- At the HQ Lab -
Aidan, Krane, Michael, Lily and Jovi had gathered around the table in Aidan's research chamber.
Jovi had calmed down after letting out all her enthusiasm and happiness after their return. Lily and Aidan were clearly relieved that everything was okay with their Director. All the other staff had greeted Krane with excitement and relief as well. His return gave everyone a boost of confidence and strength to continue their jobs.
"Thanks to you, Michael, I was able to return safe and sound. Sincerely, thank you."
"Hey, it was nothing!" Michael gave him a thumbs up. "I couldn't just sit back and wait for something to happen, could I?"
Krane smiled. "Though it was a horrible ordeal, I learned a few things when I was in that desert lab."
"Oh?"
"First and foremost, Cipher hasn't disappeared!"
Lily bit her lip at hearing that sentence. On both her and Aidan's face one could see their worries.
"So... The bad guys are back?" Jovi asked.
"Yes. They are. The fact they're still around is alarming. Worse, they are making more Shadow Pokémon again. And worst of all, they are trying to create the ultimate Shadow. One that is impossible to purify."
The lump in Michael's throat had returned. The thought of that XD001 being created, whatever kind of Pokémon it may be, was too much to handle. He tried to swallow it away before speaking. "They tried that before, right? Creating an ultimate Shadow Pokémon? And they failed, didn't they? That one was able to get purified, wasn't it?"
"Thats true. But despite that, Cipher must be plotting world domination using Shadow Pokémon as their weapon again. Perhaps they found something to make it harder this time. So, to counter Cipher's new Shadow Pokémon conspiracy..."
Before Krane could finish his sentence since one of the other staff members entered the room.
"Director! Lily! We did it! The Purify Chamber is finally completed!"
"Oh, my!"
"Oh! What fantastic timing! It's finally finished! Lily, thank you! Thank you for pulling everyone together so capably in my absence!"
Michael got a little more hope after hearing that announcement.
"Okay! Let's not waste any time! Let's all go have a look at the Purify Chamber."
"Let's!" Lily agreed enthusiastically.
Everyone followed the scientist towards the Purification Chamber.
The adults were chatting along with each other and congratulating one an other. Michael got curious and walked closer to the platform that was placed in the room's centre.
"Take a good look, Michael! This is the Purify Chamber!" Krane stated. "Michael, your father and I designed it five years ago when we were motivated by the Shadow incident. If evildoers were to create Shadow Pokémon again, we wanted to be able to save them ourselves."
'Dad too?' Michael listened carefully to his story.
"Michael, your father believed that passionately. To honor your father's wish, I put together our Pokémon HQ Lab. If your father were here, I'm sure he would be delighted."
"...Yeah. He definitely would be."
"While I was gone, everyone seemed to have rallied around Lily and made things happen. Okay, Michael, we'll have you lead the way. The glorious history of the Purify Chamber will begin with you!"
"Wait! With me?! Lead the way? How??"
Krane chuckled. "Okay, would you be so kind as to briefly explain how the Purify Chamber works?" He asked the staff who had worked on it the most.
"Certainly. Michael, listen closely."
Michael nodded.
"The Purify Chamber is a facility in which Shadow Pokémon undergo purification through contact with regular Pokémon. Purification is conducted on what we call a Set. In the center of a Set, one Shadow Pokémon is placed. Up to four regular Pokémon can be placed around it. We have nine of those Sets here. That means we can efficiently purify up to nine Shadow Pokémon at the same time!"
"Wow. Awesome!"
"There is one thing you need to be careful about, however. Purification won't proceed if you place only a single Shadow Pokémon on a Set. It can only happen if there's at least one regular Pokémon added. The number of regular Pokémon placed with a Shadow Pokémon, and their compatibility are key points."
"How is that exactly?"
"The more regular Pokémon you place in the Set, the quicker the Purification. Regarding the compatibility, it depends on the involved Pokémon's types and the directions they face. By adjusting these factors, you'll likely see difference in purification speeds! If you want more details, I'll be happy to explain later. But right now, I'd like you to check the Sets out."
The coordinator with them spoke up after the explanation: "The Purify Chamber status is on standby. System status is good to go! Step onto that circular plate. A holographic image of the Pokémon involved in purification will appear. Well, it would if there were actually some on the Sets already... When you're checking the hologram, you can zoom to individual Sets. At any selected Set, you can configure things as you see fit. A control panel will appear for you to pick the ones you want to add."
Michael had apparently a pained expression on his face, because she cut her explanation short.
"Don't worry, you'll figure it out when you actually try it. We'll also be around for any necessary advise if you need it. First, check the hologram, please."
Everyone faced the circular plate and watched as Michael slowly took place on it.
"So... what do I-" His surroundings changed into something far from reality. The lab was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had jumped into a computer and saw its digital insides. No Pokémon to be seen, as they had already told him.
'Whoa! What the-?! ...Okay, Michael, take a deep breath. Think. They spoke of a panel.' He looked around and found it. 'Now, how does this work exactly?...'
After trying everything out, he had sucesfully added the caught Shadow Pokémon in their individual Sets. Since he didn't own a lot of regular ones yet, he decided to leave only his Mightyena and Teddiursa here for now; adding it to the Set with the Shadow Spinarak. 'Now that's done...' Michael looked up and got startled. The scare turned into amazement soon after. Every added Pokémon was displayed in a hologram as big as - or even bigger than - himself. Most Sets still had the ominous dark red and purple colours. Set 1 on the other hand, the one with the added regular Pokémon had become brighter. Turquoise and white colours were visible now. 'These lights and... music? It's so pretty.'
"Michael, how are you doing?" A voice sounded.
"Ehh.. I think I'm done!" He replied in a random direction.
"You can exit by using the panel every moment you want!"
Michael admired the holographs and his surroundings for a little while longer and then left with the panel's help. The holograms disappeared and made place for the HQ Lab again.
"How did you find the Purify Chamber?"
Michael blinked a couple of times to let his eyes adjust to the brightness of the lights. "It was so cool! Not too difficult to use and so cool!"
The staff laughed.
"Using this system, it's possible to purify lots at the same time. Oh, by the way, you can access the Purify Chamber from any PC. Be sure to try that feature."
"I can see the holograms from everywhere?!"
"Hahaha no. Only the system. The holograms are only here."
'Aww...' Michael thought.
"Now, the issue is how Shadow Pokémon should be recovered from Cipher. It looks as if you'll have to get busy some more with the Snag Machine, Michael."
"Yep!" He made a fist and held it up in the air up to show his confidence.
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Current team: