STEM SYNTHESIS: NORMAL

The more Shalin read of the Type: Full manual she had pieced together from the Quaestor Lucis, the more concerned she was growing. She had even taken on JAMES BAKER as a consult and operator in the matter. With her Buzzwole and Poipole still young and unable to battle in the capacity that an Ultra Beast was expected to, and the helplessness she felt at Littleroot, she felt the need to seek divine power of her own. Maybe Keldeo would come to her one day? Who knew? Until then, though, she needed an alternative.

That alternative was Type: Null.

A failed attempt to synthesize the Creator-God Arceus, Type: Null still possessed awesome potential. While she was unaware, the Pokémon would need to evolve to possess the power she would need to make a difference in the war against Rocket. Synthesizing Type: Null would be an ordeal that was ethically dubious at best. To do so, she would need to extract a stem cell culture from a willing Pokémon of each of the eighteen types. The cultivar to be injected was invasive and rather painful for the Pokémon, feeling like a Beedrill sting. Once the cultivar took effect, the Pokémon would need to be held down for several minutes before the cell culture could be drained into a test tube for storage.

Shalin breathed a deep sigh as she sent out Squeals, her Raticate, who nervously gnawed her fangs down while her trainer held her down. "I'm so sorry, but for the sake of the League, it has to be done. I'll try to make this as painless as I can, I promise you." The comments weren't any more reassuring. Squeals let out a shriek as the needle pierced her vermin body.

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Squeals let out shrieks indicative of maddening pain, the injection site visibly swelling to the point of looking unnatural even from a distance. She had to send out her Pyroar, Scar, to help hold the normal-type down as the cultivar did its work. Another loud shriek echoed all over the Romping Grounds, attracting the attention of Shalin's shiny Espeon, shiny Vaporeon, and Stantler. who looked on in horror as the operation went on. Once the cell culture had been captured and sealed, she let her Pokémon roam about. After mere seconds of limping about, she had seen enough, returning the Raticate to her Poké Ball. She began to have second thoughts about going through the process of synthesizing Type: Null.

Was this right? Was it worth sacrificing the well-being of not one, but eighteen of her Pokémon to create such a creature? The thought weighed heavily on her head...

SQUEALS THE RATICATE PERMANENTLY LOSES ONE MOVE SLOT.

STEM SYNTHESIS: FIRE

Shalin reviewed the Type: Full manual to make sure she didn't miss a step. After rereading it a couple of times, she confirmed she had followed the steps exactly as the tattered book instructed her to do. She even asked for not a second opinion, but a third opinion, this time from Rory Faust . She got confirmation she was making her Pokémon as comfortable as possible.

Shalin sent Corona, her Charizard, out of her Poké Ball, the adult fire dragon much more calm than the Raticate was. "I know you're nervous, but this won't take long. It'll be all over before you know it." Shalin rubbed the lizard's belly to try to keep him calm as the scientist pierced the winged Pokémon's skin with a syringe containing the cultivar needed to extract the stem cells for the creation of her Type: Null.

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Corona let out an earsplitting roar of excruciating, disabling pain, the injection site visibly swelling to the point of being bright red even from a distance. It was so loud that Shalin felt the need to put her earplugs in as the Charizard wailed in agony. Once the cell culture had been captured and sealed, she withdrew Corona and fell to her knees.

This was two of her Pokémon in a row that had suffered extreme adverse effects from the stem cell extraction needed to synthesize Type: Null. While the rare Pokémon would no doubt make her a valuable asset to the League, was it worth risking the well-being of sixteen more of her Pokémon?

CORONA THE CHARIZARD PERMANENTLY LOSES HIS SIXTEEN-WEEK BERRY SLOT AND TWO MOVE SLOTS.

STEM SYNTHESIS: WATER

After a consult with JAMES BAKER , Shalin had come to a painful, yet necessary, decision. For the sake of fighting Team Rocket, armed to the teeth with rare Pokémon and even the gods themselves, she needed to arm herself with a god or another Pokémon with power than rivaled them. The longer she read through the tattered manual, the more she realized this was her best short. She couldn't rely on Keldeo to appear before her out of the blue and tell her to mount up.

