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[Madjack]

Disclaimer: Some brief, strong language. I usually keep my stories pretty PG, and hold back on language unless I feel it's necessary. In this case, it emphasized CT being full of rage and hate. If it's deemed inappropriate, I will remove or edit it.

Anyway, this is the first in a series of stories my friends and I are writing. This one tells a little backstory on our Pokemon characters, and how they become the human hybrids they are, now. You don't really need a general knowledge of Pokemon, but it may be a little confusing at the start. Once they all become human, it's much easier to follow.

[Madjack]

"Alright, Gunpowder, let's go!" the young trainer shouted, as she commanded her Nidoking. Gunpowder wasn't kept in a Poke Ball. He stepped foward, and let out a monstrous roar. Gunpowder was huge. Larger than normal, for Nidoking. He stood at 5'7", exactly a foot taller than average. He was also battle scarred and had years of experience. He was always a fighter, ever since he was a little Nidoran.

A little Nidoran, fighting for his life, just outside of Viridian City. The young trainer knelt beside him, assessing his wounds. "It looks bad..." she whispered, to somebody else. The girl couldn't have been more than 10, but she had a passion for Pokemon, and had to help this little Nidoran. He was small. Looked to be the smallest one, in a group. His breathing was shallow, and he had gashes across his mouth, and a chunk of his ear bitten off. The trainer scooped him up, and hurried him to the Pokemon Center.

She waited all night. The little Nidoran wasn't hers. He was wild. That meant he had nobody else to take care of him. She had to stay, until the next morning. Nurse Joy called her over, saying he was stabilized and would make a quick recovery. It wasn't long after, the young trainer was taking the Nidoran back to the wild, to be released. He didn't want to go, though. Not after all she had done for him. He stayed, and the young trainer happily accepted him into her Pokemon family.

The two shared many wins and losses, together. They welcomed new friends, and said goodbye, to old ones. The two had become inseparable, and eventually won the Kanto and Johto leagues, together. Thirteen years has passed, and the two had grown quite strong. The young trainer, who wasn't so young anymore, had been given several opportunities for a position as a gym leader. She declined them all, preferring to live a quiet life, as a Pokemon breeder and Daycare owner. Gunpowder didn't battle much, anymore, but he helped around when she needed him to. Occasionally, she would get a challenge from a passing trainer, seeking to test her skill. Gunpowder loved the challenge, and happily fought by her side. There just wasn't much of a thrill to it, anymore. Her friend suggested she try out the Unova League, which Gunpowder agreed with.

"I don't know..." she said, unsure about hopping back into battling; "What about the Daycare? Who will look after it?"

"Seth can take care of it." he replied. "Come on, we haven't whooped a league together, since Hoenn! Don't you miss it?"

"Well...." she said. She looked over at Gunpowder. He nodded his head. He wanted to do this, but he was willing to comply with whatever his trainer said. "...Gunpowder needs to work out a little, anyway. He's getting pudgy." she smiled. Gunpowder grunted in disapproval.

And the two took on the Unova League. It was nice, to battle gym leaders, again. Moe and Gunpowder had never been to Unova, so all the new cities and towns were a refreshing change, from the same old Kanto. Gym after gym, city after city, the two demolished their way to Victory Road.

And there he was. A small, green little dragon, not much bigger than Gunpowder was, when he first met Moe. And much like Moe and Gunpowder's first meeting, he was being attacked. The Durant clamped down on the green Deino, and violently shook him.

"Hey!" Moe shouted. "Get off him!" The Durant glared at her, and continued with his would-be meal. "Alright, Gunpowder, let's go!" the young trainer shouted, as she commanded her Nidoking. He let out a monstrous roar, as he stepped foward. "Okay Gunpowder, use Thunder Bolt, and be careful not to hit the Deino!" Moe didn't need her Pokedex. She had seen trainers with Deino, throughout her Unova journey.

Gunpowder let out another roar, as he unleashed a thunder of electricity. It slammed into the Durant, who proceeded to drop the dragon and turn its attention toward Gunpowder. "Okay, now we have it's attention! Now use Earth Power!" Gunpowder smirked, as he stomped on the ground, creating a sinkhole underneath the steel bug. The Durant fell into it, and landed in a lower level of the cave. Moe and Gunpowder rushed to the helpless little dragon, and rushed it to a Pokemon Center. She couldn't leave him there. Just like she couldn't leave that injured little Nidoran, all those years ago.

"He wasn't badly injured. Looks like you got there just in time!" Nurse Joy smiled, as she brought the Deino back out. Moe smiled; "Hey there! You took a pretty good beating." The Deino only snorted at her, and turned away. Moe took him from the nurse, and headed back near Victory Road. "Well, I guess that's it. You should be more careful, next time!" she told him, and started to walk off. The Deino stood for a moment, and Moe shortly found it tagging closely behind.

"So, you wanna come with us, after all?" she smiled. The Deino only growled, but accepted her invitation into a Poke Ball. "I'm gonna name you Ferrovax!" Moe smiled. Gunpowder rolled his eyes. She seemed to name Pokemon after whatever she was currently obsessed with. In his case, it was tea.

Moe and her team went on to beat the Elite Four, but were defeated by the Champion. Gunpowder and Moe were disappointed, of course, but her newly acquired Deino was absolutely devastated. He made it a point to get stronger, learn new moves, and to one day prove to Moe, to the League, to the Champion, and to himself, that was was no longer going to get pushed around. He was there to win.

[Madjack]

More years had passed. Gunpowder and Ferrovax trained together, and become close friends. They were the best double battlers Moe had ever trained, and worked flawlessly together. Ferrovax was strong. Even stronger than Gunpowder, and they both knew it. He flaunted his strength, and the stronger he became, the more violent he got.

Moe decided to re-challenge the League, with just the two. They left a path of destruction in their wake, and easily defeated the Elite Four. Gunpowder was the first in line against the champion, and eager to take on his first Pokemon, which was an Accelgor. As he was about to unleash a Thunder Bolt, Ferrovax charged out of his Poke Ball and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower, instead.

Moe called Gunpowder back. If Ferrovax was eager to fight, might as well let him. Alder narrowed his eyes. "A rebellious one, isn't he?" he said, calling back his Accelgor, who was KO'd in one hit. "You have no idea." Moe said, with a sigh. Ferrovax glared at Alder, and let out a challenging growl. The champion sent out his Bouffalant, and commanded it to use Mega Horn.

"Okay, Ferrovax, watch out for this-" Moe shouted, but the Hydreigon flew up, letting the Bouffalant's Mega Horn nearly hit Moe. "Hey! Watch it!" she shouted. Before Moe could command a move, Ferrovax built up a huge Focus Blast, and aimed it at Bouffalant: which was still very near Moe. It slammed into the buffalo, and knocked Moe off her feet. "Dammit, Ferrovax!" she shouted, trying to regain her feet. Gunpowder growled. Ferrovax's increasingly violent behavior was getting out of hand. He had seriously injured Pokemon, before, and Moe knew it was a bad idea to take him to the League. He had a bad reputation. So bad, that people had begun to call him The Corpsetaker. The injuries he inflicted on some of his opponents eventually lead to their death, and Moe was starting to have a bad reputation, herself. It was a huge risk bringing him to the League, but she thought it would be good for him. Make him better. She was wrong.

All three of Ferrovax's heads clamped down on the Bouffalant, before the champion could recall him. He began shaking it, violently, just as the Durant had shaken him, as a mere Deino. "Ferrovax! Stop it! Right now!" Moe shouted. He didn't stop. "Dammit! Gunpowder-" Gunpowder didn't wait. He knew what to do. A powerful Mega Horn slammed into the huge dragon at full force, knocking him across the arena. Gunpowder couldn't stand it, any longer. His reign of terror had to end. Right here. Right now. He slammed another Mega Horn into his teammate. And another. And another. "Gunpowder, stop! That's enough!" Moe shouted. Ferrovax was entirely unconscious, at this point, and Moe's voice was the only thing stopping Gunpowder from going any further. He panted, and stared down at his fallen teammate.

