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Chapter 1: Two Beginnings, One Ending

"Rise and shine."

I wake up to a splash of cold water to my face. Despite the cruel awakening, I have to struggle to get my eyes open, feeling very much like I'm still dreaming. Everything I see is a blur, and the blinding bright light almost forces me to shut my eyes again.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," the same voice as before says almost too happily, its words echoing through my ears and thoughts. "Time to get started."

I try hard to focus on where the voice is coming from, narrowing it down to the moving black blob. I open my mouth to say something, finding quickly I don't have what it takes to muster up a question, either physically or mentally. Processing what the figure is saying is hard enough as it is.

"You're very fortunate, you know- not everyone gets to be the embodiment of a scientific revolution," the source of the voice says, stepping to a nearby chrome mass I can only assume is a table. "If we hadn't needed a subject from an alternate reality, I would have gladly volunteered my body to be in your position..." the figure trails off. "Oh, who am I kidding? You probably can't even understand a word I'm saying."

I groggily try to think about what the individual just said. Scientific revolution? Alternate reality? Should those sound like a big deal? And it shouldn't be taking me this long to wake up, should it?

I try to stand up from my lying position, being immediately pulled back to it. With a little effort I manage to turn my head, immediately finding out why. I'm strapped to a table by my wrists and ankles.

"You know, I'd hoped our first test subject would be named something more... Well, memorable," the figure sighs. "It's like they gave me someone named 'Jon' because they expect me to mess you up so badly we can't use you any more."

"Jon? Is that... My name?" I wonder, getting closer to constructing coherent thoughts at the very least. Deciding the only way to find out is to examine myself, I turn my head downwards, noticing a familiar anime t-shirt, a typical set of jeans, and a pair of white sneakers. It should already be obvious, but I'm a skinny white male of about average height and weight, and I easily glean through my clothes that my muscles aren't particularly well-built. As I look up to catch a glimpse of my short brown hair, I'm surprised to realize I'm still wearing my glasses, seeing a small crack in the left lens. "It is, but... Why couldn't I remember? Where am I? And what am I doing here?" I lift my head, focusing hard on the figure to try and see what he's doing, or who he is. It takes some strain on my eyes, but I manage to make out a line of beakers on the counter his captor is working at, as well as a giant red "R" on the back of his black lab coat.

"But don't worry Jon- I'll make sure that doesn't happen," the man in the lab coat says, lifting two beakers up while he carefully pours the contents of one into the other. "This is my life's work, and you're a golden opportunity. I won't let anything unexpected happen to you."

"Wait... Why is he talking like I'm some sort of experiment?!" I think, my stomach turning as I finally become conscious enough to realize what's going on.

"That's also the reason we're going to start simple, with a fused serum of only two types," the man continues, pulling the contents of the beaker into a syringe. "When this all goes according to plan, we can move on to more... Interesting combinations," he says, the excitement evident in his voice. His black lab coat swishes backwards as he turns towards me, flicking the tip of the syringe as he steps towards the table I'm strapped to.

"I- I'm not some test subject! I have to say something! I have to stop him! I- I-!..." My train of thought is immediately thrown off track as the sound of an explosion goes off, the building I'm in shaking violently. Only seconds after, blaring sirens and blinding red lights come on.

Red alert! Red alert! The uncaptured legendaries are currently attacking Rocket Headquarters! All personnel is ordered to ensure the escape of the captured legendaries and evacuate the building! This is NOT a drill!

"Shit, I just had to open my big mouth," the man in the lab coat responds, gritting his teeth. "Once the captured legendaries leave the building, there's a good chance the uncaptured ones won't hesitate to level headquarters... But if we stop now and I abandon my research, I'll be a dead man anyway," he says, looking at me with a crazed look in his eye, the lights in the room surging on and off.

Any hope I had of prolonging my experimental fate fleeted at that moment, as did my hope for my captor's sanity.

