I received many unique opinions about the last chapter and all others. It is good for me to know the thoughts of others reading my story. As a writer, it is my job to illustrate an imaginary setting for anyone interested or in need of some entertainment. I do my best in whatever I participate in because it's just how I am. Anyway, I thank all of those for their feedback. Like it helps many writers in certain ways, the feedback allowed me to see in different views for future chapters and improve my writing style.

So now, please enjoy…


"Ladies and gentlemen! As you may know already from the current excitement, we will be taking a momentary ten minute break!" the announcer said. The entire crowd of spectators fell into a hushed state, waiting for more announcements from the commentator box. "The status of this battle stands out as: Ash Ketchum with three unusable Pokémon and Gary Oak with three revealed Pokémon, but only one unusable Pokémon. Be back in your seats the moment this break is over! The action will continue until the last Pokémon is left standing!"

Each spectator left orderly through every available exit. The exits were small and the corridors were tight and restrictive on movement. The order eventually faded as those who needed to use the bathroom without missing a single moment of the battle castigated the "Slowpokes" up in front. A certain group once again thought ahead of the entire situation and left as soon as the previous round ended.

"Come one! We'd better find Ash!" Anabel called out to the rest of her friends.


"Pikachu, what am I doing wrong?" Ash asked his friend. "I did so well in the first battle, but then my Pokémon and I fell apart."

"Pika-chu," Pikachu said sympathetically.

"Pidgeot did a pretty good job for its return to my team, but I failed both Donphan and Bulbasaur."

"Pikapi…"

"I wish I knew what made me fall behind, Pikachu. But what?"

"Ash!" a voice called out from the hallway outside the locker room.

"Hmm?"

"Ash!" more voices called out. By the doorway came Anabel, Misty, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Zoey, Drew, and Kenny. Most of them were out of breath, racing to beat the ten minute break to get to Ash.

"How'd you guys get here so fast?" Ash asked.

"We've been used to getting out of the crowd pretty early," Brock said.

"Third time's the charm!" May chimed in.

"You know, running down here ahead of the crowd just to tell him that was not the reason I followed along," Drew said to May. Her mood quickly changed after Drew's cocky insult.

"We were getting there!" May said haughtily.

"Aside from those two, what happened to you, Ash?" Zoey asked Ash.

"Your early performance was not exactly the best I've seen despite being a witness to your Pidgeot's first victory," Kenny said.

"I still wish I knew," Ash said, sullen from his performance. Receiving such remarks from his friends did not help him much, but he knew what he must do.

"Ash, you agreed for Gary to face you as Kanto Champion," Brock said. "You better not be backing down now. Not after everything you've worked hard for."

"The problem is that I don't even know why I'm holding back in the first place," Ash said. "I stared in his eyes and he stared in mine. We both had similar feelings about this: how this was a giant step on my way on becoming Pokémon Master."

"If Gary felt the same way, then how did he do much better than you after Pidgeot defeated his Dodrio?" Max asked.

"He didn't, didn't he?" Anabel asked, sounding as though she knew about this the entire time. The others were confused about what she meant, but Ash immediately understood.

"Did what?"

"Ash, you allowed your own feelings to interfere your battling, didn't you?"

"I… uh…" Ash hesitated.

"Is this from your past inferiority to Gary or your current overconfidence?"

"… I-I…"

Ash was not sure how to feel or behave. He had always fought with his heart in many battles in the past and it had almost always guaranteed him victory. His fiery resolve and passionate determination helped him plowed through the competition of other Pokémon Trainers and led him to this very moment. But there were certain instances by which his own resolve blinded him to the battlefield, costing many a valuable battle.

"Ash?"

"Anabel, I…"

"Ash, you gotta snap outta this," Misty said, gripping him by the collar. Impatient and upset that her friend kept on belittling himself because of his weak performance earlier, the Cerulean City Gym Leader decided to take action as a real Gym Leader would in tension-tightening situations like these. "Ash Ketchum! Wake up! I know for a fact that this isn't like you! I know that Gary is your friend now, but in your challenge in beating up those Elite Four members and Champions of the four regions you can't hold anything back!"

"Misty, don't you think I've been trying?" Ash snapped back.

"Try harder!" Misty shouted, gripping him harder. "Just because you defeated Gary in Johto doesn't mean the same thing will happen again. Look at the stats now! You're behind three Pokémon while your retired rival has two!"

Ash winced from the excruciating pain from her forceful tug, unable to keep his own eyes open in this stress. The others could only watch, believing that Ash might need this push from a former traveling companion like her. Misty was quite the motivational coach while she showed Ash the ropes when he started out as a reckless novice.

"But, I…"

"You're closing your eyes! Stop closing your eyes! Whatever happens, don't close your eyes! I've noticed from even a distance that you've closed your eyes whenever one of your Pokémon attempted to take down Gary's Pokémon. Are you that weak? Or maybe you're too overconfident for your own good? Is that it?! Maybe you're just not serious about this?! You're probably thinking to yourself right now that you've got this whole thing in the bag. You're thinking like one of your most arrogant rivals! Stop that!"

"Even after all these years, I still like that girl's style," May said, somewhat frightened from Misty's performance.

"Me too," Max added, staring in awe. "To think I learned the secret of stopping Brock's advances from her, she is incredible."

"Make that triple," Dawn said, her blue eyes peeled open at the sight.

"Pikachu-pi," Pikachu muttered quietly.