"I'm sorry...." Moe whispered. "I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have..." Alder stopped her, and knelt next to his severely injured Bouffalant. Moe sighed. She was no longer welcome in the League. She knew she should never had listened to Penelope. She should have just stayed in Kanto, at the Daycare.

And back to Kanto, she went. Gunpowder made sure Ferrovax, or Corpsetaker now, was kept secure. Moe was told to have him put down. She refused, the first several times..but after this...after all the death and chaos he had caused, she thought it would be for the best. "I'm so sorry, Ferrovax..." she whispered, to the glass case where his secure Poke Ball was kept. "But you've gotten too out of hand. I can't release you...it won't stop, if I did. This needs to end." Gunpowder rested a huge, clawed hand on her shoulder, which she graciously accepted. "Are we doing the right thing?" she said, to him. Gunpowder just let out a heavy sigh.

The silence was interrupted, but a loud knock on her door. Moe wiped the forming tears from her eyes, and went to answer it. Men in suits. What were men in suits doing at her Daycare?

"Good evening, ma'am. Is this the residence of Moe Hellbourne?" one of them said.

"Who's asking?"

"I'm Porter, this is Blackstone. We work with a group of scientists, and heard you have some very powerful and rare Pokemon. Many not even from this region. Would you consider trading any of them?"

"And just why would I do that? What kind of scientists are you, anyway? And what the heck do you need my Pokemon for?"

"I assure you, it's for a very good cause. We're researching many non-regional Pokemon, and are extremely interested in yours."

"No deal." Moe said, as she proceeded to tell them where they could shove their research, and slammed the door. Stupid science. No way was she going to trade away her beloved Pokemon, without knowing why. Of course she wasn't interested. The Gliscor standing outside at the time was, however. The Gliscor was another of Moe's Pokemon. One she used, in Sinnoh, and one that had taken a particular interest in the Hydreigon that was currently condemned to death row. She grabbed one man's jacket, with her huge claws, and made some protesting Gliscor noises, which presumably meant for them to wait. She rushed into the house, snatched Ferrovax's Poke Ball, and rushed back outside, without being seen by Moe.

She offered the Poke Ball to the man, with an expression of concern on her face. The man observed the Poke Ball, wondering what the letters 'C.T.' engraved on it could possibly mean. "Don't worry." he nodded. "We'll take good care of him."

[Madjack]

(written by Tim)

Total party wipeout…that’s what it was called.

A tragic incident when a Pokemon trainer’s entire team of Pokemon is wiped out…usually when a total party wipeout happened the trainer could rush their Pokemon to the center and have them saved, usually when a Pokemon was beaten the trainer ended the match in time where they’d simply be injured…unconscious. For the first time in Johto League history, there was a trainer who didn’t stop it in time. Elite Four member Lance remembered it well, an incredibly talented battler. With determination, heart, and strategy, this boy took his team and breezed through his teammates. However, against the might of Lance’s Dragonites, his team fell.

This boy was Penelope (Preferred name Pen) Hellbourne. However, the boy was too ruthless, too stubborn. It wasn’t a bad trait though; he just had an undying trust in the strength of his team and his strategy he believed they’d pull through anything. He was too confident though, and his whole team perished from that battle.

Pen sighed. He never got over that incident…those three words…Total Party Wipeout…he remembered well. First went Judie, sweet Judie. Judie was one of his first pokemon in Joto region. He was still sad over the loss of the Caterpie Rey Rey and spotted her. He was cocky after the win in the Kanto League. He had a breeze beating the Johto league, except Lance…poor little Clementine was the last one. It was Clem versus Lance’s Charizard, all or nothing. Everyone else was bleeding badly, he had to hurry. He pushed Clementine more and more. “Come on Clem, you can do it!! Come on, hurry! We can get the others healed, please Clem! Hit it with Rollout again!”

Poor little Clementine….she got burned…not even Lance could see what was happening…the fire wouldn’t go out…Clementine suffocated and burned…Pen’s confidence shattered. He caused the death of six great teammates. For a good long time he couldn’t look any of his remaining Pokemon in the face, holed up in his room. What could he do? Moe was a breeder, she loved doing it. Pen, however, all he had was battling. It was all he craved, he tried to do contests but it wasn’t the same. Pen hated the contests; it gave off only the illusion of what battling gave. Pen craved battling; he and his Pokemon loved it. The thrill, the rush, the clash between two minds and their Pokemon; Speed, power, strategy, they all came together in a heated duel. It was…addicting. Not then though, Pen couldn’t take the risk. Every battle was heated and ruthless, he couldn’t hold back. Moe came to him one day. “Come on, let’s take on the Hoenn League, Pen.”, she said through his bedroom door.

“Pen...your Pokemon miss you. You may have lost faith in yourself, but they haven’t. Come on, those six wouldn’t want you to be like this, you seem ruthless but it’s because you push all your Pokemon. They know you push them because you know they can be the best. What happened was tragic Pen, we all know, but don’t let that shake who you are. “

Pen sighed, “I can’t do it Moe…I just….I know I’ll cause more death… I know it… how much more blood must I have on my hands for my own confidence?” Then Pen felt a scratching at his door from Musashi, his Scyther.

“Master...it is all right. You are Pen Hellbourne, Pokemon master. Your undying faith in your team gives us the strength to fight on where other Pokemon would fall. Take on the Hoenn challenge, show everyone how great you are…if anything…do it for those that died in Johto. Do it for Judie, Sheldon, TC, Kirby, Randy, and Clementine. Beat the Leagues for them, in their memory.”

Pen stood up and slid his Pokemon master shirt on, slipped his backpack, glasses, and hat on. They were all right, without battling and pushing his team past the limit he has nothing! So many others could fall back on something, but Pen never gave up because becoming a Pokemon master was what his dream was. “Moe…let’s go to Hoenn…and kick its ass!”

Pen finally won his confidence back, taking on the Hoenn League. There were more deaths, but through them he kept fighting. Pen was flowing with confidence and had Moe come to Unova. Pen was shocked at little Ferrovax's ruthlessness, it was horrifying. Pen failed to beat Alder before Moe challenged him, fortunately all his team survived. He tried his best to comfort her.

“Hey hey Moe, it’s ok. He just…has problems…but with love you can get him to calm down, you should just…keep him from battling.” He said. “If you want, I can take care of him. Maybe I can train it out of him if you want… just an option. It’s much better than the…alternative…”

A knock came to Pen’s door.

“Penelope Hellbourne?”

“Pen, yes.” 

“I heard you had a very…unfortunate accident at the Johto league a while back.”

Pen clutched his chest, remembering the total party wipeout.

“Yes….and I don’t care to speak of such traumatic experiences, especially with a tuxedo wearing shitberg stranger.”

"No need to be hostile. My name is Blackstone.”

“Nice name.” Pen interrupted with snark.

“Yes. Anywaym I want to inform you that your team, or at least some of the stronger ones, can be brought back, if you would be willing to cooperate with us.”

Pen’s eyes widened, brought back? Clem and the others? “H…how? Please tell me.”

“It’s experimental, but if you would hand over some of you current team, we could use their DNA to bring back living tissue.”

Now that gave Pen pause. He loved the idea of seeing the others again, but to release the current ones he had? He couldn’t. “I’m sorry Mister Blackstone. I appreciate your offer…I really do…but those deaths…they happened. I can’t change my past, that event changed me, molded me into who I am now. I’ve moved on, and I know they’re happy in the afterlife, looking down on me. I’m sorry I’ll have to decline.” He closed the door.

The next morning was horrifying. He rushed to Moe’s house “Moe! They’re gone! Musashi, Jean, and Avenger! They’ve been Pokenapped! That..that man Blackstone..he must have taken them!.”

[Madjack]

LANGUAGE WARNING



"I told you to get the Nidoking," a man said. "Not this....monster." he watched as Ferrovax roared and thrashed, inside the containment area. He slammed his head against the reinforced glass, unable to make a single crack in it.

"She wouldn't go for it. She's not giving him up." another guy said. It sounded like one of the men who took Ferrovax.

"Hm." the first man grunted. He looked like he was some kind of scientist, only slightly mad. "I suppose he'll do, then." They watched as the dragon continued to trash about, waiting for him to tire himself out. He slammed against the glass one final time, and slid down, letting out a soft growl. "About time. Get him fully restrained. Can't have anything go wrong, during the transformation."