"You see, it's nothing personal Jon..." the man in the black lab coat says, not noticing a man in a white lab coat quietly swing the door to the lab open behind him. "It's just... We can do this with science, or without science... And I'm VERY interested in seeing what you turn int-"

The man in the white lab coat hits the man in the black lab coat hard in the back of the neck, forcing his unconscious body to unwillingly crumple to the floor. The man in the white lab coat looks to me with happiness for only a moment, a look of disgust replacing it as he picks the dropped syringe up off the floor and takes it to the counter with the rest of the beakers on it. "I know you have a lot of questions, Jon, and I'm sorry to say that we won't have time to answer the majority of them. Can you talk?" he asks, clinking beakers from the counter together feverishly, seeming to ignore an inhuman screech from outside that rattles the building.

"M-maybe," I say, surprising myself. It seems like an eternity since I last spoke, as indicated by the dry and scratchy feel of my throat.

"Excellent, so you can understand me too," the man in the white lab coat replies, his fascination made clear through his voice. "This is a lot to take in at once, I'm sure, but you have to listen to me. The reality you're in now isn't the one you're familiar with. In this reality, there are creatures who have a variety of powerful talents and abilities we call Pokemon. They've served as our companions for years, and many sought to raise them for friendly competitions, but there have always been those who seek Pokemon for greed and power. Using the capturing system created to foster bonds between Pokemon and humans, those people hoarded the most powerful Pokemon they could find and used them to get what they wanted. And even when they got what they were after, their desire for more could never be satisfied. So the most selfish, power-hungry organization known as Team Rocket tried time and time again to create a Pokemon of ultimate power, failing each time. Their monstrosities knew no bounds- even human tests subjects weren't off limits. After countless attempts, the only unexplored route of experimentation was through test subjects not of this world. So by utilizing the combined abilities of the world's most sacred, legendary Pokemon, Team Rocket managed to pull a single boy from his world into ours, with expectations that he would be the one to lead them to limitless power. I shouldn't have to tell you who that boy is."

I sit in complete silence for a few moments, trying to let it all sink in. It all sounded completely absurd. After all, where I come from, Pokemon is a game- one I enjoyed quite a bit when I was younger. But that was a long time ago, and this is real life. Besides, whether the man is telling the truth or not, there's something much more pressing to me at the moment.

"I-if you're here to save me... Why aren't you unstrapping me?" I ask, afraid of the answer, not even noticing the unnatural chill of a created blizzard seeping through the building's walls, my blood already running cold from the thoughts of how the man might respond.

The man in the white lab coat pauses for a moment, turning around to show me the regret in his eyes. "I wish it were that simple. I really do," he says sincerely, turning back to the counter to continue where he left off. "But in my hands, I have all the ingredients to create the ultimate Pokemon. I know for a fact it's all that exists, and without these to replicate, Team Rocket won't be able to create any more. It's a horrible power, and this world needs it gone."

"Then throw them on the floor! O-or take them and leave!" I shout, frustrated at what little sense my new captor is making.

"If only it were that easy," the man in the white lab coat replies, making a mess as he digs through a cabinet above him, my eyes snapping open at the sight of a syringe that's twice as big as normal ones. "From the research I've done, Team Rocket has always been able to retrieve samples from their failed tests. With their technology and Pokemon, they wouldn't have any trouble finding and recovering remnants of the samples, no matter where they're hidden. There's only one way to make sure these never fall into the wrong hands again, and that's through a successful reaction from the master serum," he says as he takes the large syringe, the sound of a fire erupting echoing through the entire building.

I feel my face go pale. "Th-that doesn't make it right! Using it will make you no better than them!" I argue, trying my hardest to reason with the man, knowing exactly where he's going with that logic.

