This is as short as it is because the sole purpose of this is to build suspense. I don't need a several thousand word chapter for that. A few hundreds words should suffice, so that's what this is. Future chapters will be longer.

Also, some notes. Pokémon in this story, purely for purposes of them being able to handle object easier should they normally be quadrupeds, are anthro. However, females do not have breasts, and they still lay eggs. As I said, purely for the purpose of allowing them to handle objects, at least without having to use their mouths. This story will be on the dark side in terms of violence and visceral content, but it will have plenty of lighter moments. Just a warning.

The slate grey concrete walls and dim lighting weren't the best of working conditions, still, they didn't have the time to look for better ones. Once they had told the leader they had all the components, she had given them a deadline, and they had to meet it. The tall Absol grabbed a test tube out of the row. This one had a strange reddish purple liquid inside it. He semi rushed it over to the other side of the lab where an Alakazam was waiting semi patiently.

"Here you go professor!"

He handed the Alakazam the vial, and he accepted it gratefully.

"Finally, this is it."

There was a mixing machine in front of the Alakazam, and he gently added the fluid into it, before pressing the button to start it. The machine whirred to life for a couple minutes, the pair tapping their foot/paw on the ground impatiently. They wouldn't get a second chance at this. It HAD to work.

After what felt like an eternity, the machine made a ding, and a green light showed.

"It worked." The professors's voice was even out of shock, but soon enough, the weight of this hit him, and he broke out into a grin, hugged his assistant, and they started jumping around like children. "It worked! It actually worked!"

It was just in time too, the doors opened, and a shadowy figure stepped in. Both the scientists snapped to attention, brushing down their bodies to appear as presentable as possible.

The figure stopped just outside of the dim lighting that only illuminated part of the floor. It's voice soft and feminine. She spoke in a tone that sounded disarming, almost sweet, but anyone who had worked under her knew that this was just a very obvious facade, and that crossing her or disappointing her was sure to result in severe punishment, even death.

"Well, you told me you'd have it ready. Is it done?"

The professor faced her with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "W-well ma'am, the time limit was pretty severe and-"

"Are you saying that you need more time?"

The answer sounded reasonable, but again, this was just an act to lure the more stupid of her subordinates into a false sense of security. A way of weeding out the people who weren't smart enough to be part of her organization. His response came out very swift, and a bit shaky. "N-no ma'am! It's done! It's just that this is only a prototype. It hasn't been tested yet."

"That is perfectly acceptable. I only wanted you to create this. I'll take care of the testing. I'll send out for one right now."

The Alakazam removed a second tube from the device, this one containing the mixed liquid. It was an eerie swirling black color. He corked the top of it. She reached her arm out expectingly, hand inches from the light. He walked over and set it in her hand. "With all due respect ma'am, who in their right minds would volunteer for this?"

She held the vial up between her face and the light, staring at the liquid with an air of importance. "Who said anything about it being voluntary?" The professor retreated back to the Absol's side. Nervous about the next words possibly being one of them being volunTOLD to be the test subject. She continued to stare at the small glass tube containing less than a tablespoon of the liquid as if it was the most important thing ever. "25 years… it took the greatest minds of our time 25 years to make this one batch. Needing a compound that could only be made with some decently rare ingredients and only had a one in a million chance of being synthesized successfully. 25 years… for this."

The pair had begun to sweat. The words she was saying did not sound promising. The Absol spoke up. "W-were sorry ma'am, but there was no way to increase the odds. It was just a-"

"Relax. I know. You guys did your jobs. Take some time off. I'll contact you when I have another project. You will be rewarded well for this."

She turned around and walked out. Only when the door shut, did they relax. Their nerves were almost totally shot. It had been a lucky break, the compound took a week to attempt to synthesize. Based on the one in a million chance, it could've taken thousands upon thousands of years to successfully make it, but a miracle had allowed it to be made in just 25. The best part was, they wouldn't end up being the test subjects. If the liquid worked as it was supposed to… Arceus help that Pokémon.