Kitten
A figure strode through an empty laboratory corridor. The walls are concrete, cold and hard, and the doors are heavy steel hatches with key-card readers to one side. Many have details on the experiments within next to them on sheets. Gene splicing, Psychic concentration... None of them are pretty, with one even detailing how they force-fed a Pikachu's electricity sacs beyond their limits. It went on to tell how the Pikachu in question then seemed to electrocute itself until it died as they continued to force in more and more electricity. They all had the words 'failed' and 'liquefied' spray painted over the door, and signs warning of their bio-hazardous contents. The lab, having been evacuated almost a week ago by its Team Galactic owners, was now under the scrutiny of the local police. Michelle Adams, a forensic scientist for the police sighed slightly as she opened another double-door, only to find more corridor and solid-steel hatches. Still she continued; reading about the horrid experiments conducted in the rooms as she went. She reached the end of the corridor and noticed that the last door only had a condemned notice, not a failed spray. She read the condemned note, noting that it was supposed to have been liquefied on this very day, before reading the experiment details.
Subject: Mew. Age: 1 year _ months. Gender: Female. Colouration: Blue. Experiment: Gene Sampling. Subject No#: 239. Subject to undergo blood sampling to determine whether or not Mew does, in fact, contain DNA samples of all Pokemon. Subject is also to participate in a heavy breeding program so as to grant Team Galactic greater forces. Blood samples taken, Gene Sampling under way; breeding program on hold until police suspicion decreases. Gene Sampling successful, subject Mew has been proven to contain trace samples of all known Pokemon, including some unknown specimen. Attempts to clone unknown species have failed despite using fresh samples from subject #239. Breeding program doubtful until subject reaches maturity, #239 deemed unworthy of our resources, liquefaction order issued.
She blinked at it a moment. A Mew? In Team Galactic's possession? She didn't like the sound of this one bit. She pulled a card scanner hacking device from her kit and affixed it to the door's lock, letting it quickly unlock the door for her. The door creaked open and she lit her flashlight, scanning about the room. Her flashlight fell upon a sad figure in an iron and glass cage.
The young Mew had been alone in the dark room for over a week; a sign on the far wall told that much, as it said the last entrance date before her intrusion was that long ago. She'd run out of water about three days ago, she could tell by the look of her bowl, and she hadn't been brought any food since her abandonment. Michelle carefully edged her way closer, an underfed psychic Pokemon that's been left alone in the dark for a week or more is a potentially dangerous one at any age. She shone her flashlight on the cage and was greeted by a pair of piercing silver eyes that only looked at her momentarily before closing, in pain from the harsh light and having been accustomed to the dark for so long. 'Human?' A small, childlike voice chirped. 'A-am I being fed..? D-do I get water now?! Please! I'll do anything! Please!' Michelle gasped at the Mew's desperate plea; she'd not heard anyone sound so very desperate in her life. She walked to the cage and knelt down, putting her light down so that it illuminated part of the room, but left the young feline enough space to protect her pained eyes. "Mew; do you know where you are?" She asked. 'I'm in a Team Galactic research facility. I was captured and held in something called a Dark Ball until I was transferred into this cage.' The Mew replied. 'I-is this a test, so that I can be rewarded with food and water? Please, I'll do anything!' "No, little one, this is not a test." Michelle replied. "Mew, if I open this cage, will you attack me?" The Mew hissed at her. 'Why would I attack you? You've not hurt me, you might even feed me!' Michelle gripped the lock and lifted the catch. It looked like it had been made of bone. 'That latch is made from the bone of an Umbreon.' The mew mumbled, her voice ringing from the walls. 'That's how they kept me in here; I can't touch it with my telekinetic powers. The glass of this cage has hairs of the same Pokemon in it in micro particles; I cannot teleport out.' Michelle finished unlocking the cage and opened the hatch before turning her torch off and reaching inside. She felt around the blue Mew and gently lifted her out, holding her gently in her arms. "You certainly need a bath." She commented, before shifting her to one arm and opening her kit. "Hang on; I have a blindfold here somewhere." 'Blindfold..? What for? Am I being taken to another lab?' "No, you're coming with me outside." Michelle said. "I'm Michelle, and I work with the police; we have a search-and-rescue vehicle outside to clean Pokemon we find." She strapped the blindfold around the Mew's eyes before rubbing her ear gently. "The blindfold is to protect your eyes from the light; we don't want to blind you now do we?" The Mew gently nodded, and Michelle clicked her kit closed before pocketing her flashlight, lifting the kit and strolling back out into the corridor. 'Michelle..?' The Mew asked gently after a minute or so. "Yes Mew?" 'Do you have any water..? I'm...' Michelle smiled and carefully shifted her kit to the hand holding Mew, before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a drink bottle. She popped the lid open and handed it to the feline before shifting her kit back. "Here you go; I'm sorry, I forgot you had been without fresh water for a few days." She started purring as she drank down the water, quickly emptying the bottle of all but a few drops. 'Thank you for the water.'
