shivers down their spines. Zoey could see the fear in Misty's eyes but also a fierce determination to protect them at all costs. Gary clenched his fists, ready to defend his friends against whatever monstrous creature lurked in the shadows.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness, its form shifting and contorting unnaturally. It was a grotesque fusion of various Pokémon, its eyes glowing a sinister red as it fixated its gaze on the trio.

The grotesque hybrid that they could see had once been a human female, but it seemed that she was barely human anymore. "What the hell!" Gary yelled as the poor woman lunged at the three, baring her inhuman fangs and razor-sharp teeth.

Zoey reacted quickly, pushing Misty out of the way just in time as the hybrid creature's claws swiped through the air where she had been standing. Gary reached for a nearby metal pipe, ready to defend his friends against this abomination.

The creature let out a guttural growl as it advanced closer to them, its movements jerky and unnatural. It was a horrifying sight, a twisted creation of science gone terribly wrong. Zoey could see the insane look in its eyes, with only a glimmer of humanity buried beneath layers of mutation and madness.

With a swift movement, Misty unleashed a powerful water attack from her Vaporeon hybrid form, aiming for the creature's head. The water hit its mark, causing the hybrid to stagger back momentarily, giving Gary an opening to strike with the metal pipe.

But the hybrid was relentless, shrugging off the blow as if it were nothing. It let out a primal roar, summoning more of its kind from the shadows.

"Oh no..." Zoey said, looking at the hybrids, all of them growling and none talking. "They all lost their minds," Zoey said, thinking of Dawn trapped in that room with Sherry.

"It looks like not everything died down here," Gary said, seeing more deformed hybrids, only for a gunshot to hit one of the deformed hybrids in the head, killing it.

"This way!" a woman said. The three looked at her and followed her to an old room. The unknown woman locked the door behind her. All three hybrids couldn't help but wonder who she was, as they hadn't seen her face.

The mysterious woman turned to face them, her features obscured by the dim light of the room. She was clad in tattered clothing, a rifle slung over her shoulder, her eyes darting between Zoey, Misty, and Gary. "Who are you?" Misty asked cautiously, ready to defend themselves against any potential threat.

However, once Misty got a better look, she saw the woman's face, and tears filled her eyes. Mom!" she cried, dropping to her knees beside the woman. "It's really you!"

"Misty," her mother gasped, reaching out to touch her daughter's face. "I thought I'd never see you again," but soon stopped as she looked at her daughter and what she had become a Vaporeon hybrid.

Misty's mother recoiled slightly, her eyes wide with shock. "What... what happened to you?" she whispered, her voice filled with a mixture of horror and sorrow.

Misty felt a pang of guilt and sadness. "It's a long story, Mom. But right now, we need to get you out of here."

"Okay, what exactly is going on here?" asked Zoey. Both she and Gary were confused at the scene taking place between Misty and her mother; even Pikachu and the other Pokémon by his side were just as speechless when looking at the two females in question. "Who is this woman anyway?"

"Well, it's complicated but…"

"My name's Julia Waterflower, I know I don't look like much, but I am Misty's mother," said the woman, speaking up for Misty and introducing herself to Gary and Zoey as well as to the Pokémon that were with them. "I take it you're both friends with her."

"We are," Gary replied, still somewhat speechless when looking at Julia. At the same time, it couldn't hurt to introduce himself to Misty's mother. "I'm Gary Oak from Pallet Town. I battled against your other daughters at Cerulean City when I was a Pokémon Trainer."

"My other daughters, wait, you mean Daisy, Lily, and Violet?" she asked Gary, realizing whom he was talking about, and while she was relieved that they were okay, part of her feared the possibility of them becoming what she and her youngest daughter, Misty, had become. "Wait, what do you mean we're a Trainer?"

"Well, it's a long story, but I'm now studying to become a Pokémon Researcher like my grandfather, Professor Oak," he told Julia.

"I see," began Julia with a frown, then turned her attention towards Zoey.

"Oh? My name's Zoey, I'm from Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region."

"Snowpoint City? Sinnoh region?" asked a confused Julia. "I never heard of those places before, but then again, I've never heard of Pallet Town either. What are they like?"

"We'll explain later," said Zoey, knowing that there was a lot that they could tell her, but at the same time, she knew that this place wasn't safe for anyone. "For now, how did you end up here? I mean, Misty previously told us that you and her father died when she was little."

"Huh?" Julia spoke, even more confused, and turned her attention back to Misty. "You thought that Kirk and I were dead?"