"If at any moment during the battle you close your eyes, know that you will lose everything you and your Pokémon have trained hard for," Misty advised, shaking Ash by the collar for emphasis.

"M-M-Mi-Mist-y-y-y," Ash said; his voice echoing from her thrusts.

"You must do what you've always been doing in every Pokémon battle you've been in: head into it with no fear of losing. You cannot let the fear of defeat enter your mind; you must enter the battle with nothing to lose! As long as you have no fear of losing and that you enter the battle without anything to lose in the first place, you WILL succeeded! Do I make myself unequivocally clear, Ketchum?!"

"Y-Y-Y-Yes?" Ash said.

"I can't hear you!"

"Yes, sir!"

"I'm a girl… err, woman, Ketchum!" Misty shouted, finally releasing Ash from her lethal hold and threw him onto the ground.

"Y-Yes, m-ma'am! Ah hoo huy…"

"Like I said, I still love her style," May whispered to Max, Anabel, and Dawn. "However, I think her throwing Ash off his seat is going a bit overboard."

"You think?" Anabel, Max, and Dawn asked sarcastically.


"You've done pretty well out there so far, Gary," Professor Oak said. "You're ahead by two Pokémon."

"Yeah, I know that, Grandpa," Gary said, leaning on the doorway leading back to the battlefield. There was plenty on his mind, somewhat confused about the whole thing altogether.

"Gary, you've been such a wonderful rival to my son," Delia said.

"Why aren't you with your son then?" he asked.

"His friends have got that covered," she said smiling. "I really do want Ash to win though."

"So do I…"

"Gary, the second round is about to start," Professor Oak said. "You sure you'll be fine?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

"You're not too concerned about Ash?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

"Did you—?"

"Yes, Grandpa! I did!" Gary said impatiently, only realizing his misconduct a second after his emotional express. "… Sorry, Grandpa. I'll continue battling as I have up to now. I still don't plan letting up on Ash, you know."

"I think he does not want you to let up on him anyway," Delia said.

"Got it…"


"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to the second round of young Ash Ketchum's Kanto Champion Battle!" the announcer said under the wild cheers of the crowd. "I see our youthful battlers returning to their positions, just like you thrill-seeking spectators came back to see more of the battle!"

The audience filled their seats as the ultimate Kanto show was about to begin. While waiting for the referee's command, Ash, Pikachu, and Gary gazed around the large crowd that surrounded them. Gary quickly skimmed around while Ash found his friends sitting in the second row of the stadium at his right.

"I'll make you guys proud," he thought. "I will win this and move on with the challenge." While he began focusing on making a comeback, his friends experienced the opposite of the serious nature from the battlefield.

"What took you guys so long?" Misty asked the returning six Kanto Gym Leaders. "Do you know how hard it is to reserve six good seats?!"

"Sorry, Misty," Janine said, bowing apologetically. "It's Surge. We had to wait for him to get out of the men's bathroom."

"Did he get stuck in the doorway again?"

"Nope," Blaine said. "Now's a good time for this riddle though." Anyone who knew Blaine and were within earshot groaned with an exaggerated loud tone for the Cinnabar Gym Leader to hear.

"Blaine, is this really necessary?" Sabrina asked, her voice muffled by Haunter's comical groan.

"Grr, just shut up and listen!" the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader shouted. They all stopped. "Good. Now then…A hulking man we all know and are sometimes annoyed by. His steely gut can survive a rifle's bullet, but crumbles under the pressure of a bad hotdog."

"Oh, that's an easy riddle," Erika said.

"Care to solve it, dear Erika?" Blaine asked.

"Okay! Uhh…" Erika took her time thinking of the obvious answer to the riddle, but dozed off in the process. A strange, awkward silence befell them.

"Anyone else care to solve?" Blaine asked sheepishly.

"I'll solve it, old man," a gruff voice said.

"Splendid! Now what is… Surge?!" Blaine shouted, discovering the Vermillion City Gym Leader standing behind him. Lt. Surge did look too pleased.

"Oh, now you just ruined the riddle for me," Surge said, towering over Blaine and cracking his knuckles.

"W-Wait! You can't harm an old man!"

"Relax. I don't plan on hurting you. I just want to take you to the nice people wearing similar white coats to yours."

As if on cue, everyone else started chuckling over Surge's sarcastic comment. They knew deep down that Surge would never really harm a fellow Gym Leader, but they also knew Blaine deserved it. And while Blaine hated to lose like this, he knew when it was a hopeless cause.

"Hmph, small things amuse small minds I suppose," Blaine said. Everyone then stopped laughing.

"Small minds, eh?" Surge asked, pounding a fist into his hand. The pounds echoed in the large stadium. "How'd you like a small head?"

"Enough," Sabrina said; she and Haunter got in between Blaine and Surge. "Blaine, you're hot-headed and a lame riddle teller. And Lt. Surge, you're arrogant with stomach problems. Now I suggest we sit down and enjoy the rest of the match, rooting for our challengers from years ago." The pupils in Sabrina's eyes then lit up; Blaine and Surge gave dull, hypnotized expressions.

"Yes, Mistress Sabrina," Blaine and Surge said monotonously, obeying every word by sitting back in their seats and waiting for the second round to start.

"Ha Ha Haun-ta!" Haunter laughed, amused by Sabrina's psychic control.


"Let the second round commence!" the referee declared, raising both flags.

