Hidden deep within the Relic Forest of the Orre region is a Pokémon organization called S.P.L.I.C.E. -  Symbiotic Pokémon Ligation Institute of Creation and Erudition. It was founded by remaining members of Cipher who escaped arrest.

Only customers and individuals of interest know of its location and existence. Although advertised as a facility that “humanely” experiments, researches and breeds unique Pokémon, more shady things are going on behind the facade.

Creating Splices, hybrid fused Pokémon experiments, is the facility’s main venture. Although the facility generates a modest profit, their methods are morally bankrupt.

Pokémon can be bred, born as test tube babies, forcibly injected with DNA, literally fused together, or conceived through a myriad of other unethical means. Many of the Pokémon used are captured and taken from the wild.

Among the Splices is a hierarchy of successful elite to failed experiments, all of which are run through endless training and testing.

The Splices who fail their tests, whether it be due to physical or emotional causes, are locked away in cells and kept for more unethical experiments, since they cannot be sold to customers.

One such Splice is SPARKS - who actually isn’t a Splice at all!

They’re actually a Pikachu who got caught between evolutions - hence the softer yellow, the ears, and black marking on their tail.

They excrete a dangerous corrosive battery acid from their cheeks and back markings - in fact, even their blood is acid!

[In meta, SPARKS was actually a vent character I made back in May of 2012, which is why they have my name. This character turned 10 years old this year!] [A couple old friends made fusion Pokémon sonas to fit in with SPARKS’s universe, despite SPARKS themself not being one. That’s how the first iteration of SPLICE was born!]

The reason for these odd defects stems from their biological mother, appropriately named MOTHER - Main Operative Tenured Holistic Executive Raichu. A Raichu/Xurkitree mix.

MOTHER keeps the SPLICE facility operational, being a host for many key functions.

The Xurkitree in her DNA makes her somewhat robotic, so she was outfitted with programming called “the Mother System.” This programming makes her into a self-thinking security system, as well as an archive of all Splice experiments.

She acts as a supercomputer that oversees the facility and reports anomalies such as escapees.

She was intended as an endless electricity generator as well. However, excess amounts of electricity made her heart rate irregular, and must be plugged in at all times or MOTHER's heart will instantly stop.

The scientists, realizing how such a crucial asset was on the cusp of death, wanted to create a more sustainable replacement, rather than just remaking something that was doomed to repeat the same issue.

MOTHER was a regular Raichu once, and their modifications made her heart weak. 

So, instead, they wanted to recreate and modify the DNA of MOTHER from a cloned recreation. If the subject was born with these things in mind, they believed that the same issues would not occur.

However, clear complications came up - the battery acid blood is a result of the modifications made to MOTHER, SPARKS’s genetic source.

The plan was for SPARKS to evolve from Pichu to Pikachu within their test tube, but their evolution was interrupted. 

This made them unable to evolve, and unable to be used for the scientists’ purposes.

So instead, SPARKS was put in an alternative training program, teaching them about combat.

This is when SPARKS would discover the potency their acid had.

The scientists gave them their acronym, Secreting Potent Acid Rapidly Kills Subjects.

SPARKS, horrified by this, refused to participate in further battles, and was classified as a failure. Despite being a failure, they were still the closest attempt the scientists had to recreating MOTHER, and was being kept in case a change occurred. 

A chip was attached to their tail that would shock them if they acted out, such as trying to escape their containment cell.

MOTHER, however, could not accept this fate for her child, and began to summon SPARKS to meet with her in secret, when humans would not be attending to her. 

MOTHER, who was responsible for their chip activating, would only gently shock them as an indicator that she wanted to meet with them, and SPARKS would travel through the vents to sneak into her room.

MOTHER believes that the scientists gave up on SPARKS too soon. She suspects that SPARKS may actually be capable of evolution, but needs to meet the evolution requirements of both Pichu and Pikachu simultaneously in order for it to be successful.

She attempts to bond with SPARKS by allowing them to watch her security cameras, teaching them everything about what it’s like to be her.