Michelle stepped into the evening cool; the sun was low on the horizon. She was goggled at by a few of the officers about, and she strolled over to a bus with 'search and rescue' painted on the side. There was already a Jolteon in one of the tubs inside, being washed by a man in a rubber suit. Thick, greasy foam clung to the yellow and white Pokemon's fur, and his face had a mask over his nose, mouth and eyes. "What happened to him?" Michelle asked nonchalant. The human in the suit looked up to see her putting the thin Mew into a tub carefully. "They were trying to use him as a catalysing agent for nuclear fusion." The man said. "He's been doused in radiation for a week; I'm amazed he's still alive." "Well, Jolteon live with slightly different wavelengths than humans, which may have kept him from being too heavily radiated." Michelle said knowingly. "I've seen a Jolteon survive on nothing but draining electricity from a power socket for over a month."
The male nodded and lifted the Jolteon from the tub, putting him in what looked like a makeshift shower and flushed warm water over him, getting the soap to wash from his fur. "What happened to yours?" He asked, as if she were washing but a Delcatty. "Genetic sampling." She grumbled. "They were checking if she really did have every Pokemon's genes. According to the summary, the answer is yes, but they couldn't use her to clone other Pokemon." She put on some gloves and poured a bucket of warm water as the man put the Jolteon into another tub and started to lather him up with normal soap. "They were also going to use her to breed Mew for their men, but she's too young. After that they've left her there for over a week." "That's better than this poor boy." The man said, unzipping his protective suit and stripping it off, giving the Jolteon enough time to roll about in the tub and smear the sides with foam. "Andrew, have you seen those labs?" "Can't say I have." Andrew replied. "They were liquefying experiments." She hissed, to which he gave her a horrified look. "Pokemon included!" She shuddered a little before stepping back to the Mew and gently ran a little water into her fur. "There could have been dozens of Pokemon in each room; this is nothing short of disgusting. That they couldn't use this Mew as a breeder was reason enough to condemn her to the same fate!" Andrew stayed quiet at this, and another Pokemon was brought into the bus, this time a Charmeleon. It looked almost dead. "What were they doing to her?" Andrew asked worriedly. The officer gave him a grim look. "Long-term water exposure." He said. "They wanted to see how long a Charmeleon can survive submerged to its neck. I don't know what to do with her; any more water might kill her." "Go to the bonfire; drape her tail tip into it. She needs warmth and time to dry out." Andrew replied. The officer nodded and headed off in a hurry. Andrew gave Michelle a grim look. "The count of corpses so far is fifty seven." He said sadly. "With an additional eighteen skeletons whose cause of death are yet to be determined."
Michelle grimaced and started to run soap through the Mew's fine, velvety fur. The psychic started purring at the administrations. Michelle gently rolled her onto her back and washed more private locations before her legs, feet and tail, and then lifted the feline with the tub. She giggled a little at the sensation, and was put into the shower. "Sit up." Michelle warned. "The tub is going to fill a little and I don't want you to drown. Also, do not drink this water; I'll get you food and drink when you're clean, but this water is not for drinking." Mew nodded, and the shower was turned on. She cringed a little at the feeling of running water, but settled when she wasn't harmed. Michelle swished the water around the tub a little before lifting Mew and tilting the tub out, emptying it. She turned the shower off, put Mew back into the tub, and moved it to the table she had been at. An officer appeared at the bus door. "Another fatality." He said. "Pikachu, male." "Any indication as to the C.O.D.?" The officer gave a sad frown. "He'd been powering the entire facility on his own when the power box exploded, alerting us here." He said. "He was inside the box." Michelle coughed. "That's disgusting." She said. "That's Team Galactic in a nutshell, ma'am." The officer said before walking off. Another man appeared at the door.
