The Pokémon Genome Project

Well hello there, readers! Did you know that back in the old days there used to be an island off the southern coast of Pallet Town? This article will cover several years worth of history for Western Kanto and maybe shed some light on some connections between people and places you weren’t so familiar with.

Around twenty years ago, just after the re-launch of the Indigo League the dormant Cinnabar Volcano that made up the base of the island revealed itself as not so dormant after all and erupted suddenly and without warning in the dead of night during the summer of ’98 leading to one of the worst disasters in Kanto history.

1989: A sizeable purchase of land is made to the north of Cinnabar Island. Construction begins on a large mansion. Records indicate that deep excavation work is also being undertaken however records of the actual project are no longer available due to being lost in the eruption of Mt. Cinnabar. Current speculation is that there was an attempt at green energy using the natural heat of the islands geothermal energy to power the mansion and laboratory. In the southern reaches of the island construction begins on the Cinnabar Laboratory. The Cinnabar Lab is founded as a joint project between BioGen Industries and Silph Co. The aim of the project being the study of ancient fossils and using this information as a building block to create a workable model for Pokémon DNA. Dr. Fuji, a leading Pokémon geneticist heads up the project on behalf of BioGen while Haruto Fukushima represents the Silph Corporations interests.

1990: Work on the Lab is complete and fifteen researchers move into the mansion and begin work on the Pokémon Genome Project.

1993: A breakthrough. Viable DNA strings from now be identified from remnants of living Pokémon such as fur, horns or discarded egg fragments. Progress picks up speed, DNA sequencing becomes limited only by the access to processing power. Eighteen Cray X-MP supercomputers are shipped to the island on the bankroll of Silph Co. These powerful machines are linked together to create a virtual workspace in which Pokémon DNA can be synthesised, split and recombined.

1994: Dr. Fuji achieves what was long thought impossible. The ability to sequence the genes found in the paleo-DNA of ancient fossils. DNA can now be recovered from ancient Pokémon in places such as amber from fossilised tree or pulverizing ancient fossils; however much of this recovered DNA is incomplete, there’s too many gaps in protein strings, too much guesswork is involved. When pressed for interviews representatives of the Lab and especially those in Silph. Co are adamant that no research is being done into cloning living Pokémon due to ethical concerns. However within six months BioGen releases a press statement that work has begun on reviving fossilised Pokémon. Public outcry is immediate and heated. Amidst this controversial announcement Haruto Fukushima steps down as Silph representative and removes himself from the project and public eye. A disastrous year for Silph Co. leads to them withdrawing from the project, funding for the project continues exclusively from BioGen.

1995: Shortly after this announcement is made Dr. Fuji gives notice of his retirement from the Pokémon Genome Project and leaves the island. Within the same short timeframe the mansion to the north of the island is engulfed in a fire of unknown origin, twelve researchers are lost to the inferno, no reconstruction work is undertaken. The Cinnabar Mansion is sealed from access to all under direct orders from Blaine. Despite many attempts by the press Fuji never speaks on his time in the lab again after his move to Lavender Town.

1996: Without Dr. Fuji or Silph Co. to oversee the project it is left in the hands of BioGen Industries. Despite the tragic loss of their colleagues the remainder of the Cinnabar Lab crew is in full swing, recovering DNA from Pokémon fossils free of charge in exchange for the research provided by each revival.

1998: Cinnabar Volcano erupts in the dead of night. Within four hours the entire island is under eighteen feet of molten rock.

1999: Blaine reconstructs the Cinnabar Gym on the Seafoam Islands.

2000: After a string of losses and mounting pressure from the Indigo League to relocate Blaine recuses himself from the Indigo Gym Leader registry and closes the Cinnabar/Seafoam claiming burnout. Without a validated and approved eighth Gym or leader the Indigo League has to be postponed for the season. Plans are drawn up for an Elo rating system. (A method for calculating the relative skill levels of Gym Leaders). It is named after its creator Mahashi Elo, a Kanto-Unovan physics professor.

2001: The Indigo League is recommenced with the revamped ranking system. Soon the ever changing nature of the Indigo Gym Leaders becomes a talking point of the other leagues. Opinions are mixed with some claiming that the system denigrates tradition and puts legacy Gyms at risk of being taken away based purely on luck, others praise the system for ensuring that Gyms maintain a well-honed style to sustain their rankings. Former Gym Leader, Elite Four Koga, his daughter Janine and his grandson Kiba are cited as an example of a ‘Dynasty Gym’ by those who rebuke the system. When pressed for a statement on the inheritors of his Gym having to fight for their place in the Elo system rather than being accepted simply for being his progeny his only quote on record is “Good”

And that’s pretty much it for Cinnabar, readers. With the final closure of the Cinnabar Gym there’s not much left to say about it, for a brief point of time it looked like Cinnabar was going to be the shiniest feather in Kanto’s cap until Mother Nature decided to put a stop to it. Perhaps she didn’t like what she was seeing in the Lab, perhaps it’s just bad luck. But that’s not the end of the Pokémon Genome Project, readers, next we travel to the distant north-western Kanto.

