Michaela Kudrow's Story

The smell of chlorine and soap hung heavy in the air, as the room swum hazily into Mika's returning vision. Her body felt almost numb to feeling, beyond the scratches on her forearms and the dull, burning pain in the side of her neck. At first glance, she thought she was in a hospital of some kind... maybe the one in Lumiose City... and so she breathed a sigh - whatever had happened, it was probably not best to jump out of bed.

Trying to focus her vision, she stared at the pure white ceiling, picking out flecks of dirt and discolouration with her eyes. It felt like late-morning, as sunlight drifted lazily through the black metal bars and grate over the high window.

Wait... bars?, she thought to herself. What sort of hospital has bars on the window?

In that moment, all sense of safety and security was lost, and Mika snapped bolt upright to assess the rest of the room. Apart from the bed she lay in, the room was almost completely empty. The walls were pure white and her belongings were nowhere to be seen on the dark, metallic floor, even under the bed. Her black clothing had been replaced by white, pajama-like garments, and her shoes, gloves and belt were missing. A jolt of horror shot through her, transcending the pain that was beginning to manifest in the rest of her body as she moved so suddenly; her pokeballs were not here!

"Houndour!" Mika yelled, hoping her faithful companion would come bursting into the room through the steely-looking door opposite her bed. "Houndour! Where are you, boy?!"

Please be okay, boy... please..., she thought to herself, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she realized that she was completely alone here. ...no...NO... I have to do something. I can't just wait here... Pulling her legs over the edge of the bed, Mika stepped down on to the metal floor, and almost collapsed immediately - her legs felt like jelly. How long have I been in here for? She took a moment to gain her composure before shifting her way over to the door. As she drew closer, she could hear a lot of commotion from the other side, none of which filled her with confidence: screams of pain and suffering, shouting, and machinery. The door seemed quite thick, judging by the window plating, the gap in which was just slightly above head height.

Raising her arms up to the bars over the door's window, Mika prepared herself, taking the strain of her own weight into her weakened arms, before hoisting herself to get a clear view of what lay beyond her prison. Looking left and right, she could see a great number of identical doors with the same barred windows up and down a narrow corridor. Although unable to see anyone, Mika could hear other hushed voices nearby, under the violent ambiance.

"Help!" she forced out in a whisper-like voice. "Is there anyone there?! Ah- shit!"

Her pleas were short-lived, as her arms began to buckle and she fell back to the floor with a groan, collapsing against the door as her legs gave way under her. She could still hear voices, and the sounds of another door opening nearby.

Mat

One by one they were taken. Some fought, some tried to escape, others just went along peacefully. In the end they had all been taken down the same hall. In the end they all came back through to be shut in the cells down in the other block. He bid his time but it seemed rather inevitable. Why else would he be here if not for whatever purpose they had in store for these other folks.

Of course there were still more, others still waiting to be taken in. The closest occupied cells were two women, one with blonde hair and soft features, the other with black hair and a sharper look. Speaking to them was the guy from earlier, Kyle. Honestly past his explanation what more needed to be said? Mat was doing little more than leaning on the sill of the barred window to his door, awaiting the fate in store for each of them. He knew little of what was to become of him but from what he had seem from the others it wasn't going to be pretty. He briefly heard another person speak but the woman disappeared back behind the door before he could get a good look. Not that it mattered much, there were many faces here, all confused and many hurt.


Always too soon they came for him like they had for the others. Two large men unlocked the door, prepared for any number of desperate actions. Mat simply stepped between them, a depressed sigh escaping his lips as he frowned. "No need for any rough business, I get the picture." He stated. They took his arms anyways and brought him down the hall, Mat meeting the pace of his jailers so they didn't have to drag him. He cooperated mostly for his own sake, he'd of rather been walking any other direction than towards those two sterile white doors but it's not like he'd be going anywhere else even if he did try and slip their grips. In the end the only difference a struggle would yield would be the number of bruises he'd be going in with.

He passed through the doors and down a plain white hallway with numerous doors on either side, most of them operating rooms it seemed. In what felt like minutes when in reality it was more like thirty seconds they brought him to his operating room where they were ready for him. They had a table ready for him, straps for his limbs and head included. They walked him inside and sat him down on the table before laying him down so they could strap him in. Wrists tied, Ankles bound and a final strap firmly wrapped across his forehead, he was more than well enough restrained that the two men who had brought him were no longer necessary. Not that the men were all too necessary in the first place with him. He was less than keen on making an escape attempt given the security he's seen manned at each entrance he's passed by.