"Ah, good to see you two being so diligent in your duties!" The captain said, waving a hand. "No need to salute, you've got your hands full." He walked over to Michelle and leaned down to Mew. "Ah, what have we here?" He asked rhetorically, lifting the blindfold. "Sir, don't-" She began, but to no avail. The female Mew wailed in pain as the harsh sunlight, gleaming through the windows and off white Police vehicles, struck her eyes. She recoiled, and Michelle barely caught her in a towel, covering her eyes. She wrapped the Mew up and hugged her to her breast while drying her vigorously. "Shh, it's alright, don't worry, I've got your eyes covered." 'It hurts! It hurts!' "I'm terribly sorry, what's..?" Michelle glanced to him sideways. "She was left alone in a room with no light for over a week." She said. "Her eyes need to accustom to light, and she just got a face-full of sunlight all at once." She stroked the Mew through the towel and plucked the blindfold from the captain's unresisting hand. "Close your eyes." She said gently. "Are they closed?" The mew nodded. "Alright, I'm going to lean back and strap the blindfold back on. Ready? I'm standing between you and the sunlight, so you shouldn't feel it. Here we go." She removed the towel and gently put the blindfold over the feline's eyes, tugging it into place properly. "Alright, it's on, you can open your eyes now if you wish." She said. "It won't be removed until nightfall." The Mew's tail moved gently, wrapping around Michelle's arm.
'C-can I have food now?' She asked. 'It's been so long.' Michelle nodded. "One moment." She said. "Sir, can I ask a question?" "Of course, you can get her some food." "Not exactly what I had in mind, but thanks." She said bashfully. "It's more a request." The captain leaned against the side of the bus. "Go on." "Can I... adopt this Mew?" She asked. "I'd hate to think of her being adopted by someone unscrupulous or, god forbid, dangerous." The captain chuckled. "Of course you may." He said. "Just remember to take her to a P.A.P.A representative every fortnight." Michelle smiled. "Thank you sir!" She chimed, before gently jiggling Mew with her arm. "You hear that? You're coming to live with me!" The psychic's face looked up at her. 'M-master..?' "No, no, Michelle." She said in a gently scolding tone. "Call me Michelle. C'mon, let's go get you some food." "Hold up, I'll come with." Andrew said, lifting the Jolteon to the ground. "And you'll be coming with me." He said down to the electric type. "I've not got any Pokemon at home, and it'd be nice to have you." The Jolteon yipped and rubbed his head against Andrew's leg before following him off the bus as another human stepped on, this one with a Riolu who was covered in salt crystals. "Oh dear, she's a mess." The captain said idly. The corporal grimaced. "Testing whether salt will grow on a Pokemon without killing it." He said. "Galactic are disgusting."
Michelle and Andrew walked over to a car, which they got into after letting Jolteon into the back. Andrew drove while Michelle cradled Mew gently and scratched behind her ears, getting a continuous purr. They stopped at a restaurant for humans and Pokemon, and got out of the car. "This is a good place." Andrew said faintly. "I've been here a couple of times with my family, and the food is good all round. They don't mind the smaller Pokemon eating from wherever they like, so long as they aren't messy on the table." "You hear that?" Michelle said to Mew. "No going to the toilet on the tables, alright Kitten?" The blue Pokemon mewled cutely. 'Yes Michelle.' The four walked inside, making sure to rub their feet on the carpet before stepping up to the reservation clerk. "We're sorry to simply walk in, but you wouldn't happen to have any unreserved tables for two and two?" Andrew asked. She looked down at her floor plan. "We do have one, but it's a bit far from the windows and offers no view." "That's quite alright." Andrew said. "Are we able to be seated there?" "Certainly, there's no-one there at the moment; we set it up for just such an occasion. Might I get your names for our sign-in book Mr....?" "Andrew Hollow." He said. "Michelle Adams." The clerk wrote the names down and their time of arrival before putting down the pen. "Please, walk this way officers." The pair blinked. "How'd you..?" She smiled. "I saw your badges." She said. "When you walked in, for a split second, your coats parted a little." Michelle chuckled. "Fair enough." She said. "We're paying full, don't worry about that." The woman nodded and led them to their table. "How many are seated high?" She asked. "Three." Michelle said. "I can't remove Kitten's blindfold for a little while, so I'll have to hand feed her." "Alright." The woman mumbled, scratching this down onto her notepad before handing them a pair of books. "Here's our menu, have a pleasant evening."
