Everything was wrong.

S-577’s face was sprayed across the cold tiles. The protective bubble around his body struggled to remain in its form, with parts of it scattered around the floor. There was no light, only damaged cables with sparks flashing out from frayed ends. Everything was in ruins, but he couldn’t even see most of the damage. His throat was unable to make a sound, his muscles were unable to move, and his mind was unable to properly process the world around him.

Despite his silence, chaos filled the room. Humans yelled words he couldn’t understand. Lights flashed and alarms blared. He was too exhausted to register what was going on.

Suddenly, despite the cold floor, everything went warm. Dangerously warm. He could feel his protective bubble slightly warming up to the sudden change in temperature.

The warmth was accompanied by a familiar voice, a voice that had once played in his mind. But this time, he could actually hear it. The moment the voice spoke out, all the other human voices went silent.

“You imbeciles!”

The voice was much harsher than before, making it sound alien. Just hearing it made S-577 nervous. The terrain around him felt as if he was surrounded by burning coals.

“Look what you humans have caused... Our president won’t be pleased. You will all answer for this!”

Slow steps approached him. With each step, the heat increased, suffocating him. His protective bubble inched dangerously close to the boiling point.

But then, the voice spoke right next to him, and the burning sensation vanished.

“...I will answer for this. Rest, my friend, you have suffered enough.”

Something touched S-577’s bubble, and his vision turned red. He could feel his body transforming, deconstructing, as he was sucked into some kind of object.

Everything went dark.

There was beeping in the dark, and the world shook. He could see a faint light in front of him—an escape, maybe—but he had no energy to move. Eventually, the world around him calmed down, and the light disappeared.

He could barely think in the blackness. There were no sounds, no smells, no sights. Just a black void. He couldn’t tell if time was passing. Even his thoughts felt disconnected from his body.

But as he remained there, he felt a new sensation. Comfort. Though he couldn’t feel his body, he somehow knew his strength was gradually returning.

He heard a jingle before he fell asleep.

◓ ◓ ◓

The next thing he saw was light.

The sudden brightness blinded him, but his eyes adjusted soon enough. He found himself in a familiar white room. He felt alive: his protective bubble was back in perfect condition; his muscles felt like they could carry boulders; his compound brain was processing information as normal.

In front of him stood a familiar figure, radiating a gentle warmth that filled the room.

Hello friend.

S-577 blinked, unsure of what to do. Even though his strength had returned, he felt... hollow. As if something was missing. However, the sight of Warmy in front of him brought him back to the present. “Where... friends...?”

This was the first time the two were so close to each other. From this distance, S-577 could see his own reflection on Warmy’s pristine white armour.

Friends... Warmy stared at S-577, thinking about his response. Your friends are safe, I made sure of that.

“I want…” The spark within him was no longer there. He didn’t have a desire to smile, to laugh, to raise his voice. Not even the sight of Warmy seemed to do anything to stir his emotions. “I want… to see… my friends.”

The fire Pokémon knelt down and placed his hand on S-577’s arm. A warm sensation that the Pokémon had never felt, considering how he only had arms for a short while, overtook his body, but it wasn’t harmful. First, try to relax. They are safe. He took away his arm and sighed. He remained in his kneeling position, looking directly at S-577. I won’t lie to you, friend. Life in here is going to be different from now on. I am planning on changing things for the better. And you will need to adjust.

Warmy stood up and approached a computer console off to the side. A screen turned blue, which reflected on his armour. At the same time, his eyes shone with blazing light. There was a cracking sound as a camera in a corner of the room exploded for seemingly no reason. Warmy didn’t spare it a second glance.

As you can see, humans are so depended on us. They can’t do a single thing right without our help. There were some clicking sounds as he pressed buttons. It was strange seeing him do things manually instead of using his psychic powers. Your friends need to grow stronger, just like you. For now… Hmm… S-44, she was so close to reaching her full potential. I am not going to give up on her just yet.

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More clicking sounds… And then, a small container near the console lit up with yellow light. A ball appeared inside, a black ball with a red label: S-44.

Warmy took the ball and opened it. In a matter of seconds, Bubble appeared in the room. She looked healthy and unharmed.

S-577’s eyes widened. He gasped, the words catching in his throat. There she was, in front of him, still as a duosion, but still alive.

Bubble looked at him and gasped as well. “You’re okay! And you’re... big!”

S-577 rushed forward, crashing into Bubble and wrapping her in a massive hug. With his new arms, he felt like he could latch onto her forever and never let go. For a moment, it was just them, embracing.

Then the warmth pulsed, and S-577 remembered who else was in the room with them. He turned to look at Warmy. Did this mean he really was a friend? He brought Bubble to see him. She came from that funny little ball.

The gaze of the fire Pokémon loomed over the two. It was hard to tell what Warmy was thinking or feeling, but his eyes appeared to glow with greater intensity. “Greetings, S-44.” He folded his hands behind his back as he fixated his gaze on the two Pokémon. “It is a pleasure to meet you, at last.”

Bubble looked at the new Pokémon. “So, you’re Warmy.” She had a neutral expression on her face. “I must thank you for taking care of S-577. He seems to think of you as a good friend.”

Warmy nodded his head slowly when Bubble mentioned his nickname. “Of course.”

Bubble looked around the empty room. “However, this thanks is the most kindness I can offer you. I cannot forget what just happened back in the growth tank. Where are the other duosion? What are you planning to do with us? Why put us through these grueling tests?”

