"Clefairy, finish this up with Disarming Voice!" called Ash. The Pokemon immediately fired A circular pink wave surrounded by hearts, hitting Rattatta on the mark and knocking it out.

After leaving Cerulean City, the group headed south with the hopes of reaching Vermillion City for Ash's 3rd Gym Battle. Along the way, Ash, Brock, and Misty ran into several trainers. Ash and Misty took turns, defeating them all with ease. This battle was no different.

"Great work Clefairy! You're improving leaps and bounds," praised Ash. Affectionate as always, Clefairy pranced into Ash's arms, giving him a hug. The heartwarming moment was soon interrupted by Ash's opponent, and Ash recalled the pink vixen.

"Thanks for the battle. You're a really great Pokemon Trainer" said the genuine boy, offering his hand to Ash.

"Thanks! You put up a great fight as well," responded Ash with a handshake.

"You know, I think you may be strong enough to enter AJ's tournament?" pondered the boy.

"AJ's tournament?" questioned Ash. Brock and Misty also shared confused looks.

"Oh yeah! AJ is a really strong trainer who opened his own Gym a while back. It's not sanctioned by the Pokemon League, but it's still a great spot to battle. Anyway, AJ just announced a tournament to celebrate his 100 battle win streak. I was thinking about entering myself, but now I think I should probably head to a Pokemon Center instead," laughed the boy. "You should seriously consider it though. The tournament is supposed to start tomorrow. His Gym is just down the road about another hour south. Thanks for the battle once again, but I gotta run." With that the young boy took off north, leaving the group to ponder what he said.

"A tournament huh. Sounds like a great chance to test our skills!" said Ash excitedly.

"It would be a good opportunity to train up our Pokemon," agreed Misty.

"I'm not sure I want to participate, but the chance to study all those Pokemon and to see how they were raised is something I don't want to pass up," said Brock.

"Then it's decided!" declared Ash.

The trio made their way south, thrilled at the chance to participate in the event. An hour later, as the sun began to set, they arrived at a giant wooden fence with a gate at the center. Ash walked up and gave a loud knock.

A young teenager with dark green hair, a red and black shirt, and blue shorts partially opened the gate. He had a clipboard in his hand along with a pencil and some paper.

"Y'all here for the tournament?" questioned the boy in a southern drawl.

"You bet! Are you AJ," asked Ash.

"I see my reputation has proceeds me," smirked the boy. "Unfortunately, there are only two spots left and I see three of you."

"I'm just here to watch and have a good time," smiled Brock.

"Fine by me, but one more thing. There's a 3,000 Poke entry fee for all contestants to make sure y'all are serious about competing," warned AJ.

"We have to pay money to battle?" questioned a clearly irritated Misty.

AJ nodded. "That's right. Anyone who ain't willing to risk a little skin in the game is weak. I don't have time for the likes of them in my tournament! So, what's it gonna be?"

"WEAK?" angrily questioned Ash. "Take the money. My name is Ash Red Ketchum and i'm in to win!"

"And you Red?" AJ asked Misty.

"MY NAME IS MISTY, NOT RED! AND FINE HERE IS YOUR STUPID MONEY!" yelled the angry girl with an ironically red face. After collecting their entry fees and jotting down their names, AJ opened the gate up in its entirety. Behind him stood a custom battlefield made of some orange stone and a giant tent. Several trainers were also camped out next to smaller tents all around the area.

"Well don't just stand their gawking. Come on in," gestured AJ. The group walked inside, admiring the features, while AJ locked the gate.

"As you can see, I got a state of the art battlefield here for the tournament. That giant tent area is where I do all my training, but it's off limits with all the trainers here. Tournament starts tomorrow morning, so you best get some shut eye." With that, AJ walked away, leaving Ash, Brock and Misty alone.

"Hey, I think I see a good spot to set up camp in the corner. Follow me guys," said Brock. The three trainers walked towards the spot and made a quick camp. After that, they ate a delicious dinner cooked by Brock and went to bed early, wanting to have plenty of rest for the following day's activities.

The next morning, the group and their Pokemon had an early breakfast. As they were finishing up, the group noticed that trainers had started to gather near the battlefield. Brock volunteered to do the dishes, allowing Ash, Misty, and Pikachu to see what was going on. It looked like the trainers were simply mingling for now until things started. Soon enough, the loud crack of a whip silenced everyone. AJ had finally made his appearance, and walked to the makeshift battlefield, overlooking the competitors.