"Folks, as you can plainly see, Ash and Gary will now battle upon the Water Field!" the announcer said. "The Water Field is where Water-type Pokémon rule! I know for a fact that Gary has a Blastoise while Ash caught a Squirtle! Let us see if they will make an appearance! I can't wait! Can you?"

"Let's not make them wait any longer," Gary said to the Poké Ball on hand. "Electivire, time to shine again!"

"Electivire!" the Thunderbolt Pokémon shouted upon reentry, still covered in cuts and gashes from Bulbasaur's previous Razor Leaf.

"You're not gonna win again," Ash said. "Now Charizard! I choose y—!"

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled, stopping Ash from throwing his Poké Ball.

"Pikachu?"

"Pikapi, Pika Pikachu," Pikachu said. Ash stared at the Mouse Pokémon, realizing what must be done. He knew his Electric-type felt strongly about it, ever since they faced Gary's Electivire for the first time in Pallet Town.

"I understand," Ash said. "Pikachu! I choose you!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped from a floating platform on the water to a center platform opposite of the one that Electivire stood upon. "Piii-kaaa…" Static discharge crackled from Pikachu's red cheeks. Electivire retaliated with static of its own, coursing through its mangled fur. It saw a creature becoming an equal in such a small body.

"Let the battle begin!" the referee announced.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu dashed forward, increasing his speed by the second. Pikachu hopped from platform to platform around Electivire. Electivire kept a close eye on the speeding Mouse Pokémon.

"Electivire, use Thunderbolt!"

"Elect-ivire!" Electivire unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt from its rugged body, keeping it continuous behind Pikachu. Pikachu used the speed of Quick Attack to further evade the Electric-type attack.

"Pikachu, now use Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped high into the air, aligning with the sun above Electivire. Electivire attempted to get a glimpse of Pikachu, but because the Mouse Pokémon was centered in the sun, it had trouble seeing through the blinding solar light. Pikachu's tail then lit up along the shine from the sun.

"Electivire, wait for Pikachu to come down and use Iron Tail too!"

"Elect!" Electivire squinted; Pikachu came into view with a Steel-powered tail. "Electivire!" Electivire's two tails lit up a bright white, matching Pikachu with its own Iron Tail. The Thunderbolt Pokémon jumped into the air, sending its tail to counter Pikachu's lighting-shaped tail.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out.

The attack was a stalemate. Neither Electric-types were about to budge as each Pokémon struggled to complete their own Iron Tail attack. However, it looked as though Electivire had the upper hand. Electivire had two long, thick tails while Pikachu had a short, thin, hardened tail. Ash pondered on his next move quickly, thinking that Electivire would break through first in terms of strength and long tail flexibility.

"It's over, Ash," Gary taunted. "Electivire's got this match against Pikachu once again."

"No!" Ash shouted, surprising many people. "Electivire can't win! Pikachu, do it!"

"Pika!" Pikachu called back. Almost instinctively and without a direct command from Ash, Pikachu spun his tail while it was still caught with Electivire's tails. The two tails were caught in the gap of the lightning-bolt tail.

"Electi?!" Electivire gasped. Pikachu then dove down, taking Electivire with him. The rate in which Pikachu's tail was spinning increased and Electivire was sent into a whirl. Pikachu had total control.

"Electivire, no!" Gary shouted. "Ash, what is this?"

"You'll see, Gary," he simply said.

"… Vire… Vire… Vire…" Electivire became disoriented from Pikachu's counterattack. Pikachu used great strength in sending Electivire onto a platform, creating a small crater and several cracks upon impact. A pull from the tail of a small creature caused the larger of the two to be stunned in several ways.

"You see, it's something Pikachu and I learned from previous battles, such as the battle and rematch against Sho's Raichu," Ash said. "Pikachu learned full mobility of his tail and it's used whenever two Iron Tails collide, so now it doesn't have to be a Raichu to have a long tail or be a big-shot. Now use Quick Attack, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, free falling from the air with amazing velocity. Pikachu also landed a critical hit upon tackling Electivire's body from above. The increased momentum from his height in the air accounted for the increased power in Quick Attack. And striking a critical point on Electivire's body made the pain worse for the receiving Thunderbolt Pokémon.

"Finish Electivire with Iron Tail!"

"Chu-Pika!" Pikachu, after connecting with Quick Attack, seized another opportunity with a forceful Iron Tail on the back of the Thunderbolt Pokémon. Electivire lost its last battling breath upon the last Iron Tail.

"Electivire is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising Ash's flag. "The winner of this battle is Pikachu!"

"Looks like Ash managed to turn this one around for himself!" the announcer said; the crowd cheered loudly for the beginning of Ash's second wind. "Let's see if he can keep up with Gary!"

"Electivire, return!" Gary recalled his soundly defeated Electivire. "Thanks a lot. Have a nice, long rest."

"Aren't you glad that I specifically remembered Electivire's special ability?" Ash taunted, pointing at his head.

"Heh, Motor Drive," Gary muttered. "When hit by an Electric attack, Electivire's speed increases, which was why Ash did not have Pikachu use any Electric attacks at all. I could have had Electivire power itself up, but then again we never really tried it. I was a Researcher then and still am. Smart boy… Nidoqueen, let's go!" Gary brought his Nidoqueen back out.

"Nido… Ni… do," Nidoqueen panted gruffly. She was completely exhausted from battling both Pidgeot and Donphan, two improved opponents, consecutively last round. A weak attack could finish her off, given that that attack is a direct hit.

"Pikachu, return!" Ash called out. Pikachu willing obeyed, hopping back to Ash's side of the Water Field.

