Story Notes:
This is my EXCELLENT ADVENTURE! contest submission
Prologue
Pokémon. They have always been a part of our lives yet distinctly separate from us. Creatures higher than the beasts of the field but, in spite of their great power and intelligence, oft considered to be a little lower than Man. From a scientific point of view, they are in a category all their own, separated from the rest of creation by the very make up of their genes. Their genes are coded in the language of a chain of proteins even more complex than the deoxyribonucleic acids that hold the blueprints for all other life on earth and somehow accounts for many of their supernatural abilities. I knew the name for it at one time, but have long since forgotten.
For many years, scientist sought to understand the workings of the Pokémon genome, and to find a way to reconcile it to the DNA based genomes of other creatures. They were mostly unsuccessful in reconciling how the two kinds of genetic material could have come into existence. However, early in the year 2081, a privately funded laboratory discovered that under the proper conditions, Pokémon genetic material would absorb DNA and convert it to create a new organism. The process was delicate and even the slightest disturbance could destroy both sets of genetic material.
By the end of that year, the scientists had managed to create twelve chimerans made from human DNA and the genetic material of several Pokémon. The public response, of Pokémon and human alike, to the use of human DNA to create these creatures that stood in the gap between humanity and Pokémon was as varied as it was passionate.
On the one side were those who felt that the way scientists had forced together the human race and pokemonkind into a single bastard life form was an affront to Arceus himself. On the other side were those who thought that this was a bold move forward in the scientific world towards truly understanding just how Pokémon and humanity came to be on the same planet. However, whether the world liked it or not, the Twelve had arrived and we were to be the first of many.
I was Subject #273, the last of the Twelve. I was a Zorua, well, a Zorua Chimeran anyway. In addition to the more humanoid shape that the inclusion of the human genome provided, it also brought incredible variation from the pure Pokémon coloration. Instead of a grey fur with red tips, I had grey tips and pitch black fur with solid red eyes and gold pupils. I resembled a pale demon. Others of the twelve were more fortunate, like # 200, a snow white Riolu with gold patches of metal and silver markings. He was a fucking angel, and the poster boy of the Twelve. The lucky bastard.
By the winter of 2083, it was decided that we, the Twelve and the nearly twelve hundred chimerans that had been produced since our unveiling, were in fact deserving of human rights. As such the empty cold rooms of scientific study were no place for us, and we were all put up for adoption.
Over the course of three months, Child Services worked its collective ass off to get us all placed in good homes. I was one of the last to be placed, and having received more than a few unnerved looks from potential families I was very skeptical of the social worker's claim that the family I was being placed with had practically begged to have me specifically.
I took a seat in one of the small chairs in the middle of the room facing the door, like I always had before, and expected it to be no different than those times before. A young, up and coming couple would come through the door take a look at me, and their expression would go from one of excitement to one of disappointment. They might ask a couple questions or they might say nothing at all, but in the end they would leave and I would stay. That was all that mattered.
I jumped in surprise as the door flew open and a Weavile sprinted into the room with a manic grin and leapt at me. With a yelp I dropped out of the chair and the Weavile flew by me, crashing into the chair and knocking the little piece of wooden furniture over. I scrambled to my feet and ran for the still open door. Suddenly my avenue of escape was filled by an old man in a brown suit. Unable to stop in time I crashed into his legs and fell on my ass. I looked back over my shoulder at the Weavile who was back on her feet and coming towards me again. In terror I darted between the old man's legs and hid behind him, and I'm pretty sure I was trembling.
"Rio! Stop it!" the old man barked in a scolding tone. "You're scaring the poor boy." The Weavile's delighted expression vanished and she pulled up short, slapping her forehead.
I stared up at the old man's back, nobody, not even the case workers, had ever referred to me as a boy. It was always 'Chimeran' or 'Number Twelve', and before that it had been 'Subject 273'. He turned and crouched down, letting out a small groan as he smiled at me, "You'll have to pardon Rio, she's a bit hyper and when she heard that she was going to have a little brother... well, she was a bit too eager to meet you."
