Once upon a time, on the Isle of Cinnibar. . .
Aaron Oak woke to the sound of his son, Larry, pounding on his bedroom
door.�Dad!� he shouted.� You got a package from some guy named Blaine Meroy!�
Aaron was a tall, good looking man with a kind face, hazel eyes, and
light brown hair. He smiled. �I'm coming, son,� he called. It being Larry's
twelth birthday, Aaron knew he shouldn't keep him too long.You see, when you
turn twelve, you must travel to Pallet Town to receive your first Pokemon
from the acclaimed scientist, Giovanni Preston. That is, if you want to be a
trainer.
Aaron stepped out into the hallway, where Larry stood fidgeting with a
small package.�Hurry up and open it, 'cause I've got to go you-know-where to
get you-know-what!� He absentmindedly tore the wrapping.�Oops.� He handed it
to his father, who mimicked the antics of his son and opened the package. A
pokeball rolled out.�You don�t think this Blaine guy is Professor Preston�s
assistant and they sent the Pokemon in advance, do you, Dad?�
�Sorry to disappoint you, but Mr. Meroy is my friend and colleague at he
office. He just came back from a Pokemon hunting expedition in Seafoam.
Wonder what this is?� he picked up the poke ball and threw it against the
wall.�Whatever-you-are, go!�
A tiny white Pokemon with big, blue eyes and a huge, clublike tail popped
out. �Mew!� it cried softly.
Just then, Aaron noticed a note at the bottom of the package. It read:
Dear Aaron,
Hi! We captured a number of Pokemon in Seafoam. However, we only managed
to get a few of these.We christened this new species Mew for the obvious
reason that it looks just like a typical housecat, but don�t be fooled! She�s
very powerful. If they had been a bit weaker we would have captured more!
Your Friend,
Blaine
�Cool, a new Pokemon!� said Larry. �Well, I�ve got to go. See you later, Dad!� He walked down the stairs with a great air of importance about him. �Bye,� he said distractedly. He had just noticed a P.S. It read:
P.S. I�d like to see more Mew in captivity. If your up to it, would you mind genetically engineering a couple for breeding? Just a thought. See you at the lab.
�Hmmmmm. . . . .� This sounded like a challenge. Even though Aaron and Blaine were friends at work, they were officially rivals as registered by Professor Preston. He wrote this as a reply:
Dear Blaine,
I accept your challenge. However, since we are rivals, I must insist you
perform the same task. If you�re not doing it, neither am I.
Your Friend(and rival),
Aaron
Chapter Two
The Visit
The next day at the office, Blaine sat with Aaron at midmorning break.
�I got your letter,� he said while fumbling with his travel mug. He
grinned. �I, too, accept. But how many are we, erm, supposed to make?�
�Only one. We don�t know if this will work or not.�
Blaine got up. �Great! We can start now! Remember, every day is
experiment day here.�
Aaron smiled broadly, flashing his pearly white teeth.�And if this is
anything productive, it�s experimenting.�
As they walked in, the other staff flooded them with questions.
�Can I see Mew?�
�How powerful is she?�
�Are you really going to engineer one?�
�Did you tell everyone?� Aaron asked.
�Just what I was going to ask you. Okay, who�s been eavesdropping?� A
pink, chubby hand rose.�How many times do I have to tell you, Jake!� Blaine
roared.�If two other people are having a conversation, please do us all a
world of good and BUTT OUT!�
�I�ll try,� he squeaked.
�Don�t try, do it!� replied a slightly calmer Blaine.� And don�t give me
that �I can�t help it� business, you lazy, rotten. . . . .�
�Break it up, or I�ll send my Pidgeotto to bring a nasty letter to
Professor Preston!� Aaron turned around. There stood his son, Larry Oak.
�Larry! How did you . . ?�
� Pidgeotto flew me,� he said simply.� Oh, Dad, I got lots of good
Pokemon. Come see!�
Aaron hurried along behind his son. They stopped. �Alright, pick a poke
ball, any poke ball!�He picked up the poke ball in the middle of the three
Larry had laid out.�That�s my first Pokemon. Giovanni said he had just got
it. He said he saved it especially for me,� Larry puffed out his chest
importantly.� I present the new psychic species, Mew!�
Out of the poke ball popped another Mew, identical to the first one.�Mr.
Meroy must have sent one to Professor Preston! Dad, isn�t it great? A brand
new species!�
�Ahh, yes, it is,� Aaron replied.�Guess what?�
�What?�
�I�m going to attempt to genetically engineer one!�
Larry gasped. �What will happen to the original? Dad, if you�re going to
hurt Mew. . . . .�
Aaron shook his head.�Mew won�t play any life threatening role. She may
give birth to the clone, but she won�t do anything else. I promise she won�t
get hurt in any way.�
�But so many things could go so totally wrong!�
�Son, I�ve taken extra precautions. The cloning expert at work has told
me everything he knows about the subject. Mew will be fine. Now, lets see the
rest of your Pokemon.�
�Okay. Which one?�
Aaron pointed to the poke ball on the left.
�Digglet, go!�
Out popped a small, brown Digglet. �Digglet dig, Digglet dig!�
�Lovely little fellow. Very rare. Only found in that long tunnel.�Larry
explained. �The last one is Pidgeotto. I caught her as a Pidgey. She�s very
obedient. First one I ever captured. Go, Pidgeotto!�
A fierce-looking Pidgeiotto zoomed out.�Pidgeooooooooo!�
�Those are my only three,� he paused.�Dad, I challenge you to a battle.�
Aaron stared at his son, astounded.�Larry, it wouldn�t be fair. No
offense, but I�m too expirienced to battle you. I�ve got four badges. How
many do you have?�
�Four,� he said quietly. �Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, and Rainbow. See?�
he took off his jacket. In the lining were pinned the first four Pokemon
league badges.
�My my, time does fly, doesn�t it? How many months have you been a
trainer?�
�Five.�
�You must have been working very hard.�
Larry cocked his head. Why was his father asking so many questions?�Yes.�
�What I�d really like to know, though, is how you managed to win four
official badges in five months with only three Pokemon.�
�Ummmm. . . . .� Larry didn�t know what to say.�As soon as I got to each
town, I went straight to the Gym. Mew is just powerful, Dad. That�s all.�
�And what did the Cerulean Sisters look like? What were they wearing?�
�Dad, why are you badgering me?�
Aaron sighed.�Lately Team Rocket has been raiding Gyms in that area.�
To Be Continued. . . .