prologue
Venonat quickly hurried from the lab. He carried the reports in his stubby little arms and prayed that when he entered the room he would go unnoticed. His job was to observe and manage all their progress on the project, but he knew Aggron was not going to be pleased with his findings. As he approached the large steel doors he began to sweat, the heat from his tight grip on the papers causing all the information to run together into unappealing blobs of black and white. A tiny glance of hope spread throughout his body as he considered that maybe Aggron wouldn't be able to read the reports, but he shrugged it away. He knew that even if Aggron couldn't read the report, Aggron was smart enough to read the worry on his face. Though he may not be the fastest, Aggron's raw power was enough to instill fear in anyone. His short temper left everyone on edge, and the last thing anyone wanted to do was be the bearer of bad news.
It was too late to turn back now, Aggron spotted him the second he opened the door.
"General. I have the report on Project X." Venonat gave a nervous salute.
"I see...what is the report?" General Aggron waited in anticipation.
"Sir, it seems that Project X is, um, coming along nicely...but there is one minor set back...the prisoners are becoming slightly stronger, faster, and are receiving some sort of stat boost..."
"WHAT!?! I SAID IF THERE WERE ANY SET BACKS, THEY WOULD BE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!!!"
Aggron gave him no time to reply, he pinned the Venonat into the glass, leaving him little room to breathe.
"I'm...sorry...sir it...it wont...happen again." Venonat managed to choke out.
"You are right. It won't happen again...because I won't let someone like you mess it up." Aggron punctured him with his sturdy horn. The act of violence released Aggron's rage and he composed himself.
Standing up quickly and letting the dead Venonat fall to the ground Aggron smirked, "anyone want a promotion?"
*****
"You can't keep killing workers." Magnezone bravely called out.
Aggron turned, hiding his annoyance, "I know professor, but this project is too significant to risk losing with incompetent workers, public discovery, or worse, rebellion."
"I suppose...but what are we going to do if a prisoner happens to find a way through the system...and they get in our way."
Aggron thought about this a moment. He stopped...that wasn't his job, "YOU are the professor! You think about it!"
"Yes sir. Right away. It will take some time though..."
Aggron sighed. He was getting sick of the time constraints, and his patience was dwindling. "Fine. I'm going to hit the gym, tell me when you hit a break through."
Aggron stormed out of the room. It took all his self-restraint not to dispose of Professor Magnezone then and there, but he reminded himself it shouldn't be much longer. As soon as the professor delivered the results he wanted, he could get rid of him.
*****
Professor Magnezone sat at his bench. The lab seemed eerie at night, but he tried to remain focused on his work. Aggron needed him to fix the prototype, and seemed pressed for time, which meant Magnezone needed to work quickly. He had been working since Aggron had stormed out of the Strategy Room earlier that day. No matter what he tried, the genetics would not match up with the metal types he needed to use. He considered finding alternative solutions to match up with each Pokémon's type, but that would take more time. It was late and he was getting drowsy.
Suddenly he heard the distinctive sound of metal scratching metal. Unsure of what the noise was, the Professor quickly rushed to the lab door. He opened the magnetic powered door, designed so only he could access his section in the lab. He scanned the area, and after determining he must have imagined the sound, he convinced himself to return to his work.
As he turned back into the lab the alarm system began blaring. The noise could only mean one thing, their test Pokémon had escaped. The security Bulbasaur hurried past the professor, ignoring his presence. Magnezone quickly followed, worried the escape was somehow his fault.
He saw in the distance a lone Weavile leading a small group of young Pokémon.
The Weavile turned to the children, "listen to me. Do exactly what I tell you; when I say run...you run. Do you understand?" The young Pokémon nodded their heads, too confused and intimidated to speak.
The Weavile noticed the approaching Bulbasaurs and gave the children the signal, "Run. I will hold them off, remember the message I told you!"
The young Pokémon hurriedly escaped.
The Weavile was alone, but his experience had taught him plenty, he knew how to deal with Bulbasaurs. A Bulbasaur launched Bullet Seeds, but Weavile jumped in the air, blocking any stray bullets with his claws. He leaped into the middle of the herd and with one swipe, he cut off all their flower buds.
He looked around for a way out, when he noticed the incoming squadron of Dragonair. He prepared a blizzard, but failed to notice the Graveler sneaking behind him.
Graveler had been assigned one duty, let no one escape. He prepared himself for his mission and got as close as possible to the Weavile. He had waited until the Weavile made eye contact and he released the blow, an explosion rang out.
The building was torn to shreds and metal twisted in every direction. The blast had caused the young Pokémon to stumble in their path and look back. They stopped their running and took in the energy from the explosion. Silent, the Pokémon realized what had happened, Weavile wouldn't be returning to them.
With nowhere to go and no one to lead them, the children tacitly followed the orders they had been given...and ran.