An older man in a white jacket approached him. The man had round glasses and a short beard but what really drew Mat's gaze was the needle in his hand. While not the largest most menacing needle out there something about needles always made Mat's skin crawl. "We'll need to draw a sample first." The doctor was already rolling his sleeve up. "Doesn't sound all too fun." Mat remarked, his feet twitching in fear of the needle's impending insertion. "It'll only be a prick." With that the doctor carefully inserted the needle so as to hit one of the veins in his arm. The empty glass container at the base of the needle filled with his blood as the doctor drew back the plunger. With grit teeth Mat endured the process, the pain not really as strong as he initially feared. Wasn't that always the case with things that look so menacing?

Once he had enough for processing the doctor withdrew the needle. Looking over the sample he had a faint smile as he retreated back to the back room. Mat laid there, his arm bleeding ever so slightly as the doctor had made no effort in bandaging the spot he drew his sample from. This was the least of Mat's concerns as the thought of what they were doing with his blood made him uncomforted. His eyes wandered the room, glancing over the various tools laying about. It seemed they could perform a large number of surgeries from here. I wonder how often they've needed to use most of those things...


Without any reference of time it seemed like forever before the doctor returned again. Given his situation he could of waited for much longer given what he was looking at. In the doctor's hands was another needle, this time a far larger one which was vastly more terrifying than the previous needle. Inside the base swam a clear looking fluid which held what looked like strange looking spores inside. Three or four spores which were a shade of blue so dark they looked black drifted idly within the solution. What was most alien about these strange things he couldn't possibly identify were the faint fibers just slightly poking out all around each spore, moving faintly. Whether they were moving because of the sloshing of the fluid or because they were alive was unknown. All Mat knew was that this whole scenario had gone from extremely unfortunate to outright madness.

"Interesting, most interesting indeed." The doctor remarked, approaching the side of mat's table. He was starting to sweat in terror of the idea of having those strange spores going inside him. "A-are those things going in my blood?" Given this was going to happen whether he liked it or not he figured he might as well start asking now since he might not be lucid enough to talk after those things go in. The wizened old doctor gave a bemused chuckle at this presumption. "No..."

With the hit of a switch the bed suddenly fell forward, the bottom hitting the center support. Mat was now upright, though his still couldn't touch the ground. He felt his weight slumping against the restraints which still left practically no room to squirm in given how firmly they were secured. "They're going in your bone." Mat couldn't see the cruel grin on the man's face given he was behind the table getting ready to begin insertion. Worse and worse yet still further down the rabbit hole he had yet to fall.


In the face of all the horrors and agonies he was going to suffer one would expect for him to panic, yell and curse the names of whoever was doing this to them as anyone else would. Though his knees shook with dreadful anticipation and the sweat dripping down his face was cold with fear he did no such thing. He bid his time showing an unprecedented level of gravitas even as a panel under his neck was opened up. All the while a simple thought had caught inside his head, refusing to leave him be.

"Do you know what time it is?" He asked the doctor before he could align the syringe. The doctor was struck with a quizzical expression. "It's eight thirty. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. Can't tell the time down here without a clock."

An odd exchange. It seemed rather out of place given it's mundanity. The doctor had to pause, if even for a moment. Sometimes it is easy for people to forget that their victims are just people.

...

Alas, it was a passing moment. Mat shuddered when something cold and wet touched his back. Something had been applied across his skin in a small circle. It was easy enough to guess what it might of been. "Oh good. Anesthetic."

"Yes. Wouldn't want you dying from shock now would we?" The doctor would've chuckled at this statement but somehow it didn't really seem appropriate. Regardless, it was time to get the main show started.


The patch on his back had grown numb by the time he felt the needle touch down. Thanks to the specialized grip on the syringe the doctor was able to drive the needle through the hard exterior all the way into the marrow with some upper body strength and a bit of twisting. Even with the anesthetic he felt a distant pain along with the mild sensation of having something moving around inside his spine. Depressing the plunger he solution along with the odd motes flowed into the marrow, mingling the moment it touched organic tissue.

Like that it was done. Slowly and delicately removing the bone syringe from his back the doctor made sure the wound wasn't leaking anything before bandaging his back up. Mat could hardly feel his back, the whole surface's nerves were dull. His limbs were limps as a result of the loss of ability to use his spine for now. All he could really muster was to weakly move his fingers and wiggle his toes. After that experience he felt largely drained ironically enough given the purpose of the operation was the opposite of draining.


