Aside from the white-coated researchers, the spacious areas of the lab were also occupied by nurous cold-faced n dressed in black uniforms, scarves wrapped around their necks, and navy caps on their heads. The large "R" emblem on their chests made it clear to Ryuuske—even though he hadn't watched much of the ani—that they were Team Rocket.
Unlike the codic relief Team Rocket mbers from the ani, the ones standing before him exuded a cold, intimidating aura, their sharp and ruthless gazes making them seem like an elite, disciplined military force. They gave off the impression of a truly sinister organization, more akin to a terrorist group.
Beside these Team Rocket mbers stood Pokémon like Arbok, Golbat, Grir, and Drowzee, their eyes just as nacing as they glared at the researchers. Occasionally, so would shift their attention toward the room where Ryuuske was, keeping it within their surveillance periter.
These Team Rocket mbers served as both bodyguards and overseers for the researchers.
Inside the glass containers scattered throughout the hall floated various Pokémon, their status—whether alive or dead—unknown. But the most striking sight was the humanoid monster restrained by pitch-black chains in the central cylindrical tank.
Its pure white body and deep purple tail radiated an overwhelming sense of terrifying power just from a glance, exuding an oppressive presence. Ryuuske was all too familiar with this Pokémon—having played the first-generation gas, he knew this was the legendary artificially created Pokémon, wtwo. From the fragnted lore about it, wtwo was described as an incredibly cruel and violent creature.
Yet, for so reason, the mont Ryuuske laid eyes on it, he didn't sense the cold, sadistic aura he expected. Instead, he felt an inexplicable warmth, as if it was intimately connected to him.
Hearing Ryuuske's murmuring, Professor Oak's stern eyebrows twitched. He cautiously asked,
"...Ryuuske, do you rember it?"
"No, I don't. But the mont I saw it, the na just popped into my head."
Of course, Ryuuske couldn't admit he was a transmigrator who knew wtwo from gas and ani. After a brief pause, he decided to press the two n beside him for answers. Their expressions suggested they were hiding sothing, and Ryuuske had no intention of remaining in the dark.
"Gentlen... could you introduce yourselves? And could you tell what's really going on? I can tell you're keeping things from , but I'd rather you lay everything out honestly."
Ryuuske fixed his gaze on Professor Oak. Whether from the gas or ani, Professor Oak had always been a kind and benevolent figure. If there was one person in this lab he could trust, it was undoubtedly him.
Hearing himself called "gentleman," Professor Oak's aged face broke into a smile. Waving his hand, he chuckled warmly, "...I'm Samuel Oak, a Pokémon researcher. I'm just an old man now, hardly a 'gentleman,' haha! You can call Professor Oak... As for the person beside , and the things you want to know..."
Here, Professor Oak hesitated, unsure whether to reveal everything. He didn't want to dredge up painful mories for the boy, but he also didn't want to deceive him again.
"...Sigh. Let explain, Oak."
The bald man beside him sighed, stepping forward to pat Professor Oak's shoulder. "...The mistakes I made should be mine to bear. Whether Ryuuske forgives or not, if we keep lying to him, my conscience won't allow it!"
Hearing this, Professor Oak relented, stepping back silently.
"Ryuuske, what I'm about to say might upset you. Your amnesia was actually a blessing—it let you forget those painful mories. But since you've asked, as the one responsible, I can't bring myself to lie to you again... I am Blaine, the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, the overseer of this research facility, and the chief scientist of Team Rocket, the largest criminal organization in Kanto."
When introducing himself as a Team Rocket mber, Blaine awkwardly averted his gaze. He removed his sunglasses, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he stared at the central tank. Inside the transparent fluid, bubbles rose as wtwo hung bound like a prisoner, its eyes closed. The flickering data on the nearby machines were the only proof it was alive—otherwise, its motionless form could easily be mistaken for a specin.
"That thing... is a monster. A world-destroying monster I created with my own hands. It's the most powerful man-made weapon in recorded human history."
Blaine's gaze toward wtwo was a mix of regret, pain, anger, sorrow, and more. But the most striking emotions were sympathy for wtwo and self-loathing for his own actions.
He didn't care whether Ryuuske could understand him—he just poured out everything he had bottled up inside.
"In ancient legends, w was known as the 'Origin of Life.' Ancient people believed all Pokémon descended from w. Modern research suggests this might not be entirely accurate, but these legends were recorded on ancient stone tablets."
"Team Rocket once excavated ruins containing stone tablets with records of w, along with fossilized remnants of its body structure. Using modern technology, we extracted w's geno from the fossils and made a startling discovery—the ancient legends weren't baseless.
w's genes held infinite potential, containing the genetic makeup of every known Pokémon. Even when compared to the genetic structures of other legendary Pokémon collected by researchers, w's genes encompassed them all, as if it truly was the origin of all Pokémon. This discovery even made us question the validity of research from the Sinnoh region."
Blaine's tone had been calm at first, but as he continued, he clutched his bald head, his voice growing increasingly tornted.
"...Team Rocket approached , asking to help them clone and reshape the genes—to use w's all-encompassing, infinitely adaptable DNA and combine it with human technology to create the 'ultimate Pokémon.' And the result is what you see now: wtwo, the final product of this project, nad to signify its purpose—to surpass w."
"...Scientists are all madn. When I first heard of this plan, I didn't think deeply about it. I only saw it as a grand project that could change the course of humanity. Without hesitation, I accepted Team Rocket's offer, devoting all my knowledge to the 'wtwo Project.' But as the final product neared completion, I slowly regained my sanity.
Horror struck as I realized what I was doing—creating the ultimate weapon for an evil organization. Now, wtwo is in its final genetic adjustnt phase. Once it's complete and under Team Rocket's control, the entire Kanto region... no, the entire world will face a catastrophic disaster!"
Ryuuske listened calmly. He already knew the broad strokes of wtwo's origin, but the finer details were new to him. Now, Blaine's words had filled in the gaps.
But—
"What does this have to do with ?"
Ryuuske asked the most critical question.
Blaine fell silent. He turned to face Ryuuske, but whether due to guilt or inner turmoil, he put his sunglasses back on, unable to et Ryuuske's eyes.
"The 'wtwo Project' took ten years of preparation—from the initial discovery of w's genes to the official start of experintation. w's genetic material was scarce, leaving no room for trial and error. The first few experints all failed.
No matter how we restructured w's genes, the result was always just a clone of w. But as if bound by so universal law, we couldn't create a clone of a legendary Pokémon. They seed to exist as unique entities in this world."
Blaine paused before continuing.
"...So I proposed a bold hypothesis. If w was a unique existence, with genes containing the data of all Pokémon, then we couldn't modify its existing genetic structure. But there was one species whose genes it absolutely wouldn't possess—humans."
"At first, I planned to use myself as the test subject, offering my own genes as the cradle for wtwo's creation. But Team Rocket's leader rejected the idea. He argued that since we only had one chance left, it was wiser to use the genes of soone more exceptional.
Throughout history, there had been people with extraordinary abilities—so still active in the world today. But among them, sowhere beyond Team Rocket's reach, while others were public figures. Kidnapping them would cause too much commotion and risk exposing the plan prematurely."
"...In the end, we found you in Pewter City—a descendant of the nearly extinct 'Dragon Tars,' people capable of controlling the power of dragons. We integrated your genes with w's, using human and Pokémon DNA as the vessel, and finally succeeded in creating it!"
As Blaine's words faded, wtwo's head inside the glass container seed to twitch slightly. An imperceptible psychic ripple pierced through space and ti!
To be continued…
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