With a tear running down her cheek, Shalin sent out Clapper, her Walrein. The brave ice-type didn't even need to be held down; the two had built up a great deal of trust from being together so long. The Pokémon was so large that the scientist didn't even need to put him on a table; he would be able to inject the cultivar with little trouble. "This is gonna hurt a bit. I know you're nervous, but it'll be all over before you know it. I know this is a lot for you to go through. Thank you." Shalin stroked Clapper's head as the researcher injected the water-type with the invasive cultivar.

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Clapper let out a bellow of maddening pain, the injection site swelling and pulsing with the ice-type's elevated heartbeat. Other than shaking, which was expected as James covered the site with a drain, the Pokémon was much more well-behaved. The Walrein began sweating profusely, making cries like it had been GIGA DRAINed. Seconds after the procedure was complete, Shalin returned her loyal Pokémon to his Poké Ball.

CLAPPER THE WALREIN PERMANENTLY LOSES ONE MOVE SLOT.

STEM SYNTHESIS: DARK

With Rory Faust back at Shalin's Romping Grounds to inject the invasive cultivar, Shalin sent out Grimmie, her Houndoom, near the entrance to the secluded plateau nestled between Petalburg Woods and the Chimney Mountain Range. The moment the dark-type saw the vile liquid inside the syringe, she howled, loosed a FLAMETHROWER skyward, and began bucking just as harshly as she did when Shalin rode on her back as part of her capture. It took her Kommo-o, her Pyroar, and her Scolipede to hold the Houndoom still enough for Rory to even attempt to lower the syringe toward the rebellious dog.

The Houndoom had seen what the cultivar did to poor Corona. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" she balled, knowing she didn't want to do this to her Pokémon. She didn't have a choice, though. If she wanted to be useful to the League, she needed a source of divine power. While Type: Null wasn't a god, it was only one or two rungs below a deity. Rory stabbed Grimmie with the medicine, every muscle in Shalin's limbs tense.

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And yet, Grimmie remained tough. As the cultivar took effect, isolating a sample of her stem cells for draining and extraction, she only sounded a few angry barks while squinting in pain consistent with losing a harsh battle. She seemed like she would recover. It was strange. Why did different Pokémon react to the cultivar differently? This would be something she would urge League scientists to look into...

GRIMMIE THE HOUNDOOM PERMANENTLY LOSES ALL BENEFITS OF HER ABILITY AND CANNOT GAIN ADDITIONAL ABILITIES.

STEM SYNTHESIS: POISON

At Shalin's request, JAMES BAKER had returned to her Romping Grounds in Petalburg Woods, greeted by Squeals, the Raticate that he had operated on previously. She didn't want to proceed with the extraction. It was painful for the Pokémon, and by proxy, painful for her. She wasn't given a choice, though; after her performance in Petalburg Woods, she was under great League pressure to join Hoenn's military. While she refused to do so, it would only be a matter of time before she became a conscript in their next big operation, unbeknownst to her, codenamed "Postdormitum".

Pondering heavily which poison-type Pokémon she wanted to use for synthesis, Shalin wanted to make sure her Type: Null was as strong as it could be. That left her with putting Pharika, her Dragalge, under the knife. She sent out the brave dragon. Pharika was calm, much like Grimmie was. The two had been together long enough and fought in enough battles that she felt a sense of duty. "This will be over before you know it, Pharika. I'm sorry, but it has to be done. I'll buy you the most sour treat I can think of after this is over!" The Pokémon nodded, then looked away from James as he stuck the syringe into the narrow-bodied aquatic dragon and pressed down, injecting the cultivar for stem cell extraction.

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Everything was calm for the first minute after the injection. There were no immediate adverse effects. Just as James had finished draining the stem cells for extraction, every muscle in the Dragalge's entire body began to convulse violently, including her heart. Her skin began to turn an unnatural purple color. The injection site became progressively more swollen as time passed before it burst completely, splashing Shalin with venomous Dragalge blood. James was quick to apply an antidote before returning to the violently convulsing Pokémon that whipped its venomous appendages back and forth uncontrollably. Shalin reached for Pharika's Poké Ball, but kept missing her from how wild the seizing was. After a few failed attempts, the Dragalge was peaceful.