After all that tension Mat wanted nothing more than to sleep. He rested on the table, wishing for little more than the opportunity to rest. He heard the door to the back room open up, this time a woman in a lab coat had stepped forward. She was carrying along with her a canister with a tube attached to a mask. "Here, something to help you along the way."

He didn't necessarily trust what they were going to have him breath but after letting them inject whatever those things were struggling now seemed redundant. Already a pain was starting to grow from his spine. Simply closing his eyes he tried to empty his mind and escape all the pain, all the tears, all the misery he was surrounded by. To escape this horrible place he cast his mind to somewhere, anywhere else. Thought's of Odd came into view as the mask slipped on, the gas filtering into his lungs. Wherever he was at that moment, he was with Odd. Any place was just fine when they were together.

The edges of his mouth formed into a small smile as he slipped out of consciousness. The nitrous oxide helped him pass out before the changes could begin. that way he couldn't feel the pain which would no doubt intensify through the early stages of this transformation he was about to undergo. They removed the mask and placed his slumbering form onto a patient transfer bed. With this small act of mercy they got a couple of assistants to wheel him down to the cell which he would be staying.


Passing the cells which used to neighbor his own the rest of those awaiting their trip down could see him rolling past their block and over to the block where they kept them post operation. When they arrived they eased his unconscious body from the transport to the cell's bed. It wasn't quite as uncomfortable as the previous cell's bed given how everything was padded for his safety but it sure wasn't going to get any positive reviews anytime soon. Still, anything was fine since he wasn't actually aware of anything happening around or to him. With that they shut and locked him in, leaving him to rest.

Meanwhile, the bio-mechanical cells in his spine were hard at work making major changes starting with the rest of his marrow.

Michaela

Mika's head rested against the cold, metal door, her eyes half-shut staring down at her hands; the sounds of horror audible outside digging into her mind, leaving the sense of acceptance in her that soon it would be her turn to face it. She began to think back, trying desperately to remember how this happened, or who would kidnap her like this.

16... Route 16... I was on the way home. Yes. Houndour was there. We crossed the ridge, and, I could see the lake. There were... men. Yes. Two. Rangers?... No. They couldn't be, could they? They shouted to me. I stopped, thinking they were Rangers. I... She glanced at the scratches on her arm for a split-second before turning her gaze to the floor. They sent their pokemon after me. Two big, Mightyena fuckers... Houndour... he... he took on one of them, but I didn't have time to bring out any of my pokemon. The other one leapt at me... and I.... I was on the ground. My arms were pinned... I'd never felt pain like that in my life - not even from my father's hands. Houndour kept fighting... and one of the men told me to call him off, or I was dead. I was so scared. I... I called Houndour to come back, and he stopped fighting the Mightyena and fell back. I heard a loud click, a hiss like gas escaping a balloon, and then a yelp... no... no... Houndour... no...

Mika started to sob into her knees, knowing that something terrible had happened to her faithful friend. After that point her memories of the kidnapping just blurred into darkness, but it was irrelevant. She knew that these people, whoever they were, had her pokemon too, probably putting them through the same horrors that other people were facing in other rooms in the same corridor.

A knot in her stomach was forming, as she could hear multiple, heavy footsteps from the corridor outside. Silently, tears still streaming down her face, she prayed that they would leave her alone, but as they grew louder and louder, she began to shake. They suddenly stopped, and there was a brief moment's silence.

Please... don't come for me...

An electronic beeping could be heard over screeching metal as whatever locking mechanism was on the door began to open, and Mika scrambled as far away from the door as she could, her heart almost in her mouth. Three men in white coats entered the room, two in front on the left and right, and one man with a clipboard, just behind them.

The man with the clipboard spoke, in a chilling voice - one that spread no sense of remorse or emotion, no sympathy for the situation that this girl had awoken in.

"Ah... you're awake, this is good. I thought we would have to break out the electrodes... oh... what a pity, actually..." He drew closer, pulling out a small flashlight from his pocket. Mika pushed her back firmly against the wall, as he knelt down in front of her. Using his other hand, he grabbed a hold of her chin, forcing her to look into the flashlight, as the other two men closed in on her. "Hmm... no visible dilation of the pupils. The subject seems suitably responsive to sound and visual cues, and is capable of basic physical maneuvering. We can begin." He nodded to the other men before standing and turning on his heel to leave the room. "Bring her."

Without hesitation, the two men grabbed Mika's arms, and pulled her back to her feet, guiding her out of the cell and into the corridor. She struggled to keep pace with the men on either side of her, so at points, she started to be dragged along to the end of what seemed like an infinitely long hallway, but Mika was too busy trying to see any of the other prisoners who might be here, but alas', there was no-one to see the commotion. The end of the corridor was fast approaching, and her whole body began to tense in fear of what lay behind the white, double doors.

Inside, the first thing Mika noticed was what looked like a refurbished dentist's chair, fitted with straps and restraints, along with clamps near the headrest. The scientist with the clipboard was standing behind the chair, smiling at Mika.

"Perhaps we can be civil here, miss." He said calmly. "There are easy ways and hard ways for us to do things, and it is up to you how we go about this, so I will give you one chance to do this the easy way." He glanced to the two men. "Let go of her." The men released their grip on Mika's arms, and stepped back towards the door. "Please... take a seat."

Mika stared at the chair, knowing that if she sat down there, she was going to be in for a world of pain, but at the same time, she realized the futility of resisting. In her weakened state, and without her pokemon to save her, she was helpless. Slowly, she moved towards the chair, glancing over her shoulder at the two other men in coats.

"Good girl. I knew you were a wise one, from the moment you arrived here." There was a hint of a chuckle in the man's voice. Mika sat down in the chair, and immediately, the scientist began fastening straps, securing her body, arms and legs in place. "Now, I need you to look straight ahead for me, whilst I place these clamps. Don't worry - this bit won't hurt." Reluctantly, she straightened her neck to look straight ahead at the wall, covered in charts and x-rays, as the scientist secured the clamps around her head and neck. She was now completely immobile. "Very good," the scientist smiled, "now tell me, what is your name?"

She felt a pang of hesitation in her already panicked chest, before blurting out, "M-Michaela... My name is Michaela." Every part of her mind was screaming that this was a bad idea, but there was no other way that occurred to her.

"Michaela... a lovely name. So... tell me, Michaela... why do you think you are here?" He rubbed a damp swab across her upper arm, before raising a syringe towards the cleaned area. "This will sting, just a little, but try to relax."

Mika clenched her teeth as the needle tore into flesh, drawing a small amount of blood into the syringe, before sliding back out. "I was hoping maybe... maybe you could tell me why I'm here, doctor?"

The scientist laughed. "All in good time... but for now, I need to do some quick tests with this sample of blood. Excuse me." The scientist headed into another room, leaving Mika to stare at the wall ahead of her. She couldn't help but notice that some of the x-rays on the wall did not look completely human. Some showed humanoid limbs with large protusions, not unlike claws or talons, or armoured plates... What... in the name of all that is holy... are these things?... Are these... people? They aren't pokemon, certainly not even resembling ones that I've ever seen or heard of.

Her contemplation was disturbed by the returning of the scientist, who stepped around to the front of the chair, bending forward ever so slightly to bring his head down into Mika's resting eyeline. "I've done the tests... and I've found a suitable match for your DNA-..."

"A match?!" Mika interrupted, but the scientist seemed undisturbed.

"Yes. You see, the reason you are here... it's not out of cruelty, or for torture, or for show... no... we want to make you... stronger." He stood up again, and headed out of sight, behind the chair. "We've been studying Pokemon DNA for decades now across the world - scientists everywhere engaging in isolating genomes and functional components of the very basis for life itself... but we are on the verge of a new era." Mika could feel something cold and wet being applied to her neck - a finger rubbing some sort of gel around in circles, but quickly, the feeling in the area grew numb, and she could no longer sense the finger moving. "Most people do not understand why we are here, or why our research is so groundbreaking. Fortunately we have had no shortage of... volunteers... to join us here. Tell me, Michaela, honestly, have you ever wanted to feel stronger? To be... more than yourself?"

The numbness was spreading down her back, and the lights in the room began to feel a little brighter than before. She could hear her own heartbeat slowing down a little. "We... all want to be stronger..."

The scientist hummed contentedly. "Then let me help you to become stronger... Now... I will not lie to you. This final part is going to hurt. A lot... but... you will be glad that I had given you an anaesthetic when it is over..." The scientist paused. "Tell me when you are prepared, and I will begin."

