I just realized that I can't make a harem if the girls don't know Ash is alive.

*Deep breath*

NUUUUUUUUUU!11!11!11!

But anyways, I'll talk with you guys all below, for now please read my first ever battle story!

Ash stood patiently in the waiting lobby as the administrators finalized the match pairings for the first round. All he was told was that he could only use one Pokemon, and he swore he saw some admins shake their head sadly at him, as if he was a pig out for the gutter. He didn't like that. It reminded him of his incompetence.

All around him was the ecstatic breathing of many excited trainers, ready for their first official match. He could even see some of them psyching their Pokemon up, oblivious to the fact that they could only use one. It looked so peaceful, so happy. So full of life.

While Ash was the foreboding guy sitting down on a couch, darting his eyes around for suspicious characters. Heck, he might as well put a label on him that said "I AM A HENTAI" and he wouldn't have even cared.

Suddenly, the admins broke up their conversation. "Finally." They beckoned everyone to assemble in front of them, and a shady man with pop-eyed glasses and a walking cane for no apparent reason clapped his hands.

"Welcome, welcome! I am Mr. Sena." He smiled, and leaned forward, bringing his hands to his back and swerving his body around the trainers. Ash made a mental note to stay away from this dude.

"Today, we are here, to learn more about ourselves and our Pokemon, the pets we hold so dear to our hearts and yet we use them like war dogs." Mr. Sena nodded his head, and Ash noticed the discomfort in all of the trainers' faces. "This guy is seriously messed up. Why did they even consider his resume?"

Ash's thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Sena swiped a roll of paper from his colleague and faced us. "That was a joke, by the way. And now for the real speech." He took in a deep breath, longer than Ash would have liked, and continued. "Fellow trainers, we are all here today to learn more about ourselves and our Pokemon. What's important is not the trophy that one of you will get, but the experience that you will gain. Being a trainer is not just about fighting, it is more! Because this year we will be spicing up the competition, and we will make sure that you all will have a day worth dying for!" He ended off with a salute, and a curtsey to the crowd. The little respect Ash gradually gained from listening to Mr. Sena's speech dissipated, now replaced with a growing sense of dread.

"And now that all's been said and done, now we move on to the match pairings." Mr. Sena began to unroll the paper, and about half the trainers straightened up. The rest were asleep.

"The first match for today is...hang on a second...Tenma hasn't arrived yet? Alright, then we'll just fo with...Ritsu and Giovanni!" He announced, and Ash tensed up immediately. "Did I hear that right?" He looked around for the man in question and saw Giovanni casually leaning against the wall. Their eyes locked, and Giovanni tipped of his hat nonchalantly, giving Ash a smug smile.

"I swear to Arceus I will rip his hat apart someday, and feed his bones to his Pokemon." Ash thought darkly, as he clenched his hands.

"Well Ashy boy, looks like I'm paired up with you." Giovanni smiled. He and Ash were standing together in the lobby alone. The rest of the trainers had went on to the arena seats, leaving Ash alone with him.

"What a surprise." Ash muttered under his breath. "Did you remove the body by burning it or did you push it off a cliff?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about! The previous trainer had a freak accident and is now hospitalized for your information." Giovanni sneered. "What a pity he couldn't participate."

Ash resisted the urge to smack his face off his head. Giovanni waved Ash goodbye, and went on walking to the arena. Before he went out, he turned back and smiled at Ash. "Tell you what, since you look so lost and angry, I'll give you a little hint about little charming Serena." Before Ash could react, Giovanni slammed the door shut.

"...Serena? He has her?!" Ash's mind went into full gear, and he sprinted after him. "Come back you piece of-"

Instantly he was exposed to the bright lights of the arena, with a hundred thousand pairs of eyes eagerly waiting for the match to start. Giovanni was already standing on the edge of a huge crater that had...a winding labyrinth shrubbery maze on it...what is that?!

Serena could see flashing lights, amidst a sea of grey. Her senses were dulled, her mind desperately clinging on to reality. Many people her life floated past her: Her mom, Brock, May, Drew, Paul, pretty much every person she knew. But all of that was meaningless. All the while her paralyzed body was waiting, scrutinizing every feature of the lifeless bodies that came and went like the shifting consciousness of her mind.

But one person was always in her field of vision. A pretty daft boy to be honest, one that some may call pure, others may call gullible. But Serena just calls her...Ash.

She wished he was here. She wished that she could feel her touch again, and melt into his arms. Her vision tunneled until she could only see a speck of the inky grayness, and her mind shifted back to reality.

