"Dr. Fuji, I understand your concern. You believe that changing the nutrient solution might kill 013," Feng Che began, his voice steady despite the blaring alarms. "But the reality is right in front of you. If you do nothing, 13 won't survive anyway. Look, purple blood is already seeping from its eyes and mouth. The situation is critical."
He scanned the faces of the panicked pharmacists. "Reverting to the original formula might give 13 a fighting chance. If we don't act now, no amount of medicine will bring it back."
The researchers turned their gaze to the incubation vat. Just as Feng Che described, the infant Mewtwo was spasming in agony, thin trails of violet blood clouding the green liquid.
Ariana once told me that Feng Che's pharmaceutical skills are far beyond her own—likely at the Master level, Fuji thought. At this point, I have no choice but to treat a dead horse as if it were alive.
Fuji looked into Feng Che's determined eyes and made a decision. "Do it."
"Dr. Fuji!" Natsukawa, the research assistant, tried to protest, casting a venomous glare at Feng Che.
"Quiet! If something goes wrong, I will take full responsibility when Leader Giovanni asks," Fuji snapped. "Feng Che, follow your plan. But there's a problem—we don't have the exact measurements of the previous batch's stabilizers on hand. Calling the external Master Pharmacist back will take too long."
"Bring me every raw material in your inventory," Feng Che said calmly. "I'll handle the rest."
"What are you waiting for?! Empty the warehouse!" Fuji roared. His voice echoed through the massive lab, startling the grunts. This was his life's work; his composure was completely gone.
Fuji himself scrambled to the storage room, hauling out crates of rare berries.
"I need Salac Berries, Lansat Berries, and Starf Berries," Feng Che rattled off a long list.
The researchers moved like clockwork, terrified by the stakes.
"Feng Che, do you need help processing them?" Fuji panted, his lab coat stained with dust.
"No. You'll only slow me down. Go, Aipom!"
Feng Che released his Aipom, whose prehensile tail began slicing and grinding berries with blurred speed. Feng Che used his psychic powers to levitate multiple fruits at once, crushing them mid-air so that the pure essence flowed directly into a graduated cylinder.
The process was a symphony of alchemical precision. In under five minutes, a glowing, rainbow-hued nutrient solution was ready.
"Now, drain the old solution and inject mine. Fast!"
Feng Che's back was soaked with sweat. He had just performed millions of mental simulations per second, using his psychic brain to calculate the perfect molecular balance for Mewtwo's specific genetic instability.
"Dr. Fuji, this solution doesn't match the Master's color profile. Are we really going to inject this?" Natsukawa sneered, his eyes full of disdain.
"Inject it! Now!" Fuji barked.
As the new fluid filled the vat, Mewtwo's spasms began to subside. Its breathing slowed, and it drifted back into a deep, stable sleep. However, anyone could see it was still incredibly weak.
"Trust me, Doctor," Feng Che said. "The solution is already repairing the damaged cellular walls. 13 will be back to normal soon."
"You aren't even a licensed Master. Why so arrogant?" Natsukawa stepped forward, sensing an opportunity to shift blame. "Dr. Fuji, I suggest we seize this 'medicine' for testing. 13 is so weak now; it's clearly the fault of this unauthorized concoction. If it dies, Giovanni will have your head—and his."
"Enough, Natsukawa! Shut up!" Fuji turned on him, eyes blazing. "Feng Che saved 13. You haven't done a single useful thing since the alarm went off. My lab has no room for you. Get out."
"Fuji, I was sent here by General Lambda! You have no authority to kick me out!"
"Lambda? Giovanni gave me total control of this project. Any researcher who defies me is fired. Security! Drag him out!"
Natsukawa shrieked in protest as two Rocket grunts hauled him away.
"Thank you, Feng Che. Without you, 13 would be a memory," Fuji sighed, watching the monitor as Mewtwo's vitals stabilized. "If the Pharmacist Guild hadn't collapsed, you'd be a Master by now."
Fuji patted Feng Che on the shoulder. "You don't need to stay cooped up here. Wander around the base if you're bored. I'll page you if there's an emergency."
Fuji then hurried off to report to Giovanni. A crisis of this magnitude had to be documented.
Left alone in the lab, Feng Che turned to a spare incubation vat. "I need to prepare a special partner for a trade."
He released a rusted, battered Magneton. It floated listlessly, its surface covered in orange oxidation. "Removing this much rust is going to be a chore."
He placed Magneton in a vat of specialized electrolyte and added a high-purity acid mix he had formulated from Victreebel essence and Arbok venom. Bubbles hissed as the rust dissolved. An hour later, he rinsed it with pure water. The Magneton was now clean, though its surface was pitted and scarred.
He then moved it to a high-density electrolyte vat and hit the "Current" switch. He fed the machine chunks of pure alloy. Magneton began to absorb the metal ions, its pitted surface smoothing out until it shone like a mirror.
"Now, the final step. Evolution via Magnetic Field and Thunder Stone trade-sim."
He performed a simulated trade-evolution using a high-grade Thunder Stone. The lab's sensors spiked as a golden light engulfed the machine. If I finish this here, I might cause a blackout and Giovanni will kill me, he realized.
He asked a researcher for the location of the Rocket Power Plant—a facility specifically designed for high-voltage evolutions—and hurried out.
Rocket Breeding Center - Power Lab
"I need a high-output chamber for an Electric-type evolution," Feng Che told the attendant.
"We have large-scale generators for that, but it'll cost you a significant amount of points based on the wattage used," the girl replied.
Feng Che swiped his ID and entered the chamber. The air hummed with static.
"Go, Magneton!"
The moment the Pokémon emerged, it began to glow. Feng Che connected the charging cables and cranked the power. The meters spun wildly as Magneton gorged itself on electricity. The white light of evolution was slowly replaced by a brilliant gold.
Feng Che sat in a corner, exhausted from the day's events. The rhythmic hum of the generators acted as a lullaby, and he drifted off.
When he woke, a Magnezone was floating in the room. It looked like a sleek, grey UFO with a central red eye (a sensor) and two true eyes on its sides.
Pokémon: Magnezone Potential: Outstanding (Green) Ability: Analytic Level: 38 Status: Fully Charged. Evaluation: Evolved through a high-voltage surge. Its electrical capacity is staggering.
"Finally. Magnezone," Feng Che whispered. "Now I just need to find the right buyer."
He knew Lt. Surge was the only real candidate. But he couldn't just walk up to the General and offer it—that would look desperate. He needed a way to make Surge want to trade for it.
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