The scientist read through the list carefully, inspecting it for anything that might prevent the machine from properly doing its work. Satisfied with the results, he rapidly typed a few commands into the keyboard in front of him. The machine began humming louder, then a whole new list showed up on the monitor. This time, however, the list showed a readout of vital signs.
Blade smiled, then began cackling quietly. The process had begun. He wasn�t sure how long it would take for the body to form completely. It could be anywhere from a few days to several months. He was willing to wait that long, if that�s what it all came down to.
Blade slid his chair away from the computer, then looked at the glass tank which would serve as the holding container once the Mew�s development was complete. It seemed primitive to have a prison of glass like that, but it would be necessary to contain the Mew, should it become hostile.
They had never cloned a Pokemon such as Mew, so Blade wasn�t sure what to expect. He was hoping it wouldn�t become aggressive, as a few of the cloned Pokemon had been in previous attempts.
Blade listened to the constant humming of the large machine, then pressed down on the handle of the large door leading into the lab. He pushed the door open, then looked at the machine one last time before leaving to perform his daily tasks . . .
Jads wiped the sweat off her forehead, then sighed. It was rather hot outside, despite the gentle breeze. She stood up, then looked at the large antenna which she had been constructing on the roof of the cabin. It was slightly crooked, but that could be fixed later.
Jads pulled a radio out of her pocket, then pressed the talk button. �Try it now, Ira.�
Inside of the cabin, Ira knelt down in front of the TV, then switched it on. The image was a bit fuzzy, but better than it had been for the past few weeks. He held up his radio, then said, �That�s much better. See if you can�t move the antenna around a bit to clear this up a bit more.�
Jads acknowledged, then began adjusting the antenna slowly. While she was doing so, Ira was on the radio, telling her when it got better and worse. After working at it for a few minutes, Jads began to get frustrated. She kicked the antenna, then suddenly Ira came on and said, �That�s perfect!�
Jads giggled quietly, then walked over to the ladder which was propped up against the side of the cabin. She began climbing down, then tipped back the ladder as she stepped onto the ground. She set the ladder down on the ground, leaning it against the wall, then ran inside.
�What exactly did you do?� Ira asked. �All of a sudden it started coming in perfectly clear.�
Jads giggled again, then said, �Just a little trick I learned.�
�And that would be?�
�I kicked it.�
Ira rolled his eyes, then shrugged his shoulders. �Well, it worked, so I suppose that�s okay.�
�So, why exactly did we need this antenna anyway? I mean, sure, the TV was a bit fuzzy, but we could�ve survived without it.�
�Well,� Ira said, flipping through the channels, �We get a lot more of the local news channels now. Which means we�ll have a better chance of keeping track of Team Rocket.�
�I guess that�s a good thing. But what about our radios?�
�That�s another thing,� Ira replied. �Switch your radio to Channel 20.�
Jads gave him an odd look, but obeyed. She picked it up and tuned it to the correct frequency, then an alarmed look came over her face. She listened, a bit puzzled.
�It sounds like a police frequency.�
�That�s exactly what it is,� Ira replied. �Now we�ll know everything as soon as the police knows, which is an added benefit. It�ll also help in case the police discover us, because then we�ll have an advanced warning system.�
Suddenly a thought popped into Jads�s mind. �Hey, how come we haven�t tried to recruit any new members?�
�Because if we try to just go out and recruit people, we might accidentally stumble across an undercover officer. And that would be the end of TR47. And we don�t want to kidnap people, because then the police would be on full alert.�
Jads sighed sadly. �Yeah, but it gets so boring around here, just the two of us.�
Ira gave her a puzzled look. �Are you saying that I�m boring?�
Jads blushed, then turned her head away. �No. But it would be better if we had more people around here so that we can actually have a decent organization.�
�I suppose you�re right,� Ira said. �After all, we�re going to need all the help we can get if we�re going to finish the Headquarters anytime soon . . .�
Crystal yawned, stretching lazily in the tall grass. She looked up at the sky, then closed her eyes and smiled as the sun warmed her face. Moments later, however, Crystal�s comfort was interrupted when she was pinned to the ground.
Crystal snapped her eyes open immediately, then smiled when she saw a familiar Butterfree standing on top of her. She pushed Annie off, then sat up.