I looked past him to the Weavile and she waved at me with smile, [Hey there baby brother!]
"Is this the little one?" I turned around to see an old woman looking down at me with a friendly smile. She smiles and bends over to run her hand through my thick grey head fur, "He has such pretty eyes."
They led me out of the room and into the lobby where the man began filling out paperwork, or maybe he was finishing, since it didn't take him very long. He was almost done when he crouched down next to me again, "I need to give them your name, how does Kaine sound to you?" Kaine, it was a strong name. I nodded. He smiled at me, "Then your name is now Kaine Rosencrantz Stern."
After handing the finished paperwork over to one of the caseworkers, Mr. and Mrs. Stern led me out to their car, an ancient fossil fuel burning van, and I was buckled into the back in a booster seat next to Rio. We drove to a small house in a suburban neighborhood and during that trip I'm not sure if Rio even paused for breath as she babbled on about all the fun things we were going to do. I didn't hear more than a couple words, being entranced by how colorful the world was outside the white walls of the facility where I had been born and spent the entire three years of my life up to this point with the exception of the unveiling ceremony. The grays of concrete, the greens and browns of all the trees that lined the streets, the countless colors of electric cars and the occasional levcraft flying overhead all held me hypnotized and awestruck.
Mr. Stern parked the car in the drive and let me out of the car seat so that we all could go inside. It wasn't a fancy place, cream colored walls and blue tile floors with a painting here and there to break up the monotony, but I loved it. Then Mr. And Mrs. Stern led me into a room with blue painted walls and a child's twin bed. There was a dresser on the top of which sat a little collection of letters which, thanks to the scientists' diligent instruction, I could read: K-A-I-N-E. My name.
"And this is your room Kaine. Your own little place in our home." Mrs. Stern bent down and gave me a hug, "Welcome to the family."
I stood there frozen, blown away. My name, my home, my family. I had gone from being a number in a scientific facility to being a boy with a name... in a family... in a home. Even at that age I somehow understood the import of all this. My vision blurred and I felt dampness on my face. I threw myself at Mr. and Mrs. Stern and hugged them with all my strength. They had given me so much. I was somebody now, and I was home.Chapter End Notes:more to come. :D
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended, and is applicable for all consecutive chapters that follow.
For many years, scientist sought to understand the workings of the Pokémon genome, and to find a way to reconcile it to the DNA based genomes of other creatures. They were mostly unsuccessful in reconciling how the two kinds of genetic material could have come into existence. However, early in the year 2081, a privately funded laboratory discovered that under the proper conditions, Pokémon genetic material would absorb DNA and convert it to create a new organism. The process was delicate and even the slightest disturbance could destroy both sets of genetic material.
By the end of that year, the scientists had managed to create twelve chimerans made from human DNA and the genetic material of several Pokémon. The public response, of Pokémon and human alike, to the use of human DNA to create these creatures that stood in the gap between humanity and Pokémon was as varied as it was passionate.
On the one side were those who felt that the way scientists had forced together the human race and pokemonkind into a single bastard life form was an affront to Arceus himself. On the other side were those who thought that this was a bold move forward in the scientific world towards truly understanding just how Pokémon and humanity came to be on the same planet. However, whether the world liked it or not, the Twelve had arrived and we were to be the first of many.
I was Subject #273, the last of the Twelve. I was a Zorua, well, a Zorua Chimeran anyway. In addition to the more humanoid shape that the inclusion of the human genome provided, it also brought incredible variation from the pure Pokémon coloration. Instead of a grey fur with red tips, I had grey tips and pitch black fur with solid red eyes and gold pupils. I resembled a pale demon. Others of the twelve were more fortunate, like # 200, a snow white Riolu with gold patches of metal and silver markings. He was a fucking angel, and the poster boy of the Twelve. The lucky bastard.
By the winter of 2083, it was decided that we, the Twelve and the nearly twelve hundred chimerans that had been produced since our unveiling, were in fact deserving of human rights. As such the empty cold rooms of scientific study were no place for us, and we were all put up for adoption.
