Land of Rivers, Village Hidden in the Silver River.
After a year of development, the village had once again undergone a world-shaking transformation. The change wasn't just in the expansion of the village's scale, but a radiant glow of spirit that emanated from the inside out. The people walking the streets all wore expressions of vibrant energy.
The villagers attributed all these changes to the shrewd and capable village leader, Lady Ruri, and the director of the Research and Medical Institutes who stood by her side, the unfathomably powerful Dr. Agasa. Under his leadership, the Research and Medical Institutes were built from nothing, growing from their initial conception to fully established facilities, making an indelible contribution to the development of the Village Hidden in the Silver River.
And at this very moment, a groundbreaking experiment was underway in the Research Institute.
"Kaori, report the situation."
Gazing at a restrained yellow mouse before him, Kaito, disguised as "Dr. Agasa," spoke with a serious tone.
"Heart rate is normal, body temperature is normal, no obvious adverse symptoms, and no significant signs of aggression," Kaori answered softly after carefully examining the yellow mouse.
"Good. Kushina, begin the next phase of the experiment."
"Yes, sir!"
Kushina put on a pair of insulated gloves, reached out, and gently massaged the yellow mouse's bright red cheeks. Stimulated by her fingers, a flash of human-like fear crossed the mouse's face. Its body trembled, and then it lit up with a yellow glow as brilliant electrical currents shot out in all directions.
Bzzzt! Bzzzt!
Even though Kushina, who was closest, was wearing insulated gloves, the current was too powerful. It even charged the surrounding air, causing more than half of her hair to stand on end like a hedgehog's spines, a comical sight.
However, no one present paid any mind to this little detail. Instead, their faces broke out in joyous smiles.
"Finally, we've cultivated a unique beast that can use ninjutsu. No, it can be called a ninja beast," Kaito said with a laugh.
Over the past year, he had initiated the "Paradise" project, with his main research focused on using his own serum to create the creatures from the world of Pokémon. Before this yellow mouse, Kaito and his team had cultivated Rattata, with their large front teeth. Unfortunately, their intelligence was low and they were extremely aggressive, making them completely unsuitable as summoning animals for ninja.
So, they made improvements based on the Rattata, cultivating the second generation of ninja beasts: this yellow mouse. Not only was it gentle and highly intelligent, but it had also mastered Lightning Release ninjutsu of considerable power. This meant the Paradise project was more than halfway to success.
Kaito glanced at Kaori and Kushina, who were also beaming with joy, and cleared his throat twice. "This phase of the experiment is complete. Next, we will begin the following phase: observing whether this Pikachu can truly become a good partner for us through training."
"Pikachu?" Kushina asked, confused.
"Oh, that's the little guy in your hands. I've named it Pikachu. What, got a problem with it?"
"Pikachu... it sounds a little weird."
This Pikachu didn't cry out "pika pika." Its appearance also had the distinct characteristics of the ninja world, making it far less cute than the original version. But it was a matter of nostalgia for Kaito, so the name was decided with dictatorial finality.
"Its name is Pikachu. Alright, end of discussion," Kaito said. "We were talking about the next experiment."
"One of you will be chosen to be Pikachu's keeper and trainer. We'll see which one of you it's closer to."
"That'll definitely be me. After all, I've been the one in charge of feeding it." Kushina looked "kindly" at the Pikachu and said, "Isn't that right, Pikachu?"
The Pikachu shivered. If its body weren't tied down so tightly, it would have already fled without a trace.
Kaori smiled gently, having no intention of fighting with Kushina over the Pikachu.
Next, Kaito released Pikachu's restraints and placed it on the floor. As it stared at him with terror in its eyes, he spoke slowly. "Choose your master. Remember, once you've decided, you can't change your mind. You have to stay with her forever."
"Squeak... squeak..." the Pikachu chirped like a mouse, nodding its head vigorously as it looked from side to side.
"Pikachu, think about how I've treated you all this time! If you stick with me, you'll have the best food and drink!" Kushina crouched down and beckoned to it. "Hurry up and come over here."
Kaori, on the other hand, lowered her head and looked at her own feet, avoiding eye contact with the Pikachu. She had spent relatively little time with it and didn't think their bond was as deep as the one it shared with Kushina. At the same time, she didn't want to take something her younger sister desired, so she adopted a zen-like attitude.
However, in Pikachu's heart, Kushina's occasional explosive temper had left an unforgettable shadow on its young soul, erasing all the good memories. So, choosing between Kushina and Kaori was all too easy. Without a second thought, it scampered toward Kaori and leaped into her arms.
"Eh? Eh? Eh?" Kaori clearly hadn't expected this and fumbled to catch the Pikachu. But faced with its gentle gaze, she couldn't bring herself to say no.
"Why? Why didn't you choose me?" Kushina's outstretched arms slowly dropped, and she lowered her head, her heart aching.
Why didn't it choose you? Don't you have any idea?
Kaito, who had seen it all, shook his head and announced the result. "Kaori, from now on, Pikachu is in your care."
"Mm, okay," Kaori nodded. She looked at the Pikachu in her arms and said softly, "Pikachu, please take care of me from now on."
"Squeak-chu!"
"Hahaha, don't lick me, that tickles!"
Watching the harmonious scene, Kushina couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
"What are you envious of? Don't you still have Big-Eyes?" Kaito walked over and patted her little head.
"How can Big-Eyes compare to Pikachu? I can't even hold him in my arms," Kushina pouted.
"If Big-Eyes heard that, he'd be heartbroken. Alright, alright, since you want one so badly, you can have first pick of the next batch of ninja beasts we cultivate."
"You promise!" Kushina's tears turned to a smile.
"Mm. And the next batch won't be mice. Let's try big white rabbits and frogs."
"Big white rabbits?! I like that!" As for frogs, she wanted nothing to do with them.
After laying out the general research direction for Kushina and Kaori, Kaito said, "Continue your work as I've just instructed. Aside from that, don't neglect your own training. Especially you, Kushina. You can't miss a single day of practice, or who knows how long it will take for you to master 'Monstrous Strength'."
The principle behind Monstrous Strength wasn't hard to understand; the difficult part was having the talent to master it. In Kaito's opinion, with Kushina's talent, there was a high probability she could master it.
"Yes!" the two replied, then got back to work.
Kaito also stood up and left the Research Institute, heading for the administrative building.