�What�s up?� Annie asked happily.
�Not much,� Crystal replied. �I was just relaxing. That�s all.�
Annie nodded, then giggled. �Yeah, until I came. Come on, let�s do something!�
Crystal sat up, then grinned. Annie gave her a puzzled look, then Crystal shot into the air. Annie growled in mock annoyance, then flew into the air and began chasing after her. Crystal looked behind her to see Annie pursuing her, so she looked ahead and began flying a bit quicker.
Annie flapped her wings quickly, gaining speed as well as catching up to Crystal. Crystal glanced back again, and was surprised to see how quickly Annie was catching up to her. She grinned, then surged ahead with a fresh burst of speed. She ducked down and began flying among the trees, weaving in and out between the branches rapidly, her psychic powers telling her where to fly.
Annie flew just over the tops of the trees, using her sonar-like eyes to follow Crystal�s movement. She flapped her wings furiously, struggling to keep up with Crystal. Annie and Crystal didn�t know it, but their game of follow-the-leader was helping to develop their speed, something that most Pokemon trainers considered being a valuable asset.
Crystal began to focus her psychic energies even stronger, picking up a little more speed and pulling away from Annie in the process. Her surroundings seemed to fade away completely, and she began relying purely on her powers to guide her.
Annie began to slow a bit, becoming fatigued from the rapid chase. The gap between her and Crystal was widening, but she was giving it her all in attempt to keep up. Annie took a deep breath and flapped her wings as hard as she could, straining to pick up a bit more speed and close the gap between the two.
As Crystal was flying, she was suddenly overcome as her psychic powers began strongly warning her of something. She broke concentration, which was a mistake at the speed she was flying. Crystal narrowly missed hitting a tree head-on, swerving left. Unfortunately, she wasn�t able to avoid the next tree. She attempted to veer to the right to miss it, but the trunk caught her shoulder, sending her tumbling through the air.
Annie watched in horror as Crystal clipped the tree, losing control completely. Crystal disappeared into the trees entirely, so Annie immediately slowed down and began listening for Crystal. What she heard was branches breaking and the occasional shriek from the Mew.
Annie ducked down into the trees, then began following an obvious path of destruction as a result of Crystal hitting tree branches. She found Crystal a few moments later, lying in a pile of leaves and branches. She landed next to the pile, hoping that Crystal wasn�t dead . . .
Blade pulled out an ID card, then slid it into a scanner next to the laboratory door. A beep followed, then the mechanical lock of the door emitted a loud click. Blade removed his card, then pressed down the door handle and pushed the door open. Blade stepped into the lab and let the door swing shut, locking moments later.
Blade approached the humming machine, then glanced at the computer screen. An image of the developing creature was shown on the monitor. He was a bit surprised that it was growing so rapidly, though he was satisfied by the progress. Perhaps he wouldn�t have to wait as long as originally thought.
Blade glanced at the cell count, and was a bit alarmed to see that the number was steadily rising. Faster than any other Pokemon had done in the machine, in fact. At the rate the cloning process was moving, the Mew would be fully developed within days. Blade scribbled a few notes onto a piece of paper, then glanced at the computer screen again. The number had already risen by more than a thousand in those few seconds.
Blade stepped over to a printer that was recording the data of the cloning process, then began glancing over the numbers printed on the stack of papers. Surprisingly enough, the cell count had been rising at that rate ever since the experiment started. He glanced at the machine again, then smiled. The experiment was probably going to earn him a promotion and a pay raise for sure. Assuming nothing went wrong that is. At the moment, it didn�t seem like anything was going to go wrong . . .
Crystal opened her eyes slowly, the bright light causing her to squint. A shadow appeared, blocking the bright light. Crystal tried to make out who or what it was, but she could only make out darkness as a halo of light shined around the figure.
Crystal coughed, then tried to sit up. She was sore all over. Amazingly enough, nothing was broken. She laid on her back, hoping that the pain throughout her body would fade away. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision a bit, then she recognized a familiar shape to the shadowed figure standing over her.
�Are you okay?� Annie asked quietly.
