Prologue

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The rhythmic sound filled the hushed dark room. Light came from various machines that were placed close to a bed situated in the center. A body rested on the bed covered with a white linen sheet from head to toe.

Another source of light came from a large computer screen where a petite blonde woman stood pensive and furiously typing away on her keyboard. Her azure eyes looked directly at the screen, unblinking, while the artificial light made her pale skin seem like it was glowing.

"Come on, come on," she muttered to herself through clenched teeth as her brows furred in frustration.

A sharp noise of shifting came from behind the bespectacled woman and all her movements ceased.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Hol-Hol-Holly," a hoarse, wheezing voice called from underneath the white cloth.

Immediately, with surprising speed, the short woman raced towards the bed so fast that the end of her lab coat fluttered behind her. When she got beside the bed, Holly bent down on one knee and bowed her head.

"I'm here, my Lord," she answered in a small voice while she nervously pushed back her glasses into place. From her line of vision, Holly could see tiny wires to large tubes disappearing underneath the cloth.

My master…

A deep intake of breath was taken before the wheezing voice spoke again. "P-pain. In m-my ch-ch-chest."

Standing to full height, Holly swiftly took out a minimized pokeball out of the pocket of her lab coat. After enlarging it, Holly pressed the button on the pokeball, and white energy streamed out. The white and red ball shut, and the energy slowly materialized into a floating figure.

"Chimecho," the small bluish pokemon sang out. Its tag-like tail, with an amaranth pattern, flickered back and forth as its yellow beady eyes stared at Holly.

"Bells use Healing Pulse," Holly commanded as she stared directly in the eyes of her pokemon. "Make sure to direct most of your energy towards his chest and lungs."

A small jingle flittered through the air as it nodded in understanding. Moving with grace, the chimecho floated towards the bed, placing its long tail atop the linen cloth.

Closing its eyes in concentration, a green light came from the top of its globular growth and quickly spread to the rest of the pokemon's body. Soon the green light grew stronger and blinding, causing Holly to wince from the sudden brightness, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Much better," the voice said. He's voice was much clearer yet the breathiness in his voice remained.

Holly recalled her chimecho back into its pokeball with a muttered "Return", placing the minimized pokeball back into the pocket of her lab coat.

"How is Project J coming along?" the hidden man asked suddenly. The question caught Holly by surprise as her eyes became alert and considerably larger.

Nervously gulping and playing with a loose strand of her blonde hair, Holly opened and closed her mouth as if the right words would escape from her lips. "Very w-well, my L-Lord," she finally managed to stammer out.

"You sound uncertain." The tone held disapproval.

"The machine itself is ready but the energy source is the problem. A machine like that requires a large amount of energy to be able to perform all of its designated functions," Holly hurriedly explain.

"It sounds to me like you are about to fail me," the man calmly said but the voice held a dark undertone to it.

"N-no, n-never, my Lord!" Holly exclaimed while furiously shaking her head, terror written all over her face. "I've found the perfect source of energy that will be more than sufficient to sustain the machine. I have made the necessary arrangements for the retrieval of the power source. It won't be easy but the people I've hired for the job are more than competent to do the job. With that done, Project J will be ready for testing in a few weeks."

"Very good, my servant, that sounds better than the pathetic answer you gave me before. My life depends on this entire operation. Make sure it is done without any complications," the voice said with finality. Failure was not an option. "Did Nicholas give you the money you required?"

A small vindictive smile spread across Holly's lips. "Of course, my Lord. A few threats here and there, and he was more than willing to hand over a generous amount for me to stay quiet."

"You are learning, my servant. You are learning how this game is played."

"Thank you, my Lord. And I bear more good news," Holly informed her master with slight glee. "I was able to get an old faithful servant back into our clutches. They'll be our eyes and ears in that school, like you wanted, my Lord. Everything that happens in that school, we will know about it."

A satisfied hum filled the air that came from the hidden body. "Perfect. Now I'll be able to watch Augustine's every move. You did well, my servant."

"Thank you, my Lord," she replied with a small bow directed towards the bed. "I'll advise Master to save up his energy for the coming week. It will be certainly busy."

"Yes, I'll do that," Holly's master responded thoughtfully before he added, "but do not fail me. Do not fail me Holly."

"Never, my Lord," Holly promised. "I'll never fail you."

After she was done speaking, Holly moved back to her place in front of the large computer.

They tried to end you but they couldn't. You will rise again, my Master, and I will be there beside you. Till the end. Even if it kills me.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Author's Note:

This is my second time attempting this fic and I really want to, hopefully, finish it one day. This is just the beginning and I hope you'll enjoy what I have in store for you.

First scene and I have introduced some very important characters and it will be a while before we see them again. In the next chapter I'll be introducing two of the main protagonists for the story and the adventure will finally start.

So, tell me what you think about my story and what you expect from what you've read. Criticism is welcome. Read and review. Till next time!

~Writer1001