AUTHORS NOTE: This is a re-posting of this chapter. DarkAngelTorchic kindly pointed out to me that I called Gary "Gray" a handful of times. I think I fixed them. & Sorry to everyone else who had read it like that! Oops, that's what I get for Speed-typing. I'm counting on Mag Rowan to note the other "Gray's" that I may have missed! ; ) Hee hee. . . enjoy!

Chapter 40

"I'm so tired, please, why are we doing this now?" Ash's voice was merely a hollow gasp. He hadn't been prepared for the rude awakening; he hadn't been ready to have ropes tightening around his throat, nor to be roughed up by this stranger so soon.

"You know why. Now shut your mouth and move faster!" The Revivalist meant business. He had zero sympathy for Ash, and instead proceeded to yank him all the more aggressively down the hallway.

The slippers on Ash's feet were a size too big, and they continually threatened to slip off of his feet as he ran. Ash curled his toes painfully in effort to cling to the warm fabric. So far he had a pretty decent grip on the right slipper; he was pinching it between his big and pointer toes. The sheer thought of being forced to place his bare feet on the icy cement was unbearable. It was too early. He was too weary. What he would have given for his own warm snuggly bed right now.

"But why do I need to do this now?" Ash asked, deciding it was worth the risk of another rope correction.

The Revivalist only grunted flatly in response, and he did snap Ash's rope again.

In all truth, Ash did know why he was being lead through the corridors. A few moments earlier this very same Revivalist had already explained the reasoning to him . . .

. . . Apparently Lance and Agatha's battle had already taken place. And . . . apparently, Lance had destroyed her.

No one but The Seer and a select few Revivalists had even witnessed the great fight. None of the other trainers – losing or winning – had been informed of the battles existence. No one except Ash, that was, who had only just now been told about the secret fights outcome.

At about two o'clock in the morning Lance and Agatha had been hastily awakened and dragged from their cells. They were not even given a drop of water before being forced into the battling arena. It was a complete mystery to Ash what types of Pokemon they had received or how long the battle had raged on; all that Ash had been told was that Lance had won, and that it was now his turn to fight Gary.

Ash was stumbling groggily, and the huge slippers were still taxing his steps. He had no idea what time it was since there were no windows in this godforsaken place, but he had a feeling that it was really early. Yesterday, The Seer had announced that Ash would battle Gary in the morning . . . but Ash had assumed that he meant the late morning. If Ash had to guess (judging by how exhausted he currently was) he'd wager that it couldn't be later than five or six a.m. . . . way to early for his brain to be focusing on Pokemon battling.

Ash would be the first person to admit that he really was not a good 'morning person'. And this personal knowledge made him all the more nervous because he knew that Gary was alert in the wee hours of day break.

Like Lance and Agatha, Ash was not given anything to drink and he wasn't even offered a chance to shower. The Revivalist simply jostled him awake and began hauling him gruffly down the hallway towards the stadium doors.

Ash had finally managed to twist his toes in such a way that the slippers were securely being held in place on his feet. But that was a small comfort. As the Revivalist picked up his pace, Ash was forced to scramble all the more wildly in order to keep up. His stomach began to knot laboriously as though someone were French-braiding his intestines together. Ash looked as though someone had doused him with a bucket of water by the degree in which he was sweating. His robe was utterly drenched; droplets of perspiration were clinging to the ends of his fingertips, his hands were quivering feverishly. Because of the glacial climate in the hall, the sweat across his body was beginning to chill. Ash's legs were actually starting to numb. He was physically a walking disaster of ailments. Despite how rotten his breaking body felt, none of that material pain could compare to the anguish which plagued his thoughts. His mind was consumed by the many possible outcomes which this day could bring. Ash was about to battle his lifelong rival . . . he was about to fight for reasons that were sinful and in a setting that only a demonic fiend could conjure up.

Ash had spent the better part of the night wallowing alone in his dreary thoughts. He had made genuine efforts only to dwell on positive things, such as his upcoming date with Misty, but his mind kept obsessively returning the disturbing conversation he had had with Gary the day before. Gary wanted him to forfeit – Gary had thought a forfeit to be imperative if Ash was ever going to have a future with Misty. Why was Gary so dead-set on this? Was Gary really being selfless? Or was a part of him - someplace – simply unable to stomach the idea of Ash beating him again? Was Gary unable to handle it, despite the morbid circumstances? Ash certainly hoped not, but his mind could not make any other connection as to why Gary would be so desperate to defeat him. Gary certainly had no right to bring Misty into the equation. And quite frankly, Ash was bothered that he had. Using Misty's name to gain leverage was seriously hitting a sore spot with Ash.