Ferrovax was restrained, unable to move. Men and women, presumably scientists, were hooking all sorts of wires to him. What was going on? The last thing he remembered, he was in the Pokemon League, now all these people were connecting wires to him and poking him with needles. They all left him, and had the room once again tightly secured. He was alone, again.

Then there was pain. Oh god, the pain. There was a flash of lights, and he let out a near-deafening roar. He tried struggling to get free, but all he could do was try to endure it. There was so much pain...and then blackness. Everything went black and quiet and cold. Then it got white, and the noises buzzed in his ears. Then everything blurred, and the talking of the scientists sounded more like drunken slurring. He wobbled, unable to stand. The light was blinding. The noises were so loud that they might as well been screaming.

Ferrovax fell to his hands and knees. Wait. Hands? Knees? "What....did you do, to me..." he said, in a quiet, but very deep voice, laced with a British accent. He spoke Human, now? "What's going on?" he thought to himself. He was tired. He hurt. The light and the noises made his head pound. He fell to the floor, his entire body screaming in pain.

He awoke in a room. Great. More bright lights. He shielded his eyes from the blinding lights, with his....hands? So it wasn't a dream. He wiggled his fingers. He had also apparently been clothed in an all-white shirt and pants. What the hell was going on? He sat up. His head screamed at him. "nnngh!" he growled, holding his head.

"He's awake!" one man shouted a lot louder than Ferrovax would have liked. "Blasted humans...." Ferrovax growled. He slid back into his bed. His head hurt. He was hungry. Confused. He just wanted to go home.

The door slid open. "Awake, I see." a man said. He recognized the voice. "You can call me Dr. Blackstone. How are you feeling? Can you...speak?"

The former dragon didn't look at him. "What did you do, to me?" he said, quietly. "Oh, good." he began writing something, in his notes. "I said," Ferrovax growled. "What the fuck did you do, to me?" he shouted, jumping out of his bed, and seizing the man by the collar of his shirt. "NNNGH!" he growled, grabbing at his head.

"Easy," Blackstone said, trying to keep him from falling down. "Easy, CT." CT? Oh, right. Corpse Taker. They must not know his real name. For the better. Ferrovax was a stupid name. He sat back on the bed. "What....what's going on? Where am I? Why....why am I...."

"Human?" The doctor finished. CT nodded. "You were the first of a breakthrough experiment, in which we're able to transform Pokemon to humans. Looks like it didn't turn you 100%, though." he said, noting CT's purple-streaked hair, obsidian black eyes, and magenta pupils.  "Why? How?"

"Bill's old teleportation experiment was fascinating. Although the accident there wasn't meant to happen, we thought, 'What if we could replicate it, on purpose?' Of course, Dittos are able to transform into anything they like. So, why can't other Pokemon do it?" he smiled, writing more in his notepad. CT growled at the throbbing pain in his head. "So we've been experimenting with Dittos. We've become able to replicate their transformation ability, though it's still a work in progress, obviously."

CT blinked. Bill? He shook his head, and started to stand up, again. The headache had gone from a screaming pain, to a dull throb. "It will take some getting used to, of course." Blackstone said.

"It's permanent?" CT said. "Well, we haven't quite figured out how to reverse it-"

"You're going to leave me like this?" the ex-dragon hissed. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do, right now. We'll need to run further tests-" CT stopped him, again. "I will not be your lab Rattata!" he growled. He seemed to be doing a lot of growling. What else could he still do? "You're all we have, to work with! Think of what we can learn, from you!" Blackstone protested.

"I want. To go home." CT insisted.

"You can't."

"The hell I can't!"

"You can't. You were...." Blackstone trailed off.

"I was what?" CT raised an eyebrow.

"You were on death row. They were going to put you down, after what happened at the League." the scientist sighed. "We've heard about you and the rest of Hellbourne's team. Our boss told us to get the Nidoking, but his trainer refused. She wouldn't trade any of her team. The Gliscor gave us your Poke Ball, and we took it out of sheer desperation. Miss Hellbourne has no idea where you are. You can't go back."

CT was at a loss for words. Death row? They had put him on death row. They were supposed to be his friends. His teammates. They were going to pay for this. All of them. His eyes flickered with anger, and his hands began to glow with orange, circling energy. He slammed both fists into a wall, in an explosive burst of energy. Holy crap. Focus Blast? "You can still use moves..." Blackstone said, somewhat stunned. He scrambled for his pen and notepad, and began nervously scribbling things down, once more.

CT was still burning with rage. They were going to kill him. His friends. Maybe being human wasn't so bad, after all. Maybe it could be useful, especially since he still had his moveset. He could start fresh, if he ever got out of here. Or maybe....maybe he could stick around, just long enough to learn from these people. That seemed like a good plan. Befriend them. Learn from them. And when the time is right, and there's nothing more to gain, kill them. Kill them all, and start somewhere new.

CT stood up straight, and tugged at his shirt, straightening it. He grinned at Blackstone, showing his still very sharp teeth. "I think we got off to a bad start."

[Madjack]

Oh, god. He was gone. Moe stared in shock, at the empty case that once held the violent Hydreigon. "Oh. Oh, no. No, no, no." she said, quietly. How could this have happened?

Penelope burst through the door, shouting about missing Pokemon, as well. "Wait," Moe stopped him. "Blackstone?" she said, grabbing his shoulders. "A guy named Blackstone was here last night, too! And Ferrovax is missing!" she clinched her fists. "Those bastards!" she snarled. Gunpowder stepped up, beside her. This was bad. Really bad. If he had gotten in the wrong hands...the chaos would be unimaginable.

But how could they possibly find these men? Neither Moe nor Pen knew anything about them. Moe leaned against the wall, face in her hands. "Oh, god, Pen. What could they possibly want, with our Pokemon? Especially Ferrovax?"

Looking them up couldn't possibly do any good. Who knew how many "Blackstones" and "Porters" were in Kanto.

There were at least two. One of whom was currently conversing with the newly-transformed Hydreigon.

"Absolutely not!" his handler said. "You've been human for less than a day. You have no idea how human society works, and no idea what you're even capable of. We are not letting you out."

"You want the Nidoking, do you not?" CT growled. "I'm not some dumb animal! Take me there. I can get him, and a whole lot more. Absol, Lucario, Sawk, Garchomp...there's a lot more, than just my..." he trailed off, voice getting deeper than it already was, a trace of literal growling, in it. "former...teammates." His eyes narrowed, at Blackstone. "You can't be seen there, again. They'll recognize you, on the spot. You want the others, you're taking me."

The scientist sighed, heavily. "Alright. Fine. Just..don't do anything stupid."

"Wouldn't dream of it." CT's grin resembled that of a crocodile.



Musashi woke up in a glass tube. Musashi did not like it. He spread his wings, slashing at the glass wildly. Master!! He had to get to his master!! He kicked the glass, what kind of glass was that anyway!?

"Mr. Blackstone, the Scyther's awake, and he's lively." a scientist said.

"Hold it, you." Blackstone said. "Don't move around too much, now." he said, pointing towards a sleeping Furret. Musashi's buggish eyes widened. It was Clementine!

"That's right, we used some samples from you and the others to revive her. It seems with certain DNA samples we can improve the Revive item to an amazing strength, bringing back a well enough preserved Pokemon. We already had two successful tests, a revival as well as that Dragon type."

Dragon type? Musashi looked at a strange man with a familiar feel. Those eyes..the teeth... Ferrovax! Musashi rememebred this Pokemon went wild twice, it took Gunpowder and Musashi's efforts to bring him down, and now he was a human! He called after the now human CT. The others, they were captured. His master was going to take care of him, help him control his wild streak so he could become an even better battler.

"Hit the switch. This one will be easier to handle when he's human."

Human? No!!! Musashi raged against the bulletproof glass, a flash washing over him. The pain was excruciating, so horrible that he passed out. When he woke up he rubbed his arm against his eyes...wait...arm? Musashi stared at a human arm...no...no blade!

Musashi let out a scream of anguish.


