The Lab was dark now, and quiet- tourists had left, and now the hard work of the night could begin.

I strolled down the corridor, still illuminated only by the dying sun, but I wasn't concerned. The lights come on automatically at seven sharp every day. So I relaxed, enjoying a moment of silence after my hectic day handing out Pokémech to the little children and teaching the aspiring scientists how our jobs worked. We told them how we helped the Pokémon, improving their senses and their quality of life through machinery.

Of course, what really went on couldn't be farther from the truth.

At first, intentions had been noble enough. Helping injured Pokémon to cope with their disabilities by enhancing them. I remembered my starting assignment as an intern, helping R-197-01, the first Umbreon in our facility, one who had lost its night vision in one eye due to an accident. We replaced the bad eye with a digital scanner that could not only let him see in the dark, but also provided heat sensing capabilities, ultraviolet vision, and more. By that point, of course, we were feeling quite confident with the system.

But when we rigged up the electrical system within his body, something bizarre happened. The ring markings on his head and legs became almost box-like, his movements a little more rigid. I remember the panic, the fear that I had done something wrong, and on my first operation no less. But when the lead scientists looked into it, they discovered that friendship evolutions are not finalized. Umbreon evolve when they gain trust in a certain person or Pokémon, but loyalties can always change. Their evolution is unstable. So when we inserted the new tech, it was a stimulant for him that finalized his transformation.

We discovered that the situation was the same for all friendship Pokémon, and he was categorized as F-197-01 instead. My "mistake" became a huge discovery, and I rose up through the ranks quickly.

Just as I advanced myself, our Pokémech have changed. The Replacement was a subtle operation, but little by little, Pokémon have disappeared from our world. Why should we use feeble creatures, which can be destroyed, or disobey, when we have their power harnessed in man's own creation, the machine? The scientists are confident that there are no Pokémon left, at least not anywhere near human habitation. Now is the era of the Pokémech.

How I wish we had never created them.

I tapped my foot impatiently, waiting for our true generator to power on, and grant us access to the information and resources we never would have revealed during the day. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I watched the switch from 6:59 to 7 PM, then looked up at the lights that were about to turn on.

They didn't.

I was more irked than panicked. We were at the turning point of some very important research regarding the way in which vintage fire type Pokémon had controlled and fueled their flame. I could recall the time when that work began as well- we had been assisting a young female Cyndaquil whose fire was unable to start, R-155-03. We gave her some boosters where the red spots on her back would've spewed flame, which allowed her not only to start up her fire the way a normal Cyndaquil could, but also regulate the size and intensity of the flame. Fueling it was a problem, though. When we finally decided to make it solar-powered, she took in too much light during her allotted time outside, burning herself and the lab quite badly. I was still young and inexperienced at the time, and had allowed myself to grow attached to the little Pokémon, calling her Chris after the boosters on her back (C.H.R.I.S. - Concentrated Heat Regulation and Integration System). I was heartbroken to see her locked away in suspended animation with the other prototypes.

But indeed, we had come far since that mild failure. We had even revamped the artificial intelligence system to create emotions as well, so that the children could better connect to what they believed were Pokémon.

Strolling down darkened halls, I wondered idly what had gone wrong. I saw G-405-7 in passing and hailed the Pokémech Luxray down. All the G's were well-equipped for battle, and for guarding precious Lab secrets. 405-7 was Captain of the Guard, and I knew that if anyone had an idea of what was going on, it would be he. "G-405-7!" He kept walking, infrared vision eyes darting back and forth across the hall in his usual patrol routine.

I realized I'd forgotten to use the command words we'd implemented with the guards. They were the only words G's responded to, to minimize unwanted incidents with their deadly array of weaponry. "G-405-7, Doctor Russel Thornhill addressing! Command code: halt!"

The Pokémech stopped dead and I smiled at his quick response. Then his tail began to swing back and forth, the modified spike ball at the tip glinting menacingly in the half light. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late.

I was utterly helpless. I took a deep breath, and prepared for the end.

AN: Well, this is it! My first story! For those who don't know me, I'm artisticuno on deviantART, but I'll be known as Elekiddish here. I tend not to use anime/manga characters in my writing (unless of course it's a shipping oneshot, or something along those lines), but that's because I rarely ever follow the same arcs of the show either. I write original stories, with original characters, just borrow Pokemon to throw into the mix. Which reminds me, disclaimer. I don't own Pokemon. If I did, Zoroark wouldn't have a freakin ponytail.

Well, guess that's all I have to say here. I'll be updating a lot this week in order to catch up with where I was on dA (I discontinued the story there for posting here instead), but once that's over with I'll most likely post once or twice a week. Don't forget to R&R! ^^

~Elekiddish