"Howdy y'all. The name is AJ and I'll be hosting this here tournament in honor of 100 straight Pokemon Battle victories," said the host with smug pride. "There are 32 competitors here today, including yours truly. This is a single elimination tournament, which means if you lose once, you're out. The first and second rounds will be 1 on 1. The third and fourth rounds will be 2 on 2. The final round will be 3 on 3. A coin flip will determine who send out their Pokemon first. No substitutions will be allowed in the later rounds. Now i'm sure y'all are wondering what the prize will be am I right?" questioned AJ with a grin.

He received several nods and murmurs at this statement.

"If you ain't first, you're last. That means only the tournament winner will be taking home a prize today. Thanks to y'alls contributions with the entry fees and a little extra from myself, that prize will be 100,000 Poke! In addition, the winner will be receiving a Pokemon Egg. This egg comes from the famous Pokemon Scientist Bill!" explained AJ.

This drew a large round of applause, whistles of appreciation, and plenty of excited whispers.

"Settle down now. It's time to determine the 1st round pairings. Come on up and pick a name out of the hat. Whatever your draw will determine who you face, based on the bracket on screen," said AJ as he pointed out an LED screen with a tournament bracket of 32. At the bottom of the bracket, each line had a number below it. Each trainer picked out a number and turned their attention to the board to see who they would be battling. Misty draw the number 4, while Ash drew 26.

"Looks like we are on opposite sides of the bracket Ash," noted Misty.

"See you in the finals," smirked Ash.

The first match came and went quickly, leading to Misty's first battle of the day, and soon after her first victory, as she easily defeated her first opponent with Staryu.

Ash had to wait until near the end of the first round for his first match, but eventually his turn came.

"The name's Ricky," smiled a short boy in a camper outfit.

Ash returned the smile and gave the boy a quick wave as he took his place on the other side of the battlefield. "Nice to meet you Ricky. I'm Ash."

"Heads or tails Ash?" called AJ. Ash chose heads and luck smiled on him to start the tournament.

"I choose you Nidoran!" The young boy releases a small purple Pokemon with spots and a horn.

A poison type huh. Butterfree just learned a move that will be perfect for this! thought Ash. "I choose you Butterfree!" Out came the flying bug type and the battle was on.

"Poison Sting Nidoran!" yelled out the camper trainer. White stings of light were fired from Nidoran's spikes and headed right for Butterfree.

"Counter with Gust and blow those Stingers back where they came from," Ash responded calmly. Butterfree did just that. With a mighty wave from its wings, the stingers quickly changed directions and bombared Nidoran, stunning the small Pokemon.

"Don't give them to to recover Butterfree! Finish up now with Psybeam!" called Ash with greater urgency. Purple rays were quickly emitted from Butterfree. Nidoran's trainer called out to the Pokemon, but it was still affected from the Poison Sting rebound. The attack made contact and Nidoran gave a great cry of pain, before collapsing to the floor.

"Nidoran is unable to battle. Butterfree wins! Ash will advance to the second round," said AJ.

Ash and Misty continued to have success, winning battle after battle. Brock would help treat their Pokemon in-between rounds with potions and other supplies. It wasn't until the Semi-Finals that the luck began to change.

Misty found herself matched against AJ in the first Semi-Final match of the tournament. Misty put up a good battle, taking out AJ's Spearow, but his Raticate proved too much as it managed to knock out Seel and Starmie. With that, her day was done.

Ash faired better, knocking both of his opponent's Pokemon out without losing any of his own. This finals were now set. Ash vs. AJ.

"You've done pretty well for yourself to get this far kid, but your luck runs out here and now," said the cocky host.

"I'll let my Pokemon do the talking for me AJ," retorted Ash. AJ flipped his coin and this time Ash was left with the disadvantage.

Not sure which, Pokemon he will use. Guess I'll have to go with something versatile, thought Ash. "Pikachu lets go!" Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and into the ring.

"In that case, I'll start with Beedrill!" The bee Pokemon appeared on the field, sporting a yellow and black body, twin needle arms, and four wings.

With no obvious strategy he could think of, Ash elected to start the battle with some speed. "Get going with Agility Pikachu and follow up with Iron Tail" Pikachu instantly sped up with Agility, before sprinting directly towards Beedrill.