CT smiled. He enjoyed watching Musashi suffer. He deserved it, for what he and Gunpowder did. How dare they challenge him. It's what they all deserved, and he was going to make sure it happened. It was time to show them, all of them, who was in charge.





The black car stopped, several blocks away from Moe's daycare. "Hm." Blackstone grunted. "The place is crawling with cops. We shouldn't-"

"No." CT stopped him. "I know them. Moe and her friend will go looking for their lost team. The police won't stay, long."

It didn't take long. Moe and Pen were conversing, but it was late. CT was right. The police had cleared out, and Moe and Pen had both decided to start their search, first thing in the morning. Moe would hand her daycare over to her cousin, Seth, in the meantime. Seth was already there, along with her Audino, Moxxi. Perfect. One more to add, to the batch.

"This is a bad idea..." Blackstone murmured. "Stuff it." CT growled. He stepped out of the car, no longer wearing all-white clothes. He was dressed in a dark green dress shirt and black pants, closer resembling his previous Hydreigon colors. "This shouldn't take long." he said with a smirk, stepping away from the car and toward Moe's daycare.

Getting in was the tricky part. Some of Moe's Pokemon stayed outside, including her Luxray, Aslan. Aslan served as a sort of guard dog, er, lion. He would be a great addition, too, but he had never wronged CT. No sense in taking him. He was, however, in the way.

"Hello, Aslan." CT said. Aslan stood and growled. He knew his name. But how? He had never seen this person, before. "Luxray!" he snarled, as sparks flew from his fur. CT dodged the Thunder Bolt, and slammed Aslan with a Focus Blast. "Blast." CT snarled. That was loud. It had to have woke somebody up. "Right, then. Best make this quick." he said, nudging the door open and stepping over the injured Luxray.

Grab the Pokemon. Get out. Easy enough. Everybody was asleep, anyway. The only witness was one injured Luxray. And...was that a shadow? CT turned around. Gliscor. The same Gliscor that handed him over to those people. Those eyes. She knew. She held out Gunpowder's Poke Ball. CT took it, and called the sleeping Nidoking into it. He smirked; "Thank you." he stepped out, to leave. He had gotten all he needed. The Gliscor tugged on his shirt. CT paused for a moment, and sighed. "Very well."

Lasciel had never wronged CT. In fact, they worked well, together. She was the last friend he had. He would never dream of doing something so cruel, to her. But she wanted to go. He couldn't leave her. "You never mentioned a Gliscor." Blackstone said, as CT and Lash both returned to the car. "She's coming with us." he replied.

"But-"

"She. Is. Coming. With. Us." CT snapped.

"Fine. You've got the Nidoking?"

"And a lot more. We best be off, before that guard Luxray wakes up."

"Agreed."

And the car sped off.

[Madjack]

The scientists observed Musashi, clinging to a pair of blades.

"Seems they keep attachments after turning human. Being a Scyther, he clings to what used to be his scythe blades..most interesting." one of them said.

Interesting? Musashi was holding what was once his arms IN his new arms.

"What about the Magneton?"

"Hmm..might not work well in the process...the Hydreigon had three heads, but a Magneton is pretty much three beings...we'll have to force it to evolve into a Magnezone first."

Those monsters! Musashi grew angry. Forcing a Pokemon to evolve!? They were insane! He hit against the glass, where did that damn CT go? Don't tell me...that traitor! "You bastards!!" he shouted.

"Oh, he's speaking now, just like the other one."


CT sneered, as he walked past Musashi. He hated him. He hated a lot of them, but mostly Musashi. He was just so...<i>noble</i>. He walked past the others. Observing. Taking in their expressions of pain, confusion, and anger. He loved it. He loved being human. He felt...more in control. More capable. More powerful.

Bumblebee. Bruce. Zero. Gunpowder. He stopped, and stared at Gunpowder. Gunpowder growled, and his expression could clearly be read, saying You traitor!

"No, you were the traitor." CT said, quietly. "You were going to murder me. After all we've been through. All the battles we've won, together. We were friends!" he screamed, pounding on the glass. "You deserve this. You all do." Gunpowder winced. The two could no longer look at each other. CT sighed, and walked past the next containment unit.

Wait.

This wasn't right. Lasciel was in it.

The Gliscor looked at him, utter fear in her eyes. "No, that's not what I brought her here, for!" he snarled. "Get her out of there! NOW!!" Light flashed. It was too late. The process had already started. "NO! DAMMIT! YOU BASTARDS!" he shouted, pounding on the glass, forced to watch the Gliscor scream in agony.

It stopped. The lights dimmed, and her hair covered most of her face. She panted and wobbled. It hurt. The doors slid open, and she began to fall over. She was caught, by...somebody. "nnh..." she moaned, quietly. Her ears were ringing, and the person's voice sounded slurred and faint. ".....okay, now. It's okay. I've got you. Oh, god, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know they were going to...."

Blackness. Lash had fallen unconscious. She was taken to her own room, and dressed in white clothes, just as CT had been. "Will she be alright?" CT said, to his handler. "She's stable. She's been out longer than the others had been, but her vitals seem completely normal. Don't worry about it. She'll be fine. You could use some rest, too." he said, leaving.

CT sighed. This wasn't supposed to happen. He didn't bring her here, so they could do this. This was his fault. He should never have taken her. "Blast it all...." he whispered, to nobody in particular.



The scientists began to panic.

"The system is fried!! The Magnezone, it fried the security systems!!" one of them shouted as the glass cases all raised. Musashi leaped out, turning immediately to CT, glaring. "You traitor!! How could you do this!? We defended you, we were going to save you! Look what you did! Look!" he pointed to all of the confused and pained former Pokemon.

"You turned us all into abominations!! Not Pokemon and not human! Do you even think about what you do before you do it!?" the blades he was holding tightly glowed green, as if before Musashi's X-Scissor attack. "Give me one good reason not to strike you down where you stand, I dare you!"

A large muscular man who was once Bruce stood up. Bruce had a very good pain tolerance, but this transforming did hurt. Not as much as he thought, then again he was a humanoid Pokemon to begin with. He felt...bigger...stronger. He flexed his arm, even his biceps were bigger. "Dunno...kinda like this form personally..." he muttered.

Clementine, now an adorable young girl with a bushy tail, still slumbered in her tank, unaware of what was happening.

Jean examined himself, his brain was in scrambled ever since his three parts were forced to fuse into one. "I...warning...not...as...seem....before....I... pain..." he said, feeling afraid.

Avenger tried to stand up, immediately stumbling over his own long legs. "What's going on? Where are my wings? My talons? My...my beak...this feels so weird..."


CT stood still, not even bothering to trade a glance, with Musashi. His head bowed, and he sighed. He was still standing in front of Lasciel's room. He shut his eyes, and leaned his head against the wall. "She's the one who saved me. I did this, to her. You'd be doing me a favor." he said, with what almost sounded like guilt, laced in his voice. "I should have insisted she stay. It would have been better. She didn't deserve this."

Lasciel lay in her bed, still sleeping and unaware of what had happened. Gunpowder watched, as the doors flew open. He was in pain, though. He wanted nothing more than to rush out, and punch Ferrovax's face in. He couldn't move. His head hurt. His body ached. He had a high endurance, but this was too much. Sleep sounded like a good idea. He couldn't sleep. He had to get out. To confront Ferrovax. Musashi rushed by. Were there others? He had to help them. Ferrovax's beating could wait. Gunpowder forced himself up, with a grunt, and wobbled out of his containment area.

His head hurt. It was cold. He grabbed the labcoat of a passing scientist, and wrapped it around him. Nidoking don't wear clothes, after all. "Hey! You can't leave!" the scientist shouted. "Try and stop me." Gunpowder mumbled, in a deep, lightly accented voice. The scientist set a hand on his shoulder. "You can't just go rushing out. You could hurt yourself." he said, trying to calm the now-human Nidoking down. "Let me help you. Escort you to your room." Gunpowder grunted, and shoved him away. He wobbled along, holding on to the wall, nearly stumbling over, several times. The scientist grabbed his arm, and held him up. "I want to help you. Please." he said. Gunpowder paused, for a moment. "Who are you?" he asked. "Dr. Porter. And you're probably in shock. Confused. If you just let me take you to your room, I'll explain everything. Now, please. If you would?" Gunpowder grunted, and reluctantly agreed. He couldn't help anybody, like this. He didn't even know what was going on. Except....."Ferrovax.....he betrayed us..." he mumbled, and he wobbled along down the hallway.

