Chapter 88: Searching for Secrets and Planting the Cones

The morning after the launch of Evolution Fluid, Jason Hobbes sat behind a heavy wooden desk in the Tarvok City branch of the Northam Group. 

Officially, the branch's annual research budget was meager, almost negligible compared to the Northam Group's global expenditures. In practice, however, Hobbes poured a disproportionate amount of that meager budget into subtle projects designed to keep up with Pokémon Biotech. 

Having failed to influence or corner Ethan, Hobbes now pinned his hopes on analyzing the newly released fluid that supposedly triggered rapid evolution in Pokémon.

There was a knock at the door. One of his subordinates entered with a cautious step. "Sir, the package has arrived," the subordinate said in a hushed voice. "We purchased ten units of the Evolution Fluid as ordered, using separate accounts, and shipped them to ten addresses. The first was just delivered here in Tarvok City."

"Good," Hobbes said. "Send it immediately to our lab for immediate testing. Keep the rest en route to other labs. We need to get some results quickly." He tapped his desk with an uneasy hand. Publicly, many believed the fluid was worthless to non-Pokémon creatures, but Hobbes disagreed. 

If the Northam Group could decipher its formula, they could unlock Ethan's hidden evolutionary gene technology and leapfrog Pokémon Biotech in one fell swoop.

He paused, remembering his last failure. He had tried to corner Ethan with cunning maneuvers, only to be denied and reprimanded by his superiors for antagonizing an up-and-coming competitor. Adding to his humiliation, Fern (his subordinate who had publicly clashed with Ethan / battle scientist) was fired. Hobbes managed to keep his own position because he was too integral to the operations in the Alverez Kingdom, but he still bore the blame.

Hobbes rubbed his temples. "This unfortunate incident has cost me so much goodwill at headquarters. I need a breakthrough." He straightened his tie and strode out, rushing to the lab to meet Peter, the lab's chief scientist. Peter, once a promising international scientist, had been relegated here due to personality clashes. Hobbes, though well aware of Peter's stubbornness, had high hopes for his abilities.

---

Peter peered into a small flask half filled with the Evolution Fluid, swirling it under the bright overhead lights of the lab. Using droppers, he took tiny samples and mixed them with various reagents, one at a time. Hobbes hovered impatiently behind him.

Finally, Peter stepped out, looking frustrated. "I can't identify the key. The fluid shows signs of increasing cellular metabolism, but I can't see which microelements are responsible. We ran the standard tests. No conclusive results."

Hobbes' face fell. "So nothing at all?"

Peter furrowed his brow. "Right now, we can't find anything that explains how it activates evolutionary genes in Pokémon. For standard gene creatures, it does nothing at all. If more shipments arrive from your side, we could do a deeper analysis or try partial distillations, but I doubt it will solve the problem."

Hobbes sighed, a dull pain forming behind his eyes. He had planned to send half of the liquid to the Northam Group's global headquarters in the west, hoping they might discover something. "All right," he muttered. "Keep at it. I'll see if headquarters has more advanced methods."

Peter nodded briefly. "I'll do what I can, but the underlying composition is maddeningly obscure. Don't expect a quick answer."

Unwilling to argue, Hobbes stomped off, cursing under his breath. In time, Northam's advanced overseas labs might yield a clue, but so far everything was a dead end.

---

In another part of Tarvok City, Lina Cobbs worked in a sleek private laboratory deep in the city's business district. She had ordered a single bottle of Evolution Fluid under an alias, determined to unlock its secrets. She had even invited her ally, Jerry Fowler, to observe her tests.

She dripped the fluid onto genetically modified cell cultures from her own lines, waiting for the slightest reaction, but the cells only glowed faintly, showing no signs of structural change. She repeated chemical analyses, only to find the same results: no known compounds could explain how it triggered evolution in Pokémon.

After hours of unsuccessful attempts, Lina tossed her dropper onto the table with a clatter. "Nothing. Zero. It's worthless to normal genetic creatures," she told Jerry, her voice cracking with frustration.

Jerry crossed his arms. "So we learn nothing about how Pokemons evolve? We can't replicate the effect?"