Mika gulped, and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "I don't think I'll ever be ready... just... just do it, and get it over with!" Immediately, she clenched her teeth, bracing for the worst. She could faintly feel some sort of needle press her neck, but no immediate pain, until it started to press between the discs of her upper spine, into her central nervous system. In a split second, her body went from being at ease, to feeling like someone was electrocuting every inch of her body. She let out a scream of pain, that lasted for a good fifteen seconds before she had to draw breath, her shaking body straining against the straps binding her to the chair. Please god! Make it stop! Please!

As the syringe delivered its payload, all of Mika's muscles began to tighten and cramp, as whatever the contents had started to infiltrate her system. The pain grew too much for her to bear, and she slipped away into unconsciousness.

Michaela

The process ended, leaving Michaela thankfully unconscious and bound. The 'doctor' told the two guards to transport her to the next block for observation, and they did so without a word, releasing her from her binds and lifting her into a wheelchair. As they passed back through the first holding block, long black hairs began to fall from Mika's head, littering the floor in a fine trail. In her dream, she glimpsed visions of her mother, and happier days with her, and with her party of Pokemon.

I wish I could go back in time... I wish I could change everything... I wish I could have saved you, Mom...

Eventually they passed into the next block, releasing a thick steel door with four individual locks and a grated window on it. Moving through this new corridor, there was a strange atmosphere, but Mika did not feel it, lost in a world so very far away from this dire reality she now found herself in, but her time there was coming to an end.

Mom... can you hear me? I'm sorry I ran away. I... I wanted to make you proud. Please keep Houndour safe, wherever he is.

They stopped about halfway down the block, and one guard opened the door to a new cell, before wheeling Mika inside. They lifted Mika out of the chair and rested her down upon a rather uncomfortable looking bed, before wheeling the chair out and locking the door, leaving her to the last embers of her fading dream.

Mom... this isn't how I want to die... but if I must, I know that I will see you again soon.

Kyle couldn't help but smile when he saw that his optimism, actually seemed to make Helana feel better. He was more than glad that in such a dim situation he was able to provide someone with a sense of joy, no matter how fleeting or small it might have been. However she quickly went silent once he mentioned their Pokemon. He was about to say something, apologize for anything he might have said until he saw a group of people enter her cell. He growled at them, and from the sounds of things they didn't do much to her. That did little however to ease his worries.

From further down the hall he could hear Matt unusually clearly, in fact he could hear much of what was going on through the halls clearly. There seemed to be some kind of commotion going on further down between one of the workers, and one of the prisoners. Matt expressed hope that their Pokemon were alright, a sentiment Kyle wholeheartedly shared. he got to thinking about his team about his old friend Ninetails, and all the other Pokemon he had caught over the past two years. For a brief moment he had visions of his team in horrible conditions, of his friends being horribly abused for someone's sick amusement. He quickly pushed that from his mind however. He was certain that they were simply being stored in some room while being safely in their Pokeballs.

From further down the hall he heard Alexander announce his return, and offering a scone to anyone that would accept it. Kyle of course would have taken up the offer as he was still quiet hungry, though his cell was located farther away so Kyle simply didn't say anything. He opened up his mouth to say something, but he stopped as the pain in his spine intensified beyond belief.

Kyle let out painful yelp as he felt immense pressure emerge from the base of his spine. A tail covered in thick looking white fur had started to form, it looked small at the moment though it slowly continued to grow, tearing through his pants. Kyle slowly stared at it in a mixture of fear, and amazement. Examining it closely it seemed to be reminiscent of a Growlithe's tail. Is that what they did to him, turn him into some kind of Growlithe hybrid? Kyle had tried to think about this positively, he mentally began to tell himself that it wasn't so bad, that it could be worse. The whole time however his thoughts turned to his parents, and what they would say. He imagined the both of them peering over Kyle with their cold, judgmental eyes, looking down at their freak of a child. If he was an embarrassment to them before what would they think of him now? In a rather unchateristic rage he sent a fist flying towards his cell door. To his surprise his clenched fist was suddenly engulfed in flames. Though it did little to damage the door only managing to put a pathetically small scorch mark on the door."No, no, no, no! How the hell could they do this to us?" The optimism that was clear in his voice before soon gave way to a shaky distressed tone.

EEVEE: lands the finale blow on a Pikachu girl. she looks around at of the room to see if any are dead but they all were alive she sighing and turns into her normal Eevee form. Emily: "huh? what happened?" Dr. Red: "you won now please go back to your cell" Emily dose as told