Shalin approached the Pokémon, at first breathing a sigh of relief. The constant tone of a heart monitoring device shattered the girl's hope, prompting a high-pitched shriek that seemingly echoed all over the woods, from the number of small bird Pokémon rustling their feathers and flying away.

Pharika did not survive the extraction.

PHARIKA THE DRAGALGE DIES.

STEM SYNTHESIS: DRAGON

Inviting Rory Faust back to her Romping Grounds after losing Pharika was one of the most difficult things Shalin had ever done. It was harder than retrieving any of the Medallions of Eight. Harder than the Halls of Origin. Harder than Meteno, even.

This involved loss.

Furthermore, it was loss she could not predict, and science could not yet explain. She had to press forward. "Keldeo, if you're out there, please find me and deliver me from this horrible fate. I don't want to do this anymore. I really don't want to. But as long as Rocket threatens Hoenn, it is something I have to do."

With a solemn nod, she released Piccolo, her Noivern, from her Poké Ball, who was equally brave as her other two dragons were. "Piccolo, promise me you'll stay strong. Please?" She folder her hands in prayer as the crouching dragon looked away from the needle in Rory's hand. With a gentle poke, the syringe pierced the verminous dragon's scales. The deed had been done. Shalin took deep breaths as she watched what she expected would be horror unfold.

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As the cultivar took effect, all was calm just like it was with Pharika. Too quiet. Even the draining of stem cells went without a hitch, sealed in a test tube and placed with the rest of the synthesis materials. Just as Rory was stowing the tube with the rest, a piercing shriek echoed from the dragon's giant ears, mimicking a BOOMBURST despite the Noivern not knowing the move. The noise fluctuated like a motor struggling to start. "No, not you too, Piccolo! I can't lose you too, Piccolo!!" Shalin screamed. "PICCOLO!!" Both of the Noivern's eyes rolled upward like she was going to give up the ghost, her wing muscles convulsing.

After several more tense seconds, the Pokémon breathed deeply as the convulsions stopped. "Piccolo! Will she be okay?!" the rider girl turned toward Rory. It seemed the Noivern was alive for now, but would need to be closely monitored for a possible relapse.

PICCOLO THE NOIVERN PERMANENTLY LOSES HER SIXTEEN-WEEK BERRY SLOT AND TWO MOVE SLOTS.

STEM SYNTHESIS: PSYCHIC

While Shalin's discussion with JAMES BAKER in New Mauville gave her a greater understanding of how the synthesis process worked, it didn't offer her any solutions to the problem of toying with the lives of her Pokémon. Picking Pokémon was getting more and more difficult. As she gave thought to which of her precious partners she would put under the knife this afternoon, she came to a grim conclusion.

She would have to have one of these scientist operate on Treble eventually.

With the rarity of Kommo-o in Hoenn and it being the only fighting-type Pokémon that could properly wear a saddle, the thought made Shalin bury her head in her hands. If she lost Treble to this horrible extraction... she could never forgive herself. She needed more time to make this decision. That wouldn't be today, but it would be rapidly approaching.

Instead, she sent out a Pokémon she had recently acquired. "Ingo, I'm so sorry," she apologized to the Galarian Ponyta who was already big enough for her to mount, "but I need what's within you." The young unicorn whinnied and tried to flee, but there was no escape for him. Shalin had secured the area with many of her other roaming Pokémon. "I... I can't watch!" She covered her eyes as the needle full of vile cultivar descended beneath the unicorn's skin.

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All went well at first, though the Ponyta was making a lot of noise and squirming when James was running the drain. Suddenly, with incredible force, she kicked Grimmie and Scar out of the way as her hooves began convulsing, cotton candy-colored blood oozing out of them. This time, though, she was ready. "Starr!" she cried, sending her shiny Espeon out. "Use WISH on Ingo!" The green Eeveelution closed her eyes and began a prayer for the Ponyta.

Once the healing move had taken effect, the convulsions and bleeding had stopped. Her quick thinking had saved the equine's life. She would need to get Ingo taken to a Pokémon Center as quickly as possible. Recalling all her nearby, she whistled for Zuh, her Pidgeot, who swooped in to pick her trainer up and carry her to Petalburg City as fast as her wings could carry her.

INGO THE PONYTA PERMANENTLY LOSES HER SIXTEEN-WEEK BERRY SLOT AND TWO MOVE SLOTS.