Regardless of Gary's motives, Ash could not consider giving up a battle. Especially not here! The Seer was a psychic, the eerie man would know if Ash faked a loss. Besides that, if he lost then he was putting Gary at risk of death. Granted, Ash seriously doubted that Gary stood a chance against Lance, but still . . . there was always a chance.

The last thing Ash wanted to do was really win this tournament. He rather preferred being alive over having his body possessed by some dead Revivalist master. He unconditionally wanted to lose, and even more so, he wanted to get the hell out of here and to start his relationship with Misty. But helping Gary to cheat was out of the question. He could not deal with having that on his conscience, and he knew that Misty would think less of him if she knew he purposely endangered Gary further.

Misty. Ash didn't know where she had been placed overnight, if she was alone, or if she'd been allowed the company of another prisoner. When it came down to it, none of that really mattered . . . he just prayed that she was okay.

His battle against Gary would take place before a select private audience – The Seer and a few highly ranked Revivalists - just as Lance and Agatha's had been. A small part of Ash was relieved that Misty would not be present to watch him battle today. Her presence was distracting, and up until now Ash had truly not been able to battle at his utmost because he was constantly worrying about her. He fretted over where she was sitting, he vexed over what she was thinking, and if she was okay, and if she was looking at him, or . . . if she was watching . . . Gary . . .

. . . Misty was so strangely fond of Gary. Ash knew that he was being ridiculous to feel such selfish pangs of jealousy. It was unfounded. It was self-centered and petty. And yet . . . the envious twinges nipped him nonetheless. Ash could not ignore them. And he could not figure out why.

But none of that mattered right now. Ash was going to have to sweep everything else from his mind; he was even going to have to try and forget the tense history he shared with his competitor, and focus solely on what he would focus on if this were any other Pokemon battle: VICTORY.

"Here we are, you ready?" The Revivalist's voice wrenched Ash from his conclusive thoughts. "Well?"

Ash blinked, surprised by the subtle anxiety hidden in the man's voice.

"Ash Ketchem, are you ready or not? This is a very important battle. The Miracle Pokemon will expect a good show. You need to dazzle our wondrous Pokemon!"

Ash titled his head. "The Pokemon? W-will it be watching?" A shrill drizzle of ice coursed through his veins. Terrible memories of the night he was abducted by the creature were returning to him.

The Revivalist shook his head. "No, our Pokemon won't be physically present, but It'll be observing you today as It has been all along."

"It has!" Ash gasped in horror. "From where?"

"No questions! That's enough out of you. I don't care if you're ready or not, we're going in," the Revivalist roughly yanked Ash's rope leash as he opened the arena door.

Ash was lead down a narrow aisle of empty bleachers towards the stage. About a dozen other shrouded Revivalists were standing in the shadows of the arena. They were waiting anxiously for Ash to take his position on the stage. One oddly short Revivalist seemed to be staring Ash down through his dark hooded shroud . . . it gave Ash the chills to have some stranger study him in such an unwanted probing manner. It wasn't fair that they all got to hide their faces behind their shrouds and left him open and vulnerable to have his every facial expression scrutinized.

"Go, on," the Revivalist who was leading Ash un-roped him and pointed to the stage. Ash sighed nervously and climbed the steps, taking his place alone in the spotlight. There was not yet any sign of Gary.

"Ah, welcome, young Ash Ketchem!" The Seers voice was eccentrically gleeful. As usual his voice was being transmitted via a speaker system above the stage, but Ash could still not pinpoint his location. "I hope you are not too terribly frazzled by the means in which we've had to bring you here. I feel that your truest skills will come forth now - as you are tired, weak, and unprepared. Plus, there are no other trainers present to study your techniques or to distract your train of thought. You will be truly relying on your instincts and talent today."

Ash's eyes fell downward blankly; he was not going to allow The Seer to get a rouse out of him.

"The battle will go on like the others, two Pokeballs each. May the best handler win," The Seer continued. "Derrick, bring Mr. Oak to the stage now. I'd like to begin."

