Took a while to upload this one. I just kept tweaking and tweaking and even now I don't think it feels right. But I need it out of the way for the next ones, which I like.

ANyway, here you go. If you can help me improve, let me know.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Kanto time, Silver spoke those words into the microphone. All across the world battles started.

Brock was against a skinny girl, her water Pokémon blasting his rocks into oblivion. The water splashed against his face as he smiled. At long last, a challenge had come his way.

Misty was fighting a boy with piercing blue eyes. His bug Pokémon had already obliterated all of the Trainers in her Gym and she was quickly following suit.

Lt. Surge had gritted his teeth as his opponent's Mightyena tore through his own Pokémon's defences.

In Violet City, Falkner's bird Pokémon were each hit by colossal jolts of electricity from a Raichu. One by one, they fell and hit the floor of his Gym.

Whitney could already feel herself tearing up as her Miltank was struck by a low kick which sent it reeling. A sniffle escaped her lips.

Claire felt herself bristling. The twins in front of her were taking down her Dragon Pokémon in next to no time. It was impossible. They couldn't be this good, they couldn't.

In Hoenn, Flannery was cursing under her breath. Her fire Pokémon were no match for her opponent, whose Gyarados was tearing them to shreds. She straightened her back, drew her next Pokémon and continued the battle.

The Psychic twins, Tata and Liza, smiled at each other. This was fun. Their double battle technique was winning. But even as they smiled, their opponent reached down and sent out an Umbreon. The battle quickly turned the other way.

In Hearthrome City, Fantina was conversing animatedly in her native tongue with her opponent. Her ghost Pokémon had fainted a while ago.

Candice smiled warmly at her opponent. They had passion about this battle, that much was evident. A roar of fire ripped past her, melting her ice Pokémon in an instant. She laughed.

In Striaton Gym, the three brothers were rather perplexed. Their opponent had requested that she be able to battle all of them. In her words, the Trio Badge would not feel earned if any Gym Leader was left undefeated.

Burgh was scowling. The man across from him obviously had no taste. What was he thinking, insulting both the Gym Leader's artwork and dress sense? His bug Pokémon would show him. As soon as they stopped fainting, of course.

The Battles raged in every Gym across the world. The end result would be the same everywhere. The Gym Leader would lose and a multitude of badges would be won. That wasn't the desired outcome.

000

Silver raised his microphone, flicking a switch at its base. This message was sent to only four people. "Go to final Pokémon."

The four trainers each competing against the various Elite Four Champions ensured that their moves missed. They then, in a synchronised motion witnessed only by Silver and the scientists, allowed their penultimate Pokémon to faint.

At the Indigo Plateau, Lance drew himself up to his full height, swept his hand in a regal gesture, and barked at his Dragonite to attack. Across the room, the woman with the long, blonde hair folded her arms nonchalantly. Her Steelix shot forward, ramming its metal body into Dragonite. The two Pokémon shot across the room to land in a heap. As one, they got up and faced each other. They moved again.

Steven's Metagross barrelled into his opponent's Seismitoad. The creatures wrestled momentarily, before the water Pokémon was hurled away. As it flew through the air, it released a blast of water from its mouth which hit the Metagross square in the head. The steel Pokémon fainted and Steven withdrew. Then, he sent out Skarmory and the fight continued.

Cynthia's Milotic was caught in a tussle with her opponent's Haunter. Her opponent, a man with square shoulders and a pronounced chin, was clenching his teeth. From his stance, she determined he was desperate to win. However, he was on his last Pokémon and she was not. It was only a matter of time before he fell. Then he would train and come against her a second time. She would be waiting for him when he did.

Alder gave a booming laugh as his Vanillice shot another blizzard at the boy in front of him. This match would end soon, that was for certain. Still, this boy had talent to get this far. And his Pokémon were pretty powerful. Maybe Alder could give the kid some tips when this was all done.

Back in the Underground room, Silver counted down again. At exactly five minutes past three the Elite Four Champions won their battles. They had sustained damage, of course, but they had won. There would not be a new face added to the Hall of Fame that day.

Silver smiled again. The next stage of the plan would go into effect in a few minutes.

