The Secret of MissingNo

By Mandy Nader

Chapter 14: Myall

Later that evening, the group returned to the abandoned laboratory for the night. Jeremy had discovered a cupboard full of Max Revives, which he quickly pocketed and began healing his injured Pokemon. You guys have been through a lot lately, the trainer thought. But don't worry, I'm still taking you to Indigo… eventually.

In the main laboratory, Eric was working feverishly on the new clone, muttering to himself as he adjusted DNA levels on a computer workstation. "You'll help us out, won't you?" he asked, glancing up at the partially-completed clone. "You won't turn on us like those renegade Glitches. I just know you're going to be something special. I just don't know what." Stone sighed, taking a long drink of his coffee. "I'm glad Giovanni doesn't know about you," he whispered. "I won't let anyone take you away from me."

Rose stayed in the break room, still bothered by the half-completed experiments floating in their cloning cylinders. Sipping a cup of green tea, the Rocket girl flipped through a stained, discarded research journal, reading the most interesting parts to Entei, who seemed to never leave her side.

"Listen to this," she said suddenly. "It says here that one of these experiments tried to evolve into a Clefairy, then into a Nidoking…"

"That's a crock of sh*t," commented Entei, yawning and stretching like a huge cat. "Pokemon just don't evolve that way."

"No, real Pokemon don't. Real Pokemon aren't created by people trying to make some super-powered creature."

Entei stood up, reading over her shoulder. "Do you think this abilities list is accurate? There's a lot of strong moves here." He jabbed a claw at a list of Pokemon moves.

"Weird. They're good moves, but they don't follow any specific Pokemon type. You've got Waterfall, Thunder Punch, Horn Attack, Mega Kick, Aurora Beam… what would that kind of Pokemon even look like, anyway?"

Entei nodded in the direction of the main lab. "I think we're about to find out."

*****

A few hours later, Jeremy suddenly awoke, as if startled out of a deep sleep. I must have dozed off… wonder what time it is? Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he wandered into the main lab, walking toward the single active cloning cylinder. The creature inside looked decidedly more cat-like than before. Illuminated only by the computer monitor's eerie blue glow, Eric Stone continued to work, carefully checking statistics on screens of data.

"How's it going?" Jeremy asked, walking beside his brother.

Eric jumped visibly, evidently flustered. "Jeremy! You startled me."

Jeremy laughed. "You need to cut back on the caffeine." He suddenly paused when his noticed that his brother's eyes were wet with tears. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Eric snapped. "I'm trying to work."

"This place still bugs you out, doesn't it?" asked the young trainer, pulling up a chair from a nearby lab table. "Was it that bad working here before?"

"I've done things here that I'm not proud of," Stone muttered, staring into the monitor. "This is my one chance to fix my mistakes."

"You mean those Glitches?"

"Among other things. You should get some rest, Jer. I have a feeling that tomorrow's going to be a busy day."

*****

An empty 12-cup coffee pot sat atop a pile of old research journals as the first light of dawn tinted the horizon a pale pinkish color. A bleary-eyed Professor Stone continued to work, double-checking his data again and again, administering nutrients and chemicals. Overnight, the new clone had taken shape. The Professor could feel its life energy flowing from the cloning cylinder, and could almost hear its worried, confused thoughts.

Where am I? What am I?

"You'll be okay," he whispered. "I promise I'll take care of you."

Throughout the night, the Professor had worked diligently, combining the samples of Meowth DNA, Persian DNA, and Entei DNA with the existing Mew clone. He checked the statistics screen again - this thing was smart. It had to be all that Psychic DNA from Mew. The tiny frame also possessed incredible speed and strength - that would be from Entei and the cat Pokemon. But there was something else, too, something that Stone couldn't quantitatively measure - almost like a feeling. This new creature was afraid, and seemed to almost remember things better left forgotten from early on in its creation.

Stone pressed a button on his console, and a small burst of pinkish liquid entered the cylinder - a mild sleep-inducing chemical. The impression in the professor's mind changed to a calm bluish-purple undulation. I've been up too long, he thought. Feelings don't have colors, do they?

