Chapter 23. Progress
Deep in an underground facility at an undisclosed location, a secretary carrying a clipboard presented a progress report to Alaric Graves, the Grand Director of Team Dominion. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, observing the large fish tank before him, his back turned to her as she spoke.
The fish, of course, were all regular fish—not Pokémon.
"Mewtwo has gone berserk again, destroying the containment facility before being apprehended as it attempted to escape to the surface," the secretary reported, adjusting her glasses.
"Their excuse?"
"The Dominion Restraints do not truly remove a Pokémon's will. Instead, they suppress it deep within the mind while overlaying it with commands through enhanced Psychic energy. They claim that if you wish to completely remove a Pokémon's will, you would need to excise the part of the brain responsible for it and develop hardware capable of bypassing its function."
"Their requirements?"
"A miracle."
Alaric Graves turned back to her with a raised brow.
"Explain."
"Virtual Reality technology bypasses the brain's synapses by intercepting and suppressing them as they are sent out, effectively rendering the body unresponsive. These synapses are then decoded and processed by the Dominion Restraint, which returns an encoded signal directly to the brain, tricking it into perceiving whatever the system intends.
What you desire, however, is the opposite—to remove the brain while still controlling the body. But without a brain, there is no way to issue commands.
To achieve this, the Dominion Restraint would need to function not only as efficiently as the brain but also be programmed with all of its combat experience. This is their first declared impossibility.
They further suggest that if such a device could be created, Pokémon themselves would become obsolete, as a far superior artificial body could be designed to house such a system.
Additionally, they argue that such a device would not even require a body at all. Given the level of technology already in place, it could control the world remotely.
Their current approach is to convince Mewtwo that it exists in an environment where it naturally desires to follow the Dominion Restraint's commands. However, this is their second declared impossibility.
Imagine commanding a Rattata to retrieve cheese without eating it.
First, the Dominion Restraint would suppress the subject's instinctual response, making the cheese seem neutral in all of its senses. Then, it would overlay a reason to store the cheese—such as preparation for winter or food storage. Finally, the subject would be left to act freely.
Studies show that only 60% of test subjects comply, while the remaining 40% explore their environment instead, which overwhelms the Dominion Restraint as it struggles to continually redirect them.
This issue is exponentially worse with Mewtwo, the most intelligent Pokémon in existence. From the very first step, it immediately realizes it is under an illusion or psychic restraint. It then retaliates with overwhelming psychic force, unleashing an explosion that destroys everything in its wake—including the Dominion Restraints.
In order to accomplish the second impossibility, we would need a device capable of fooling Mewtwo into believing its environment is real. But that brings us back to the first impossibility—creating a system as powerful as Mewtwo's own brain.
To accomplish the first impossibility, we would require the greatest scientists from around the world to develop a device capable of processing information at speeds exponentially greater than Mewtwo's. Then, an entirely separate team would be needed to program software advanced enough to either convince Mewtwo that what it perceives is real or control its body without the need for its brain—though this may render it incapable of using Pokémon Moves.
The Dominion Restraints have yet to reach a level where they can consistently deceive humans. Successfully controlling Mewtwo, a being whose intellect far exceeds humans, remains beyond our current technological capabilities."
Alaric Graves sighed.
"So, in short, we need the greatest scientists in the world to create a device more powerful than Mewtwo's mind. You should have just said that instead of your convoluted explanation."
"I apologize, sir. I understand, sir. I'll do better, sir," the secretary stammered, flustered.
Alaric merely waved her off and turned back to his fish.
"Other updates?"
"Interest in Move Guns has risen significantly within the last two hours."
"Oh? Reason?"
"The Council of Jennys has petitioned to be equipped with such weaponry, citing the convenience of having Thunder Wave at their disposal—though they have not provided further specifics."
"Didn't those same Jennys previously reject that reasoning, arguing that a 60% chance of inflicting paralysis also means a 40% chance of failing to defend themselves, unlike Pokémon?"
"It appears they have since amended their statement."
"Give it to them. The Jennys' support is paramount to our plans moving forward. Push to have every Trainer equipped with one. Then, push for every human to be equipped with one. Once power is at their fingertips, humans will no longer see Pokémon as necessary."