Derrick immediately appeared from someplace behind Ash. Gary was being roughly pulled along behind him. Gary made instant eye contact with Ash; it was brief, but stinging. Gary's pitiless blue eyes slashed wrathfully into Ash's - apparently his rival was still holding a grudge over the forfeit matter. Fortunately, the unnerving sting was soon numbed - for Gary quickly seemed to lose interest in staring down Ash . . . instead, Gary seemed far more fascinated by the colors and textures of the walls and ceilings. Gary's eyes examined every centimeter of the surroundings - except for Ash. Ash narrowed his eyes, understanding Gary's point: the cracks on the walls were more interesting to him than Ash was now.

"Get up there, Oak," Derrick snarled, shoving Gary as hard as he possibly could up the stage steps. "Go prove what a loser you are."

Gary didn't grant Derrick the joy of a surprised or hurt reaction - although, Ash assumed that it was because Gary wasn't really caught off guard by the shove, rather he expected Derrick to push him, and therefore had actually been prepared and braced himself.

Once up the steps, Gary casually strolled across the stage floor and took his position opposite Ash. Gary was still avoiding eye contact, but Ash was certainly watching him. Gary appeared relaxed, but Ash was unsettled by how ill he looked. Just yesterday Gary had been a model of health when he defeated Richie, but now he appeared as though he was suffering from some incurable virus. Gary looked as though someone had actually smeared a handful of white powder into his face. He had the faintest smear of dried blood on his lower lip – clearly a mark left courtesy of Derrick. Gary's robe seemed to be in better condition than his skin - only a few splotches of dirt and blood were speckled here and there on the fabric. His expression was unreadable, but his posture alluded that he was in fact feeling weak. Gary's legs were trembling ever-so-slightly, like two blades of grass which are barely grazed by the breeze. The edges of his knuckles were white due to poor circulation and cold. In spite of it all, Gary was still holding his head high.

On the ground below them, the Revivalists were momentarily preoccupied with carrying the sack of Pokeballs up to the stage. They continually had to halt because that short Revivalist and another taller one seemed to be having trouble unknotting the strings on the sack opening.

"G-Gary? H-hey, um, so-so-so-?" Ash was attempting to dull the tension between he and Gary, only his lips barely managed to produce a comprehensible mumble.

Gary flaunted Ash with a nerve-grating smirk. "What, Ash? Forget to pay your brain-bill this month?"

Ash felt his face burn. How could Gary dare to be such an arrogant jerk at a time like this? Had he no sympathy? Had he no remorse or feelings of compassion? Ash did not want to lower himself to Gary's self-righteous level, but he was so angry that the comeback ejected itself from his lips. "Grow up, Gary! Your grandfather would be ashamed of you!"

Gary's reaction was surprising. He . . . smiled – much to Ash's frustration – and Gary's eyes flickered with more challenge than Ash had seen since the league games. Ash instantly regretted returning the insult - it was inappropriate, it was too personal . . . and worst still, it would only egg Gary on . . . probably making him a stronger competitor.

"Listen, Gary," Ash lowered his voice, hoping the Revivalists were still too engrossed with the sack to bother with them. "I don't know how you can make light of this, but I don't have the patience for your crap right now," Ash realized that his tone held the lecture of a disapproving parent, but he didn't care. "We have to battle for our lives and for the lives of everyone else. If you have to insult me to feel more confident, then fine, go ahead. But, I'm not going to insult you back. It's going to take more than your smug attitude and your knowledge on Pokemon to defeat me. Despite your supposed advanced education, we both know that I've already proven to be the best out of the two of us."

Gary's taunting grin faded. "You're right, Ash."

Ash's eyes widened with relief. "I'm glad you see it-"

Gary bluntly severed his words. "Brains aren't everything, and in your case they are nothing. Be proud, Ash, because you are flat-out living proof that man can live without a damn brain!" Gary's right eye brow actually twitched, he was incredibly fired up and Ash knew that Gary had only just begun his heated tangent. "God, calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people. It pains me at how naïve you still are about this entire situation, and at how imperative our last conversation was, yet, you were too selfishly obsessed with nobility to listen to a God-damn thing I had to say! I'm going to kick your ass in this battle. And when it's over, Derrick here is going to have to physically restrain me from pounding your pathetic empty head in!"

"Hey! STOP THAT!" The Seer sounded very angry. So much for Ash trying to keep their conversation toned down. "You two need to harness that hostility into the battle and keep it only in the battle, got it? There will be no physical skirmishes between you!"

Derrick chuckled with particular amusement. "Obey The Seer, or I'll pound you both right now."