"Who?" Porter said. "He....he was my friend....he did this...." Gunpowder rambled. He was tired. He couldn't stay awake. "I'm sorry, but there's nobody under that name, here." Porter replied, with a smile. "It's alright. A little disorientation is normal."


"Don't you get it!?" Musashi shouted. While noble, Musashi was always a bit of a hot head.

"You want to act guilty now!? I defended you, we tried to help you but all you thought of was hurting others! We called you friend and you betrayed us! The only reason you're still alive is because we defended you! Now, after all you've done it's only now you feel guilty? This is what I meant, you never consider the consequences of your actions! Where's that Blackstone bastard? I'll take you both down! Wha-" he then felt a prick at his neck, falling asleep.

Blackstone sighed "The experiments were all successes, however who knew they'd be this violent? What a pain." he grabbed Musashi and dragged him back into his room. "Perhaps they'll behave better once they're in their rooms. Cramped glass cells are hardly good for stress relief." he said, coldly


CT sighed. He never once turned, to face Musashi. "So young. He can't understand. Nobody can understand." he said, narrowing his eyes. A soft whimper came, from inside the room. Lasciel. She stirred around a bit. Blackstone had dragged Musashi off. Nobody was around. CT opened the doors, and rushed in.

"Lash...?" he said, quietly. "Mmm?" she groaned. She rubbed at her eyes. What were those? Those weren't claws. She sat up, panicked, and screamed. "Oh god! Oh god, what's going on?!"

"Shh. Be still." CT said, sitting next to her. "It's okay. Everything's okay, now." He leaned over, and embraced her, tightly. "I'm so sorry..." he whispered. Lash squeezed her eyes shut. "...CT?" she finally whimpered. She knew it was him, back when he was taking the others, from the daycare. She saw it, in his eyes. She threw her arms around him, returning the hug. They stayed like that, for a good while. Complete silence. Simply enjoying the other's embrace.

"You saved me." CT finally said, quietly. "I couldn't let them do that, to you." Lash replied, finally breaking the hug, and sitting up. "I had to get you away from there. I had to..." she trailed off, as CT's hand swept across her cheek, brushing her hair back. He leaned in, closer. Their foreheads touched, and Lash's cheeks turned pink. His lips met hers, and she gladly returned the kiss. It felt nice. The rest of the evening didn't turn out too bad, either.

At least for them. Gunpowder wasn't so fortunate. Now he, too, was dressed in white clothing. "Where is Zero?" he said. "Zero? Oh! The Absol!" Porter chirped. "She's in another room. Why do you ask?" Gunpowder let out a heavy sigh; "Because she's my wife. Is she okay? Can I see her?"

"Not yet. We can't let anybody out, until we know they're stable. Can't have anybody running around causing chaos now, can we?" he smiled. Gunpowder's eyes narrowed; "And yet you let...him...run around, wherever he likes?" Porter blinked. "Who? CT? Oh, he's perfectly stable. He won't hurt anybody."

Rage filled the former Nidoking. "He hurt US! Did you think we wanted this?! We didn't have a choice! He might as well have killed us!" he shouted. Porter flinched. "I...I'm sorry...this isn't under my control, though...Dr. Blackstone is the one in charge. He's the one who lets CT roam around!" Gunpowder grunted. "Then let me speak to him." he snarled. "I...I'll try, but I can't guarantee..."

Gunpowder closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "Please. Please, I need to speak to him." Porter nodded. "I'll do what I can." he said, leaving the room. Gunpowder sighed, and sat back on his bed. They had Zero. CT was roaming about, doing whatever he pleased. This wasn't good. This wasn't good, at all.

[Madjack]

Bruce sighed as he looked around his room. A punching bag...oh joy of joys. Bruce was the calmest one there; then again his body didn't really feel that different. He heard a voice...Gunpowder? Yeah, asking about Zero. Bruce tapped his fist on the wall, the rooms far from soundproof.

"Hey. If it helps, everyone seems to be fine...besides getting used to not being in their old bodies." He said, attempting comfort. Bruce was a loner, preferring battling by himself than worrying about an ally. However, the man was worried about his wife, Bruce could at least understand that.

"I can't believe Ferrovax did this." Gunpowder said, still angry.

"Can you blame him, really?" Bruce replied. "I can't condone what he's done, but are you saying you can't understand it at all?"

"How can you say that, Bruce? Look what he's done. What he caused. We-"

"Might as well be dead?" Bruce interrupted, "You say that, but really think about it. We might be different, but we're still alive. In a way, it's like we evolved again, be it unnaturally. Personally," he looked at his hand. Five fingers made his hand look...whole; Pen liked to make fists and Bruce always felt awkward. "I like this form better."

"Better? Bruce, we're abominations. How can we go back to our masters like this? How can we live like this? We're human but...not."

"Well, I've always known that feeling. Have you seen me, Gunpowder? I was dared to be called a 'humanoid egg group'...humanoid...they called me humanoid when I'm not human...I look like a human but I was always a Pokemon, and treated as such. Besides, did little Ferro have much choice in the matter?"

"Choice? He always had a choice. We were going to rescue him, Bruce."

"Rescue him from what, Gunpowder? Living? You and I both know that once we brought him back he would be back to the chopping block, counting the days until the humans put him down, and we would watch with nothing to say. Yes, you see it as him betraying us and in a way it is, but for him, he was betrayed. What else could we do? We're Pokemon, we're not human, and thus we can't have a choice with their rules." Bruce noticed the silence from Gunpowder's side, now he was listening intently.

"Can you tell me you never wondered what it would be like? Being human? I do every night. Think about it, we get captured and put into fights; but do humans ever fight for us? Imagine, actually living with them, being a human with all the benefits. Even your name, all our names, all humans have names, but what about us? We were given names when we were captured. You were named after tea; a beverage. Before that you were male Nidoran, and I was Sawk, like every other Pokemon in the wild. Musashi? He was a prize in a casino, like a stuffed toy. We were all lucky we got caring masters, and while Pen pushed us it was all because he knew we could be the best, and we were. In the end, when we do wrong, like little Ferro did, we get no trial. No trial, no jury, and while we're considered friends and pseudo family for humans they won't even build a prison building for us. Team Rocket cut off Slowpoke tails, maiming them for profit and they get to be in a cell. CT goes wild and injures a Pokemon in a battle and they decide to kill him. It's not fair and you know it, we all knew it. We did nothing about it, we accepted his fate." Again Bruce only heard the silence of Gunpowder's listening. One thing you could give the old one, he listened.

"Here's one more thing to think about. You and your wife. You stood on two legs, she on four. An Absol and a Nidoking, but now you're human, both of you are. You're for once the very same type of being. You can experience the kind of romance humans do. You can hold hands, hug and cuddle..." he said.



In the center lab, Blackstone stared at Porter. Porter was stammering again, Blackstone sighed. Porter was such a green fool, always questioning. Science wasn't about whys and spineless 'morals'. It was about risks, pushing limits to advance knowledge, and damn the consequences.

"This is wrong doctor, this was all so forced. Of course they're going wild. They were kidnapped. This makes us no better than Team Rocket or any other criminals." Ah Team Rocket, Blackstone thought, those scientists knew what they were doing. "We have to change them back. I said we should only take volunteers, that's why we went to those two, thinking they would volunteer and-"

Blackstone calmly shut him up with the palm of his hand across his face. "Porter, you are not looking at the big picture. You're a scientist aren't you?" he said, having no emotional inflection in his voice. "You're being far too small minded, too closed up. Think of the advancements, Porter; we made Pokemon into something far greater than they used to be. They're human, and yet still Pokemon, we achieved a new stage in Pokemon evolution. Not only will they change, but they will change into humans, soon they'll be ready to interface with other humans. What if they breed with humans? Think Porter, we could be starting not only a new stage in Pokemon, but the next stage in human evolution. These subjects are the key, we can't think about every child's feelings if we want to break any ground. Now, check on the others while I finish the paperwork."