"What are you doing?" Gary asked.

"I'm playing it smart this time," Ash said in a very serious tone. "Weakened or not, I'm not gonna take any chances with Nidoqueen. I know how powerful she really is. Squirtle, I choose you!" Ash threw a Poké Ball high into the air; the Poké Ball released a blinding light into the pool of water.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle said, popping its head out of the water.

"Squirtle, huh?" Gary thought. "This may be interesting. I haven't seen Ash's Squirtle in a long time now."

"Let the battle begin!" the referee announced.

"I'm going first," Gary said. "Nidoqueen, use Iron Tail on the water!"

"Nido!" Nidoqueen roared, slamming her powerful tail on the surface of the water Squirtle was hiding underneath. The resulting pressure and power exposed Squirtle up into the air, accompanied by the rippling waves. Squirtle staggered and flailed its limbs in the air from sudden exposure.

"Now use Hyper Beam!"

"Nii…"

"Squirtle, dodge and use Water Gun!"

"Squirtle!"

"… Do!" Nidoqueen bellowed, firing her Hyper Beam at the airborne Tiny Turtle Pokémon. Squirtle then retracted into its shell and used the special technique Ash and Pikachu taught it. It spun, creating a wind pressure shield that allowed it to roll away from the powerful, special Normal-type attack.

"Ohh!" Gary gasped, stepping back reflexively.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle shouted; its head, limbs, and tail coming out of the shell. Squirtle then fired a high speed and pressurized Water Gun, its strength courtesy from its years as a firefighter with the Squirtle Squad, and toppled Nidoqueen into the water. Landing in the pool of water alone had extinguished her remaining strength.

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising Ash's flag again.

"My, My! A second win for Ash Ketchum!" the announcer said. "Ladies and gentlemen, he's coming back to the top! Ash is now the one who's on a roll!" Many people were impressed on his improvement; whether it was just luck or that he really knew what he was doing out there on the battle.


"They're both down three Pokémon," Max said.

"And Ash has revealed five of his Pokémon already," Zoey said.

"I can guess that his final Pokémon is Charizard," Misty said, winking with a "V for victory" formed with her fingers.

"How?" May asked.

"Well, in battle Ash used Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Pikachu. It would make sense that Ash is using his team of long-time pals from Kanto."

"Sounds logical," Anabel said. "As long as he can pull off a victory with them and he gets to move on to Johto, then I cannot be any more proud of him than I am right now."

"That kid's done all of us some justice," Drew said. "Once his Kanto round is over, I going back to Sinnoh."

"Are you going to attend his matches in Silver Town, Drew?" May asked.

"Dunno," he said. "While his battles are interesting to say the least, I'm no fan or friend of his. And besides, you blackmailed me into coming here when I could be seizing more Sinnoh ribbons."

"Yep, ain't I a stinker? So you're going to Johto then?"

"Whatever…"


"Nidoqueen, return!" Gary recalled his defeated Drill Pokémon. "Sorry that I failed you like this." He then placed Nidoqueen's Poké Ball back on his belt, grabbing a new one in its place. "Go, Dusknoir!"

"Noir!" Dusknoir bellowed ominously, hovering to the platform where its Electric-type comrade crashed and sparked out.

"Squirtle, ready to continue?" Ash asked his Tiny Turtle Pokémon.

"Squirtle Squirt!" Squirtle replied optimistically, giving its Trainer a thumbs-up behind it.

"The next battle is Squirtle versus Dusknoir!" the announcer said. "A Tiny Turtle faces an imposing Gripper! Who will win this time?"

"Let the battle begin!" the referee declared, raising both flags in the air.

"Time to start off big," Ash said. "Squirtle, use Hydro Pump!"

"Not so fast, Ash!" Gary shouted. "Dusknoir, use Shadow Punch!"

"Noir!" Dusknoir growled, throwing a punch with its fist while hovering in the same spot. Shadowy energy quickly formed around Dusknoir's fist, becoming a black ghostly manifestation in a form of a large fist. The Shadow Punch honed in on Squirtle, striking the center of its shell and stopping the Water-type from completing Hydro Pump.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle cried from the hit.

"Squirtle, no!" Ash yelled, worried about his Water-type. Upon closer look, Squirtle seemed to be in more pain than it had shown from being at the receiving end of Shadow Punch. Out of worry and deducing that Dusknoir may be at an even higher level than estimated, he held up Squirtle's Poké Ball. "Squirtle, return!"

"Mean Look!"

Dusknoir's piercing red-eye gaze was faster than the Poké Ball. Before the retracting red light could pull Squirtle back to safety, a dark hold had already enveloped on Squirtle. The Poké Ball's red beam had briefly engulfed Squirtle in its light before being repelled by an unknown force, as if it wasn't own by that Poké Ball.

"Darn! I'm too late!" Ash seethed, placing the Poké Ball back.

"It looks like the eye was quicker than the hand in this case!" the announcer commented; the entire audience was in awe. "Even though it used Mean Look right after Ash held up his Poké Ball, Dusknoir was able to reach Squirtle and prevent the substitution! I guess Squirtle will have to deal with Dusknoir a bit longer!"

"You'll pay for that one, Gary," Ash muttered darkly. "Squirtle, use Hydro Pump again!"

"Squirtle Squirt!" Squirtle shouted in a huff, angry that its Trainer was thwarted by a simple attack. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon retracted entirely into its shell, spraying huge volumes of water from all the holes around the shell.