Gary narrowed his eyes into slits. Ash huffed loudly, demoralized and irritated by Gary's outburst. Most trainers would lose the edge of advantage when as irate as Gary was, because most trainers would lose the ability to think clearly. However, not Gary Oak. He was able to focus all the more precisely when agitated . . . Ash knew that Gary was truly going to give him a hell of a fight.

"Let's get this over with," Gary actually dared to direct his words towards The Seer.

Surprisingly, neither Derrick nor The Seer reprimanded him for it. Instead, all the more startling, they concurred.

"Yes, Derrick, the Pokeball sack, please," The Seer ordered, sounding slightly weary.

Derrick rudely snatched the sack away from the other two Revivalists and stomped up to the stage. He walked brusquely over towards Gary and shoved the sack of Pokeballs towards him. "Pick two!"

Gary exhaled loosely and dipped his probing fingers into the sack. He fished around for a few unnecessarily long moments before choosing his first ball. "This one looks good," he reported proudly.

Ash cocked an agitated eyebrow at his rival. "Gary, I know you are just stalling to irritate me, so knock it off already! Pick your last ball."

"Children, please," Derrick mocked them angrily; then he turned his sole attention on Gary. "If you don't shut up and pick your last ball. . ." he trailed off, hoping that Gary's imagination would formulate an appropriately horrible threat.

Gary seemed overall unfazed by Derrick's comment, but decided to select his second ball a little quicker than he had the first. He only allowed his hand a few seconds to choose a ball this time.

"Finally!" Ash snapped loudly, not caring if he was getting on Derrick's dark side. Neither Gary nor Derrick acknowledged Ash's impatience.

Derrick marched formidably towards Ash and directed him to also choose a set of Pokeballs. Ash stuck his hand in the sack and took out the first two balls that touched his fingers. He pricked Gary with a slightly prideful glare at how quickly he had been able to decide.

Satisfied that Gary and Ash were finally settled in for their battle, Derrick and the mystery sack abandoned the stage.

"Begin!" commanded The Seer anxiously. "Begin and fight well!"

Gary flashed his infamous arrogant grin, and pitched his first ball forward.

Ash flinched . . .

. . . a Blastoise.

What were the chances of that? Ash thought banefully. "That was lucky, Gary."

Purely pleasant shock was plastered across Gary's face. "Wow," he breathed. "I am so lucky! You are going down, Ashy-boy."

The Blastoise was incredibly intimidating. It was actually double the size of Gary's own precious Blastoise. It was roaring mightily, pounding its own huge fists on its scaled chest. The two water cannons on its back were each nearly as tall as Ash was.

Ash felt his confidence waning, he looked skeptically at the mysterious little ball in his own hand. Gary had a Blastoise . . . a Blastoise! Of all the Pokemon he could possibly get . . .! Could Ash even hope to be half as fortunate?

"Pokeball, go!" Ash struggled to retain a confident tone. He closed his eyes as tightly as possible, almost afraid to look at what he had received. After a short pause, Ash opened one eyelid and peeked at the Pokemon before him.

He was relieved at what he saw.

"Primape! PrrrriiimmAPE!" his fierce furry Pokemon screeched excitedly. It was vigorously shadowboxing the air before it. The Primeape was nearly five feet tall, and well over one hundred pounds. The savage money dared to glare with challenge into Blastoise's eyes, and the reptile gratefully accepted the unspoken contest of strength.

Ash smiled nervously. Gary looked unthreatened by Primeape's presence; however, Ash was rejuvenated by it. He had a Primeape of his own once, and he loved it dearly. Ash knew how to handle this fighting type quite well.

"Blastoise," Gary chirped curtly. "Hydro Pump!"

Ash ground his teeth together. Gary was clearly eager to annihilate Ash as rapidly as he had Richie.

Blastoise cracked its neck loudly as it prepared its water cannons for the powerful attack. The Blastoise was attempting to frighten the Primeape. Fortunately, Primeape wasn't one to scare easily.

"Primeape, be careful!" Ash warned. The Primeape lanced Ash with an insulted glare, as if to say: no kidding!

Blastoise was now ready, its cannons trembled as the force of the water rushed forth - propelling towards Primeape. Primeape had been prepared, and leapt upward in perfect timing to avoid the brunt of the strike. However, Blastoise's aim was also flawless, and it still managed to knock the wind out of its opponent. Primeape was crouched on all fours, its boxing gloves were soaking wet.

