Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon or the people in my story

Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon or the people in my story.

After Mario and Steve woke up they ate breakfast and quickly started moving down the road. Suddenly, a ball of fire passed by Steve.

"Who's there and why are you attacking me?"

A kid stepped into the light but didn't say anything. Instead he pulled out a pokéball and sent out a machamp.

"The silent type? Fine, I'll fight you. Go Alakazam."

The other trainer scowled at the alakazam, but decided to keep going.

"Machamp use your mega punch!"

"Alakazam don't let him hit you. Teleport away from him and hit him with a psybeam!"

As the machamp ran at the alakazam it disappeared and reappeared behind the machamp, firing the beam of energy it had gathered right into the machamp's body. The machamp stumbled a bit but was able to keep its balance and grabbed the alakazam, throwing with a seismic toss into the ground.

"Nice recovery, but it won't keep alakazam down." Steve commented.

Alakazam was up in an instant and was using hypnosis on the machamp. After the Machamp was sleeping the alakazam started looking intently at the machamp, who started grimacing with pain.

"What's happening to my machamp?" screamed the kid.

Steve smiled and watched as the last bit of energy was sapped from the machamp.

"I didn't expect that attack to work as well as it did. Haven't you heard of dream eater? It slowly drains the life out of the sleeping pokémon. Cool attack, don't you think?

"Return machamp. Kid, I don't mind being beaten, but your smug attitude pisses me off. Are you ready for a double or nothing round?"

"Ready when you are. Alakazam return."

"Go, my precious pikachu."

"A pikachu? Okay then I'll give it a taste of my hitmonchan."

The pikachu appeared and stared at the hitmonchan, who had appeared and was warming up.

"Let's start this slowly. Start with a thunder shock and work up to thunder."

"Hitmonchan, don't let him hit you. Move fast and hit him from every angle."

As the pikachu started its attack the hitmonchan disappeared from sight. The pikachu wasn't sure of where it had gone but started running around to make sure it wasn't getting attacked from behind. The hitmonchan reappeared in front of the pikachu and hit the pikachu with an ice punch. As the pikachu got up from the first attack the hitmonchan attacked with its comet punch. The pikachu got up and smiled at the hitmonchan's attacks and countered with his thunderbolt.

"I didn't think your pikachu would take that. I underestimated you, but not again. Hitmonchan find an opening for a seismic toss."

As the pikachu started another attack with a thunderbolt, the hitmonchan picked it up and threw it against the side of the mountain. As the pikachu got up shaking his head the hitmonchan used a mega punch to knock it back into the mountain's side. When it seemed like the match was over the pikachu used thunder wave and paralyzed the hitmonchan. As the pikachu climbed out of the mountain, the hitmonchan tried to shake off the paralysis and attacked the pikachu with another mega punch.

"Pikachu, use your agility to get away from this guy."

The pikachu started running in a circle, gathering speed until it was barely noticeable to the human eye. The hitmonchan was struggling to attack it while the pikachu barraged it from all angles with a quick attack. Finally the hitmonchan toppled over, unwilling to keep fighting.

"Return hitmonchan. Sorry you got so injured. The pikachu is strong."

"Thanks. However, we need to decide this match. Last battle. Go primeape."

"Fine, I'll treat you with my great and wonderful blastoise."

As the combatants appeared on the field the wind shifted. Mario stood on the side by a tree watching the matches with wonder. He decided to start this match. "Go!"

The blastoise jumped straight for the primeape's arm and attacked it with a bite that tore some of it's muscle from the tendon. The primeape grabbed it's hurt arm and cried out in pain. The blastoise dug into the ground, making a hole and threw the primeape down the hole. As soon as he was sure the primeape had hit the ground he started firing at the primeape with both his cannons. After the hole was filled with water the primeape climbed back on shore.

"Primeape, don't give up. You can fight that thing. It won't take long to beat it."

The primeape scratched the blastoise but immediately regretted it because of it's hurt arm. Blastoise started gathering energy around itself and moved closer to the primeape for the finishing touch. The primeape started to run away from the blastoise, but the blastoise released the beam, which swallowed up the primeape and knocked it out with it's force.

"Good fight. I want to know your name now that I've beaten you."

"Sorry, I would love to tell you but…" He looked both ways and whispered into Steve's ear, "it's a secret."

Steve looked at the man and walked away from him. Mario caught up with him and questioned him about the battle.

"How could you've lost with your hitmonchan? That was such an easy match to win."

"I wasn't really trying to win that match. I'm getting tired of the constant battles. Obviously I maimed him in the last round, but that was because my hitmonchan got knocked out and I was pissed about that."

"So if you had tried, you would've won the second match?"

"Of course. That was an easy fight, as you said. The thunder wave did catch me by surprise, though."

"Is that blastoise your strongest pokémon? It seemed a lot stronger than his pokémon. In fact, it seemed stronger than all his pokémon."

"My blastoise has been with me for a long time, so it gathered more experience then my others. Than my gyaradoes, followed by my alakazam, next fearow, then my magneton and finally my hitmonchan. The gap between my gyaradoes and my blastoise isn't too big, though."

"Interesting. Look down the road. I see a person who's waiting for you and me."

"I'm hoping it's not another battler."

As the reached the person he approached them, not for a battle but with a message.

"As always Steve, you are the first trainer to arrive at my checkpoint. You arrive with company this time." He looked at Mario, then turned back to Steve. "It seems you are almost to your next location. There is an abandoned warehouse near here. Zack is waiting inside to talk to you. Hurry, if you're too late he'll leave again. Bye now."

With that the man disappeared. Steve took off at a running pace and Mario caught up with him shortly. The warehouse was in sight and they were almost out of breath. When they finally reached the warehouse Steve opened the doors and they both stepped inside.