Gunpowder listened. It was all he could do. Maybe Bruce was right. He couldn't blame Ferrovax, for what he did. No matter what happened, they didn't have a say, in the matter. He sighed. Bruce was right. What happened at the League...he had every right, to feel betrayed. He listened even more, as Bruce went on.

Now he felt like a jerk. If only he could speak with CT. That's what everybody seemed to be calling him, now. They must not know his real name. Everything Bruce said. All of it. He made very valid points. It didn't excuse what CT did, but he understood why. And then...Zero. Now that really made him reconsider. Nidoking and Absol were in the same egg group, but that didn't make things any less awkward. He sighed. "Thank you." he said, quietly. "What you said....you're right. That doesn't excuse what he did to us, though. There were plenty of humans willing to fight, for us. I know our master. She was doing what she thought was best, not out of hate or anger."

"What happens, it isn't fair. Sometimes life can be cruel, but think of how the humans feel. Not all of them are so cold-hearted. When we hurt, they hurt. Some can be abusive, but others fight for us. And I know my master would. She has always fought for me. That's how we met, and I gladly returned the favor. She didn't want to keep CT locked away, in a tiny ball. Human prisons at least allow room, to move. Think about when you're inside a Poke Ball. Now imagine staying inside it, forever. That, to me, is a fate worse than death. She knew that, too. What else was there, to do?" he sighed, leaning against the wall.

"While true, this could be an improvement...how can we face our masters? What will we do, with our lives? Will we stay here, forever? Will we jump right into human society? How will they view us? What about CT? He's dangerous, Bruce. Think about what more he's capable of. What you said...he truly believes he's doing the right thing. That is the most dangerous kind of villain. And he's free to roam wherever he pleases. Think about the chaos he could cause. He's already hurt people. He's killed. What's stopping him, from doing it again?

"You may see it as an improvement, but it isn't natural. This isn't us." he exhaled, deeply, and rubbed his hand across his forehead. "I can't live like this."



Porter sighed. Breed with humans? Next stage of human evolution? He didn't sign up, for any of this. They were only supposed to test a couple of Pokemon, not steal them and force them to change. He turned back, to face Blackstone; "Oh, the Nidoking wanted to talk with you. Something about CT."

"What about him?"

"I'm not sure."

"Let the two of them talk, then. I'm sure they can work things out." Blackstone waved him off, and went back to his paperwork.


Blackstone remained silent. The Nidoking was demanding to talk to CT, hm? Was there going to be a fight? Ever since that Scyther was about to attack he was curious how the Pokemon battles would work. Also, their interactions could be...interesting. He turned on the cameras for the Nidoking's area.

Bruce sighed.

"I know, Gunpowder. The kid's a loose cannon. That's why he needs someone to keep him in line. That's why I'm gonna stay. I know my master will miss me, miss all of us. I don't know how we can return to anything, but the best thing for me to do is look forward." he said.

"If he goes mad, I'm one of the only people here who can take him down."

Clementine finally woke up, a mere infant with a bushy Furret tail. She looked around a room that made her...comfortable? It felt strange though, she had a nagging feeling something very important was missing..some..one? She started calling out with her voice, feelings of loneliness overwhelming her.


"That's why I need to talk to him. And to Blackstone. He's still in a state where he can be reasoned with. He can be stopped, before he goes off."

Blackstone watched and listened. If the Nidoking wanted to talk with CT, let him. If a battle started, that simply meant he could learn more about what they're capable of. He flicked on the camera, for CT's room. He wasn't in it. Sure, he had more freedom than the others, but he still had limits.

"Porter." Porter's headset clicked. "The Hydreigon is not in his room. Find him." Blackstone stated. "Sure thing, Boss." Porter sighed. It's not like the underground lab was gigantic, or anything. Surely there wasn't a labyrinth of hallways to explore. Might as well start, here. He trudged through the hallway, checking the cameras on the other Pokemons' rooms.


"We tried reasoning with the kid before, Gunpowder, and look where we are now." Bruce sighed.
"But hey it's your time, use it as you wish. I think I'll bide some time showin them it was a bad idea to give me a stupid punching bag." he stood up and walked to the punching bag and hit it with a powerful karate chop attack, the bag bursting in two.

"Hey...maybe I could make a living among humans as the next Chuck Norris or somethin."

Clem crawled around the room, forcing her voice to make more noise, her eyes barely open as she became desperate for company.


Porter checked the monitors, on each room. The Lucario was still sleeping. As was a Garchomp, Nincada, and Audino. That Garchomp was huge. Best stay out of his way, when he wakes up.

Then he passed by little Clementine's room. She was awake. Porter stopped his search. It could wait. The door to the room slid open, and he knelt beside Clem. "Hey." he said, smiling at her. "Hey, there. Finally decide to wake up, did we?"


Clementine felt someone's body heat, heard a voice. She let out a mewling sound and crawled towards it, snuggling close to the warmth of someone else. She felt safer now, no longer alone.

Musashi woke up as well, growling. They dared put him in some bug happy environment? Like that would settle things!? He was still angry. CT, that traitor! He started shouting out of the door.

"Let me out you bastards!! I'll kill him! I'll take you all down you monsters! Change me back! Let me go back to my master! All of us!!" he shouted. Even Clementine. What did they do to her? She looked like a mere infant last he saw her, he had to help her.

Blackstone saw Porter on the monitor.

"Porter, our friend seems to be in the other room, I'm detecting two heartbeats in the neighboring room, go fetch him while you're tending to the Furret." he said into his ear piece.


Porter sighed. "Yes, sir." He scooped up little Clem. He couldn't leave her. She was just a child. "Come on, now. You'll come with me." He carried her out the door, and into the hallway. He clicked on the outside monitor, for the Gliscor's room. Sure enough, CT was there.

Porter coughed, and knocked on the door, waking him up. "Hey, uh...CT...Dr. Blackstone told me to get you. That Nidoking wants to speak with you." CT grumbled something impolite, and stumbled out of bed. "Why?"

"Not sure. You know, you're, ah...not allowed to be in the other rooms."

"Bite me." CT snarled, grabbing his shirt, and heading toward the door. Lash mumbled something, still apparently asleep. He didn't want to wake her. He slipped out of her room, as quietly as possible. "I don't want to talk to him." he growled, heading down the hallway.

"He insists. And so does Dr. Blackstone." Porter said, following the ex-dragon. "I'm not talking with him. They betrayed me. They all did. There's nothing to say." CT said, continuing toward his own room.

"Maybe that's what he wants to talk about. I don't know. I'm not asking for you to sit down and have a cup of tea, with him. Just to see what he wants."

CT paused, and sighed heavily. "Very well. Ten minutes. No longer."

Porter nodded. "I'll let him know."

[Madjack]

Gunpowder sat on his bed, deep in thought. Porter had stopped by, earlier, to tell him CT would speak with him. He let out a heavy sigh. "CT". That's what they were calling him. They must not know what it stands for, or what his real name was. And Bruce was right. "Gunpowder" sounded cool, but it wasn't a name. Bruce was a name. Ferrovax was a name. Even Zero was a name. Why couldn't he have a name?

Although he was a Ground type, he loved the water. He loved the ocean, the beach, swimming, fishing, even. He knew Water and Ice type moves. Moe loved mythology, and she would often talk to him about it. He remembered one name, very clearly: Ahti. Ahti was a god of the sea and fishing. That sounded like a nice name. If he was going to start a new life, he needed a new name. That's what his name shall be, now. Ahti.

The intercom buzzed.

"Traitorous bastard." a very deep voice said. It was deeper than Gun-er, Ahti's, and had a very eerie tone. "You were going to have me murdered, and now you think we could simply talk things over?"

Ahti sighed. "I'm sorry you think you were betrayed. I had to stop you. If you had killed the Champion's Pokemon, it could have ended even worse, for Moe."

"I wasn't fighting, for her!" CT shouted. Ahti winced. "She fought, for you." he said, quietly. "We all did."

"The only one who ever fought for me," CT growled. "was Lash. You...none of you...ever did anything, for me. You just sit there as your 'master' stuck me inside of a ball, until I was put down. You wouldn't have done a thing to stop it, and you know it."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Ahti said. "But why take the others? Why couldn't you have just had your revenge, on me? I'm the one who wronged you, not them. Especially Clementine. Why her? Why the others?"