Additionally, she advises that SPARKS seek out and befriend SKRAPS.

SKRAPS acts as a "service Pokemon" of sorts to raise SPARKS's happiness enough to get them to evolve. 

Being part Grimer, they’re able to be in physical contact with SPARKS without getting hurt.

SKRAPS ends up adoring SPARKS unconditionally, but is desperate for their attention, which ends up pushing SPARKS away, to the point of ghosting SKRAPS entirely.

This ends up making SPARKS antisocial, with their only contact with other Pokémon being MOTHER.

MOTHER seems to care only about making SPARKS evolve and have a purpose, rather than actually wanting to make them happy.

This ends up with her coming across as emotionally abusive to them, only hurting their relationship further.

As a coping mechanism, SPARKS likes to use their glowing acid to paint on the walls of their cell.

This catches the attention of many Splices passing by.

One of these Splices is CRAFTY - Creates Regulation Allowing Failures To Yield. A Persian / Serperior mix.

She’s the warden of SPARKS’s cell room, organizing guard patrols and sometimes doing them herself. However, her superiority complex makes her strict and cruel.

^ (image was made as a gag but is the only fitting art i found)

CRAFTY is strict about enforcing the rules, and drawing on the walls is against one of them. She ends up threatening to physically discipline SPARKS, but was unaware of the potency of SPARKS’s acid.

She ends up with a burn wound on her neck because of SPARKS accidentally spraying her.

Thankfully CRAFTY was not injured in a vital place and was able to recover smoothly.

However, she still has a scar that she hides underneath her hair, and she loathes SPARKS for it and treats them especially cruelly when she patrols.

This doesn’t stop SPARKS from drawing on the walls though - they naturally make a mess because of them excreting their acid, and it so it doesn’t matter how dirty their cell gets.

One of the guards is a rookie (a Splice undergoing training) named STELLA - Shark-like Tendencies Enhances Likelihood of Lethal Aggression. A Sableye, Sharpedo, and Garchomp mix.

SPARKS’s glowing acid and their drawings end up catching her attention, and she ends up bullying them by threatening to eat them.

After all their previous incidents, this makes SPARKS incredibly worried for STELLA’s safety more than their own, and tries to discourage her from talking to them. The rambunctious STELLA takes this as a challenge.

Though she bullies SPARKS, she actually has no intention of attacking them, and just thinks it’s fun to fluster them.

She talks about SPARKS regularly, to the point of getting distracted from her training.

Her mentor is ASTER - Aura Senses Treachery Eliminating Renegades. A Lucario/Medicham/Mawile mix.

The Lucario and Medicham in her allows her to read the feelings and intentions of nearby Pokemon, able to sense if they’re turning disloyal.

She is also able to safely achieve Mega Evolution without going on a rampage, and she seeks to teach STELLA how to do this as well.

ASTER tries to get STELLA to focus through meditation, but STELLA is more interested in the idea of fighting rather than controlling herself.

Having SPARKS as a distraction doesn’t help her either.

Eventually, though, SPARKS ends up realizing that STELLA is only wanting to be their friend, and the two start getting along better.

STELLA abuses her privileges as a guard, allowing SPARKS and others to wander outside of their cells and socialize with each other. 

She thinks this is fine as long as everyone rushes back to their cell afterwards and they all pretend it didn’t happen.

SPARKS ends up making a handful of friends - (my RP partners/friends in the group) but this starts a rebellious streak in SPARKS that inspires them to go make friends on their own.

One of these friends is MIRACLE - Making Idiom Real After Creating Living Embodiment.  A Tepig/Farfetch’d Splice that is typically bred and mass produced for its meat. Though most MIRACLEs are actually too heavy to fly, this MIRACLE was a runt of the litter who fled from the slaughterhouse and escaped into the air vents.

She dreams of one day freeing herself and the rest of her family, but for now, is just focused on surviving...

JACKLE is another friend SPARKS makes. (Jeopardizes And Captures Killer Loose Experiments.) A Purrloin/Woobat Splice.