STEM SYNTHESIS: FLYING

The conversation Shalin had with Rory Faust was a grim one. There really was no solution but to throw her Pokémon at this project, was there? At least she was getting close to being halfway done. That wouldn't make the decisions any easier, though. The closer she got to the end, the less she could put off putting her favorite Pokémon under the knife.

Some of her closest partners would die.

Frowning, she whistled for her Pidgeot, Zuh, who protested after being chosen for the Flying-type components of the Type: Null. "I know we've had a lot of good times together, Zuh. And it pains me to do this. But for the sake of Hoenn, it has to be done." The bird's eyes welled up as Rory approached her with a syringe containing the vial-looking cell cultivar. Zuh was well-behaved and brave, though, as still as possible when the scientist wiped the bird's feathery skin down and plunged the needle into her side.

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As soon as Rory started up the drain to extract the cultivated stem cells needed for the Type: Null's Flying-type DNA, Shalin's other Poké had to hold the bird down. Powerful convulsions shook the Pidgeot involuntarily, even slapping Shalin out of the way mid-procedure. Both her wings started bleeding from the force with which they slapped Rory's equipment around.

Like with Ingo, Shalin would need to get this Pidgeot to a Pokémon to a Pokémon Center as soon as possible. She withdrew the suffering bird for Flit, her Yanmega, and buzzed toward Petalburg with all due haste.

ZUH THE PIDGEOT PERMANENTLY LOSES HER SIXTEEN-WEEK BERRY SLOT AND TWO MOVE SLOTS.

STEM SYNTHESIS: ICE

JAMES BAKER had helped Shalin come to the grim conclusion that there was no way to avoid, or even reduce, the suffering her Pokémon would have to endure. While Shalin didn't think it was worth toying with the lives of eighteen of her closest partners, she had little choice. An Ultra Beast war was imminent, given how much the rifts were growing.

Artea put her bravest face on as the scientist filled his syringe with the vile medicine that would isolate stem cells located beneath the ice-type's thick blubber. Shalin turned her face away as James pierced Artea's skin with the needle, the powerful swimmer squealing briefly.

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As soon as Rory started up the drain after injecting the skin cultivar, Artea squinted in pain. "Come on, girl! Fight it!" Shalin cheered her Pokémon on. She fell off the table from flailing in pain, her powerful tail digging through the grass and dirt. After one last loud shriek, the chaos stopped. She jogged toward Artea and gave her a great big hug.

ARTEA THE DEWGONG PERMANENTLY LOSES ONE MOVE SLOT.

STEM SYNTHESIS: STEEL

Rory Faust had all but affirmed the grim reality that if Shalin wanted her Type: Null to battle in the inevitable war, she could not stop with the madness she was putting her Pokémon through. The latest Pokémon resisting her efforts was Ayla, a Lairon that Rory had witnessed her catch only a month ago. She hadn't even had the Pokémon fitted with a saddle yet, which was unusual for her captures. It took some of her larger and stronger Pokémon, such as Treble and Scar, to hold the steel-type down.

"When this is over, Ayla, we'll head to Mount Chimney, and I'll find you a big hunk of iron ore to munch on. I promise!" It wasn't reassuring to the Lairon, nor was it reassuring to her. Holding her breath, Shalin turned away as the scientist rubbed a sedative into a section of the metallic creature's frame before finding a gap in its armor and injecting the cultivar.

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Shortly after Rory had drained the necessary stem cells, the Lairon squinted, her muscles shaking as though she had been struck with a fire attack of some kind. The table she was at rest on started moving, the wheel brakes giving way to the point where the table toppled over. It took the efforts of Rory and Shalin's other Pokémon to right it again, but it seemed the Lairon would be fine. A large and strange tissue scar materialized on the Pokémon's head. Though she had no idea what it was, it didn't seem immediately harmful. She recalled the Pokémon and breathed a sigh of relief.

AYLA THE LAIRON PERMANENTLY LOSES ALL BENEFITS OF HER ABILITY AND CANNOT GAIN ADDITIONAL ABILITIES.

