Pokemon: Behold the Father of All Pokemons

After Ethan seeded the last of the culture tanks, he restored the lab's security systems and reactivated the overhead cameras. He watched as James entered to perform the usual checks on each tank's new "gene seed".

For a moment, everything seemed normal. But soon James' startled exclamation rang through the room:

"Mr. Grave, come quickly! Something's happening in Tank #100!"

Tank #100 was where Ethan had placed Ditto's gene seed. Intrigued, he rushed over, joined by several other researchers. Without even looking at the instruments, they could see strange changes right through the transparent chamber. Instead of forming into a recognizable embryonic form, Ditto was an amorphous blob absorbing nutrients at a dizzying rate. Its purple, jelly-like body was visibly expanding by the minute.

---

Ethan recalled the lore he'd once gathered from games and fan theories that suggested Ditto was a failed Mew clone, or even Mew's discarded cellular mass. According to official sources, Ditto was known to copy any shape, and with enough practice, it could even imitate humans. Now, he realized, this unique Pokémon might defy the standard hatching process entirely.

A nearby researcher whistled softly. "It's growing so fast... this tank is losing nutrients twice as fast as normal."

James pointed to the console displaying real-time consumption data. "We're going to have to replace the culture medium in half an hour or less. This is a large culture tank, we never use it up that fast!"

Ethan let a faint grin appear. "So Ditto's hogging all the resources, huh? That could be interesting."

Minutes became an hour, then two. The researchers scurried back and forth, cycling fresh batches of nutrient fluid into Tank #100. With each exchange, Ditto swelled and quivered like molten plastic, assuming no stable form other than a vaguely blob-like state. The entire staff exchanged looks of disbelief, murmuring that they'd never seen such a rapid progression.

---

Suddenly, the console beeped: the absorption rate had dropped to zero. Ditto's feeding frenzy was over. Peering through the glass, Ethan and James saw the pliable purple mass bobbing gently against the tank walls, as if trying to climb out.

"That must be it," Ethan said, stepping forward. He deactivated the tank's nutrient supply and watched as the liquid drained out.

As the level dropped, Ditto slid down and pressed itself against the glass in curiosity. Its tiny black, pearl-like eyes darted around. One observer in the back muttered, "Creepy..." Another whispered, "Is this actually a success or some weird glitch in the design?"

Ethan chuckled and opened the tank's hatch. Ditto dropped onto the platform with a soft splash and blinked up at the group of scientists. His form seemed almost solid now, smooth, pliable, and slightly reflective.

"All right," Ethan said. "No need to panic. Let's get it out carefully."

He reached down and scooped the purple goo into his arms. To his relief, it felt warm and slightly moist, not as slimy as one might expect. Ditto looked at him with wide-eyed wonder and let out a soft gurgle.

---

James grimaced as he approached. "Mr. Grave, it's... not exactly cute. Do we know what it eats? Or if it needs any special care?"

"Let's experiment." Ethan nodded to a couple of scientists. "Bring over the usual nutrient creams. Let's see what it prefers."

A small tray of different cream formulas was assembled. With hesitant hands, a researcher offered the samples. Ditto's eyes lit up; in a flash, his mouth opened, his tongue wagging around the whole plastic tube and all! Everyone yelped.

"D-Ditto! Spit that out!" Ethan gently slapped its back. After a few shaky seconds, Ditto spat out the empty container. It had sucked out every drop of the nutrient paste.

Wide eyed, James exclaimed, "It just swallowed the whole thing, it wasn't phased at all. This may be the strangest newborn we've ever had."

---

Ditto sampled each tube, gobbling them down with eagerness until it found a particular cream that pleased its palate. When it reached it, the blob let out a satisfied squeal and clapped its stubby appendages together. Ethan recognized the behavior from other newly hatched Pokémon: it was delighted.

"Keep feeding it that special formula," Ethan instructed, chuckling as he wiped some of the remaining goo from Ditto's cheek. "Then we'll see if it can bond with the rest of our Pokémon. If all goes well, maybe it'll learn to transform."

James furrowed his brow. "You want to, uh, integrate it with the others? Won't they be put off by... that?"

Ethan shrugged slightly and carried Ditto to a side enclosure. "Possibly. But I suspect Ditto will adapt to them soon enough. And if it has the power to become just about anything, it'll learn to fit in one way or another."

Raising a playful eyebrow, Ethan gave Ditto's soft body a gentle squeeze. The little blob responded by nuzzling his hand with a tiny purr. Its pea-sized eyes almost closed in contentment. For all its bizarre qualities, it showed an unexpected sweetness.

---

Ditto's rapid growth and strange behavior had the entire lab team on edge, unsure whether they were dealing with a brilliant breakthrough or a potential "monster. Ethan Grave, however, remained calm. He simply envisioned the day when Ditto could imitate another Pokémon, perhaps even mimic human gestures.

"All right," he finally said. "Log its current status. We'll monitor it around the clock for now. Any signs of unusual transformations, let me know."

While the researchers rushed to set up new observation protocols, Ethan gently placed Ditto in a padded enclosure. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but grin at the possibilities. This was a Pokémon that truly defied expectations.

"I look forward to watching you surprise us all," Ethan murmured, giving Ditto a final pat. Ditto responded with a soft, contented squeal.

No one in the lab doubted that the coming weeks would be full of new mysteries. After all, this was Ditto, the malleable shapeshifter who could become almost anything at a moment's notice. For now, he seemed curious and docile, but who knew what wonders lay in store when he finally tapped into his limitless potential?

...

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