000

The room was quiet and cool. That far below the earth it should have been hot, due to the proximity to the earth's mantle and layers of insulating rock, but ice Pokémon were kept at hand to ensure a pleasant temperature.

Leaf was standing in front of a computer screen. She was inserting the final Pokéball: the product of her trip to Unova. On the screen flickered the image of Reshiram. She tapped a few buttons and it vanished. Gone to join the other Legendaries.

Somewhere in the distance there came the roar of a Pokémon just released from captivity. The questioning sound of a creature who knows it is in a prison far worse than what it has ever expected. One that is angry, attempting to escape. At Leaf's feet, Espeon's eyes flashed. There was a crash, as of a Pokémon collapsing in a faint. Silence reigned once more.

Leaf began to hum then: a slow tune which she had picked up somewhere in her travels. Still humming, she tripped down the room. It stretched out on either side of her, going on and on into blackness. Her trophy room.

000

Lance nodded and withdrew his Dragonite. He stepped forward to the blonde woman, extending a hand for her to shake. "Well done. I have not had such a challenge in a long time."

"You flatter me," the woman smiled, revealing a crooked incisor. "I shall train and come back stronger. Perhaps then I will defeat you."

"Perhaps you will. Now though, I suggest we heal your Pokémon. Will you walk with me to the Pokécenter?"

The woman nodded and together the two of them descended through the Pokémon League. Along the way, the other Elite Four members joined them. All of them congratulated the woman on her having gotten that far, and offered their sympathies that she had lost at the final hurdle.

The woman smiled and nodded, but did not speak more than a few words. The Elite Four acknowledged that she was furious that she'd lost, but was hiding behind a calm facade. They could never have guessed at the reality. The truth was that she was listening to the chip in her hear, awaiting any further instructions.

The nurse behind the counter of the Pokémon Center looked up when they entered and smiled. She moved to wait for them to come to the counter. Lance stood to one side, allowing the challenger to go first. She stepped up and handed over six Poké Balls. They were highly polished and neat. It was as if she had just recently received them. Lance stood just by her right shoulder and looked askance at these Poké Balls. He didn't know why, but something seemed off. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. She merely took care of her Poké Balls, that was all. It was a commendable act, so many people did no such thing.

The nurse let the Pokémon rest, then handed the six balls back to the trainer. She stepped back, arranging them on her belt. As she did so, she casually moved her hand to her other pocket. Inside was a small, grey device which had a transmitter and a switch.

With slow, steady fingers, she switched it on.

The first of the Forty-Four green lights came on just above Silver's head.

000

"I've never been in a Pokémon Center before," N said. He was sticking close behind Blue and had been looking around at everything in Viridian City with an intense curiosity. Blue glanced back at him.

"Really?" he said sceptically. "Not once?"

N shook his head. "Most Pokémon I only used once, then released. If any needed healing, I used Full Restores, Revives, Ethers, things like that. Ghetsis didn't want me to go outside where I might meet people much." He paused, looking at a Jigglypuff sitting in on corner. "Who's is that?"

Blue glanced over and shrugged. "It's been there as long as I remember. I think one of the nurses owns it."

N nodded. Then he wandered over to talk to it. Blue watched him and couldn't help but smile. It really was uncanny how he got on with Pokémon. He was talking to Jigglypuff, but didn't seem tired at all. Still smiling, he sidled up to the counter. The trainers from his Gym had already healed all their Pokémon and were waiting for him outside. He handed over his six Poké Balls. The man beside him coughed slightly, then swore under his breath.

Turning, Blue recognised him. "Hello, again," he said to the man who had just beaten him and earned the Viridian Gym badge. "Good battle by the way. You have remarkable technique."

The man nodded. He was busy punching some numbers on a phone he held in his gnarled hand. "Can't get any bloody signal in here," he said, mostly to himself.

Blue nodded. "Yes, the reception's bad in Poké Centers. You could try outside. Oh, thanks."

He took the Poké Balls back from the nurse just as the man swore loudly and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Blue didn't notice, but as he did so, the man flicked a switch on a device in his pocket.