STEM SYNTHESIS: GHOST

There was still a lot to learn about Type: Null. JAMES BAKER's remark about the species being crafted strictly to combat Ultra Beasts worried her. Would she be able to bond with the creature at the level she wanted to? Would she be able to ride the Type: Null without it trying to hurt her? There were so many variables that prevented her from accurately assessing whether it was worth it to continue. She shook her head.

Shalin had come too far to turn back now.

With reluctance, the girl clicked a Poké Ball open, Ozzy the Skeledirge landing on the Romping Grounds' grass with a crash. Too heavy to climb onto the table, Rory would have to stand next to the large Pokémon and plunge the needle into it without elevation. The Pokémon sang a song of lament, Shalin cuddling the fire-type as both of them looked away from the syringe. With James' push from the top, the cultivar slid beneath Ozzy's scales.

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Once James put the drain over the spot where the needle was, Shalin let go of her new Pokémon in the event that he started convulsing. He did, and quite violently. The Skeledirge was so big and strong that none of her Pokémon could hold him down when he seized up. All Shalin could do was have Rielle, her Vaporeon, on standby for any fires the ghost-type started. His tail and claws tore up the grass and soil around him for many tense seconds. Then without warning, Ozzy started breathing heavily, the rest of his muscles calm. The fire-type amphibian was bleeding substantially, but was alive for now. Shalin would prepare to make yet another emergency run to Petalburg's Pokémon Center...

OZZY THE SKELEDIRGE PERMANENTLY LOSES HIS SIXTEEN-WEEK BERRY SLOT AND TWO MOVE SLOTS.

STEM SYNTHESIS: GROUND

Rory Faust had presumably become quite familiar with both the grim process of synthesis, as well as Shalin's determination to see this mad science project through to its end. With today's extraction, she would be two-thirds of the way to having extracted the necessary components for creating her Type: Null. What made gathering the Pokémon a challenge was she felt like it would be a crime to capture a Pokémon she never intended to keep with her, stick a potentially lethal needle in it, then simply release it back into the wild. With the kinds of deformities and disabilities the Pokémon were developing, releasing them to fend for themselves would be a death sentence.

This way, they would at least have a chance at survival in her care.

Having been captured only two weeks ago, it was necessary for several of her Pokémon to hold the Donphan down. "We'll get through this together, Ellie! Stay strong!" she cheered the ground-type on. Seconds after the medicine entered the Donphan's bloodstream, she flung her trunk into Ozzy, her Skeledirge, who was knocked away. What strength this Donphan had to do something like that!

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The evidence of that strength only continued to grow as the Donphan's bucking became more and more violent. "Run!!" Shalin urged Rory as Ozzy did his best to waddle away. The Skeledirge wailed loudly as Ellie's powerful tusks breached his left side. Her trunk sent even the headstrong Treble, her Kommo-o, flying into the nearby small lake. Suddenly, all became calm, and in the worst way possible. Ellie began performing the splits, and in a very unnatural way. She keeled over under her own weight, her eyes closing as the vile medicine ravaged her bloodstream and stopped her heart. Despite the scientist's efforts to resuscitate her, nothing either one of them did succeeded.

Ellie's life with Shalin was far too short.

ELLIE THE DONPHAN DIES.

STEM SYNTHESIS: ELECTRIC

Shalin felt bad for Azala. Mere days after she had caught the Dracozolt alongside JAMES BAKER, she asked the scientist to perform the extraction of Electric-type stem cells needed for her Type: Null to be formed. She had come too far to give up now, though. The sacrifices of Ellie and Pharika would not be in vain. She hoped that the extraction would go smoothly. The cultivar affected every Pokémon differently, though - even ones of the same species. There was only one way to find out.

With Ozzy, Scar, and Bass Boost all holding the Dracozolt in place, and James and Shalin well-clear of her flailing tail, the man injected the black medicine into the bloodstream of the fossil Pokémon. The rider girl held her breath in anticipation as he prepared the drain.

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The electric-type's head crackled, Azala letting out the screech of a raptor as James ran the drain. "Azala, you've got this!" she cheered as her Pokémon squinted. Her tail whipped back and forth, briefly causing Bass Boost to lose her footing at its most intense point. After a minute or two of holding the electric fossil Pokémon in place, she stopped. A large, black bruise blemished her skin, but she was alive.

AZALA THE DRACOZOLT PERMANENTLY LOSES ONE MOVE SLOT.