Stone watched the small, kitten-like clone Pokemon, sleeping peacefully as it drifted closer to completion. It would probably be a Psychic Pokemon, but what if it had another type too? What kind of moves would it have? Maybe you're not what Giovanni had wanted, he thought. But I don't give a damn.

*****

Around 9 AM, Jeremy again wandered into the main laboratory, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The same persistent, smooth-sounding voice had filled his dreams again, but this time Jeremy hadn't responded to it. Near dawn, the voice had given up and allowed him a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

At the computer workstation, Eric dozed, hunched over his keyboard. Nearby, the clone seemed to be asleep too, curled up into a tiny cat-like ball.

Jeremy was about to leave his brother undisturbed when a loud roaring yawn jolted the professor out of his slumber.

Eric sat up abruptly, quickly cycling through screens of data. "I hope I haven't slept too long… this is the critical stage…"

"How's our little kitty doing?" asked Rose, wandering out of the break room area, wearing an oversized t-shirt with a big red "R" on the front and spandex exercise shorts. Entei followed, giving another roaring yawn.

"Hey, I think it's about to wake up!" Jeremy said excitedly as the small clone stirred in its sleep. "It sure looks different from last night."

"I think our little friend is ready to meet the world," Stone said, pressing a large button that began to drain the fluid from the cloning cylinder. As the small cat floated down to the bottom of the emptying tube, another button opened up a door in the glass. The clone stretched, sat up, and opened its eyes.

The new creature before them looked different from any Pokemon they had ever seen. Although its body resembled a Mew, the little cat was peach-colored instead of pink. Its ears resembled those of a Meowth, and between its large, curious green eyes sparkled the blood-red ruby of a Persian. Entei-colored wisps of fur surrounded the genetic cat's neck like a fancy collar. Its wavy tail alternately coiled up and released with every breath it took.

"Well…?" began Stone nervously. He looked deep into the cat's emerald eyes. The cat blinked at him.

Stone once again felt the thoughts swirling through the genetic creature's mind. Who am I? What am I? Why am I here?

"It's… interesting…" began Entei.

"It's so CUTE!" squealed Rose, scooping the little cat into her arms and giving it a warm hug.

Eric gasped. "Rose, what are you doing?" he shouted. "It's never had contact with humans before - it might bite you!"

"Aw, this little cutie wouldn't do anything like that, would you, sweetie?" the Rocket girl cooed, nuzzling the little cat against her face.

What is this? It feels… nice, the creature thought, its soft, fuzzy body relaxing in her arms. This is… good!

"Little cutie, I want you to meet a new friend," Rose continued, pulling her Meowth's Poke Ball from her belt.

"Is that such a good idea?" asked Jeremy. "What if…"

"Look, Kitty. This is our new friend. Say hi, Kitty!"

Rose's Meowth leaped onto her shoulder and raised its paw tentatively toward the new genetic cat. The new creature looked at the raised paw for a moment, then slowly put its own paw forward and touched Meowth's paw. The peach kitten made a happy-sounding noise and nuzzled against Meowth, who instinctively nuzzled back.

"See? You were so worried for nothing," said Rose, warmly hugging the cats in her arms. Both purred delightedly.

"I thought most clones started out with anger issues," said Jeremy. "Good thing you're a cat person."

"Most clones don't get that kind of warm reception," added Entei. "I'm starting to get a little jealous."

"I still need to do a few tests…" began Stone, reaching for the small cat.

"No! My kitty!" cried Rose, clutching the clone protectively in her arms.

"We have to see what she can do," insisted Eric, a touch of irritation in his voice as he gently but firmly pried the cat from the Rocket girl's arms. "Then you can play with her all you want."

"She? The clone's a girl?" asked Jeremy. "How did that happen?"

"It could have been any number of factors - the original Pokemon DNA samples, environmental influences, or just plain luck."

"She needs a name," commented Entei. "The poor thing's going to get a complex if we keep calling her 'that cloned thing'."

"How about 'Myall'?" asked Rose. "Kinda like a Mew helped by all of us."