CT paused, for a moment. "Because you're not the only one. Your master and theirs. They were just as much a part of it. They're the ones who could have done something, but they didn't. By taking their team, they're suffering just as much as you are."

Ahti growled. "You bastard."

CT grinned. It was sadistic and twisted. He enjoyed watching people suffer. Ahti knew that grin, he was just glad he couldn't see it. "Time's almost up, Gunpowder."

He paused. "Ahti."

CT raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"You have a name. Everybody has a real name. I was named after a human beverage. I deserve a real name, too. Call me Ahti." his voice was quiet, broken.

"Very well." Nothing more was heard, from outside. CT had left it, at that.


"Ahti, huh? Interesting name." Bruce said, cracking his neck.

"I see you're already getting into the groove of our predicament, and little Ferro's done more than we would have liked. One thing's for sure, those who want to go back should be able to."

The clacking of shoes came down the hallway as Blackstone walked up to the rooms.

"Well well, renamed yourself have we, Nidoking? I must say I was expecting more than a pilot script for a soap opera when I was listening. How disappointing. Not worth a single note card of reporting." he said, wiping his glasses with a rag and pushing them back on with his middle finger.

"Surely you could have given me something more than that. You wanted to talk to me as well, so speak."


"Why?" Ahti spoke.

"Hm?"

"All of this. Why? Why us? Why CT? What's the purpose of all of this?"

"For science, of course." Blackstone smirked. "This is the next step in Pokemon evolution, possibly even in human evolution. Imagine it. Pokemon no longer being forced to battle, for their trainer's pleasure. For money. You can live your life as a human, but still have the power of a Pokemon. You're no longer under human control. What do you have, as a Pokemon? You eat berries, you battle because that's what trainers tell you to do. You have so much more potential, now. You can become something greater. Something stronger. Are you not happier?"

Ahti growled. "No. We didn't ask for this. Why us? Why were we so important?"

"I've heard about you. Miss Hellbourne, and her friends. They demolished the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn Elite Four. You're strong. Stronger than the champions. The incident in Unova was...unfortunate, to say the least. But we needed somebody who could withstand the tests. We've done a few experiments on wild, regional Pokemon, and they were...less than successful."

"You mean you killed them?"

"Their deaths were not in vain. The knowledge gained from those experiments helped us improve. Your Hydreigon friend was the first successful test. Some of you handled it better than others, but you all survived. That's a good sign."

There was a long silence. It probably wasn't terribly long, but to Ahti, it felt like an eternity. "Can it be reversed?" he finally said, barely loud enough to be heard.

"No." Blackstone stated, simple and emotionless.

Ahti bowed his head. He was stuck like this. All he wanted, was to wake up from this nightmare and go home.


"Wait." Bruce showed some anger for the first time. "You changed the others against their will, and it can't be reversed?"

"Please, don't be so irrationally simple. This is science, you can't simply build an undo button into every experiment. There is an old saying, to make an omelette you have to break a few eggs. Such is the same with any form of progress. If you think you can just undo any experiment, that makes you a fool not worth mentioning in my lab notes. Ever since the dawn of intelligence, there have always been necessary sacrifices. We all fall so that we can get up and learn how we can avoid such a tumble the next time." Blackstone replied, staring over his glasses at the two.

"You all are the keys to the dawning of a new era. Too long have people been content with being stagnant, it's revolting. The time we stop progressing is the time we might as well just fall down and rot." he said, sounding like he was ready to spit with disgust.

"Complacency is the doom of any intelligent species, so I suggest you learn to adapt and fulfill your roles in this new life." with that last sentence Blackstone walked away, the clacking of his shoes echoing down the hallway.

And that was that.

[Madjack]

LANGUAGE WARNING


Nearly a year had passed. Some of the creatures were allowed more freedom, than others. Bruce, Lash, and CT all roamed about. Others, like Ahti and Musashi, were deemed more dangerous and confined to their rooms for the most part.

CT even worked with them. Helped them gather more subjects, helped them with research and was even a handler for one or two. He stayed there. Gained their trust. Learned from them. Stealing as much data, as he could sneak. There was enough. The time was right. God, he had to get out of here.

He stood next to Blackstone. The man had been the one who had done this to him. He had been his handler, for a year. They worked together. Shared the same views. But with him out of the way, things would go a lot smoother.

"Ah, CT. Things went well with the new subjects, I take it?" Blackstone said, not once looking up from his notes. Silence. Blackstone looked up. CT was fast. Really fast. His hand wrapped around Blackstone's throat, within the blink of an eye.

"You really thought," he said, pure hate in his voice. "that I would sit here, letting you order me around? I don't take orders from anybody. Not anymore." he tightened his grip. "I've worked with you as long as could stand. I've gotten all I need." he said, holding up a hard drive. "Everything. It's on here. I know your secrets. You're no longer needed." he pocketed the data in his jacket, and whipped Blackstone around, both hands gripping his head. "It's been a real pleasure, Mr. Blackstone. But I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

With a quick and flawless movement, Blackstone's neck snapped. He fell limply to the floor, eyes glassy. CT stepped over him, and calmly walked toward the other containment units where his allies were, humming the whole way.


Bruce stood in one of the main chambers. He sighed as he flexed his muscles. Three more going berserk after the transformation.

"Still more going nuts." he said as an Onix, Granull, and Bouffalant...well, former ones anyway, charged at him.

With quick movements, Bruce knocked them all away. In his time as a human hybrid he developed his fighting skills to an amazing level, making the greatest of karate masters pale in comparison. He cracked his neck, and spotted CT.

"Hey kid, did you finish your report? Any mention of when we're going to be integrated already?" he asked. He hoped it was soon. There was a female Machoke that got transformed into an Amazon of a woman, and Bruce was wondering when she'd be let out and they could get a house or something.

"This lab is far too dreary for us all, not the kind of life we want any children raised in." he said as he started to walk beside CT. Bruce felt slightly guilty at taking CT and Blackstone's side, but he felt he needed to be there to keep watch over CT; to protect him from himself, not to mention Lash.

Musashi paced his room, several slashes and gashes in the walls from his blades. All this time and CT was getting control, he hoped CT went crazy on them all so they learned their horrible mistake. The worst was Bruce. Bruce sided with him!! Musashi felt such a betrayal from Bruce, he was one of Pen's team!! Pen raised them all better than that. He fumed as he slashed more at the walls, imagining they were CT.

Meanwhile, Porter moved Clementine to Ahti's room, where she snuggled against him happily as she slept.

Avenger was granted the privilege of a window in his room. He missed Moe and Pen, they were both his master once. He sighed as he stared at the window, watching the clouds pass by. He wanted to soar and fly. Man, talk about a major grounding.

Jean managed to gain a sense of self, but he always felt like 2/3 of him had died when he was forced to fuse so quickly. He had gained a speech impediment and a knack of referring to himself as 'this one' as if he was never a whole person. The scientists lined his room in metals that did not conduct electricity as well as placing rubber rings on his wrists.



CT's devious smirk never once faded, as he started to walk alongside Bruce. "Don't worry about that. We're leaving." he said, heading for Lash's room. The door slide open, and Lash walked out. CT showed her the hard drive, full of research data. "Everything went smoothly then, I take it?" she purred, latching on to his arm.

She had known about the plan, for a while. CT never said it outright, but the way he talked, she knew. "It," CT grinned. There was an opportunity here, and he wasn't going to waste it. "Was a snap." Lash rolled her eyes. "So, what about the others?" "What about them? We have what we need. They're of no use, to us. Let them stay here and rot, for all I care." he tucked the data back into his jacket.

Porter stopped by Blackstone's lab. He hadn't been answering. He could have just been really focused on research, but something felt off. The door creaked open. "Dr. Blackstone?" he said, scanning the room. Nobody was there. He walked in, further. Blackstone lay still, on the floor.

"Oh god," Porter whimpered. "Oh god." he rushed to him, immediately checking for a pulse. He was cold. "Shit!" Ahti and Musashi were right. Over the last year, he had befriended both of them. They both warned him that CT was dangerous. It had to have been him. Porter scrambled to sound the alarms. He couldn't let him leave. The only option was a lockdown, and if they went down with him, so be it.