They’re still under training like STELLA, but is even more lax and unafraid of consequences than her.

They train under the harsh and abusive NECROS - (Ninetales Expires Creating Remorseless Obedient Spectre.)

When the scientists spliced him with Arcanine DNA, he lost his nine tails and perished. Injecting Chandelure DNA into him brought him back, and he became determined to take his suffering out on others.

Despite NECROS’s cruel treatment of JACKLE, they always seem unphased and unafraid of him, instead just laughing it all off.

They are completely incapable of feeling fear.

SPARKS’s final friend is LUCKY - (Lures Unsuspecting Clueless Killable Youth).

A Meowth/Snivy/Litwick mix. As you might have guessed from that combination, they are actually the child of CRAFTY and NECROS. (They didn’t have LUCKY out of love though, their pairing was arranged by the scientists.)

They were in the same training program as SPARKS, but pressure from their mother and the sudden death of their best friend caused them to break down and fail their tests.

The two end up bonding over their mommy issues - Both were meant to eventually inherit their mothers' positions (LUCKY being trained to become cell warden, SPARKS becoming the new Mother System), and both of them failing due to guilt and depression.

The two end up drawing together - LUCKY with their wax and SPARKS with their acid.

However, their friendship is short-lived, as LUCKY ends up seeing a scribbled out drawing that looks suspiciously like their dead best friend.

When LUCKY confronts SPARKS about it, they admit they killed LUCKY’s friend by accident. LUCKY breaks off the friendship immediately, which stings for them both.

In the privacy of LUCKY’s own cell, a shadowy figure encourages LUCKY to seek revenge.

On that day, the door to LUCKY’s heart closed off.

SPARKS is hurt that LUCKY is no longer on speaking terms with them, and retreats into their cell to draw for coping.

This catches the attention of one of the more experienced guards, SAVANNAH. (Skillfully Administers Venomous Attacks Neutralizing Numbers Abstaining Hesitance). A Pyroar/Crobat/Drapion mix. She’s a girl despite having a male Pyroar’s mane.

SPARKS doesn’t want to get in trouble with the guards, and tries to apologize.

To their surprise, instead of punishing SPARKS, SAVANNAH asks them to draw something for her.

She wants to surprise her co-worker, QUILL - (Quickly Utilizes Internalized Lethal Lightning)

SAVANNAH requested for SPARKS to clear their back wall and make the most grandiose painting possible to help her propose.

QUILL says yes, which comforts SPARKS and assures them that they aren’t a bad person, after the experience with LUCKY...

As thanks, SAVANNAH is willing to let future offenses from SPARKS slide if she sees them outside of their cell, as long as they don’t wander too far.

SPARKS graciously takes her offer and uses the opportunity to pass by others’ cells and see if they can befriend any other failed Splices like them.

SPARKS is startled by PROPHET. (Predicting Ravaging Omens Paradoxically Hinders Envisioning Time). A Xatu/Sigilyph mix.

PROPHET has the power to see into both the past and future at the same time. However, time is fleeting and constantly changing within the building.

Many Pokémon appear in PROPHET’s visions, only to disappear forever. PROPHET ends up speaking of Splices that supposedly never existed.

PROPHET ends up being unsure of which Splices currently exist at any given time, and prays for something consistent. 

Their prayers are answered when they meet SPARKS - when reading into SPARKS’s past and future, it is the same every time and never changes.

They warn SPARKS,  "EVERYTHING IS CHANGING ALWAYS. TIME IS SWALLOWED BY SHADOWS. CONSUMED AGAIN AND AGAIN. ERASED. REWRITTEN. ERASED!!! REWRITTEN!!!"

PROPHET’s words worry SPARKS, and they decide to leave PROPHET alone for the time being.

-

wow! i’ve covered a lot by now, and i haven’t even gotten to the main storyline!

but i should mention that while i had plans for mini-story arcs, i have no idea what their canon order would be, or how it was all going to culminate into the finale i had in mind, so my thoughts might be a little less cohesive than my undead/rebornmew plot summary...