The pair sat and looked through the menus, selecting what they wanted before Andrew showed the menu to his Jolteon and Michelle looked over to Kitten. "Kitten, are you allergic to anything, or can I get you anything?" The Pokemon turned her head in Michelle's direction, seemingly being able to see right through the blindfold. 'I don't think I have any allergies to any foods.' She said within the woman's head. "I'll get you something good then." The psychic pined quietly. 'I'm so hungry...' "I know you are, sweetie, I know. It shouldn't be too long." She chose two of the specials, lamb roasts, and waited politely for Andrew to finish before taking his order and walking to where orders were to be given. She didn't have to wait long, most of the dinner rush patrons were already eating, and she ordered and paid before returning to her seat. Andrew had gone and gotten drinks, and Mew was drinking from a glass of water with a straw. "So, how do you like the name Kitten?" She asked the blue feline, giving her head a scratch. Kitten purred. 'It's better than what the other humans called me.' She said, leaning into Michelle's scratching. "Oh? What was that?" 'Two thirty nine.' Michelle shuddered. "They didn't even name you." She mumbled to herself. "They truly were low."
They waited about ten minutes, distracting their Pokemon from their hunger as best they could, until their respective meals arrived. Though Jolteon's food was all in a bowl, seemingly mixed up, he didn't seem to mind as he devoured it. Michelle cut Kitten's lamb roast into manageable bite sized chunks and stabbed a fork into a piece, then held it up. "Open up, Kitten." She said. The blue Mew acknowledged allowing Michelle to pop the food into her mouth, and then watch in amusement as she seemed to almost melt into the food's taste. 'I've never tasted food like this before!' She chimed inside Michelle's head. Michelle only smiled and gave the small blue psychic another bite before taking a bite of her own food.
After they'd eaten their dinners, they returned to the lab, where Andrew managed to acquire a pair of Poke balls. He caught his Jolteon, who he'd named Jupiter, and released him before handing Michelle the spare. It was a ball designed for catching water types, blue and white with a silver activator, but as Kitten was going into it willingly, it didn't matter much. The small blue Pokemon reappeared in a flash of white light, her eyes closed shut as Michelle put her blindfold back on. The captain strode up to her. "Ah, Michelle, back are we?" "Yes sir, I apologise for taking so long." He waved a hand. "Think nothing of it." He said. "Actually, we found something that's more up your alley. One of the Galactic staff rooms is a bloodbath. We think a carnivore got loose and attacked them during break. You're going to be led there by four officers, including Jenny and her Arcanine. Jenny's Gallade is on the roof keeping an eye out for it in the streets, while her Lucario keeps watch around ops." Michelle nodded. "Alright sir, I'll be careful." She said, fetching her kit from her car. She made sure that it was properly stocked before heading over to the front door, where several other forensic specialists were waiting with a small platoon. Jenny was leaning against the wall while her Arcanine stood in the doorway. "Sorry I took so long; I wanted to make sure I had everything." Michelle said, taking a bottle of water from a box by the door and tucking it into a pocket. "Let's go then." Jenny snapped, tapping her Arcanine. "Fudo, keep your ears open." Fudo gave a grunt before he started to lead the group through the facility.
The group reached the doors with little difficulty, another four officers standing outside the doors guarding. One of them pointed to a box. "You're going to want to wear those." He said. "It's quite a mess. You might also want some time to acclimatise." "Acclimatise to what?" One of the others asked. "I'm guessing that it's not quite a mess." Michelle said. "I'm guessing that it's a goddamned bloodbath." The officer grimaced. "You'd guess right." The scientists pulled the temporary, thin fabric over their clothes before heading in. Michelle took a moment to tug one of the hats onto Kitten's head, and wrap her body in another. "We can't have you shedding in there, but I won't let you out of my sight." Michelle said. "Fudo, stay out here." Jenny said to the dog, getting a bark. Michelle entered and stopped. The officer had been right. It was a bloodbath.