"Dusknoir, stay!"

"What's Gary up to?" Ash mused heatedly. He watched the water projectile that was his Squirtle moving in closer to the seemingly lifeless Dusknoir. The Gripper Pokémon was told to stay, but why? "… … … Oh, no!" It finally came to him what Gary and Dusknoir were planning to do to Squirtle. "Squirtle, stop! It's a trap!!"

"Squirt?!" Squirtle's voice echoed from its shell, its voice characterized in shock and horror. Its Hydro Pump finally made its way to Dusknoir; the Ghost-type took it head-on with full force.

"Nooiir!" Dusknoir groaned, the jets of water forcibly harming it.

"Now Dusknoir! Use Payback!"

"Noir!" Dusknoir shouted in fury; its entire body glowed with a sinister purple aura while it hung its large arms up high in the air, beckoning the cloudy skies for more power. The entire atmosphere in the Indigo Stadium suddenly changed as Dusknoir gained more power. Fell wind blew across the water. The clouds completely covered the sun and their darkest shade cast upon the Gripper Pokémon. The entire audience fell into an eerie silence, becoming more scared than excited about the battle now.

"Folks, I've really never seen anything like it!" the announcer said, sounding both excited and fretful. "Payback, as we all should know, is a Dark-type move that doubles in strength when the user is hit prior to its use! But when Dusknoir craves its vengeance, oh boy, does it crave for vengeance!"

"Squirtle, get away from there!" Ash commanded urgently.

"Squirtle Squirtle!" Squirtle cried fearfully, quickly jumping underwater to hopefully avoid Dusknoir's incurred wrath.

"Dusknoir, after it!" Gary commanded.

"Noir!" Dusknoir bellowed, gliding down into the water. Upon hearing its entrance in the water, Squirtle instinctively swam as fast and as far as it could from the menacing Ghost-type.

"Squirtle, jump out of the water!"

With a strong Water Gun, Squirtle jettisoned out of the water but was left falling from the air. Dusknoir resurfaced as well; its merciless pursuit showing no signs of weakness. Ash became desperate from watching the scene; he started losing his composure and closed his eyes.

"Squirtle, use Skull Bash!"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle shouted, rearing its head back into its shell.

"Bad move, Ash," Gary thought. "Dusknoir, go!"

Squirtle then dove in full speed towards Dusknoir, abandoning its temporary fear of the Gripper Pokémon's dark power. Squirtle flew straight down headfirst, not knowing that the mouth on Dusknoir's abdomen opened up, threatening to swallow it up. Ash opened his eyes, realizing his foolish mistake.

"Squirtle!" he called out. Squirtle fell into the mouth; the mouth closed up behind the Tiny Turtle Pokémon, sealing Squirtle's fate and chance to exit the dreadful Payback.

"Sorry, Ash, but you should know by now that Skull Bash doesn't affect Ghost-types and I still don't plan on letting up on you," Gary said. "Do it!"

"Noir!" Dusknoir roared; the air around it rumbled destructively. The entire audience felt its gruesome power and trembled alongside Dusknoir's attack. In a blinding, bright flash of dark purple light, the rumbling stopped. The people who recovered from the shockwaves of the attack noticed Squirtle was back; however it was still trembling in fear while it was considered down for the count.

"S-Squirtle is unable to continue battling!" the referee declared, evidently still shaking from the attack as Gary's flag was raised. "T-The winner of this battle is D-Du-Dusknoir!"

"How frightening was Dusknoir's last attack?" the announcer asked the audience. The audience murmured about the recent battle, which was definitely a scare to remember in Indigo Plateau history. "Anyway, I-I'm actually too stunned to continue commenting about the battle s-so I think I'll l-lie down… Aah!! W-Who turned off the light up here?! This isn't what I signed up for!!"

"Ignoring that," Ash said as he recalled his traumatized Squirtle. "You did a good job lasting against Dusknoir, Squirtle. At least you still weakened it with your Hydro Pump. I'm sorry for having chickened out on you back there, though." He placed Squirtle's Poké Ball away, contemplating his next move against Gary. "Since Payback was so powerful, it only proved to me how powerful Squirtle's Hydro Pump was able to harm it since Dusknoir went through all that trouble. Even Dusknoir is running out energy from that attack. Charizard, I choose you!"

"Rrrrra!" Charizard roared zealously upon introduction.

"Hey, Dusknoir! Can you still keep going?" Gary asked.

"Noir," Dusknoir grumbled, holding a fist in the air in a triumphant manner.

"Hey, Ash! How're you enjoying this battle so far?" Gary asked his childhood friend.

"One the many awesome battles I've faced so far," Ash replied with a grin. "I'm still gonna win and move on!"

"Good," Gary said. "Because I expect you to anyway!"

"Let the battle begin!" the referee said.

"Charizard, Flamethrower! Let's go!"

"Rrrrrd!" Charizard roared ferociously, letting loose a berserk stream of fire from his jaws.

"Dusknoir, fight back with Shadow Punch!"

"Noir!" Dusknoir threw another Shadow Punch in an attempt to blow away the Flamethrower. The Fire attack, however, blew the Shadow Punch back into the shadows instead and scorched the Gripper Pokémon squarely in the chest. "No… ir…"

"Dusknoir is unable to battle!" the referee declared, raising Ash's flag.

"Well, so much for the fearsome Dusknoir!" the announcer concluded, having recovered from his panic attacks. "Charizard's even stronger than before! Anyway, like I said before, I'm not going to take up too much time talking! On with the battle!"