"Are you okay, Primeape?" Ash yelled. Primeape nodded positively. "Okay, then, Focus Energy!"

Primeape obeyed Ash at once and began shimmering with a blazing golden light. Its chances of striking Blastoise with a critical hit had now been dramatically increased.

Gary seemed unimpressed by Ash's command selection, but he kept his comments to himself. "Blastoise, Skull Bash!"

Blastoise conceded at once, lowering its enormous head in preparation of the assault.

Ash winced nervously; he knew that a massive Pokemon like Blastoise could do serious damage to the Primeape with such a vicious move. "Primeape, Karate Chop!" Ash was hoping that between the Focus Energy and the Karate Chop that Primape would be able to considerably harm Blastoise.

Primeape was much faster than Blastoise was, and he bolted forward, ramming the side of his fist into Blastoise's head. There was a sickening cracking sound, like a handful of poultry bones being snapped at once. Blastoise flinched backwards in agony; it stumbled dizzily towards Gary.

Gary's eyes grew wide with alarm as Blastoise's unstable shadow loomed over him. He quickly scooted out of the way in time to avoid Blastoise toppling over on top of him.

Ash waited anxiously to see if Blastoise would get back up. Gary eyed Ash with pity. "If you think Blastoise is down, you're worse than the average idiot."

Ash grumbled. "Shut up, Gary! It looks defeated to me!"

"Not really," Gary sighed dully as though Ash were boring him stiff.

Ash felt his cheeks burning again. He hated Gary's haughty attitude, and he also hated it when Gary was right. . .

. . . and, Gary was right – again.

"Blast!" Blastoise roared irately as he jumped upward, intent on completing his Skull Bash attack. The huge turtle charged forward and smashed the brunt of its skull into Primeape's gut. Primeape's mouth opened in unsuspecting horror as all the air in its lungs was shocked from its system.

"No!" Ash wailed as he watched Primeape's limp frame sailing helplessly through the air. "Primeape!" Ash dove forward impulsively, toppling over in effort to catch Primeape's dead weight before it crashed into the stage floor. Ash managed to scrape his own left knee badly, but at least he caught the Primeape's head in his lap. Regardless of Ash's selfless efforts to save it, the Primeape was already unconscious.

Round one went to Gary.

Gary was beaming from ear-to-ear. However, his Blastoise wasn't looking nearly as confident. Primeape had given it one heck of a killer migraine with the Karate Chop.

Ash swallowed timidly as he tossed forward his final ball. The Pokemon that emerged overwhelmed him with a series of mixed emotions.

"A P-Psyduck?" Ash stuttered faintly. He possessed an array of knowledge on this water and psychic type Pokemon. Misty owned a rather powerful example of the species - that was - when it wanted to actually listen to her (which was not very often).

However, this Psyduck looked very little like Misty's stubborn one. This one had feathers of a brilliant shade of copper - not a fluffy dull yellow. It was also large, muscular, and its eyes were gleaming with authority. There was no trace of that dumb blank stare that Misty's Psyduck constantly wore.

Gary seemed to hesitate . . . slightly. Ash could tell by the look on his face that Gary was scouring his memory files for information on the duck Pokemon. Usually Ash was a thoughtful competitor and did not begin a battle until his opponents seemed prepared . . . however, Gary was really pissing him off. Ash wasn't going to grant him that courtesy.

"Psyduck, Confusion!" Ash was betting that he could make Blastoise's headache a hell of a lot worse.

Swirling jagged rays jutted forth from Psyduck's eyes. These rays slammed into Blastoise's face like a bowling ball against a dozen pins. Gary stepped back, fearing the results of the Confusion attack.

"Blastoise?" Gary called out, hoping his Pokemon would be sane enough to respond.

Blastoise shuddered violently and began rolling and thrashing against the stage floor.

"YES!" Ash cheered. "You did it, Psyduck! Awesome!"

Psyduck stood on guard, it was not as confident as its young handler was. Blastoise continued to thrash, it was causing major bodily harm to its own limbs as they scratched across the crumbling floor tiles.

Gary tapped his foot restlessly. "The Confusion could wear off," he called brazenly, though Ash detected a hint of concern in his tone.

"Don't count on it, Gary! Blastoise is really hurting itself."

Psyduck was ready to go in and finish the Blastoise with some other attack, but Ash instructed it to stand down. "No, it's not a threat to us anymore."