"I'll just have to fly over and meet him." Again, the man was talking to himself. Blue watched him as he strode out of the Poké Center. When he and N next exited, he was a decreasing speck in the air as he flew to wherever it was he was going.

"Strange man," N commented as they walked.

Blue looked over. "You get weird sorts all over. I've seen plenty who act like him. Strength certainly doesn't bring manners."

"No, I don't mean that." N was scratching at the back of his head, trying to work out what exactly he was trying to say. "No, I mean, it was his Pokémon."

"They seemed perfectly fine to me."

"Yes... But it was the way they acted with him."

Blue paused outside the Gym door, looking curiously at N. "What do you mean?"

The other boy's hands flailed in the air as he tried to express what he was thinking. "I mean... All the other Pokémon I've encountered have all spoken during the battles. They've talked to their opponents, mostly about their trainers. It's how I know whether Pokémon trainers are kind or not. And his... Well, they were silent. I mean, they cried out when they were attacked, but those were just cries. There were no words. They didn't say anything."

The two boys looked at each other for a long time.

Finally, Blue asked, "Well, do you think it means anything?"

N shrugged. "It was unusual. I'm not sure if it means anything at all."

000

Silver entered the final code on the keypad and let the door swing open. He stepped into Leaf's trophy room softly, careful not to make too much noise. Leaf didn't appreciate sounds when she was working.

The room stretched out in front of him. There was a solitary light in the roof, casting out just enough light to see by. However, it did not fill the entire room and the majority of the space was in darkness. There was the vague outline of computers, and large shapes which could have been cages or computer screens. Aside from that, there was no sign of life. No sign of Leaf. He stepped forward, looking for her and the door clicked shut behind him.

Her voice came drifting through the darkness, echoing slightly off of the walls. "The plan is complete?"

"Yes. Every step. Our members are flying back now."

"The devices worked? Even the older ones?"

"It went off without a hitch." Silver stepped further into the darkness, smiling wider. Somewhere in the darkness off to his left came a muffled Pokémon cry. He turned a corner. Leaf was in front of him, facing away. Her tall, lithe frame was silhouetted against the green light emanating from the device she stood in front of. Silver moved to stand behind her.

"When shall we begin work in here?" he asked.

"'We'? I work in here alone, Silver."

Silver grinned. "Fine, then. When will you begin work in here?"

Leaf turned to face him. The green light picked out her features in perfect detail. She wasn't smiling, but then Silver hadn't expected her to be.

"I believe I will start now." She reached over to the wall beside her. A large lever was protruding for the wall. She grabbed it and tugged downwards, releasing a burst of electricity. Above, the entire system of lights across the roof lit up, revealing the full extend of the room.

The cries of Leaf's trophies filled the air.

000

In Oreburgh city, a small boy stepped up to face Roark in the Gym. In his hands he clasped a Poké Ball, containing his Budew. Roark smiled encouragingly. He drew his own Poké Ball and threw it.

"Geodude!" he cried.

There was a flash of red.

The Pokémon released was not Geodude.

It was small, round, and covered in a thin layer of grey fur. The two trainers stared at it as it lay there on the ground. Roark stepped forward in confusion, looking down at it. He checked his other Poké Balls, looking for his Cranidos, his Onyx. All he found were more of this strange, grey thing. He glanced up at the boy who shrugged. The other two trainers, Jonathon and Darius, were also confused. This boy had skipped them, heading straight for Roark. Now though, they pulled out their own Poké Balls. Instead of Geodudes, they had more of the strange grey things.

"Roark?" Darius asked in a quiet voice. "What's going on?"

000

It was headline news across the world the next day. All the Gym Leaders, and worse, all the Elite Four, had had their Pokémon stolen and replaced with low-level creatures who nobody had been able to identify. These creatures were unable to fight, with less than five HP apiece. Everyone everywhere was at a loss. Many individual trainers had had this problem too, including all the Gym trainers around the world. There was a mass panic, confusion, as well as several breakdowns as people just realised what they had lost.

Deep below the earth, a gathering of scientists and trainers, Silver at the head, were watching the news broadcast. They each wore large, gleeful smiles.

This. This was the desired outcome.