"Dusknoir, return!" Gary recalled his burnt Ghost-type into its Poké Ball. "Great job out there! And now, we're moving on. Umbreon, let's go!"

"Umbre!" Umbreon yelled, jumping onto a platform from its release to battle.

"Ready when you are, Gary," Ash said, accompanied by Charizard's roar and enthusiastic Flamethrower to the sky. The Flamethrower additional dispelled the dark clouds that gathered from the call of Dusknoir.

"Let the battle begin!" the referee announced.

"Charizard, another Flamethrower!"

"Rrrrrd!" Charizard released another powerful Flamethrower, capable of evaporating a quarter of the pool of water surrounding them.

"I'm gonna knock Charizard into the water," Gary thought. "Umbreon, dodge!"

"Bre!" Umbreon grunted, swiftly evading the Fire-type attack.

"Now use Shadow Ball!"

"Umbreon!" Umbreon formed a purple-black Shadow Ball in its mouth, the dark ghostly energy crackling around it. The Dark-type then went in closer to Charizard and fired it at close range, giving more damage to the Flame Pokémon.

"Charizard, use Steel Wing!"

"Arrrd!" Charizard barked, immediately retaliating with a strong swipe of his powerful, white-glowing wings. Umbreon was knocked back, but remained steady due to its naturally strong endurance.

"Umbreon, use Quick Attack!"

"Another Steel Wing, Charizard!"

Charizard hovered a few feet above a white platform on the water, waiting for Umbreon to get close in his range. Umbreon, on the other hand, hopped from platform to platform using the speed boost from its Quick Attack. It went in a circle around Charizard, waiting and observing any momentary weakness or a slight guard drop. The Moonlight Pokémon pounced several times on Charizard, but the Flame Pokémon managed to sense and predicted every oncoming attack. He blocked each pounce with one wing while attempting to swipe with the free wing, but Umbreon proved to be too speedy.

"This isn't working!" Ash shouted in frustration. "Charizard, use Flamethrower on the platforms!"

"Rrrrrrarrd!" Charizard roared with equal frustration as his Trainer. He sent several Flamethrowers on the platforms Umbreon previously stood upon. The results of each Flamethrower upon each platform when Umbreon evaded them were evident by the bright-red glows and slightly melting rock.

"Umbreon, watch out!"

"Bre?" Umbreon asked, suddenly looking at the platform it was jumping towards. The platform was burning red hot. The heat and power of the Flamethrowers made this platform, as well as several others, unsafe to land upon. This was not the case for Umbreon as it yelped in pain as soon as its black paws touched the magma-like surface of center of the platform. "Breee!! Umbre! Umbre! Umbre!" Umbreon struggled and staggered keeping its paws off the burning ground.

"Umbreon, cool off by diving into the water!"

"Charizard, stop it with Overheat!"

"Zaaaard!" Charizard bellowed, unleashing a fiery stream of crimson, orange, yellow, and white from his mouth while his entire body was ablaze in steaming red. Umbreon was careless; it desperately limped to the edge near water. Its limbs were numbing with searing pain. Umbreon was rendered sluggish while the Overheat blasted at its side, sending it to a fortunately cool platform.

"B-bree," Umbreon moaned, regaining its stability on all fours.

"Umbreon, recover with Moonlight!"

"Umbreon!" Umbreon shouted affirmatively. "Bree…" The yellow rings imprinted on Umbreon's body lit up. The black, ruffled, burnt fur started to look tidier as Moonlight healed some of Umbreon's wounds. "Umbreon!"

"It's not at full strength, so I half to defeat it within one move," Ash thought. "Wait! I got it!"

"I'm not going down that easy, Ash," Gary said. "You've still got ways to go."

"And they've all been worth it to this point on," Ash said. "Charizard, fly in and use Flamethrower!"

"Arrrrd!" Charizard growled, flying into action once again towards the recovered Umbreon. Fire started to crackle and form inside Charizard's mouth.

"Now spin, Charizard!"

"What?!"

"Umbreon?!"

Charizard almost immediately knew what Ash wanted him to do. Charizard released the stored firepower in his mouth, only allowing the head tip of the Flamethrower to be only a few feet in front of him. Charizard then followed Ash's second command, encapsulating himself within his own flames.

"Now Charizard, spread your wings! Steel Wing!"

"Rrrrarrd!" Charizard's wings opened out of the flames, glowing white as steel. The Steel Wing worked in conjunction with the previous attacks. Charizard continued spinning, giving the illusion of a flaming drill-like projectile of sorts while backed up by a sleek Steel Wing whirl. To many Charizard fans watching the battle from either the audience or from a television in a Pokémon Center, they would remark this attack combination as a powerful flaming missile technique. The announcer and the entire crowd watched intently for Gary's response.

"No way!" Gary gasped. "I'm not falling for it! Umbreon, Quick Attack and Shadow Ball! Go!"

"Um-bre!" Umbreon grunted, utilizing the black energy from Shadow Ball as a cover while it sped towards the flaming Charizard torpedo. Its power did not match against Charizard's, however. The collision resulted in an explosion, harming both Pokémon with Umbreon receiving the most. Its earlier Shadow Ball shield weakened the feedback of the explosion, which was why it still stood.

"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer exclaimed. The crowd finally cheered on, unable to contain their excitement. "These two Pokémon are going at it neck-and-neck! Will Charizard's strength prove too much to handle? Or will Umbreon withhold and strike back?"

