Pokemon: Behold the Father of All Pokemons

A week has passed since Hoothoot, Meowth, and Bulbasaur received their certificates from the Evaluation Agency. Meanwhile, a new batch of Pokémon eggs was formed and sent to the hatchery. Among them were Growlithe, Audino, and Happiny, all of whom were about to hatch.

Ethan quietly noted the exact date the new eggs took shape.

Based on past experience, he could guess that they would hatch on a certain night. Sure enough, that night fell on a Friday. Eager to witness the births and confirm yet another suspicion, Ethan arranged to spend the night at the lab with a handful of colleagues. 

James and the others assumed he simply wanted to see the newborn Pokémon for himself, but Ethan had a secondary motive. The system in his mind revealed itself:

Progress: 8/10.

He needed two more new species to arrive so that a mysterious "world event" could unfold. Everyone spread out in the lounge, resting on chairs and chatting quietly while the local news played on the TV. Ethan, Mew, Ditto and Pikachu lay scattered around him, some on his chest, others curled up on his lap. The lab staff took turns dozing off, turning their attention to the TV or making small talk to pass the time.

Pikachu, nicknamed Timmy by Ethan, climbed onto Ethan's chest, making him breathe harder. "Timmy, you've gained weight," he teased, pushing the Pokémon aside. Pikachu tried to protest, but eventually hopped over to James and snuggled into the pair of welcoming arms.

"It's here!" one of the technicians suddenly shouted from the hatchery. A moment later, the rest, including Ethan, shot up from their seats. A chain of excited voices echoed down the corridor as they rushed to the hatching area.

Inside, several eggs were shaking. Tiny cracks appeared on their surfaces. Staff members moved gently among them, standing by with warm towels, checking temperature readings and documenting everything. The first egg cracked open to reveal a small, fluffy Growlithe. Its orange and cream fur was thick around the chin, almost like a small beard. A curly tuft crowned its head, and its tail looked soft enough to sink a hand into. The girls in the lab squealed with delight.

Then two more eggs split in unison, revealing pink bodies that emerged into the soft incubator lights. One was Happiny, a round little creature with curly hair and a pouch-like shape under its belly. The other was Audino, two-toned with pink and beige, with wavy ears hanging down near her waist and a fluffy tail. Each blinked at the sudden brightness and made tiny mewling noises as the staff cooed in response.

Ethan was only half focused on them. His mind was racing with the system's "progress meter," which had increased the number of new Pokémon. That meant the total number of species had reached ten. A new text box flashed in front of his eyes:

Countdown to Meteor Landing: 60 minutes 59 seconds...

It took him by surprise. The system interface showed several landing sites around Tarvok City. Alarmed, he saw that a chunk would apparently land near the villa area where he lived. "So soon?" he thought, wondering if he would have time to get there.

While the others worried about Growlithe and the pink twins, Ethan read the lines that appeared:

"Cones' genetic code automatically unlocked. Extract and inject into plant cells. They can be cultivated into cones that produce cones used to make Poké Balls, requiring complicated processes."

"If you soak it with a liquid containing Space Power, you can form a Poké Ball directly."

"Soak a meteorite with space energy in water and use that energy to water the cones."

Ethan's eyes blinked quickly, absorbing each sentence. If these meteorites crashed tonight, it sounded easy to retrieve the space energy by simply soaking them in water. But that also meant that any random citizen who found pieces could do the same. Once the meteorites landed all over the city, who knew how many people might claim them?

He also worried about casualties. Most of the meteorites in the region would be small, but they could still pose a threat if they landed near populated areas. The text said many would fall, some near suburban areas. He bit his lip, hoping the potential damage would be minimal.

Pretending to linger at the hatchery for a few more minutes, Ethan slipped away under the guise of an errand. On his way, he summoned Mew, who drifted silently beside him. If large pieces fell, Mew's psychic Confusion might be the best way to carry them. "Confusion can carry large objects," Ethan thought. "I just hope they're not too massive."

He rushed to his car and drove quickly to his villa area, anxious about the final countdown. The meter read 59 minutes, then 58, and ticked steadily down. By the time he parked in his driveway, there were only seconds left. He stepped out onto the front lawn and looked up at the night sky. Sure enough, hundreds of faint streaks of light cut through the darkness, resembling a dense meteor shower. A dull thud reached his ears as boulders rained down in the distance.

One boulder crashed into the far corner of his lawn with a muffled thud, sending up a small cloud of dirt. Ethan ran to investigate. The meteorite, about the size of a football, glowed faintly, radiating heat through the scattered dust. Worried that more might fall in neighboring yards, he half expected the neighbors to storm out in alarm. As surreal as it felt, this event was exactly what the system had predicted.

He looked at Mew. "We need to gather as many as we can," he muttered. "I don't want them to fall into the wrong hands." The pink, feline Pokémon nodded and soared into the air with telekinetic grace. Meanwhile, a local news station was broadcasting an emergency bulletin about small meteor strikes over Tarvok City. Crews were on their way to secure areas, and the local government was urging people to remain calm, stay indoors, and not go near the hot fragments.

But Ethan could not stand idly by. He'd read how important these meteorites were to forging the cones that would produce his next great creation: Poké Balls. Quickly, he grabbed a fireproof glove from his garage and approached the meteorite. Mew hovered behind him, ready to help. Carefully, Ethan plucked the rock from the shallow crater. The hissing chunk hissed softly as it cooled in the night air.

Once stowed in the trunk of his car, Ethan spotted a handful of smaller fragments scattered about. He picked them up one by one with a pair of tongs and placed them in a steel container. "That's at least three decent chunks," he muttered. "Let's see if any more fell near the neighbor's property." He swung a flashlight across the yard. In the distance he heard cries of surprise and the crackling of small brush fires ignited by meteor embers.

Ethan jumped into his car, hoping to quickly scout the nearby streets. Mew sat in the passenger seat, using his telekinesis to grab smaller fragments that came into view. Even with the short search, they collected several glowing stones. He took comfort in the fact that most of the chunks appeared to be modest in size, unlikely to cause serious damage or injury. By the end of the short drive, his trunk contained a respectable haul. Larger chunks, perhaps landing in more remote areas, might be discovered by officials first.

Finally, Ethan returned to the villa. He carried the container inside and placed it on a sturdy workbench in his basement. Mew hovered, studying it with intense curiosity, perhaps sensing the swirling space power within. Ethan exhaled, brushing dust from his sleeves. "I hope no one got hurt by this phenomenon," he muttered. Then he remembered the next step. Soaking these fragments in water would dissolve the distorted space energy, allowing for the growth of special cones that would yield Pokéballs.

He felt a surge of excitement. If done right, Pokémon could soon be stored in portable devices, just like in the Pokémon series. A profound evolution in his project was on the horizon. "Time to see how to cultivate the cones," he whispered, recalling the system's instructions. "Next, I figure out the best environment for them. Once we have the cones, we water them with this meteor-infused liquid, and that's it... or so the system says."

It occurred to him that certain meteorites might fall into the hands of random bystanders or authorities. Others might be captured by unscrupulous individuals. The mass meteor shower over Tarvok City could cause chaos in the coming days as scientists and amateurs alike scrambled to study these cosmic rocks. Perhaps some will dismiss them as ordinary meteorites. Perhaps no one had yet discovered their hidden properties.

Ethan mentally prepared for the swirl of media coverage that would undoubtedly come. For now, though, he cherished the knowledge that he had at least part of what he needed to move forward with the creation of real Poké Balls. Pokémon Biotech was about to enter a new era, and no matter what confusion the meteor shower caused throughout the city, he intended to be at the forefront of this extraordinary development.