"Use Twin Needle Beedrill to stop that attack in its place," AJ responded.

Pikachu jumped into the air and spun its body with its tail lit up, as Iron Tail collided against Beedrill's Twin Needle.

The two attacks met in a stalemate with both Pokemon trying to push against the other. That is, at first anyway. Beedrill freed one of its needle arms and jabbed it into Pikachu, dealing the yellow mouse damage and sending it flying back to Ash. Pikachu managed to land gracefully though and was ready for more.

I think I see an opening here, thought Ash. "Head back in for another Iron Tail Pikachu!"

"It didn't work last time and it ain't going to work this time either Ash. Twin Needle again Beedrill!" smirked AJ

The two Pokemon met again in yet another clash that ended in a stalemate. As Beedrill began to free its second arm, Ash made his move.

"NOW THUNDERSHOCK AT FULL POWER PIKACHU!"

"PIKACHUUUUUUU!" Electricity poured out of Pikachu's body, engulfing Beedrill at point blank range and causing instant paralysis as the bug Pokemon dropped to the ground.

"BEEDRILL NO!" cried out AJ.

"Finish up with Quick Attack," Ash commanded. Before Beedrill could even attempt to move, Pikachu slammed into the Pokemon and knocked it out of the battlefield. The Pokemon fell and was clearly knocked out.

"Return Beedrill..." muttered an annoyed AJ. "I can see why you got this far Ash, but this battle is just getting started. Go Butterfree!"

The Flying Bug type Pokemon materialized on AJ's side of the field and the battle was back on. "Use your Sleep Powder Butterfree," started AJ.

"Agility once again to dodge Pikachu," calmly retorted Ash. Butterfree flew over Pikachu and attempted to engulf it in its potent Sleep Powder, but Pikachu's repeated Agility made the mouse far too difficult to catch.

"Thundershock Pikachu!" yelled Ash. The mouse Pokemon stopped in its tracks and spun around to deliver a quick electric attack.

"Counter with Psybeam Buttefree!" retorted AJ. Psychic purple waves meet the Thundershock and the attacks canceled each other out, causing a small explosion dust to cover the battlefield for a moment.

Pikachu can keep dodging all it wants, but that Psybeam is going to cancel out any long range attack I send, which means I will have to get close, even if Pikachu gets put to sleep, paralyzed, or poisoned, thought Ash.

"Thundershock once more Pikachu," Ash calmly ordered.

AJ responded with the same counter attack, but was far more wary this time, knowing Ash had another trick up his sleeve. The attacks clashed once again, causing another small explosion and more dust to rise up. As AJ predicted, Ash made his move again.

"Sprint through that dust and latch onto Butterfree. After that follow up with a full-powered Thundershock!" ordered Ash.

"Pikachu breezed through the dusty cover and jumped towards Butterfree.

"Stun Spore Butterfree" called out a smirking AJ.

"HOLD YOUR BREATH PIKACHU AND POWER THROUGH BUDDY!" yelled Ash.

Yellow spores sprung from Butterfree towards the oncoming Pikachu. However, the mouse Pokemon heard his trainer and sucked in his breath, going through the Stun Spore and latching onto Butterfree!

PIKACHUUUUUUU!" Electricity coursed through the Bug Flying type and it fell to the ground, bringing Pikachu with it. Butterfree was clearly knocked out, but the paralysis had taken effect.

"You've got to be kidding me!" the frustrated AJ grumbled, returning his Pokemon. "Playtime is over Ash. Time for you to meet my strongest Pokemon and partner. GO SANDSHREW!" A yellow mole with a white belly was immediately summoned onto the field.

Meanwhile, Pikachu was clearly struggling to move from the prior damage and paralysis. Ash could see the writing on the wall, and thinking back to his battle with Brock, he stepped in.

"I'm withdrawing Pikachu from the battle AJ," said Ash as he walked to pick up Pikachu.

"No skin off my back. Just means Sandshrew and I only have two Pokemon to beat," shrugged the green-haired boy.

"Great work out there Pikachu," Ash praised while picking up his pal. "Brock, do you mind treating his paralysis and holding onto him for the rest of the battle?"

"Sure thing Ash," Brock said with a proud smile as he took the yellow Pokemon.