Corpses, or at least what was left of them, were strewn around the room. Blood covered almost every surface. Deep scores were in the walls, floors and tables, which had been thrown around like toys or used as futile shields against the carnivore. The cupboards had been ransacked, as had the rest of the kitchenette. Glass was smashed from the lights overhead, and a far door had been ripped from its hinges. "You're lucky you can't see this." Michelle commented to Kitten. The feline gave a sympathetic mewl. 'I cannot see it, but I know what you see.' She said. 'It is most unpleasant.' Michelle looked about the room, and then waved Jenny over. "What've you found?" "Jenny; did you see any bloodied footprints or marks outside this room, except just outside the door?" "No, can't say I did. Why?" "Anything that could have done this much damage would have been large, and I mean very large." Michelle said. "Like, Garchomp or Raikou. There must be footprints here somewhere." She tugged her flashlight out and searched the ground.
Another pathologist, following a trail of gore, stood just outside the door that had been ripped from its hinges. He put down a numbered card, took a photo, and heard a thud. Slowly he looked up, through the door, and he nervously stepped back. "J-Jenny..!" He started, before turning and running. "Jenny! THERE!" A Nidoking covered in blood stampeded out of the open doorway, heading right for the pathologist who'd just run for his life. Jenny's Gallade teleported in the path of the Nidoking and slammed a fist into his crown, sending him flat against the floor. The Nidoking roared and spun, using his thick sturdy tail to hit his opponent across the room with a sickening crack. He slid to a messy stop by Jenny, unmoving. "Max! Oh god, Max, are you alright?!" He awoke for a moment, long enough to look up at his master. 'I'm... not having a good year...' He mumbled, before falling back into unconsciousness. The Nidoking, not one to back down until his opponents are most certainly dead, charged towards Jenny and Max. He stopped short, slamming into a green barrier and bouncing off. He roared angrily as Kitten rose gently from Michelle's shoulder. Two purple glows shone from under her blindfold, and she bared her teeth in a growl. The Nidoking gave a wail of pain as he was flung across the room by an unseen force, slamming across the wall. 'You are giving me a headache.' Kitten's voice snapped. The Nidoking stood again and roared once more, only to be lifted by Kitten's psychic prowess. 'Shut up and calm down you brainless oaf, lest you harm someone else!' He was slammed into the roof with enough force to knock him out cold, and Kitten let his heavy body hit the tiled floor with a thud. Kitten gently lowered back down to Michelle's shoulder. The officers outside had clearly heard the racket, and were standing in the doorway dumbfounded. Jenny, clearly, had more sense, as she pulled Max into his Poke Ball and hurried to the door, barking orders.
"Get that lummox into a Cage Ball! Coroners, body bags! We know how these people died, and what caused it, let's get them out of here! Everyone else out!" She stepped outside the door, tugging her temporary shoe coverings off before sitting astride Fudo, who looked up at her lazily. "Fudo, we need to get to the ambulance out front pronto! Max is seriously hurt!" Fudo gave a slightly indignant growl and Jenny huffed at him. "Yes, again." She sighed, before the pair vanished to Fudo's sniggering. Michelle waited for the general confusion to die down and everyone to start following orders before dawdling towards the door. She watched one of the officers capture the Nidoking in a silver and grey ball that clicked and then gave a loud snap as its more potent and secure locks closed. She stepped out the doors and pulled the protective clothes off, putting them into a biohazard bin provided, before another officer stepped up to her and started to escort her through the halls. "If I'm right," she mumbled to no one in particular, "there'll be a... here it is!" They stopped outside a lab, its iron door hanging by one hinge. She glanced at the lab notes before giving a sarcastic laugh. "He was the only one in there." She informed the officer. "And they were using him as a source of poisons to sell to the black market. Guess they got what they deserved, hey?" The officer nodded. "Grisly, yet poetic justice." 'Michelle..?' She smiled down at the feline. "Yes, Kitten?" 'Did... did I do good, fighting that Nidoking..? I just...' Michelle kissed her head and gave her a gentle rub on her head. "Yes, sweetie, you did good." She said. "He would have killed Jenny and Max if you hadn't. Now, let's go back to ops; the rest of this place can be explored by search and rescue and our eggheads when they're done." The Mew nodded, and Michelle turned back the way she'd come.