Over the course of three months, Child Services worked its collective ass off to get us all placed in good homes. I was one of the last to be placed, and having received more than a few unnerved looks from potential families I was very skeptical of the social worker's claim that the family I was being placed with had practically begged to have me specifically.
I took a seat in one of the small chairs in the middle of the room facing the door, like I always had before, and expected it to be no different than those times before. A young, up and coming couple would come through the door take a look at me, and their expression would go from one of excitement to one of disappointment. They might ask a couple questions or they might say nothing at all, but in the end they would leave and I would stay. That was all that mattered.
I jumped in surprise as the door flew open and a Weavile sprinted into the room with a manic grin and leapt at me. With a yelp I dropped out of the chair and the Weavile flew by me, crashing into the chair and knocking the little piece of wooden furniture over. I scrambled to my feet and ran for the still open door. Suddenly my avenue of escape was filled by an old man in a brown suit. Unable to stop in time I crashed into his legs and fell on my ass. I looked back over my shoulder at the Weavile who was back on her feet and coming towards me again. In terror I darted between the old man's legs and hid behind him, and I'm pretty sure I was trembling.
"Rio! Stop it!" the old man barked in a scolding tone. "You're scaring the poor boy." The Weavile's delighted expression vanished and she pulled up short, slapping her forehead.
I stared up at the old man's back, nobody, not even the case workers, had ever referred to me as a boy. It was always 'Chimeran' or 'Number Twelve', and before that it had been 'Subject 273'. He turned and crouched down, letting out a small groan as he smiled at me, "You'll have to pardon Rio, she's a bit hyper and when she heard that she was going to have a little brother... well, she was a bit too eager to meet you."
I looked past him to the Weavile and she waved at me with smile, [Hey there baby brother!]
"Is this the little one?" I turned around to see an old woman looking down at me with a friendly smile. She smiles and bends over to run her hand through my thick grey head fur, "He has such pretty eyes."
They led me out of the room and into the lobby where the man began filling out paperwork, or maybe he was finishing, since it didn't take him very long. He was almost done when he crouched down next to me again, "I need to give them your name, how does Kaine sound to you?" Kaine, it was a strong name. I nodded. He smiled at me, "Then your name is now Kaine Rosencrantz Stern."
After handing the finished paperwork over to one of the caseworkers, Mr. and Mrs. Stern led me out to their car, an ancient fossil fuel burning van, and I was buckled into the back in a booster seat next to Rio. We drove to a small house in a suburban neighborhood and during that trip I'm not sure if Rio even paused for breath as she babbled on about all the fun things we were going to do. I didn't hear more than a couple words, being entranced by how colorful the world was outside the white walls of the facility where I had been born and spent the entire three years of my life up to this point with the exception of the unveiling ceremony. The grays of concrete, the greens and browns of all the trees that lined the streets, the countless colors of electric cars and the occasional levcraft flying overhead all held me hypnotized and awestruck.
Mr. Stern parked the car in the drive and let me out of the car seat so that we all could go inside. It wasn't a fancy place, cream colored walls and blue tile floors with a painting here and there to break up the monotony, but I loved it. Then Mr. And Mrs. Stern led me into a room with blue painted walls and a child's twin bed. There was a dresser on the top of which sat a little collection of letters which, thanks to the scientists' diligent instruction, I could read: K-A-I-N-E. My name.
"And this is your room Kaine. Your own little place in our home." Mrs. Stern bent down and gave me a hug, "Welcome to the family."
I stood there frozen, blown away. My name, my home, my family. I had gone from being a number in a scientific facility to being a boy with a name... in a family... in a home. Even at that age I somehow understood the import of all this. My vision blurred and I felt dampness on my face. I threw myself at Mr. and Mrs. Stern and hugged them with all my strength. They had given me so much. I was somebody now, and I was home.Chapter End Notes:more to come. :D
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended, and is applicable for all consecutive chapters that follow.