Pokemon: Behold the Father of All Pokemons

Ethan pushed open the door to Breeder Room #2 in the lab and was greeted by a soft singing voice:

"Let time flow quietly at your fingertips,

and comb your long hair until it is white.

Time is light and you will have a sunny day, my dear girl..."

It was James, singing softly as he sat on the cool tiled floor. Around him, a small crowd of young Pichus, soon to leave for their new homes, huddled against him for warmth. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his features and giving the scene a soft, ethereal glow.

"May you be warm for three winters,

May you not be cold in the spring,

May you have lights in the dark,

And umbrellas in the rain,

May time slow down,

May old friends never leave you,

And may you have someone to walk with..."

Though originally a love song, James' gentle rendition now felt more like a tender farewell to the soon-to-be departed Pichu.

Ethan stood for a moment, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, quietly listening. When James finished, Ethan stepped forward.

"Feeling sad again?" he asked, lowering himself to the floor beside him. He reached out to brush a fingertip lightly across the forehead of a nearby Pichu.

"No, I'm just singing," James replied, though the melancholy in his eyes told a different story.

Ethan sighed. "Lab work might not be your thing if you're this down every time we send out a batch. Makes me think I should transfer you somewhere else."

"I don't want that!" James muttered. "It's just... these Pichu are so sweet. I've never grown so attached to another project."

Ethan smiled weakly. "All right, all right. Just don't sit on the cold floor."

He got up and offered James his hand. James blinked in mild surprise, but placed his palm in Ethan's and James rose with his support.

"If nothing unexpected happens, we'll delay the shipment of the Pichu for a day or two," Ethan said. "They were supposed to leave tomorrow, but something came up with the transportation channels."

"A delay?" James' first reaction was relief, he had more time with the little ones! but worry quickly followed. "What happened?"

Ethan's expression darkened. "It's Charles again. I called a couple of shipping companies, but they all declined for 'various reasons. Later I found out they're part of the Biolife Alliance. They say Charles told them directly not to accept any shipments from us.

"I saw this coming, but I didn't expect him to block us at the distribution level. The Biolife Alliance controls over half the channels in the Alverez Kingdom for shipping, advertising, and selling GMOs. Most biotech companies rely on them for their well-established, professional channels. We can still sell online, e-commerce isn't the main issue. But advertising and shipping could be a big pain."

Suddenly, a cheerful ringtone came from a tablet on a nearby cart:

Ethan ignored it. "Not every station is owned by the Biolife Alliance, thank goodness. I've sent people to negotiate with companies outside their network. But some of our customers specifically want certain shipping companies; now we have to tell them 'no dice'. It's a mess.

"Does Charles really think he can make me cave? As if I'm just going to hand over my technology so he can realize his 'grand vision'?"

If Pokémon Biotech had been around for years, it might have developed its own stable distribution by now. But since they were still relatively new, building an entire network from the ground up, city by city, region by region, would take an enormous amount of resources and time. Delivering Pichu within Tarvok City was doable; anything beyond that quickly became complicated.

James opened his mouth, wanting to encourage Ethan but not knowing how to put it into words. Many people had already given in to the pressure of the Panex Group, but Ethan wouldn't give in.

"Anyway, let's not dwell on it," Ethan finally said and turned to the group of Pichu. He knelt down and patted a few heads, then looked up at James. "By the way, how are those seeds I asked you to incubate last time?"

James brightened at the topic. "They're close to becoming eggs. But one of the culture tanks is behaving strangely. It's using up nutrient fluid faster than normal, but growth is lagging. It's like it's burning resources without fully converting them."

"Which tank?" Ethan asked, his interest piqued.

"The large tank #1," James said. "I suspect Mew, uh, this creature needs more of a certain component. If that substance is in short supply in the solution, it stalls. Adding more liquid won't help if the ratio of that key element never increases."

Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Makes sense. If Mew needs a higher proportion of a nutrient and the solution can't provide it, it'll hit a bottleneck. Just keep an eye on it. We definitely don't want a failed breeding cycle. If something goes wrong with Mew, I can't just replicate him like some of the others, his data is still locked."

James nodded. "Got it. I'll watch closely."

Ethan gestured at the scurrying Pichu. The room was a bit cramped, and they scampered around, squeaking with excitement. "Let's take them outside for a while," he suggested. "It's too crowded in here."

As they led the Pichu out, James asked, "Didn't you say you were looking for a zoo or something so they could roam free? Any progress?"

"Still working on it," Ethan replied with a shrug. "We have two leads. The management of one zoo is transferring, but we have to figure out what to do with the existing animals. Elijah is checking to see if they can be relocated. If not, we'd have to care for them alongside our Pokémon, which is a huge cost difference. Regular animals don't have the same needs as our Pokémon. It's a big decision."

Sunlight filled the hallway, and the Pichu ran ahead, chirping happily. Ethan and James followed, partly to supervise, partly to enjoy their infectious energy. Despite the mounting obstacles - shipping complications, land management, the looming threat of the Panex Group - Ethan felt a simple satisfaction in that moment.

No matter what challenges came their way, he believed they could handle them. These Pokémon, whether the soon-to-be-departed Pichu, the lively Squirtle teams, or the mysterious Mew, were worth every bit of the effort.

...

Come one and all, and experience this magic trick, but you have to pay the price or there'll be no dice, so come on down to:

patreon.com/chibi_mon_mon