"You and Dad left one day and never returned, plus everyone in Cerulean City looked all over for the two of you, but they found nothing…" she told Julia, tears forming as she reflected on the moment that her parents disappeared without any explanation after deciding to leave the Cerulean Gym for a while. Then something clicked into the back of her mind: "Wait a minute. If you're here, does that mean Dad is too?"

This made Julia frown even more, lowering her head especially as part of her wished that it was true, but she knew her youngest daughter and her friends had to be made aware of this. "I'm sorry, I don't know where your father, Kirk, is…" she said. "I mean I don't really remember much about anything since I first found myself in this very place in question or even why I'm here."

"I see…"

The others frowned, wondering what to do to help make things better as Zoey stepped forward, looked at Julia, and rubbed her arm. "Mrs. Waterflower, I know this isn't something you didn't want to hear, but then again, it's also something we wish we could help you remember," she began as she looked at Misty's mother, still seeing her puffy eyes. "Rest assured that there's a secret that this lab is hiding, and it could help in undoing the damage that had been done not just to the two of you but also to the entire Pokémon world as well."

"She's right. As we speak, there's a virus spreading across our world and infecting everyone, turning them into Pokémon hybrids," added Gary with a concerned expression.

"I see, but what will you do?" Julia asked, looking at Gary and Zoey.

"My grandfather is working on a cure, but he's not doing it alone," said Gary, as she deserved to know the good news; even if it wasn't good news, it was better than nothing. Every professor across our world is working together with him in making something that'll get everyone infected back to normal."

"That's not the only thing that needed to be addressed, Mrs. Waterflower," Zoey spoke up, trying to find the right words for what she had to say since it concerned her and Misty. "Some of our friends had already been infected, even ultimately giving in to their new hybrid side taking over, so who knows how long before the same thing eventually happens to you and your daughter."

Julia raised an eyebrow, her expression turning even more concerned when she heard this revelation. She started to fear the prospect of eventually succumbing to what she had become. "I see," she said softly, her voice filled with understanding. Thank you for telling me."

Misty met her mother's gaze, understanding how the older woman was feeling. While it was true that the professors across the Pokémon world were developing a cure, the downside was that it might not work if the infection were to evolve to the point where it'd be immune to it. "You're welcome. I just hope we'll be able to find Dad if he is here," she confessed, her voice filled with even more uncertainty.

The Tomboyish Mermaid only frowned as she looked at the distance, knowing she still needed to tell her mother about Ash and her travels with him throughout Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto, as well as his brief reunion with him in Hoenn as well as after he returned from said region prior to deciding to challenge the Battle Frontier. However, at the same time, she knew that sooner or later, she'd have no choice but to confront the young man from Pallet Town, and this time, they would be enemies. On the one hand, she didn't like the idea of ever doing so, but on the other hand, he was now a threat to everyone due to his current state and needed to be stopped before any innocent people got hurt or infected.

Julia said nothing when hearing this. Her mind was still foggy over everything that had happened to her and her husband. All she could do was look at her daughter, seeing her Vaporeon body.

---

Meanwhile, back in the room they were locked in, Dawn and Sherry were seething with anger as they stared at the locked door. Both hybrids were determined to break free. Dawn, with her heightened senses as a Buneary hybrid, pressed her large ears against the door, straining to hear if Misty, Zoey, and Gary were still outside. Beside her, Sherry's cheeks sparked with electrical energy, her Pachirisu traits manifesting in her frustration.

"We need to get out of here," Dawn growled, her voice low and fierce. "They can't just leave us trapped like this."

Sherry nodded; her eyes narrowed with determination. "I agree. We need to show them the joy of being a hybrid. They'll understand once they experience it themselves."

Dawn's eyes lit up with a mix of hope and mischief. "Especially Zoey. I want her to become a hybrid too. She'll see how wonderful it is. Not to mention she'd become so sexy."

With a shared look of resolve, the two hybrids began to strategize their escape. Sherry examined the door carefully, her sharp eyes searching for any weaknesses. "There has to be a way to short-circuit this lock," she muttered, her fingers tracing the edges of the metal frame.

Dawn glanced around the room, looking for anything that could aid their escape. "Maybe we can combine our abilities," she suggested. "Your electricity and my agility. There has to be a way to make it work."

Sherry nodded, her sparks intensifying as she focused her energy. "Stand back," she warned, preparing to unleash a controlled burst of electricity. Dawn stepped aside, watching intently as Sherry placed her hands against the lock and sent a surge of power through it.