Gary glanced hesitantly back and forth from the wailing, disoriented Blastoise and the blood-thirsty Psyduck. At last, he buckled: "Blastoise, return." It was not worth it to Gary to make the Blastoise suffer unnecessarily. Ash sighed; Gary had just proven that his obnoxious act of rottenness was just that: an act.

Shrugging off his loss, Gary playfully flung his final ball in the air. "Let's see what fate has in store for me now!"

The most fearsomely mammoth Alakazam Ash had ever seen materialized on the stage. It was skillfully wielding two spoons the size of Samurai swords.

Gary cracked a sinister grin, making Ash regret having any kind thoughts about him. "Any last words, Ashy-boy?"

"Gary, that's it! This time I am going to kick your . . . smug, arrogant . . . ass!" Ash instantly knew that his mother would have been terribly ashamed of him for cussing in such a fashion, but at this moment he didn't really care. Gary was so outlandishly fixated with beating him that he was acting like a lunatic warlord - and Ash couldn't stand it any longer! In this moment nothing in the world mattered more to him than ridding the world of Gary Oak's spitefully confident smirk.

Gary's head snapped backward in exaggerated surprise. "Wow, can it be that Ash has finally grown a back bone? I thought you'd be the king of loser-land forever. Was I wrong? Nah, I doubt it," Gary glanced to his gigantic Alakazam. "Let's show everyone who the best psychic Pokemon here is!"

Ash had to smile lightly - Gary played on his Pokemon egos the same way in which he stroked his own.

"Ignore them, Psyduck. I know Alakazam is big, but I also know that you can see past his flashy exterior and find his weakness."

Psyduck nodded confidently, wanting very badly to appease the kind young man who was treating him with such respect.

Across the ring, Alakazam shut his eyes. Ash was reminded of a line in the Pokedex: Closing both eyes Alakazam heightens all its other senses. This enables it to use its abilities to their extremes. Ash had better be prepared for a serious psychic showdown.

"Psyduck, get ready! And remember, Alakazam is weak against other psychic types."

"Alakazam," Gary decided to make the first move this time. "Disable!"

Alakazam simply bowed its head and Psyduck immediately squealed in distress – one of its attacks was temporarily hindered, but Ash didn't know which one.

"It's okay, Psyduck," Ash assured his nervous Pokemon. "Use Confusion again!"

Psyduck flashed Alakazam with his bewildering psychic assault, Alakazam groaned in minor discomfort, but he did not suffer any detrimental permanent effects like Blastoise had.

"Haha, it didn't work twice," Gary mocked. "Alakazam, Disable again!"

Once more Psyduck cried out in alarm as one more of its moves was restricted. Ash chewed his lower lip. "Psyduck, Fury Swipes!"

Psyduck only stared blankly at Ash . . . it was apparent that Fury Swipes was one of the suffering moves. "Ug, fine, Surf attack!"

That one was in working order. Psyduck's eyes grew wild with excitement as it summoned a massive rush of water from the moisture in the air. Suddenly, Alakazam was swept off of his long legs in a current of flesh-numbing water. The larger Pokemon was sputtering and flailing fearfully as it struggled to keep its head above water.

Gary snarled quietly. "Alakazam, keep your head above the current – use Recover!"

"Keep using Surf, Psyduck!"

Alakazam began to lose control. Its body shimmered weakly in a soft white haze as it attempted to recover its health; however, the more it resisted and panicked the less effective its self-healing technique was.

"Good job, Psyduck," Ash applauded, realizing that Alakazam was beginning to grow weaker. "It can't fight the waves much longer."

Gary stomped Ash's enthusiasm like an ant hill. "Ha, Alakazam, Teleport– just don't leave the ring!"

"Hey!" Ash shouted, as Alakazam vanished in a blaze of scarlet. "That's not allowed!"

"It's legal," that was Derrick. "Anything goes here."

Ash cussed under his breath. He and Psyduck were nervously casing the arena with their eyes – there was no telling where Alakazam would pop up.

"NOW!" Gary ordered curtly. The Alakazam was at once behind Psyduck, it was holding its spoon like a set of iron rods – choking the life from its feathered opponent. "Strangle it!" Gary encouraged.

"Easy, Psyduck! Don't panic," Ash wailed a little louder than he had intended. His Psyduck was gagging and struggling madly to free itself from the spoons which were crushing its throat.

Think, Ash! THINK! YOU CAN'T LOSE THIS ONE!

