Okay, so crappy summary aside, this story is basically a Gangreen Gang origin story, which was originally intended to be a fancomic. However, I found writing it out to be much easier for my current schedule, along with some other benefits. :) This story may be a bit dark and emotional, with some violence, mentions of abuse/neglect, and character death. Obviously, this is all my own headcanon. So if you don't agree with something in this story, all I ask is that you respect that. ^^ There is also a fancharacter in this story, but I hope this doesn't deter anyone from reading... No pairings are intended, but there is quite a bit of focus on Ace and Snake's (non-romantic) relationship.

...I'll let you guys get to the fanfic, now.

May 18, 1990

It has come to my attention that a very puzzling event has happened in the city of Townsville; one that has been left with very little explanation, and without a doubt has left a negative imprint on all who were affected.

When this event first happened, no one –not even myself- knew what to think of it. All we could gather was that over the course of several years a handful of newborn babies had possessed sickly green skin and abnormal features that varied for each individual, ranging from subtle fangs and odd eye colors to downright inhuman appearances. Despite all this, every affected baby was perfectly healthy, which was perhaps the most perplexing factor. Equally perplexing was that there were no prior events concerning the parents that could have led to a common cause. Not consuming certain foods, not the side effect of medication, not even exposure to radiation was shared among them.

Much to the parents' dismay, the only explanation they could receive was that their children were born with an extremely recessive and drastic mutation of their genetic makeup.

Upon further research, I have discovered that Townsville was not the only location where this had happened. I have uncovered articles and scientific journals documenting children with green skin being born across the world. Interestingly, they were not all born within the same time period; in fact, I remember reading one article that dated back to the nineteenth century! However, it was such a seldom occurrence and in so few numbers at a time that it's not surprising many people were unaware that this has happened before. In fact, I was surprised this condition even had a name, albeit an unofficial one: the Scheele Phenomenon. The name was coined by two scientists who were once in charge of researching this strange occurrence. They named it after the infamous Scheele's Green, a highly toxic arsenic compound with a yellowish-green color very similar to the skin of those affected by it. They were under the impression that exposure to Scheele's Green was the cause of the mutations, but again, this was not consistent among all who had a green child. Unfortunately, the scientists could not uncover anymore information than what I have written here, and the project was discontinued.

Given that their appearances are...below normal standards, victims of the Scheele Phenomenon have lived a less than peaceful life. Of the documents that I have found, only a handful ever made it to adulthood; the children were either killed shortly after birth or died from other means later on. Regardless, they all suffered from hate and fear from those around them. Abused, neglected, tormented, ostracized…many of them grew up to be the very evils that they were presumed to be as kids. I remember reading one document about a Scheele victim who was absolutely ruthless, and committed numerous crimes and murders in his area. He was a real monster, but it was painfully obvious that the people had molded him that way. Sadly, that's how it's always been with humans; they fear what they cannot understand, and from that fear stems hatred on both ends.

However, for every set of cases, there are always those few exceptions. Recently I had the opportunity to meet a Scheele victim myself. I never quite got a name, but he referred to himself as "Mr. Green." If I didn't know any better, I would have said that those articles had false information; despite his eccentricity, Mr. Green was one of the kindest souls I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! He seemed a bit surprised at first that I was willing to talk to him, but quickly warmed up to me, though he did seem a bit apprehended from time to time. I suppose it was just a deep-rooted reaction to being around a normal person. He told me that he used to work as a substitute teacher a few towns over, and that once they got past his appearance, the kids loved him. And although he does enjoy helping them in their academic learning, Mr. Green told me his favorite part of the job was teaching the kids that people like him are not monsters, and that they should be treated like any other person. He hopes that Townsville's students will be just as accepting.

Sadly, cases like Mr. Green's are a very rare outcome for those affected by the Scheele Phenomenon. There was no doubt that Mr. Green had suffered his fair share of hard times, but he somehow managed to maintain a positive disposition and remain trusting of people. As I strive to gather more research on this mysterious condition, I can only sincerely hope that those Scheele children of Townsville will end up down this same path.

But knowing the Scheele Phenomenon's dark history, it will be nothing more than a hopeful vision.

-Professor James Utonium