The lock sizzled and crackled under the electrical assault, but it held firm. Dawn frowned, frustrated but undeterred. "Maybe we need more force," she said, thinking quickly. "Let me try something."

Using her enhanced agility, Dawn leaped up and kicked the door with her powerful legs, aiming to weaken it. The metal groaned under the impact, but it still didn't give way. Sherry, seeing an opportunity, quickly sent another jolt of electricity through the lock. This time, the combined effort paid off. The door's mechanisms sparked and finally gave out, the lock clicking open.

"Yes!" Dawn exclaimed, pushing the door open. "We did it!"

Sherry grinned, her cheeks still sparking with residual energy. "Let's go find them. We need to make them understand."

The two hybrids stepped cautiously into the corridor, their senses on high alert. They knew that their friends would be wary, especially after what had happened to Misty. But they were determined to show them the beauty and power of being hybrids, convinced that once they experienced it, they would embrace it too.

As they moved stealthily through the base, Dawn couldn't help but think about Zoey. She pictured her friend as a beautiful, powerful hybrid, and the thought filled her with excitement. "She'll love it," Dawn whispered to herself, a smile playing on her lips.

Sherry's thoughts were focused on the mission ahead. "We need to be careful," she reminded Dawn. "We can't just force them. We have to make them see the benefits."

"I know," Dawn replied, her voice steady as her thoughts turned to Zoey. She wondered what kind of hybrid Zoey could become. "But first, we need to find them."

Dawn looked at Sherry, her determination growing stronger. "We know Misty is already a hybrid, but Gary and Zoey are still human. They need to become hybrids too," she said with conviction.

Sherry nodded, her expression serious. "You're right. We have to help them see the benefits, but we can't just force it on them. We need to be strategic. Once Misty is free from her human mind, as Gary and Zoey are hybrids, we shall find Ash and then mate with him again."

The two couldn't help but giggle, knowing that once they had helped the three, it would all be worth it, for they were the new race, and they would soon replace the human race.

For anyone watching, it would seem odd as the two former humans stepped over the dead bodies of the scientists. Neither Sherry nor Dawn cared what would have once made them vomit at the site of the dead. No, all the two cared about was finding the three who had come into this lab and making sure they joined their cause. As they made their way through the dimly lit corridors of the underground facility, a sense of anticipation grew within them. The air was thick with the scent of metal and chemicals, a stark reminder of the experiments that had taken place there.

"How are we going to help them out?" Dawn asked, hoping to mate with Zoey and see her become a sexy hybrid. She was already thinking about the fun she would have with Zoey. "Since neither Gary nor Zoey have become hybrids yet, and they are still human, too," Dawn said, knowing they needed to turn the two.

Sherry chuckled hearing this, hugging Dawn, knowing how much she wanted Zoey to become a sexy hybrid. "Don't worry, Dawn. I have a plan," Sherry replied confidently, her eyes gleaming with determination. We will use the serum that was made here to turn them into hybrids. It's a risky move, but it's our best chance at success," Sherry said with a grin. Attacking them will be too much of a risk, but this will be easy."

Dawn giggled at this but soon stopped. "What about Misty? She is a hybrid that has kept her silly human mind," Dawn asked with a frown. The Buneary women knew Misty would still cause trouble, and then there was the fact that both Gary and Zoey would also keep their human minds. So, what shall we do if they, too, get their human minds?"

As they walked further into the facility, Sherry pondered Dawn's question. She knew that Gary, and Zoey retaining their human minds could be a significant obstacle in their plan. After a moment of silence, Sherry stopped in her tracks, turning to face Dawn with a determined expression.

"We must find a way to suppress their human consciousness during the transformation," Sherry declared, her voice filled with conviction. Maybe when Zoey is changing, you show her a wild time that could help her lose her human mind," Sherry said with a smirk, knowing that Dawn would love to make love to Zoey as she was changing into a hybrid.

Dawn blushed at the thought but nodded in agreement. "You're right, Sherry. If we can create strong emotional experiences during the transformation, it might help them let go of their human minds." She could feel a mix of excitement and apprehension building inside her as they ventured deeper into the facility.

They soon arrived at another section of the lab, and both hybrid women giggled as they looked around. The two were hoping to find what they needed to set the three free from being weak humans.

The lab was filled with shelves lined with vials of various colors and shapes, each containing different substances used for the facility's experiments. Sherry and Dawn scanned the room, their eyes searching for the serum that held the key to transforming Gary and Zoey into hybrids without their human consciousness hindering the process.