Getting back to his position, Ash pulled out the Pokeball of his first friend. "Charmander, I choose you!"

The fire type burst onto the field ready for battle. Ash waited for AJ to call out his first move, but AJ did not speak a word. Instead, he took his whip from his belt and cracked it.

Sandshrew immediately went into a rollout attack, heading straight for Charmander.

He can tell Sandshrew what to do with the crack of his whip? This is going to get interesting, mused Ash. "Stop That Rollout in its tracks with Metal Claw!"

Charmander's claws turned a bright white and he slashed his claws against the rolling Sandshrew. Instead of a stalemate, the attack sent Sandshrew rolling back, increasing the speed of its attack. This is bad. If that Rollout continues to gain speed, Charmander might go down in one hit. Time to change things up, thought Ash.

Sandshrew was coming in for another attack now at a higher speed. "Charmander, use Metal Claw on the floor in front of you and then jump back!" called Ash. The Pokemon dug its claws into the ground, creating a dip in the ground, and then quickly jumped back.

Just before Sandshrew hit the dip, AJ cracked his whip again. The Pokemon sped around the edge of the dip and spun directly into Charmander, sending it flying, and dealing a great amount of damage.

"Try to straighten yourself and fire an Ember now that Sandshrew is exposed Charmander!" quickly called Ash. Charmander stayed tough and lowered its head to fire off an Ember, before landing on its feet and sliding back some. Luckily for Ash, Sandshrew was unable to dodge and was hit straight on by the attack, causing it to take damage in turn.

AJ continued his silence and cracked his whip twice. Sandshrew immediately recovered and dug into the ground. Before Ash could do anything, Sandshrew popped out below Charmander and struck with a Dig attack, sending the Pokemon back again and to the ground.

"CHARMANDER!" cried Ash with concern for his Pokemon. The fire type struggled greatly, but using all its might, the Pokemon managed to stand.

"Can you keep going Charmander?" Asked Ash.

"Char! Char!" exclaimed the fire type. Then it happened. The fire on Charmander's tail grew twice its size as Charmander took up a stance of intense focus. Ash saw a way to victory, and time slowed down. Charmander's Blaze ability has activated. That means we are on our last legs, but we also have a shot win thanks to the added fire power. If I call an Ember though, AJ will probably have Sandshrew dive underground to dodge and set up for another Dig... and that is when we will win this, thought Ash. Time sped back up and Ash was ready to go.

"Use Ember attack Charmander!" ordered Ash

As Ash predicted this time, AJ cracked his whip twice and Sandshrew dove back underground, dodging the attack. Ash allowed a small smile to show on his face.

"FIRE A FULL POWERED EMBER INTO THE HOLE!" yelled Ash with victory close.

The Fire Type fired an an enhanced Ember, that looked more like a Flamethrower thanks to Blaze, at breakneck speed straight into the hole!

"GET OUT OF THERE SANDSHREW!" yelled a frantic AJ, who finally broke his silence.

The ground exploded in the middle of the battlefield as a badly burned Sandshrew was blasted out of the hole by the torrent of fire that followed. Sandshrew hit its peak in the air, and then began a fast descent into the ground, crashing hard.

"Sandshrew..." muttered a shocked AJ as he stared at his fallen partner.

Ash was about to walk over to his fire type to congratulate it, but something odd began to occur, giving Ash pause. Charmander was shooting fire in the air, celebrating its victory. He didn't stop either and kept going. The surrounding trainers and Ash himself were starting to get nervous, as voices started to murmur about the display.

"Char! Char! CHARMANDER!" roared Charmander, firing off three final blasts of fire into the air. Then, everyone was silent.

Charmander started to glow...

END CHAPTER

Had a long day of work, so this one took a while to get out. Anyway, how did you guys like my take on the battle with AJ? What Pokemon will hatch from the Egg Ash will receive? Enjoy the little surprise at the end?

Next time - We find out what happened at the end of the tournament. Ash and the gang find a beach to do some fishing at. Finally, they meet a certain someone, foreshadowed in this chapter.

Yochan123 - Thanks for the reviews! Glad you are enjoying the story. Things will certainly be different, and I do not plan on having Ash lose often. As for Pikachu, he will still play an important role, but more as an equal to Charmander, instead of the main focus.

Remember to review with your thoughts/critique :)

Smell ya later!