Act Two: Six Squares Forward

The only thing that was standing between salvation and death was a lush, thick forest. Bravely led by May's Glaceon, the rescue team hurried back to the haunted manor in the deepest and darkest part of Petalburg Woods—where not even the light of the sun could touch it. They didn't look back; they moved forward. Soon they arrived outside 66 Perrault Drive.

"Glaceon, are you sure May went in there?" asked Ash. The Pokemon nodded.

"Hold on, Ash. I sense something demonic within those walls." Brock warned him. "Maybe it would be best if we call for help."

"We don't have much time. Who knows what they could be doing to May right now. I'm going in!"

"Don't be reckless! What if you get caught in there as well?"

"I'd rather lose my sanity than to lose her! Don't try to stop me, Brock."

Seeing that he was determined to rescue his damsel in distress, Brock spoke no more and let the knight in shining armor mount his noble steed.

"Misty, if ever I don't return, tell my mom that I love her." Ash left his supposedly last message.

"Don't say that, Ash! You WILL come back alive!" Misty cried.

Then, he looked at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, you don't have to go through this. You can stay outside."

His trusted partner, who had fought alongside him throughout his journey, shook his head in refusal. Pikachu's cheeks let out sparks, meaning that the Pokemon was ready for battle…even their supposedly last battle of their lives.

"Pikachu…okay, let's go!"

--0--0--0--0--0--

The mansion itself was relatively small so looking for May inside was a synch for Ash. While his friends wait outside for news from inside the haunted mansion, the three-man (so it's not really composed of three men but a trainer, his Pikachu, and Glaceon) rescue team searched every nook and cranny for the brunette coordinator. With so many rooms to search at, it will definitely take a while.

"Where ARE you, May? At least give us a sign." He muttered.

He did get a sign. Pikachu found something at the edge of the second floor hallway—something yellow with Pokeballs scattered around it.

"Pika pika…!"

"What is it, Pikachu? Did you find something?" The trainer hurried to where Pikachu was standing. What his partner found came into view…and there he realized that the trail was getting warmer and warmer. "Wait, this is May's belt bag! She must be around here."

By the time he had acquired the bag, several explosions occurred around them. A massive group of Ariados gathered around and surrounded the rescue party. It was an ambush right from the start; and with the party outnumbered fifty to one, rather than fighting all of them they decided to break through the blockade. The pack was about to spew acid on them, which can be pretty excruciating upon contact with the flesh.

"Glaceon, I know you're May's Pokemon." Ash said. "But at this point, I need you to trust me on this. If we get thrashed here, you won't have any trainer to come back to."

Seeing that the trainer was the one closest and most protective on the coordinator, Glaceon nodded its head in agreement unhesitatingly, willing to follow Ash's commands at least for now.

"Okay, we only have one shot at this. Glaceon, use Ice Shard! Pikachu; clear a path for us with a Thunderbolt!"

The purpose of the Ice Shard attack was for cover and the Thunderbolt for opening up an escape route. Both Pokemon and trainer worked together to beat the odds that were completely against them. With the Ariados fleeing from the overwhelming combination of attacks, an escape route was finally made leading to the only place they haven't explored inside the manor. The Ariados pack, on the other hand, wasn't going to let them go without a fight. As the rescue party fled, they were bombarded by endless volleys of String Shot attacks. Ash's foot got hit by a String Shot attack and tripped. The Ariados pack was closing in on him.

Ash threw out a Pokeball. "Staravia, use Gust!"

Staravia flapped its wings in rapid succession, creating an impenetrable wind barrier that sent most of the Ariados flying to the other side of the woods while a few others broke ranks and fled. Finally, the trainer broke free of the strings and hurried to the only unexplored part of the manor:

"What's a Pokemon battlefield doing here?" The curious trainer asked.

"Pika pika pi…!" Pikachu tugged Ash's pants. They all saw what they were looking for…and it's just across the battlefield.

--0--0--0--0--0--

There was May; her hands and feet bound to a wooden cross by well-tied knots and dangling several feet above the ground. She was still unconscious even after the time Glaceon fled the mansion to seek help.

"May, can you hear me? Please answer me!" Ash yelled from afar. "May…!"

"Pika pikachu pika pi…!" Pikachu joined him.

So did Glaceon. "Gla…!"

"No response…Staravia, cut through those ropes!"

As soon as Staravia was near, a stream of Night Shade came out of nowhere and landed directly at it. The Pokemon went into a nose dive before it crashed down, unable to battle.

"Where did that Night Shade come from?"

"That would be my doing, mortal trainer."

"W-Who's there? Show yourself!"

"If you want your precious girl back in one piece, challenge me to a two-on-two Pokemon battle."

"Why should I challenge the likes of you? Luring May into this abomination is just unforgivable!"

"I'd watch my words if I were you. My Haunter can punch through those ropes and send your friend on a one-way ride aboard the Oblivion Express."

"You…just who do you think you are?"

"Come down from there then I'll answer your question."

Ash, Pikachu, and Glaceon descended through the set of stairs just beside them and hurriedly rushed at one end of the battlefield—the playing grounds for the battle that would decide May's destiny. The source of the voice emerged from the shadows; and just in the nick of time, the coordinator's eyes slowly opened and noticed that she had a Pidgey's-eye-view of the battlefield. The sides have been drawn for what it would be the death-defying or life-threatening Pokemon battle in history.

Ash's opponent was…May? But she was wearing a black version of the real May's outfit; and her sapphire eyes were replaced by crimson.

"Can you fight your true love, Ash Ketchum?"

"Are you taking me for a fool? Of course you're not the real May!"

"True…I am just an embodiment. I need your friend as a sacrifice to make me real."

"I'm not going to let that happen! I'll battle you for May's sake!"

"Such burning spirit…I'm going to honestly enjoy this."

Pokemon Battle #000000: The Last Alliance (unsanctioned by the Hoenn League)

Defendant: Ash Ketchum (Glaceon 1st seed, Pikachu 2nd seed)

Challenger: May Maple (Ariados 1st seed, Haunter 2nd seed)

Battle Rules: no time limit, no in-game Pokemon swap, judging will be done through mechanical means

END OF ACT TWO