Warmy remained silent afterwards. The temperature almost appeared to cool down during the silence. “A lot of questions, but not a lot of time.”

His eye started to emit purple light, and the fried camera disconnected from the corner of the wall. It drifted nearer, floating next to Warmy’s head.

“I wish for you to become stronger, but that does not mean I agreed with how you were being treated. You are important, I assure you. And that is why the accident from before won’t happen again, not on my watch. You have my word.” The camera continued to hover near him, almost as if he decided to play with it for no reason in particular. “All Duosion have been contained inside Pokéballs to heal them more efficiently. It seems some of you had been harmed during the explosion.”

S-577 looked from Bubble to Warmy. Two individuals who had called him “friend”, now speaking with each other. He tensed, hoping nothing bad would happen.

“If you didn’t agree, maybe you could’ve done something,” Bubble said.

“I did. You are here.” He seemed unphased by Bubble’s tone of voice and implications.

There was a hint of wariness in Bubble’s voice, like she was being cautious, weighing everything Warmy had said. “Important… What sort of importance? The kind where we’re grown and tested in a tank?”

“S-44, with all due respect, you don’t know life outside of the tank,” he said with the same stoic voice. “I promise you that things will improve. That is the most I can do in this current situation. Trust me, you need to be prepared for the outside world… and that means you need to be stronger. I have seen enough horrors of war to know how cruel life can be.”

The floating camera turned red and started to melt, bending into something else. Bubble and S-577 gasped together as the broken camera changed colour and shape. Soon enough, it had been transformed into a glowing red orb.

“The war never ended, not really… It just temporarily subsided. Explaining this depressing past would be too much for today.”

The orb cracked open, and a stern looking structure sprouted from it.

“You are the best of the best, born and raised to help keep peace in our land… Unless you will refuse. Which wouldn’t be too surprising, for you don’t know what your land is. But I could show you your potential and what your home really is.”

The stern structure blossomed into a delicate sculpture that gracefully touched the ground.

“You have never even seen flowers, have you?”

S-577 stared, fascinated. A flower… He didn’t know what that was, but one look at it mesmerized him. He had never seen anything so delicate, or so fragile looking.

Bubble also looked intrigued. “Flower...” she whispered. “War… Peace…” She repeated the words slowly, still watching Warmy with a glint of suspicion in her eyes. S-577 didn’t understand what Warmy was talking about either, but he remained silent. “‘Unless we refuse’? That sounds a lot like a threat to me.” But she spoke her next words slowly and carefully. “However… this is something we would be able to do?” She gestured to the ‘flower’ he had just created.

Warmy tilted his head slightly at Bubble’s assumption. “I am merely stating your options. You can refuse to be a part of this grand purpose. I could take you to the outside right now. I would be the one to suffer the consequences… And you would have to fend for yourself in an unknown place. Not to mention, the world does genuinely need you.”

He knelt down and picked up the flower gently with his own hand. He then presented the figurine closer to the two Pokémon. “But this… I could show you how to make even more impressive things. I can be your guide, your teacher. But that means you will have to endure in this place for a while longer, this time under my protection. It won’t be ideal, but your situation will improve. There are certain rules I have to follow as well.”

Bubble went quiet. S-577 could tell her brains were working overtime, calculating possibilities and options. She had a funny look when she went into deep thought.

“Give us a moment,” she requested. She then turned away, gesturing for S-577 to follow her. They floated a small distance away from Warmy.

“Look,” Bubble said. “As much as I don’t trust him, I have to admit he has a point. And this might be the only way we get to stay together. I don’t know what happened to Tiny, Bouncy, and the others…” Her voice trailed off momentarily. “If we behave, we could see them again. But for now, I want to make sure I don’t lose you again.” She looked back at where Warmy was waiting for them. “Who knows? Maybe one day, once we’ve learned enough, we can take things into our own hands. Get out of here somehow, or find more help. What do you think?”

S-577 looked at both Warmy and Bubble. He wanted to trust Warmy, the only friend he had made outside the tank. But he knew for sure that Bubble was a true friend. What she said made sense. And aside from that, he wanted to get stronger. He wanted to do what Warmy could do.

“Stay together,” he said softly.

Bubble smiled. She turned back to Warmy. “We will stay and accept your offer.”

Warmy straightened his posture when they approached him again, folding his hands behind his back. He nodded at Bubble’s word, then stretched his right hand towards S-577 to shake his hand. Since Bubble didn’t have fully developed hands, he only offered her yet another nod. “Formedio.”

A seed of warmth blossomed within S-577 as he shook hands with Warmy. For the first time in a long while, he thought he felt… hopeful. He didn’t know what would happen next, but as long as Bubble was with him, he was sure it would be okay.

“For…” Bubble repeated. She sounded unsure as to what Warmy had said. It wasn’t a familiar word to either of them.

“My name, it is Formedio,” he repeated. He took a few steps back to the console and grabbed two Pokéballs. “Names hold power. By telling you my name I am being vulnerable to you. You can still call me ‘Warmy’, or anything else. It won’t phase me.”

“Formedio…” S-577 repeated. It was a long name, long and complicated. But not as long as his own.

Bubble looked at the Pokéballs. “Looks like we’ll have to be separated for now.” She looked at S-577. “We’ll be all right, okay? I’ll make sure to look for you first thing when I get out again.”

“…Okay.” S-577 said. “I trust Bubble.”

Bubble smiled. “And I trust you.”

The Pokéballs clicked, and S-577 was sucked back into a void of nothingness.