"Yes, sir. That concludes this report."
"You may go."
The secretary promptly left, leaving Alaric Graves alone with his fish.
"Progress may be slow, but it is inevitable. Soon."
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The next day, Alex decided to teach Growlithe as many Moves as he had available and was compatible with. Since he already had the TM disks, he might as well use them. He also planned to purchase more later, but for now, the ones in his storage would have to suffice.
By the end of the tutoring session, Growlithe looked up at Alex with a confused and aggrieved expression, while Raticate watched from the side, its paw on its chin, nodding sagely.
It, too, had endured such injustice. Fortunately for him, it was over. He would never have to go through it again—according to Alex, he had already learned every move he was capable of unless new ones were discovered in the future.
Arriving at the training field, Alex scanned both of them to assess their progress.
Name: Raticate, Adept
Type: Normal, Male
Ability: Run Away
Moves:
Basic: Fury Swipes(Egg Move), Screech(Egg Move), Tackle, Tail Whip, Focus Energy, Bite, Laser Focus, Take Down, Assurance, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Grass Knot, Dig, Facade, Work Up, Protect, Double Team, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, Iron Tail, Crunch, Sucker Punch, Endeavor, Swords Dance, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Blizzard, Thunder, Rain Dance, Super Fang, Double-Edge, Scary Face, Swagger, Thunder Bolt, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Sludge Bomb, Thief, Shock Wave, Charge Beam, Rock Smash, Sunny Day, Pluck, Roar, Attract, Endure, Cut, Strength
Advanced: Quick Attack
Description: Raticate's powerful front teeth never stop growing. It constantly gnaws on hard objects to keep them from getting too long. It can swim across strong rivers and even chew through concrete if necessary. Its territorial nature makes it aggressive toward intruders.
'What the hell? Why are all of his moves already at Basic? It should have taken him more than half a year to reach Basic proficiency with all of these moves, and it's barely been three months. Doesn't this mean that learning moves makes Pokémon able to learn other moves faster?
This will be a huge power-up later on when working to get as many moves as possible to Advanced rank. Growlithe should be able to do the same, right? I better remember to read up more about this later,' Alex thought in shock.
Mysteriously, Growlithe felt a shiver run down his spine for no apparent reason.
"Congratulations, Raticate. You've gotten all of your moves to Basic proficiency well beyond my expectations. I want you to continue using Quick Attack during our runs and focus more on Endeavor when practicing moves. If you get bored, switch to Swords Dance or Protect, but make sure to prioritize these three moves, as they are our most used moves."
"Rati! (Got it!)"
Next, Alex looked over Growlithe's moves.
Name: Growlithe, Novice
Type: Fire, Male
Ability: Justified
Moves:
Novice: Covet(Egg Move), Double-Edge(Egg Move), Morning Sun(Egg Move), Ember, Leer, Howl, Bite, Dig, Facade, Protect, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, Thief, Sunny Day, Roar, Attract, Endure
Description: Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Known for its fierce loyalty and protective nature, it will bark and bite at any intruder that threatens its territory. Its exceptional sense of smell allows it to remember scents for life, making it an excellent tracker. Though naturally friendly and playful, Growlithe is fearless in battle, using its powerful fire breath to ward off enemies. It thrives on companionship and training, growing stronger through discipline and care. When properly raised, it becomes a steadfast guardian, always ready to defend its pack.
"Growlithe, you don't have any speed-boosting moves yet, so focus on using Morning Sun during our runs. Later, during practice, I want you to focus on Sunny Day and Double-Edge. Got it?"
"Grau! (Got it!)"
Before setting off, Alex pulled out a weighted harness so Growlithe could build muscle while running. It wasn't much—about 10 lbs (4.54 kg)—with the weight evenly distributed across his back and down the sides.
Alex planned to increase the weight day by day until Growlithe finally tired out from a full sprint at 30 minutes.
After the sprint, Growlithe was exhausted from repeatedly using Morning Sun, but his speed never faltered, indicating that his body was holding up just fine.
The rest of the day passed without much incident until Alex returned to the apartment for dinner.
"Alex! Guess what just arrived?" Jenny asked excitedly.
Alex didn't respond—he had a pretty good idea already.
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