"Kid." Bruce said, sternly. "It's just one press of a button to release all of them from their rooms, the least we can do is give them a chance at breaking out of here. I don't wanna hear anymore crap about who betrayed who, now. If you want my cooperation, I need a clear enough conscious. I'm going to open the rooms, and if anyone tries to stop me, I'm cracking their head open like a pistachio." He knew CT wouldn't argue with him, not at this stage. They all had what they wanted, there was no reason to continue with this attitude of his.

Then the siren went off.

"Shit...kid, someone is starting the alarm. Won't be long until someone sets this place on lockdown, and I'm guessing that someone might set Ahti and Musashi on you with no time to get out of here." Bruce said.


"All the more reason to forget about them!" CT snarled. "And if you insist, then you can stay here with them!" he growled, starting to get nervous about the situation, for the first time. The plan was going so smoothly. If Bruce released the other subjects, they would all turn on him. He hadn't planned on dealing with an angry mob.

He sprinted down the hallway. He couldn't let the place go into lockdown. That would just mean that there would be an angry mob, and no place to hide. At the end of the hallway, Porter appeared. He stepped in front of CT. "I can't let you leave, CT. God, you killed Blackstone, didn't you?"

"Step aside." CT growled.

"You're insane!"

"You thought by turning me into a human, it would make everything sunshine and rainbows? You did your research. You knew I was dangerous, from the start. Gunpowder and Musashi both warned you about me, yet you did nothing about it. This is on your hands. Now, step aside."

"I'm not letting you leave." Porter said, sternly. CT's eye were filled with rage, and flames flickered around his hands, dancing across his fingers like glowing ribbon. "Last chance. Step. Aside." Porter took a deep breath, and stood firmly in place. "No."

"Very well." Flames were thrown into Porter's face, so quickly and precise that he could barely dodge the second. He fell over, screaming in agony. CT kicked him in the ribs, and shoved him aside. "Oh, god..." Lash whispered. She knew CT was brutal, but she had never actually seen his ruthlessness, herself. CT knelt down, next to Porter. "I suggest you stay out of the way, Mr. Porter." he growled. He stood, fire still dancing across his hands, and he threw streams of flames out into the hallways and labs, setting fire to both.

"Right." he said, straightening his jacket. "Best be off, then."


Bruce stared at the atrocity that happened before him. CT was out of control, he needed Bruce to keep him in line. However...the others needed Bruce to save them from death. CT would never go for it.

Bruce let out a long sigh.

"You go ahead kid. Get away so the mob won't get ya...it'll be you, they're after. I have to stay, I have to free them so they at least have a chance at living. You get on ahead I'll meet up with you, in Castelia." he said, slowly heading back into the lab. The control room. He inhaled as he smelled smoke. "Well, here goes nothing," he thought as he pulled the switch.

Musashi smelled fire and heard the alarm, seeing his door open. Perfect! "Now to find CT and slaughter him!" He thought as he rushed out. "Where are you, traitor?!" he shouted as he brandished his swords.

The others piled out of their rooms, smelling smoke and hearing the alarm sound off. Most went for an escape while others gathered together, vengeance against CT on their minds.


CT heard doors from another hall slide open. "Blast it all!!" he snarled. He really wished Bruce hadn't done that. He had to get out. Fast. He grabbed Lash's hand and headed straight for the exit.

Ahti didn't go after CT. He wanted to. Badly. But there wasn't anything he could do. Talking obviously wasn't going to resolve anything, and beating him up would make things worse. True, it would make Ahti feel better, but only for a moment. Smoke rushed in, and he held tightly onto little Clem. Ahti rushed out of the door, and almost ran right into Zero.

"Take her!" he shouted. Zero took the little Furret girl in her arms. "What about you?" she almost had to yell, over the sound of the screeching alarm, and the roaring flames. "I'll be fine, I can douse some of these flames! Just get the girl out! I need to make sure the others get out, safely!" Ahti leaned over, to give his wife what could be their last kiss, and she ran out, with Clem.

Ahti knew a few Water type moves, but the only water he had at his disposal was from the sprinkler system, which wasn't doing much good to put out the growing flames. He gathered as much water as he could, and used Water Pulse to put out as much of the hall as he could, and also clear out some smoke. Others, further down the hallway that had been trapped, poured out of their rooms and rushed down the hall.

There were still others. Other hallways, other rooms, and a lot of fire. Ahti couldn't do it all himself, and he knew that. He had to get out, and get as many others out, on the way, as he could. To hell with this place. He wished it would just burn. But there were people in here and, no matter what they did to him, nobody deserves to die.


Musashi, blinded by his rage, rushed through the flames that licked at his body. He rushed past Ahti, growling as he hunted after CT's trail.

"Traitor! I'll find you! I'll kill you!" he thought as he ran onward towards the exit. Several Pokemon panicked as the flames grew.

Ahti wasn't going to be able to do this alone. A burst of flame got in Avenger's path. He let out a cry of panic until a large piece of stone crashed and smothered the flames. Bruce came out of the hallway, seeing Ahti.

"I didn't want it to go like this you know...I had to free the rest of you." he said. He knew Ahti was probably mad at him, but they were both older Pokemon. They knew there were more important things to do than feud.

"I'll take this side and try and smother the flames, if we can get the flames headed towards each other they'll run out of oxygen and burn out."


Ahti covered his face. The smoke burned his eyes and throat. He wasn't mad, at Bruce. Hurt, but not mad. He would gladly have fought, by his side.

"We can't do this!" Ahti coughed. "This place probably stretches at least a mile, maybe more, and there are other exits! We'll help others on the way out, but we can't save everybody!" he coughed again. There was so much smoke. And what happened, to Porter? He was the one friend Ahti had made, in that place. He couldn't leave him, either.

More fire roared, and parts of the ceiling crashed down. They had to get out. Now. Ahti sent more Water Pulses down the hallway, clearing the way out. "Let's go!" he shouted, at Bruce.


Bruce didn't want to leave. Damn it, why didn't he have the right moves for this? All his moves were for battle, not for this. He got out with Ahti.

"Damn it. I didn't mean for this. Why did he set fire to the place? I told him to just get out." he said, sighing. "This is terrible." he said as he watched the place burn. "What if a young one didn't make it out, Ahti? I'm older... I have no one. If anyone should die in that fire it should be me."

He stared at the flames engulf the lab. He then turned and started to walk away.

"The kid has no control of himself. He's frightened of the world. He needs someone to protect him from himself, and I will follow him in order to do so. " he said, looking at Ahti.
"He's scared and alone. He's done wrong, and he doesn't even realize the consequences of his behavior." the flames reflected off his eyes.

"Porter...he tried to stop us from leaving. The kid..." he sighed "Struck him down. He warned him to move, but Porter wouldn't budge. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Musashi sat not too far away, coughing, as the flames had exhausted him.

"Fero..vax....you traitor...I'll kill you...." he gasped out.


Ahti gasped, as they got outside. He felt terrible. He got as many people out as he could, but dammit, there were only two of them. Two people can only do so much.

"I know, Bruce." he panted. "We did what we could. The rest of the wing looked clear, but I can't say for sure. That is something that will always be on my conscience, as well."

Ahti sat down, next to Zero and a frightened little Clem. "I'm not mad, Bruce." he finally said, quietly. "I was never angry, at you. Disappointed, that you took his side...but never mad. This wasn't your fault." he took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air. "He's not afraid of the world, Bruce. He doesn't fear anything. That is his problem, and that makes him even more dangerous and unpredictable. It will also be his downfall, one day."

Zero leaned on his shoulder, Clementine still firmly latched on to her. Ahti sighed, and closed his eyes. Porter had befriended them. He tried to help them, and now he was gone. The last year was a living nightmare, he wished he had woken up from a long time ago. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "I'm going back. They at least deserve to know the truth."


CT stood in the distance, as he held up the hard drive full of years' worth of data that the scientists had gathered. "Castelia. That sounds like the perfect place to start a new life." he said, grinning, as he watched smoke pillar up, from the underground lab.