A sinister, clown-like laugh echoed through the silent hallway...
"Where has my good little girl gone? Does she want to play hide-and-seek with Daddy? If you're this disobedient, you'll be punished when I catch you!"
The roar of Nidoking followed closely behind.
Caleb sprinted down the corridor with Amber in his arms, unsure how long he had been running.
Meanwhile, Dr. Fuji followed at a leisurely pace...
After living in this manor for so many years, he knew every inch of it like the back of his hand.
"Onii-san…" Amber's grip on him loosened slightly. She glanced at the approaching shadow behind them and whispered, "Put me down. You should go."
Caleb frowned, "What nonsense are you talking about? I promised to take you away from here– Damn it, dead end!"
Amber struggled free and shook her head. "It's okay, Onii-san… cough…"
As she spoke, her face rapidly paled. Blood began to trickle from her nose, eyes, and ears.
Dr. Fuji who had been ready to unleash carnage froze at the sight. The rage in his eyes faded, replaced by shock and panic, "No… No! This can't be… This time, it's only been three months…"
Amber no longer had the strength to speak. She wanted to reach for Caleb's hand to reassure him, but her arm dropped limply before she could.
Caleb scooped her up again, watching as the light in her eyes slowly dimmed. She gave him one last glance before her head lolled to the side, losing consciousness.
At the same time, a system notification popped up:
[Hidden Mission: "Amber" Progress Updated!]
[Mission Objective: ???]
[Completion: 50%!]
Seeing that his daughter'sfinal gaze hadn't even been for him, Dr. Fuji let out a deep sigh.
He reached out to take Amber, but Caleb sidestepped him.
Caleb locked eyes with him and asked, "What did you mean by what you just said?"
Now somewhat lucid, Dr. Fuji's expression twisted in anguish, "As you can see… Amber-chan is a clone. With current technology, perfect human cloning is impossible. Each clone's lifespan… only lasts about five months."
Caleb gritted his teeth, "So you selfishly used flawed technology to clone Amber in secret, only to watch them die one after another in agony?"
"WHAT ELSE COULD I DO?!" Dr. Fuji's eyes burned red as he roared.
Just as Caleb braced for another violent outburst, the scientist collapsed to his knees, covering his face like a grieving father, "In the days after my little Amber died… I heard her voice every night in my dreams. 'Daddy, it's so dark here… I'm scared. I want to comehome.'.. I was going mad with grief! I wanted to kill myself, to join her in the afterlife. But… I admit it. I'm a coward. A failure of a father…"
".…"
Caleb sighed. He stepped past Dr. Fuji.
With the man's insanity temporarily on cooldown, Caleb carried Amber and left the manor without looking back.
The mission hadn't failed yet... which meant Amber was still alive. He just needed to get her to a hospital...
...
~One hour later~
Ariana, having grown impatient waiting for Dr. Fuji's return, arrived at the estate...
The moment she stepped inside, she was met with the carnage in the hallway.
Frowning, she climbed the stairs and eventually found Dr. Fuji passed out in a corner, though she couldn't fathom why.
She helped him up. The scientist's hollow eyes fluttered open as he muttered through tears, "Amber-chan is dead… My daughter is dead…"
Ariana remained composed and asked, "What happened here?"
However, Dr. Fuji was lost in delirium. He was trapped in a nightmare, repeating the same phrase over and over.
Left with no choice, Ariana decided to find the answers herself.
Noticing the security camera in the corner, she headed to the surveillance room. After a few keystrokes, she pulled up footage from an hour earlier.
When the handsome young man appeared on screen, Ariana clenched her jaw, "Caleb Chase!"
Because of him; Team Rocket's Rainbow Base had been exposed, and countless critical research projects and equipment had been lost in the rushed evacuation... Over a hundred operatives had been arrested.
Fuming, she shut off the monitor and returned to the hallway only to find Dr. Fuji had vanished.
Her brow furrowed. She quickly released a Growlithe, and its keen nose immediately picked up a trail.
Following it, Ariana arrived at the basement. There, she found Dr. Fuji clutching the lifeless body of a young girl.
It was the corpse of Amber...
Remembering what Caleb had told her earlier, Ariana strode forward, then spoke in a cold voice, "Snap out of it! Amber died two years ago!"
Dr. Fuji's eyes blazed as he shook his head wildly, "NO! My little Amber isn't dead! You're lying, all of you are lying to me!"
Ariana had no patience left, especially after seeing Caleb on the cameras. Her tone turned frigid, "Dr. Fuji, I'll say this one last time. Amber has been dead for two years. No matter how much you deny it, that's the truth!"
Dr. Fuji buried his face in Amber's hair.
Ariana ripped away his last shred of delusion, "You know it too, don't you? You just refuse to admit it. Fine... denial is shameful but effective. But Fuji… after all these years, you're still the same coward. It's disgusting."
Dr. Fuji murmured weakly, "No… I'm not a coward…"
Then, in one swift motion, he grabbed a scalpel from the lab table and plunged it into his own heart before Ariana could stop him.
In his final moments, the broken father's lips curled into a gentle smile.
Slowly, deliberately, he lay down beside his daughter.
"Amber-chan… Daddy's coming to be with you..." With that, Dr. Fuji closed his eyes for the last time.
Ariana stood there, watching in silence...
After a long pause, she pulled out her phone and dialed Giovanni,
"Boss… There's been a change in the situation."
...
~Celadon City, Police Station~
Lance returned triumphant, but his expression darkened when Officer Jenny told him Caleb had disappeared...
"He was captured by Team Rocket?" he asked sharply.
Jenny shook her head, her expression odd, "No… He ran off on his own. I was evacuating the crowd, and when I looked away, he was gone."
Lance had never been so baffled in his life. After a long moment, he muttered, "So… what's he trying to do? Does he have another mission?"
Then, to murmured to himself, "That can't be. His mission was already completed. He wouldn't just abandon his reward, would he?"
After all, helping the Kanto League take down a Team Rocket base (dealing them a crippling blow) was a feat worthy of any reward the League could offer...
...
Growlithe...
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Read ahead on my P@treon...
[email protected]/MayaMatengele01