Nestled between idyllic verdant forests, slumbering under the shadows of the mysterious Mt. Moon, tucked away deeply within a blanket of twilight, lies a quaint little city. Pewter City certainly has a long history of ups and downs. A former mining town, it was almost entirely abandoned until it re-rose to prominence after the discoveries made deep within the enigmatic Mt. Moon.

1975: The Pewter Museum of Science is opened to the public for the first time, it is a roaring success, people travel from all over Kanto to visit. Many of the exhibits feature never before seen fossils from the nearby Mt. Moon. Prehistoric Pokémon becomes a hot topic among the people of Kanto. Archaeologists immediately begin speculating on the ramifications this could have on their understanding of the history of Kanto.

1986: Prehistoric Pokémon and fossils are no longer in vogue, public interest in visiting the remote Pewter Museum wains. Donations dry up. Ownership of the Museum is bought out by BioGen Industries, an up-and-coming genetics research company with an interest in fossils, the purchase of the Museum is incidental, by purchasing a controlling interest in the Museum they also own the rights to the Mt. Moon dig sites used by Museum researchers to procure intact fossils.

1988: Approached by Silph Co. outreach and project manager Haruto Fukushima, BioGen agrees to split funding for a genetic research lab and accommodation for a team of researchers on the remote Cinnabar Island.

1990: Full time excavation of Mt. Moon begins, fossilised Pokémon and plants are shipped directly to Cinnabar Lab.

1994: With the announcement that BioGen is going to begin work on reviving fossilised Pokémon business immediately gains traction again. The Museum has a steady supply of visitors, so much so that decide to open an entirely new wing. Plans are drawn for a new Natural History wing to be constructed by early 1998.

1996: Team Rocket attempts to take over Mt. Moon, BioGen immediately puts pressure on local Gym Leader Brock for assistance. By the time he arrives Team Rocket has already fled.

1998: Cinnabar Volcano erupts. Two weeks after the eruption a shipment of scorched and hastily recovered fossils arrives, with them is also a box of unusual, uncatalogued gem stones. Replacement Cray X-MP’s destined for the new Natural History wing arrive, soon work is undertaken to begin restoring the Genome Project. The stones are the subject of a brief but fervent public interest until they fade from collective memory.

1999: Construction of the Natural History wing is finally complete, if delayed. BioGen’s heavy investment into the renovation of the Museum provides new computers and lab equipment, finally fulfilling the original goal of remaking the Cinnabar Lab. Reviving ancient Pokémon from fossils resumes with renewed vigour.

2000: Archaeologists uncover rich veins of fossils embedded in the deepest areas of Mt. Moon after a small caldera collapse floods the caverns. The overpowering crash of water breaks through several walls and reveals an intricate web of paleokarsts. Radical speculation abounds with some suggestion these karsts could be remnants of ancient waterways bearing man-made architecture although no conclusive evidence is found.

2001: The newly revised Elo system begins, Brock is the first Gym Leader to be ousted. He takes it well and announces his decision to travel the world on foot. His replacement, Aubrey, has held the position ever since.

2003: The Pokémon Genome Project is officially closed. The first official, complete sequence of Pokémon DNA is now proudly displayed in the Pewter Museum of Science.

And that’s that for Pewter Cities involvement in the Pokemon Genome Project. Before you get too excited about some mysterious ancient gems plumbed from the depths of Cinnabar Volcano I should tell you that the latest inventory of the NatHistory wing shows them as ‘Out on Loan’ and has remained that way since 1999. On loan to who? No idea. An ex-employee of the Pewter City Science Museum once sent me the receipts for delivery and some photos, I started putting together an article but my editor spiked it as soon as I even mentioned the stones. I tried to request further information but I got denied, the Museum claimed the information was ‘classified’.

But hey, if you’ve got yourself one of those freaky fossils why not head over to Pewter City and see if you’ve got a live one. Oh, and word to the wise, if you go into Mt. Moon take some Repel with you because the amount of Zubats in there is insane. I got one in my hair. It wouldn’t let go. I had to shave half of my head just to untangle it and now it won’t leave me alone. As I sit here writing this it’s hanging on my window frame, staring in at me. It’s freaking out Chatterbox, he won’t go outside while it’s here. Send help.