"Psyduck," Ash was screaming now. "HYDRO PUMP! FLIP ALAKAZAM OVER!"
Like an overpowering geyser, the water blasted from Psyduck's mouth. Alakazam gripped the duck's throat fiercely, but could not hang on as the erupting gush blasted both Pokemon into the air.

"Psyduck! Turn the tables! QUICK!"
Psyduck greedily snatched Alakazam's own spoons from his hands. Alakazam was incredibly startled. It was so preoccupied with trying not to drown in mid air that it couldn't seize its own weapons back.

"Alakazam, RECOVER!"

"Don't let it, Psyduck!"
The Pokemon were rapidly crashing back down to the ground. Psyduck was certainly ready to get even – it swung the two spoons at Alakazam like twin war clubs, sending it crashing all the more brutally into the stage floor. Just before the two Pokemon made impact, Alakazam reached out desperately and grasped Psyduck by the throat.

Suddenly, tiles of flooring shattered and blasted in every direction. Dust and sand formed a thick smothering fog over the two Pokemon's bodies.

The Revivalists, Gary and Ash were all waiting tensely for the smoke to clear . . .

. . . when at last the area was clear enough for them to make out what had happened, both Pokemon were fully unconscious. The question was . . . which had fainted first?

Gary grumbled loudly. "Psyduck was so puny; no way it outlasted the Alakazam."

"Shut up, Gary! My Psyduck was the one who pounded Alakazam into the flooring!"

"Enough," That was The Seer. "This is . . . unfortunate. Did anyone get a good look at what happened?"

"Yeah," Gary blared. "Alakazam won-"

The Seer sliced Gary's sentence. "Anyone besides the competitors? Revivalists?"

A muffle of whispers fluttered through the small gathering of Revivalists but none confirmed the victor in any way.

The Seer seemed flustered . . . after all he was The SEER . . . it was no good for him to have not witnessed the truth. "Then, I will declare the victor to be Ash Ketchem," he announced contently.

"What? No way!" Gary cried out in absolute denial. What was left of the color in face had drained away.

Ash felt uncontrollably nauseous, the room around him began spinning hysterically . . . he felt his knees buckle and he collapsed, not even attempting to conceal the tears in his eyes. He didn't really want to win . . . he didn't want to win . . . but he did want to save Gary. . .

Ash was inconceivably terrified.

"Congratulations, Ash! From what I bore sights to, the Psyduck was in control and had the upper hand. Ash, be proud, you will now advance to the grand finally and face Lance the Dragon Master for the ultimate reward: THE REVIVAL! You must stand proud, boy! Stand proud and-"

"Wait!" A shrill female voice burst forth from someplace in the room. . .

. . . Ash raised his head, his eyes scanning for that familiar girl's voice. . .

. . . there . . .

"Wait, Sir, please," Jessie from Team Rocket suddenly emerged from beneath a dark Revivalist shroud. She boldly chucked her shroud disguise to the side as if it were yesterday's newspaper. "Great Seer, Sir, I saw what really happened! And the Alakazam really won! Gary Oak is the true winner!"

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PAST CAHPTER THANK YOUS:

Midnight Mist- Your fic was SO spectacular! I enjoyed every word. Thanks for composing such a fun, sweet story. Thanks for that oh-so-generous review. I loved all your comments and thoughts. Hee hee, I've never been called an "evil cliffhanger mistress" before, but I like the title! I'm also glad that you liked my paragraph showing Gary's weak moment. & yeah, you're right, Team Rocket must be very confident that Lance will win. More soon!

Alexis Ludd- You just never cease to make me feel all warm a happy inside! Just when I think you can't possibly be more kind, you go and give me yet another wonderfully inspiring review. Your confidence in me means more than you know. Thank you.

kitsune07- Hello! Hee hee! Good point, Misty really didn't have anyone to tell before Brock! Poor Misty! All these emotions bottled up inside. Thanks again!

EagleFox- Thanks for the super nice review! I'm so happy you are enjoying everything.

Ninetalesuk- Haha! Thanks for yet another entertaining review. You're so witty. You'll find out soon enough who Misty will "choose".

Jenn- Hiya, hon! Hee hee. . . Yeah, James is. . . odd, lol. Baking Soda tends to absorb odors, so James was hoping to tone down Meowth's foot smell with that Baking Soda. Hehe. . . --; Thanks for the sweet review! You're great!

evryluvsmisty- It means so much to me that you continue to read even though I know that Misty's fixed up feelings (AAML, GAML) are torture for you! Since you'd usually never consider reading any GAMLish stuff, I am deeply touched by your devotion. Thanks so much!

