Disclaimer: Do I have to put this on every chapter

Disclaimer: Do I have to put this on every chapter? Oh well. I don't own pokémon or the people in my story.

Once inside the warehouse the pair looked around for signs of life. After noting that the area looked like it had been abandoned for years they started to look around for Zack, taking special care not to make to much noise. As the door behind them closed, it became too dark to see.

"I can't see in this place." Mario glanced at Steve like he was calculating something in his mind, then he sighed and decided to go ahead with his idea. "Go flareon. Give us some light."

The room instantly lit up. (Why did he stare at me before he let his flareon out? Now that I think about it he never lets me see his pokémon. I guess he doesn't want to show me which ones he has, to make it a surprise in our first battle.)

"You have a flareon? What other pokémon do you have?"

"It doesn't matter what pokémon I have. You aren't supposed to be watching me. You should be watching out for Zack and some of his pokémon sneak attacking you."

"Zack wouldn't do that. He has morals like a normal human. Unfortunately his morals made him go psycho. However, he wouldn't do something as dishonorable as attacking me without warning. I've learned that much about him."

"Fine, believe what you want to believe. I won't psychoanalyze Zack like you have to figure out how he'll act. I'll get along with you until this is over, then I won't need to talk to you anymore."

"That's comforting to know. I guess that puts a damper on our friendship from the beginning. Oh well, just keep in mind that I'm not going to help you fight Zack. It will be the one on one battle he wants."

"Don't think that scares me. Obviously you doubt my skill as a trainer if you think I would need your help to fight Zack. I would fight you here to settle this dispute if we didn't have a time limit to finding Zack. So shut up and leave this fight until after Zack is defeated."

"Fine, but don't you ever talk back to me as if you were superior to me. I'm known as the best and I don't expect you and your flareon to defeat me."

With that they walked on in silence, looking for Zack. Suddenly, a pokémon was seen climbing up the stairs. It looked like a bellsprout. Steve realized that he had seen it before but couldn't remember where he had seen it.

"Now I remember where I saw that bellsprout. Zack used it when he was posing as you in the tournament."

"Zack posed as me? Why would he pose as me if you're the best?"

"Obviously he couldn't go as me because I was there. Now shush and follow the bellsprout."

(I think that might shut him up for a while. Now I guess we follow the bellsprout to Zack.)

The bellsprout took them down the stairs at a slow pace. Mario thought that Zack had sent his pokémon to slow them down while he escaped, but Steve said the idea was absurd because Zack wouldn't leave one of his pokémon behind. Mario scoffed at the idea but kept walking. Finally they reached the bottom of the stairs and were still guided by the bellsprout, through the maze.

(Why would anyone build a maze in his basement, and why would a maze be in the basement of a warehouse? That's rather odd.)

After thinking for a while Steve still couldn't figure the maze out. It was Mario, who was thinking faster than Steve, who came up with the solution.

"Zack's been here since he left your town and has been setting up this maze to make us waste time getting to him. This guy thinks too far ahead."

"But why would he spend his time making this maze when he could've been moving all this time, getting farther away from us? This was just a waste of his time, considering we have a guide in the maze."

"Not everyone will, Steve. If we don't beat Zack now, he'll leave again, leaving a clue to his whereabouts in the maze. Then the trainers after us will have to find their own way through the maze to get that clue. He won't give them a guide. Like you said, he wouldn't leave a pokémon behind. So the others can't get a guide. Just us, as a prize for being the first ones."

(Steve, I warned you about Mario. You see that he already is figuring out my plans, not to mention you already noticed how odd he acts around you. He means well, mind you. He just never seems to make friends and he doesn't plan on making one now. He feels more like battling as his life. Don't feel threatened by him. Just, don't expect him to tell you everything you want to know about him. You also might have noticed how quickly he thought through the matter of what my maze is doing here. He's quite the genius. He is crafty and that's what makes him a tougher opponent then you.)

Steve looked at Mario for a while thinking about what Zack had just said. When Mario looked at him he quickly glanced in another direction and tried to look at the maze around them. Finally they stopped and the bellsprout scampered away. After waiting for a couple of minutes, Zack finally appeared, "Welcome to you both. So, who will fight me first?"

Mario ran forward pushing Steve back, "I will fight you first. Bring it on!"

Steve decided to let him go, and to watch the fight. (Now's my chance to see all his pokémon.)

Zack pushed his bellsprout forward, "This is the first opponent, who will you use."

Mario whispered in his flareon's ear, "I'll use my flareon."

As the two pokémon got ready for the fight, Steve looked at both the trainers. Zack looked a bit uneasy, but still looked like he had already won, while Mario looked a bit scared but his confidence kept him from revealing it. Steve decided the match was a waste if it never started.

"Alright you two. Begin the fight, now."

The flareon started with a fire spin that tore at the bellsprout's leaves and kept it trapped inside. As the bellsprout avoided the flames it used a flamethrower that swallowed and burnt the leaves off the bellsprout. As the bellsprout got out of the fire spin it used growth the get bigger, but stopped growing and fell to the ground.

"What happened? My bellsprout shouldn't have been beaten that easily!" Zack screamed.

Mario smiled, "Your bellsprout used its energy to get bigger. Unfortunately, it was burnt and when it used the extra energy the fire spread more rapidly and the damage got greater as it grew. Come on, Zack. That was an easy two move fight."

"Don't piss me off kid. I don't plan on hearing your explanation of why I lost. Since you already pissed me off, I'll use my best on you. My mew will be the toughest opponent for both of you."

The mew floated off his shoulder and got into a fighting position.

"Go, and Mario, that Mew is VERY strong."

The mew glanced at the flareon and it froze in its place. The mew then picked it up with its psychic powers and crashed it repeatedly against the wall of the house. The battle was over in a mere minute.

"How did you just… that shouldn't have happened! That sucks. You've beaten my flareon. I don't want to show you too many of my pokémon, so I'll let Steve fight you now."

"Too late. Since you quit I've fought my battle. When you find me again, Steve can fight me. Not until then, so good bye for now."

His mew was already gone when he got up and flew away. As if the ceiling weren't there, he went right through it.

"There has to be some way to beat that mew! Did you see how it just killed my flareon? That wasn't even funny." Mario screamed.

"I'll ask around, but the strongest pokémon I've ever heard about is mew. Come on, it's time to start moving again. We don't want to lose him again."

They both tried to get out of the maze, but couldn't figure it out. Finally the flareon used flamethrower to break a hole through the top and they climbed out. As they reached the door, they found a note attached. It read…

"Sorry for all who are following me, you just missed me. Head quickly through the village and try to find a way across the river. It'll take a while, but don't dawdle. See you there, Zack.

P.S. I'm not completely evil, since I gave you his note now. Thank Steve and Mario for it. You won't get this kindness again.

They decided to head straight for the river, and had thoughts of how to beat the mew.