Lina stared at the liquid container and shook her head. "If we can't even analyze the formula, we have no idea how Ethan developed the Pokémon's ability to respond to it. He must be leaps ahead in evolutionary gene design." Her shoulders slumped. "We're stuck."

Jerry frowned, drumming his fingertips on the counter. "Maybe if we got our hands on a real Pokémon, like a Pichu or a Squirtle, and tried to use the fluid under lab conditions, we could see the gene changes in real time."

Lina's gaze flickered as a stray idea crossed her mind. She half-remembered the idea of capturing or obtaining a Pokémon for experimentation. But that bordered on the illegal; Pokémon Biotech wouldn't just sell them a specimen to dissect. "I guess the direct approach would be next," she muttered. "Though that has... complications."

---

Throughout Tarvok City, research labs that had received small batches of the Evolution Fluid echoed the same defeat. It refused to yield anything under standard chemical or genetic scrutiny. Many concluded that it was effectively inert to non-Pokémon genetic creatures. No labs yielded any revelations about Ethan's evolutionary gene blueprint. The formula remained cryptic, the short route to unlocking Pokémon-like evolution closed.

Ethan, on the other hand, sat in Pokémon Biotech's lab #2, brimming with confidence. After shipping the liquid, he had come to finish planting the Cone Gene. Three days had passed since the meteor shower, which meant it was safe to begin forging the official history behind these new plants. He carried a small black container, carefully hidden from prying eyes.

James spotted him as he entered. "Mr. Grave, another new species?" James teased, used to Ethan's constant stream of creations.

"Yes, but this time it's a plant," Ethan replied and had James collect some empty plant cells. He prepared two separate culture tanks: one with a standard nutrient solution and the other with the water he had infused from a meteorite chunk. He wanted to test whether the cones grew better with or without the meteorite water.

James helped him fill two large containers. "All set. Though I wonder if one tank might have some kind of special effect?"

Ethan shrugged. "We'll see. If it works out the way I hope, it'll be a big part of our next project." He made no mention of his plan to use the cones to make fruits in the form of red and white spheres, proto "Pokéballs". All the staff knew was that he was tinkering with a new plant that incorporated meteor-infused moisture.

He released hundreds of cone seeds into each tank, then stepped back to watch the monitors. "Huh," he murmured after analyzing the initial data. "The seeds in the meteor water seem to be developing faster. We could see a real difference in a few days."

He waited another hour, checking the readings. Indeed, the "cone tree" seeds in the meteorite solution were sprouting tiny embryonic buds at a rate at least double that of the conventional tank. He felt a thrill in his chest. 

Once these buds matured, he would transplant them to the hillside of the park and let them grow into full trees with distinctive fruits that could harness the space-distorting energy from the meteorites. Eventually, these fruits could serve as true "Poké Balls," capable of storing Pokémon.

James looked at the data. "We should keep quiet for now," he advised. "If people knew you were growing something from those meteorites, they'd be all over us for details."

Ethan smiled. "Don't worry. I planned to reveal it after enough plausible time had passed for normal R&D. The meteorites of a few days ago will only appear to have guided my new horticultural approach. Everyone else will be busy trying to decipher the Evolution Fluid. They won't suspect that I'm using meteor water for a new project."

James looked around and lowered his voice. "Are you sure this is safe to grow in an open environment? We have no idea how these cones might react. They could produce powerful energy or disrupt space. Who knows?"

Ethan's tone was calm. "We'll handle it carefully. Our lab's monitors will track the growth. If anything looks out of place, we can contain the area." He patted James on the shoulder. "Relax. I've had enough practice with unlikely biology."

Satisfied, James nodded. As he began to tidy up, a faint beep sounded from the console, indicating that the seeds had stabilized. Ethan closed the chamber and sealed the second tank. Over the next few days, he would continue to water the seeds with the meteor-infused water, guiding them step by step to produce fruit in the form of spherical red and white pods. Poké Balls in their earliest form.

Finally, Ethan headed for the exit, leaving a small team behind to monitor the process. In his mind's eye, he pictured a grove of these pods blooming on a remote hill in the park, each fruit imbued with a faint, space-altering power. Once "harvested," the fruit would become the real game-changer. For now, however, no one suspected that a new frontier in Pokémon storage was about to emerge, quietly nurtured in the hidden corners of Pokémon Biotech's greenhouse.