Crystal took a deep breath and sat up slowly, aided by her friend. She looked around, then faced Annie again. �At the moment, no. I�ll be fine in a few minutes.�
Annie sighed in relief. �Good. For a second there, you looked dead. You were unconscious for a few hours.�
Crystal laughed weakly. �Mews can take a lot of abuse. I�ve had worse injuries in battle.�
�That�s good to know,� Annie replied. �I don�t know what I do without you around.�
Crystal smiled, then hugged Annie. �It�s nice to have a friend like you.�
Annie blushed a bit, then smiled as well. �Thanks. The same goes for you.�
Crystal pulled away from the embrace, then stretched herself out on the ground. She winced as a fresh wave of pain coursed through her body, though it wasn�t as intense as it had been earlier. She sat up again, then sighed. She stood up slowly, wobbling a bit. She stumbled for a moment before she was able to stand completely balanced.
�Do you think you can fly?� Annie asked.
�Not quite yet,� Crystal replied, �but I�ll be able to fly again soon enough. I don�t exactly crash-land every day.�
Annie giggled quietly, then said, �I guess you�re right.�
After resting for a few more minutes, Crystal decided that she would be fit to fly. She tested herself by concentrating her powers, then floating a few feet off the ground. She began moving this way and that, then decided that she would be okay. She set her feet back on the ground, then motioned to Annie.
Annie nodded, then Crystal kicked off the ground powerfully, shooting into the air in a sudden burst of speed. Annie did the same, catching up to Crystal quickly. Crystal was flying at a relatively slow speed compared to how fast she usually flew. She wasn�t planning on doing much more high-speed flying for a little while.
Suddenly a thought passed through Crystal�s mind. Why had she crashed anyway? She paused in midair, hovering high above the ground. Annie stopped next to her and flapped her wings slowly to remain in the air.
Crystal looked around, then spotted a large building which she had never seen before. Confused and curious at the same time, she began flying toward it slowly. Annie followed her, wondering what was going through Crystal�s mind.
Crystal didn�t stop flying until she was hovering right over the massive building. She recognized the surrounding city as Veridian City. The thing she didn�t know was that she was hovering right over the Team Rocket headquarters.
Annie looked at the massive building in confusion. �Hey Crystal, what gives? Why did we stop here?�
�I�ve seen this place before,� Crystal replied quietly. �I don�t know where, but I�ve seen this place before.�
Annie looked at her, a puzzled look on her face. Crystal closed her eyes, then began concentrating. The psychic bubble formed around her, and Annie watched in fascination. After a few moments Crystal�s eyes snapped open, and the psychic bubble literally popped.
�The building from the vision,� Crystal whispered. �That�s where I�ve seen it before.�
�Excuse me?� Annie asked in confusion. �What on Earth are you talking about, Crystal?�
Crystal looked at Annie, then said, �You�d better get home, Annie. I�ve got something to do.�
Annie nodded slowly, then turned around. She glanced over her shoulder in concern, then began flying away. Crystal looked at the building, then took a deep breath and flew down toward the ground . . .
Blade checked his watch as he finished the paperwork on his desk, then sat up quickly. He should�ve been in the lab checking up on the experiment 30 minutes ago. He grabbed his lab coat off the wall, then pulled open his office door. He rushed down the hall quickly, pulling on his lab coat as he jogged.
As Blade approached the door to the laboratory, he pulled out his access card. He swiped the card, then quickly pulled the door open when it unlocked. He stuffed his card in the pocket of his lab coat, rushing through the open door.
Blade glanced at the computer screen, then did a double take at the cell count. It was zero.
�That can�t be possible,� Blade said quietly. �The only way the count could be zero is if the experiment failed. Unless of course . . .�
Blade trailed off as the second thought rushed through his mind. Could it be possible? Had the clone finished developing already? It was a possibility. If the Mew had fully developed, the computer would stop monitoring the cell growth.
Blade glanced over at the glass holding tank, then gasped loudly. He straightened up, then slowly began walking over to the holding tank. He peered into the glass, mumbling quietly. The Mew inside had developed much faster than anticipated. In fact, it had grown more than three times faster than any Pokemon clone had ever developed in the machine.
After getting over the initial shock and amazement, Blade realized that the Pokemon inside wasn�t an exact clone of the Mew they had taken the blood sample from. The Mew they had taken the sample from had pink fur. The Mew in the glass tank, however, was a light purple color.
Blade inspected the Mew carefully, then eventually was satisfied that the color difference was the only flaw. It wouldn�t be much of a problem. At least they would be able to differentiate the two Mews, should this one ever escape.
Blade walked over to the computer, then typed in a few rapid commands. An alarm rang out which Blade silenced with yet another command, then the glass tube lifted, leaving the Mew exposed. Blade stepped over to the Mew, then attached a few wires to it which would monitor its various life signs, as well as brain activity.
When the wires were attached, Blade stepped back over to the computer and typed in another series of commands. The glass cover slid back down and a hiss was emitted as the pressure inside of the tube changed to a more ideal setting.
The tube immediately began filling with liquid, surrounding the Mew completely. It as the water level rose, the Mew rose off the bottom of the tank. The Mew rose up about a foot before the wires attached to its body pulled tight, keeping it from rising any further.
The glass tube was filled completely a few moments later. Blade wasn�t exactly sure how, but the fluid mixture was mixed with some odd substance that allowed the Pokemon inside to breathe, despite the fact that they were completely surrounded by liquid.
Blade smiled, then realized that it would be appropriate that he should give the Mew a name before he called in the other scientists. He thought for a few moments, then an idea crossed his mind. He stepped up to the tank until he was mere inches from it, then smiled.
Blade stepped to the nearest phone, then punched a few numbers. A beep sounded in the earpiece, then Blade began speaking. �Attention all scientists. Report to the laboratory immediately for an important announcement.�
Within minutes, the entire science staff of Team Rocket was assembled in the laboratory, gazing at Team Rocket�s most recent success.
�So, what will the name of this Pokemon be?� One scientist asked Blade.
Blade smiled. �I decided to name it after our first successful Pokemon clone: Joey . . .�
Crystal stood outside of the Headquarters, wondering if it was really a good idea to go inside or not. She eventually came to the conclusion that if she wanted to know the truth about what was inside, she should at least check it out.
Crystal took a deep breath, then concentrated her psychic powers. She began fading away until only a shadowy outline of her body showed. It was a trick that she had taught herself, and was something that only ghost Pokemon had been known to duplicate.
Crystal teleported into the massive building, then looked around. There wasn�t anything interesting about the hallway she was standing in. She began walking down the long corridor, glancing at the office doors as she walked past them. She would�ve at least peeked into the offices, but something was telling her to continue walking.
Crystal looked straight ahead, then saw a large door at the end of the hallway. She approached the door, then looked up at it. She floated into the air and looked through the glass window in the door, but there were too many people walking around for her to see anything.
Crystal teleported inside of the room, then looked around. There were dozens of people milling about and chattering excitedly, all wearing strange white coats. This all looked familiar to her somehow. She floated into the air again, then looked around. She was fascinated by the complex machines that she saw.
In that same instant, Crystal spotted a large glass tube, but she couldn�t see what was inside of it. She floated closer to the tube, hovering over the heads of the scientists. As she got closer to the tube, she gasped loudly, causing a few of the scientists to look around in confusion.
Crystal hovered over to the glass tube, and could feel a strong amount of psychic energy radiating from inside of the tube. She floated lower, then found herself looking directly into the face of the Mew she had seen in all of her visions.
Crystal unconsciously backed up, bumping into one of the scientists that was standing behind her. The action caused her to break concentration, her body becoming visible once again. There was a simultaneous gasp that echoed through the room, and Crystal immediately knew that she was spotted.
Crystal panicked, then flew in the only direction that she thought would be safe: straight up. She plowed right through the ceiling at an incredible speed, knocking a hole cleanly through it. She stopped flying only when she was miles away from the building.
Breathing heavily from being so panicked, Crystal stopped to rest in a large tree. She could have been caught, or possibly even killed. However, that didn�t completely sink in. She was too shocked at what she had just seen. She had seen the clone from her numerous visions, confirming the truth to her.
Crystal now knew that Joey was real, and not just something that her imagination had come up with. Crystal immediately knew that somehow, no matter what the risks were, the Mew would need help in the future. And Crystal would have to be the one to give that help . . .