The lab was filled with strange contraptions and colorful liquid vials, each promising transformation. Sherry and Dawn scanned the room, their eyes darting from one experiment to the next. Finally, Dawn's sharp gaze landed on a small vial labeled "Hybrid Serum—Enhanced Emotion Catalyst."

Dawn then looked at the notes of the vial and many others, hoping this would help. Neither she nor Sherry could get closer to the three. Dawn only smiled as she started reading what the vial would do from what the scientist had written.

The notes began, "This serum is designed to amplify the emotional responses of the subjects, allowing for a seamless fusion of human and hybrid characteristics. The enhanced emotion catalyst targets the limbic system, intensifying feelings of loyalty, aggression, and instinctual behaviors. This results in a more stable hybridization process, minimizing the risk of human consciousness interference."

The two hybrids smiled and noticed a tape that even showed how it worked, and they played the tape. The tape began to play, showing a demonstration of the Hybrid Serum in action.

"Testing the new serum now," a female scientist began as she injected the man called Jim. He soon began to cry out in pain. "The subject was shown to have a stronger mind that would have fought back against the hybridization process. With this new serum, his mind will not stay human," she began, and she nodded to another scientist. We are now letting in the subject's lover, who became a hybrid species, Mudkip."

The man in the tape looked at his lover with sadness as the gate to his own cell opened. The female Mudkip woman giggled, looking at her lover, seeing he was becoming like her, a hybrid.

The female scientist continued her explanation. "The enhanced emotion catalyst is designed to create a more stable hybridization process by amplifying the emotional response of the human subject. This amplified emotional response should overcome any resistance to the hybridization process and prevent the subject from retaining their human consciousness."

The tape went on as his hybridization was half finished as he was fighting it, as he was transforming into a Zangoose hybrid. "No!" he cried, fighting what was happening to him.

The female Mudkip woman jumped on him as Jim tried to fight it as the female scientist had a smirk on her face as she looked at the others, knowing it was time for the next part. "Time for the next stage, get serum that will induce intense lust," she said with a smirk.

The female scientist proceeded to explain the final step of the process. "The lust serum will be administered to the hybrid subject, causing an intense and uncontrollable desire for their former human lover, effectively triggering the final stage of the hybridization process."

The tape continued to play, showing the male Zangoose hybrid's body trembling as the lust serum took effect. His gaze locked onto the female Mudkip hybrid, and his face twisted in an expression of pure need.

Dawn and Sherry exchanged a satisfied grin, their eyes alight with determination. "This is it Dawn," Sherry whispered, her heart pounding with excitement. "This is the key to our success."

Dawn nodded as she smiled, watching as the two hybrids continued having sex with each other, with the male Zangoose lost in pleasure as he mated with his lover. "We have also made a gas version for safety," the female scientist said.

As the two hybrids continued to watch the tape, they both began to formulate a plan. They knew that administering the serum to Gary and Zoey using the gas version would be the safest and most efficient method.

The two women looked around the lab, hoping to find it so they could use it on all three. It made the two hybrids smile, knowing that very soon, the three would shed the confinement of their weak humanity. Sherry and Dawn knew that once this was done and finished, Gary, Zoey, and Misty would all be free, and then they would help start a brand-new world with the other hybrids.

They spent hours scouring the lab for the gas version of the serum, finally locating it behind a shelf covered in dust. Sherry excitedly grabbed the container and carefully read the instructions. According to the notes, the gas should be released into the area where the subjects were, allowing the serum to seep into their systems and initiate the transformation process.

The two couldn't help but giggle, knowing they would soon get what they wanted as Dawn thought about the wonder of how sexy Zoey would be once becoming a hybrid. For now, they needed to plan this out, and once they succeeded, the three could find Ash and mate with him.

A/N: Sorry this took a long time. It was all due to fanfiction being so messed up that I didn't get emails from fanfiction. I didn't want to post this because I was worried no one would know I had updated the story.

Anyway, as you can see, Dawn and Sherry have both fallen and lost their humanity. The two are planning on making sure that Misty will lose her human mind while Gary and Zoey become hybrids like them. However, will this work, or are all three doomed to join many others who have become hybrids?

Yes, I have added Misty's mother since she was never shown in the show. In many of my stories, both of Misty's parents die, and I wanted to change it up.

I will try to post the next chapter when I can, but life has been chaotic, and my health hasn't been getting better. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, too, since more horrors will be waiting for the ones who are left within the laboratory.

One last thing: please don't forget to leave me a review. It would mean a lot to me.