"It's the only way to save your life- or this world, for that matter. Think about it, Jon. Even if I did set you free, you'd always be the missing piece of Team Rocket's puzzle. You'd spend your entire life running and hiding," he says, putting the contents of his work onto a rolling table and wheeling it over to me. "I can't guarantee that you'll survive the injection, and if you do live through it, you'll spend the rest of your life as a Pokemon... But that doesn't mean you don't have a choice," the man in the white lab coat says, spreading out eight differently colored vials on the rolling table, a large beaker filled with a strange clear substance behind them. "Each of these vials represent the type of a Pokemon named Eevee- the contents should be enough to influence what kind of Pokemon you become. I can't do much other than give you that choice," he says, the tone of sorrow in his voice all but unnoticeable.

I bite my lip in frustration. Even given the choice of a Pokemon type, it didn't make a bit of difference- I still don't want to be a Pokemon. And as much as I want to shout my opposition to such a crazy plan, I would only make things harder for the man in the white lab coat, and he doesn't have much of a choice at all.

"I understand your hesitance, Jon. I am truly sorry it had to come to this,"_I hear a voice inside my head say. _"I am what humans of this world call Celebi, and a legendary Pokemon. I am also a leading member in the liberation force, as is the man to your side, although you already know we planned this for more than simply freeing my legendary brethren." I can't explain it, but just hearing this voice in my mind is... Soothing. "I assure you Jon, I will do everything in my power to make this right. Once the serum is used, I will send you to a much more peaceful time in this world. You have my word."

I take some time to think about all that's happened, and what will happen. Out of all the people who exist in my reality, I happened to be the one pulled to this world. I was saved from a life as a lab rat, but only in return for a life as a Pokemon. Once that happens, I'll be flung back in time to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what. Hundreds of ideas on how different my life will be flood my mind in almost an instant, and to be blunt, it absolutely terrifies me. Before I can further delve into those ideas, though, another explosion goes off outside, the now-empty beakers on the counter falling to the ground and shattering.

"We don't have time for this, Jon! I'm choosing for you!" the man in the white lab coat shouts, beginning to reach for a vial.

"Umbreon!" I blurt out, only realizing I said anything after the fact.

The man in the white lab coat freezes, looking towards me confusedly. "The name? How did you-?..." he says, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter! Now's not the time!" He quickly grabs the black vial, pouring its contents into the large beaker. The clear substance has a bizarre chemical reaction with the addition of its new ingredient, the black color swirling downwards before expanding throughout the entire beaker, the liquid now shining black. The man in the white lab coat doesn't waste any time, pulling every last drop into the double-sized syringe. He shoves the rolling table aside, grabbing my right arm and placing the needle right over my skin. Cold sweat runs down my face at the sight, causing the feel of the leather strap to become more prominent as I instinctively try to pull my arm away from the injection, or out of the strap. "Wherever Celebi sends you, I hope you're happy there."

I feel the needle push under my skin, the shining black fluid entering my muscle, and the side-effects of the mixture happening immediately. My entire body starts to ache. My energy fades. My breathing deepens. My stomach flips. My vision blurs. My consciousness fluctuates. Before I can react, I'm surrounded by a bright blue light, and feel like I'm being pulled backwards. The last thing I can register is something the man in the white lab coat says- something about the extra chromosomal space being unavoidable- before passing out.

---

The absence of the moon and the silence of the forest make the night not unlike unconsciousness. A delirious Pokemon stumbles aimlessly through it, not able to count how many times it's blacked out in that single night. Processes of both its body and mind are close to stand-still. Nothing is motivating it to move forward, but desperation forces it to. It doesn't know where it is, what it is, or who it is. In its current state, it would be a waste of energy to try to figure those out. Every bit of what little conviction the Pokemon can muster is directed towards its basic need for survival- to finding something that can keep it alive. But its strength has been exhausted- its limits reached. The small Umbreon collapses, tears streaming down its face as its eyes begin to close. The dim reflection of the night's light off a broken pair of glasses is the last thing it sees before losing consciousness.