They stopped at the ambulance, where Jenny had Max on a stretcher while a pair of Chansey flitted about repairing the damage that the Nidoking had done to him. He didn't seem too badly wounded, but Jenny was adamant that he'd damaged something internally. Nurse Joy sat in the ambulance and marked off another fatality reported to her. "Evening, Joy." Michelle mumbled. "What's the count up to in Pokemon..?" Joy gave Michelle a saddened look. "Ninety seven bodies, including twenty two skeletons. We could have over a thousand with the liquefied remains in so many rooms that will sadly be unclassifiable." She sighed sadly. "I've been to Team Rocket research labs, and none have ever been this bad; usually we get to them early, but this place seems to have been running for years." Michelle gave a sympathetic nod. "It's grisly, I'll give it that much." She said. "Joy, I'd like to ask you about a living Pokemon; this one to be exact." She lifted Kitten from her shoulder and handed her to the pink haired woman. "Kitten was left in a room with no food or water for a week and no light. I'm wondering how I should reaccustom her to it." Joy nodded and turned the lights inside the ambulance off and letting Michelle in before closing the doors. She gently tugged the blindfold from Kitten's eyes. "Kitten, could you lift a pen with your telekinetic powers for me so I can see your eyes?" Joy asked. In a corner, a pen glowed purple and gently rose into the air while Kitten's eyes started glowing purple. Joy smiled. "Thank you. Now, let's see..."
She looked into each eye, taking out a magnifying glass and peering deeper before taking the pen Kitten was levitating. "You can stop now, sweetie." She said, before gently tugging the blindfold back over her eyes and flicking the lights on. "I'd start slow, nothing too bright, maybe put her in a room at one end of a hallway with no lights on and turn a light on at the other. That way she could move towards it and she could accustom herself at her own pace. For now, wear the blindfold during the day until you've gotten used to artificial lights." Michelle scratched Kitten down her spine, making her arc and purr, before lifting her into one arm. "Thank you, Joy." "For such comparatively pleasant news; any time." Joy replied, looking over to the bonfire where several fire type Pokemon were recovering in the sweltering heat. She gave a giggle. "If that Charmeleon gets any closer to that fire, she'll burst like popcorn." She joked.
After the Captain dismissed her, telling her that he expected her paperwork the following evening, Michelle put Kitten into the passenger seat of her car before sitting in the driver seat and strapping in. The drive home was reasonably quiet, and they eventually pulled into the driveway of a small house. Michelle lifted Kitten from the soft seat, grabbed her kit from the back seat, and locked the car before entering the house. She put Kitten on the kitchen table next to her kit. "Welcome home, Kitten." She said. "I'll just go and set up a basket for you in my room, would you like anything before I go?" The blue feline turned her face up to her, as if she could see through the blindfold, and held her arms wide. 'A cuddle?' She asked to which Michelle promptly lifted the cat and hugged her close. 'Could I have some water, too?' Michelle pulled the bottle of water from her pocket and unscrewed the cap, before fetching a straw from the pantry. She handed it to her blue Pokemon, who started drinking. 'Thank you, Michelle.' Michelle smiled and headed to the bedroom, where she found a wicker basked in her closet, a spare pillow and a small, but thick, blanket. She set up the bedding next to her own; somewhere she wouldn't tread on it, before returning to the kitchen and lifting Kitten. "Now, Kitten;" she began, "I've got a few things to do before I go to bed, but would you like to sleep now?" The Mew nodded. 'I am a little tired...' Michelle took Kitten to the bedroom and tucked Kitten into the basket, giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Good night Kitten; I'll see you in the morning." 'Good night.'
Michelle smiled as she repacked her kit; she'd done something she hadn't thought of doing before, rescuing Kitten from the cold dark. She'd not saved a life that easily before.