"Do you like that, girl?" asked Jeremy, grinning at the little feline. "Myall?"

Myall? the creature said in a high, airy voice. It giggled. Myall! Myall rose up into the air and began floating happily around the room, saying her new name.

"Since when can it fly?" asked Rose, astounded. "Cats don't fly!"

"We did start with Mew DNA," mused Eric. "And some Psychic Pokemon have levitating abilities. But we added other DNA as well. I wonder how many of Mew's traits she actually has."

Carefully scooping Myall into his arms, Stone set her down on the lab table and opened a research notebook. Myall looked at him skeptically.

"It's okay, Myall. This isn't going to hurt. I just need to make some notes about you. We're going to do a few simple tests. All right?"

Myall appeared to be thinking it over. After a few moments, she looked Professor Stone square in the face and nodded.

My God, it's like she understands me completely.

"Okay, Myall, think fast!" Stone grabbed a crumpled-up ball of paper from the lab table and threw it gently at Myall. Instinctively, she encased herself in a shimmering translucent bubble. The ball of paper bounced off harmlessly. "I'm impressed," he muttered, scribbling down notes. "Natural shield."

"Let's try this again," Stone said, retrieving the ball of paper. "This time, focus your mind on that ball of paper when it hits your shield. Try to throw it away from you."

Stone tossed the paper ball, slightly harder this time, and Myall's shield appeared again. This time, however, the ball caught fire the second it made contact with her bubble. Dumping a cup of cold coffee on the fiery ball, Eric Stone began to laugh.

"Might you be a Psychic/Fire type, Myall?"

Myall giggled.

At that moment, Jeremy and Rose appeared at the break room entrance carrying their backpacks. Rose's Meowth sat on her shoulder, watching Myall intently.

"We're going to get breakfast at the Poke Mart," Jeremy called. "You want something?"

"Just a fresh coffee. Extra-large."

"I swear, that boy's got coffee running through his veins," chuckled Entei as he watched Myall playfully chase the scorched paper ball around the lab table.

"You need something more substantial than that!" cried Rose, shaking her head. "Entei, what do you want?"

Entei grinned at her mischievously. "What I want isn't appropriate in front of mixed company. We'd need to get a room, and…"

"That's not what I meant!" she yelled, blushing. "What do you want for breakfast! As in food! You perverted-"

Rose was suddenly interrupted as the laboratory was rocked by a large explosion. The remaining glass cylinders shattered, yellowish goo splattering the walls as the explosions continued.

"Quick, take cover!" shouted the Professor.

"Where?" asked Jeremy, panic in his voice.

"Get underneath something stronger than your head!" yelled Entei over the din of breaking glass and bomb-like explosions.

Everyone crawled under the heavy steel lab tables, as Rose recalled her Meowth into its ball.

Myall had encased herself in her translucent bubble-like shield, floating nervously near Eric as the quake continued.

Another blast shook the laboratory, and chunks of the ceiling began to fall.

"We've got to get outside before the whole place collapses!" screamed Rose.

Eric clasped Myall's sphere tightly in his arms and grabbed his research journals before dashing outside. The cup of coffee he had been drinking earlier that morning was left behind, bits of broken glass and plaster floating in the liquid.

"Get on my back, quickly!" yelled Entei, dodging falling plaster. Jeremy and Rose crawled out from under their lab table and held tightly to Entei's back. The Legendary Pokemon leapt over the remains of Cinnabar Lab's genetic equipment and fled the building. Moments later, one of the chemical spills ignited and the old laboratory was soon ablaze.

"Everybody okay?" asked Jeremy. "I hope I got all my stuff out of there."

"Too late to go back now," said Rose, pointing at the smoldering building. "That place is a ticking time bomb with all those chemicals in there."

"Sh*t," growled Entei, glancing over his shoulder. "Looks like we've got company."

Jeremy and Rose whirled around to see Eric Stone staring fiercely at 'M and MissingNo, his fists clenched. The two half-complete clones didn't appear to notice Stone, instead glaring at the tiny Myall with unbridled disgust.

The Glitches had returned to Cinnabar Island.

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