Reanne1102- Me an angel? I'm flattered by your kindness. Thank YOU for taking the time to read my story. I work very hard on it and it means the world to me just to have someone like you enjoy it and then share your thoughts. I hope very much that you will continue to read.

Windstar­- Oh dear! You've gotten yourself into a Misty situation? Haven't you learned anything from her, lol? Hee hee . . . I wish you luck in deciding which of your two guys you will choose. It's never easy to have to pick someone . . . someone sadly always ends up hurt. But I know you'll make the right choice . . . just like Misty will in the end.

Raevn- Hiya! Yup, Pidgey and other Pokemon are slated to be in the next update. Thanks for enjoying the Misty and Brock talking-part. Your comments are so inspiring (as always) Thanks so much! More updates soon!

Mika- No problem! Thanks again for reading my story.

DarkAngelTorchic- Haha, I should tell your mom how sweet you are, lol! I'm sure that Gary would be very flattered to know that next to Ashton Kutcher he is number two! I'm super glad that my version of Gary is so likable! I wub him too!

Shadow74656- Hello! I'm happy that you like my whole Pokeball rigging strategy. I have no clue where the idea come from. . . a void in space maybe? Er? In any case, I sure have fun writing them down and sharing them with awesome people like you. What is the beast you ask? You will find out in less than 4 chapters!

MagCat- Hiya, honey! Hee hee, you got me giggling with your review. Heh, yeah, Brock always seems to have a girl on the brain. I don't think he can even help himself. It's a sickness, lol. Yeah, Jessie did actually have a plan, and since Gary got the Pokemon he wanted it must have worked out. You'll find out how successful Squirtle is in the next chapter! Thanks!

Dave Behave- Hey! What's going on? Haha, Yeah, James and TR are their usual odd selves. Thanks also for liking the Brock and Misty talking part. I spent a bit of time on that actually, trying to get the words right etc. Thanks.

KawaiiCherryBlossom-aka-BWF- Aw! Thanks for being so kind to me. Your reviews always make me feel so nice! Writing is such a joy when I am doing it for sweethearts like you. The end is near, thanks for sticking around!

Silver Tiger Claws- Hi there! Welcome to my story and thank you very much for enjoying it and sending me a review. I don't mind the 'french', lol! I hope you'll read on.

MagRowan- Hey, thanks for the super kind review! Thanks for complimenting the scene between Brock and Misty. I spent a bit of time trying to get the right words for the dialogue there. I hope one day you will write a fic, judging by how well worded all of your reviews are I'm certain you would be fantastic. I was a NERVOUS WRECK when I first posted this fic. At first nobody would read it except for Alex Warlorn and Dave Behave. I had basically zero reviewers. And then, slowly more and more people came along and gave my fic a chance. I am so thrilled and stunned by the positive responses. It's more flattering than I can even say. But if I never posted it I'd never have gotten to "know" all of these amazing people, like you! Thanks & I'm so glad we have "met". Hee hee.

megs626- Kudos to you for setting up that egoshipping C2! That was a long time coming, about time really. I'm honored to be included. Thanks again for the SWEET review!

renyun- Hello there! Welcome and thank you very much for reading my story. You are so thoughtful with your comments. Thanks and I hope you'll continue to read on.

Smileyaili- Hey! Thanks for the review. Did you have a good time camping? I am going camping this weekend, on the 27th. I'm excited. I haven't been camping since I was a little girl. Aw! I wish I could bake you a huge plate of cookies for that review. Your unwavering support is so touching; you're such a priceless cyber-friend!

Aimmez- Hello! Thank you oh-so-much for taking the time to read and review my story. I love hearing your comments and I take all thoughts and ideas to heart. The outcome of the fic is still a mystery. . . AAML or GAML. You'll have to read on to find out & I really hope that you will. Welcome aboard, I'm so thrilled that you are enjoying the story.

NOTE TO ALL: My sincerest thanks to everyone! More updates coming soon. I'm going away camping this weekend. . . I'm (selfishly) hoping that I'll have a few reviews waiting in my mailbox when I come home. I just love reading all of your thoughts and comments so much. They totally make me smile and grin all week. Also: I know that I updated faster this time than usual and a few people didn't get a chance to review yet, but I know that you will when you get a chance. I wub you all, Maia