"I'm ending this once and for all!" Ash shouted fervently. "Charizard, 'Blast Flame Formation'!" Charizard perked upon the command, ready to prove his amazing strength once more.

"Aarrrarrrd!" Charizard roared, forming Blast Burn in his mouth. The colorful sphere of flames in his mouth was launched in an instant, accompanied by another Flamethrower. Upon view, Charizard was powering up his own Blast Burn while flying right behind the fierce attack, which was a huge risk.

"Charizard's awfully close to his own dangerous attack," Gary muttered. "Making the Blast Burn more powerful is pretty good, I'll admit, but let's see if it can match this. Umbreon, use Last Resort!"

"What?!" everyone gaped.

"Last… Resort?" Ash repeated. What he wanted to see come before him through a sudden shift of the atmosphere. He felt the air around him tighten, harder for anyone nearby to breath. He found the cause of the increased tension where Umbreon stood.

"BREE!" Umbreon howled to the sky; its golden-yellow rings were at their brightest in the battle. The Moonlight Pokémon was then cloaked in a bright blue, sparkling white aura. The blazing aura enveloped Umbreon like a sphere, making the ground around it tremble and quake upon Umbreon's Last Resort. Tiny pebbles rose off the ground from the pressure of Last Resort's power, eventually crushing them into dust.

"Umbreon, go!"

"Bre!" Umbreon grunted, charging forward to take on Charizard's Blast Flame Formation.

"Charizard, you too!"

"Aarrrarrrd!" Charizard bellowed, not letting up on his Flamethrower behind Blast Burn. Umbreon jumped into the colorfully crimson attack with its own tackle of reserved power, emphasized by the sparkling white and blue surrounding it. The resulting attack caused a massive explosion. It destroyed several surrounding platforms. It evaporated half of the level of water in the field. A blinding light radiated from the mixture of crimson, purple, blue, and white from their most ferocious attacks. And the Trainers and their audience were forced to brace themselves for protection.

"Charizard!" Ash yelled, covering his face with his arm.

"Umbreon!" Gary yelled, also covering his face with an arm.

The shockwaves lessoned as the blinding light dimmed down. The conditions became safe for everyone to look upon the Water Field for any survivors. However, there were no Pokémon revealed at first.

"Folks! Where are the Pokémon?!" the announcer exclaimed. "Have they disintegrated from the collision of super powers?!" Everyone continued looking around the Indigo Stadium for signs of Charizard and Umbreon. While they searched the skies for the missing Pokémon, there were two separate spots bubbling underneath the water.

"There they are!" Ash pointed out; both Umbreon and Charizard floated to the water surfaces in far opposite directions after the explosion. Both bodies were floating lifelessly. The rings on Umbreon's body were no longer visible, although there was still a little bit of yellow light emitted from them. The rings were barely visible, even to anyone nearby seeing them. As for Charizard, his tail floated back to the surface; its flame was slowly fading. Both Pokémon were in critical condition.

"Both Umbreon and Charizard are unable to battle!" the referee declared after thorough analysis. Everyone was too stunned to say anything. Ash and Gary silently recalled their Pokémon, thanking them for all their hard work while promising to get medical help for them as soon as possible. Two Nurse Joys conveniently showed up, having appeared to offer their services.

"We'll take them from here, young man," the first Nurse Joy said to Ash, who willingly handed over Charizard's Poké Ball.

"Your Pokémon will be our priority now, twe–… I mean, battler," the second Nurse Joy, who strangely had a deep and weird voice, said. This Nurse Joy seemed to have a perpetual happy expression on her face, as well as a reflective shine that comes from plastic. The "Nurse Joy" then snatched Umbreon's Poké Ball out of Gary's hand, who then made a run for it to the center of the Water Field. The first Nurse Joy also jumped to the center of the field with Charizard's Poké Ball on hand.

"Those Nurse Joys are fake!" Brock shouted, having discovered the truth before anyone else did.

"What?!" Ash and Gary exclaimed. They heard a familiar cackle coming from the two Nurse Joys.

"Listen! Is that twerp distress I hear?"

"It's wonderful music to my ears!"

"On the wind!"

"Past the stars!"

"Booga-boo!"

"Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

"Dashing hope, putting fear in its pathetic place!"

"A rose by any other name is just as sweet!"

"When everything's worse, our work here is complete!"

"Thunderbolt!"

"Thunderbolt! …Thunderbolt?!"

"Chuu!" Pikachu shouted, frying the Nurse Joy costumes and exposing the two frauds as the Team Rocket trio.

"Ya can't do dat!" Meowth cried while receiving quite a shock.

"He's right!" James shouted in pain from the electrocution.

"Who do you think you are shocking us in the middle of our motto?!" Jessie screamed.

"Well, who do you think YOU are for stealing our Pokémon, Team Rocket?!" Ash spat out furiously.

"We swindled them from your hands fair and square," James retorted.

"What's this?!" the announcer gasped. "The two Nurse Joys were really Team Rocket?!" Worried murmurs started to spread among the crowd. Ash's friends and the Kanto Gym Leaders attempted to calm the soon-to-be hysterical crowd while Ash and Gary handled Team Rocket.

"How dare you interrupt us at a time like this!" Gary shouted threateningly. "Go, Blastoise!"

"Blast!" Blastoise bellowed, sensing the fierce emotions of its own Trainer.

"Hydro Pump!"

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

"Pi-kaPikaPikaPikaPikaPika!" Pikachu dashed forward, cloaked in electric-yellow energy.

"Blastoise!" Blastoise bellowed, firing two highly pressurized water jets from its cannons. Its Hydro Pump, along with Pikachu's Volt Tackle, sent the trio flying once again after a small explosion caused them to release the two Poké Balls they stole. Pikachu caught both Poké Balls after his Volt Tackle was finished.

"We're blasting off again!" the trio cried along with Wobbuffet's voice echoing alongside theirs in the sky; their exit of the Indigo Plateau was marked with a bright star.


"I'm sticking with my Blastoise for the final round," Gary said. "And thanks for saving Umbreon for me, Ash. I'm still gonna cream you!"

"And Pikachu's with me," Ash said. "And no problem, Gary. Just remember that I'm not gonna hold back!"

"Boy, such excitement, I don't think I can keep up any longer," the announcer said. The crowd was still pumped from watching the previous well-fought battles, expecting the final round to be mind-blowing. "It's now down to Pikachu and Blastoise. Two starter Pokémon to be sure! On with the match… Oh, dear Arceus…"

"If both Trainers are ready, let the final battle commence!" the referee declared, raising both flags.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Blastoise, counter with Hydro Pump!"

"Pika-chuu!"

"Toise!"

Both powerful attacks of water and electricity collided as opposing forces. It resulted in nothing more than a stalemate. If there was to be any progress, both Trainers and Pokémon had to change strategy.

"Pikachu, go into Quick Attack!"

"Blastoise, brace yourself!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, charging forward with blinding speed. It jumped on the remains of platforms floating on the water that were decimated by Charizard and Umbreon's previous battle. Blastoise expected the Mouse Pokémon to tackle it on the shell. What Blastoise did not suspect was that Pikachu jumped high in the air and send an Iron Tail to its head. While Steel-type attacks did not hurt Blastoise much, this Iron Tail managed to give it a headache.

"Blastoise, Rapid Spin!"

"Blast! Blastoise!" Blastoise shouted, retracting into its large shell. Blastoise then started spinning, actually creating a small whirlwind with its mighty strength. Pikachu was snatched into it and collided with the spinning shell. The Electric-type was sent flying to a neighboring platform.

"Pikachu, jump into the air and use Volt Tackle!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, obeying Ash's command for an aerial Volt Tackle.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu shouted, supercharging his Volt Tackle with the power of Thunderbolt. Blastoise shot out two powerful light blue blasts of water from its cannons; the two separate combined into one blast magically. Upon blasting Pikachu with Hydro Cannon, Pikachu was pushed back while all the water that made up the Hydro Cannon exploded and dampened Blastoise.

"Pikachu, can you get up?" Ash asked.

"Pii-kaa," Pikachu groaned, but showed strong perseverance with a smile.

"I'm afraid this ends here for you, Ash," Gary said, sounding somewhat dejected. "Oh, well… There's always next time. Blastoise, another Hydro Cannon!" There was no response. "… How did I forget?"

"Pikachu, quick! While Blastoise is still recovering! Use Volt Tackle!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, gathering his strength for a sudden overwhelming speed break. The rate by which Pikachu dashed across platform to platform was incredible. To everyone's eyes, Pikachu was the "Yellow Blur," which was further emphasized by the electricity shrouding his small body. It was unknown how Pikachu managed to attain such speed. Perhaps his friendship with Ash helped Pikachu spark and awaken more sleeping potential…

"PikaPikaPikaPikaPika…" Pikachu circled around Blastoise on its platform while it rested; the electric discharge from Volt Tackle accumulated onto the Shellfish Pokémon's body. "Pi-ka!" Pikachu collided onto Blastoise's chest, causing a big explosion due to Blastoise being soaked by the water from its previous Hydro Cannon.

"The power of water serves both of us, Gary," Ash said. "Finish Blastoise with Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled, clamping on top of Blastoise's wet head.

"Blast," Blastoise grumbled, knowing what was coming.

"Blastoise, shake Pikachu off! Use Hydro Pump!"

"Thunderbolt! Now!"

"PIKAA-CHUUU!" Pikachu screamed, unleashing massive volts upon the head of the Shellfish Pokémon he held on to.

"BLASTOISE!" Blastoise roared, aiming its cannons at Pikachu and shooting water at the Mouse Pokémon while it still could. However, the water instantly evaporated upon contact with the electricity. The Thunderbolt caused another big explosion between the two Pokémon. Pikachu was sent to another platform while Blastoise collapsed. The referee carefully scanned the Water Field, searching for who was going to stand first.

"If neither of them is going to stand up in the next twenty seconds, then I'm afraid I'll have to call it," the referee said. Both Ash and Gary gasped in dreadful shock. They could not accept the battle to end like this.

"It looks like both Pokémon are down," the announcer said. The crowd stared fixedly on Pikachu and Blastoise, waiting for a winner. "This won't end well for Ash if Pikachu does not wake up before Blastoise. Pikachu must be worn out from all those intense Thunderbolts and Volt Tackles while Blastoise had gotten itself wet and electrocuted badly. Who will win?"

"Ten, nine, eight…"

"Pikachu!!"


Man, I've been writing this since I've posted up the last chapter. Anyway, just to tease you all, I'll leave a cliffhanger here and decide a winner next chapter. Even though you have a feeling on what is going to happen, just pretend that anything can happen. Anyway, if you would please be so kind as to review this chapter, it would be much appreciated. As always, I would like to hear your comments and feedback on my work.

Ciao!