"Wh-where am I!" Serena squealed, waking up suddenly. She was on a bed, with all manners of surgical equipment filling up the room to the point that if she even moved a little she would be poked by some blood syringes, some drill bits, and...a pair of scissors. Standing on the edge of her bed was a boy, his back turned on her. "Don't worry, you're safe." A deep voice resonated within the boy, and Serena quickly realized it was...

"Paul!" She wanted to stand up to hug him, but her body was burning. Paul turned to her with a concerned expression. "Don't move- you'll upset my medication." He leaned forward with a tube of ointment, and Serena was painfully aware of how close they were. She could practically perform CPR right now.

She pushed Paul a little further away, and sat upright on her bed. "Where is this place? How did you know where I was? And are you actually authorized to use all this?" She swept a hand around the room, careful not to get an accidental blood transfusion.

"...Yes...I received training at my scout camp..." Paul deadpanned at her, and she mentally slapped herself for not knowing more about Paul. He was always the lonely, quiet one of the group, and not the most social. She was lucky if she could even get his surname out of him.

"I found you when I forgot to take something from my camp, and I saw a giant fire just burning in the middle of the forest. I found you next to the wreckage, although you seem completely unscathed, save for a little bit of burning here and there." Paul explained as he treated Serena. "What happened?"

Serena explained everything to him, and after a minute, Paul nodded his head in consideration. "After everything that you said...I think you should lie low."

Serena was about to object when Paul silenced her with his fingers. He literally put two fingers on Serena's lips, and she was realizing that to other people it would seem like they were about to kiss. Her cheeks burning, she shook her head, and Paul started cleaning the equipment.

"Like I said, you should lie low. I don't know if they will kill you on sight, or if you're just a passer-by. But whatever the case, you shouldn't take any chances." He said gruffly. "I'll go back to the competition, while you stay here until its safe." He started to walk away, and while he turned the door, he said without looking back, "Oh, by the way, this is my house, so please try not to destroy anything or lure some arson-obsessed maniac to burn down my entire room." Serena blushed, and tried to retort, but he was already gone.

Ash tried hard not to gape at the giant crater. It looked like some giant Pokemon just scooped out a portion of the earth and just carefully decorated the place to look like an actual maze, and the walls were made of anything related to plants-shrubbery, hedges, bushes, and Ash swore he saw a rose plant in the maze somewhere.

Mr. Sena stood in a giant podium overlooking the arena, and addressed the two challengers. "Welcome, welcome! We have here today two fine gentleman by the names of Ritsu and Giovanni!"

A round of applause deafened Ash's ears. When the clapping died down, Mr. Sena continued.

"This new battle arena is nothing like you've seen before!"

"I've seen this in my mother's garden." Ash thought to himself.

"Over the years, battling has come to a short and crude strategy, memorizing as many moves as you can and knowing how to respond to an enemy. Never before has a trainer stepped with his Pokemon while they battle. Nor have they ever used the terrain to their advantage. But now it changes!" Mr. Sena announced, and the whole crowd cheered.

"In this tournament, trainers will be required to battle alongside their Pokemon, as well as use the augmented terrain to their advantage whatsoever! Causing deliberate damage to trainers will be referred to as an act of dishonesty, and thus you will be disqualified. Now, trainers, get ready to leap!" Mr. Sena reached for a lever in front of him.

"Wait...LEAP?!" Ash thought desperately before the floor under him contracted, sending Ash and Pikachu tumbling to the floor of the battle arena.

"Looks like Ritsu and his Pikachu have both taken a tumble while Giovanni landed a perfect jump! And on his Sandslash no less!"

Ash gritted his teeth. Giovanni had a Sandslash, which meant an instant advantage over his Pikachu. The chances of winning seemed to dwindle slowly as Mr. Sena continuously announced Giovanni's progress in the maze, occasionally shouting the objects he had found.

Ash quickly stood up. "Come on Pikachu, we gotta find them!" His Pikachu nodded, and together, they sprinted together after Giovanni.

Brock looked around impatiently. Paul and Drew were here, and Paul told him Serena was in bed due to cold. But where's May?

"Brock!" A familiar voice called. The former swerved his head, at a girl who was running at him like a madman. "Sorry I'm...late." She panted, pulling herself to Brock's side.

All that panting reminded Brock of a dog. He quickly shook that thought before he blurted it openly where everyone within a 5 meter radius could hear him. Instead he opted to demand why she was late.

May winced like a scolded child. "I'm sorry! I woke up late...but the security guy was nice enough to let me in!" She piped up. Brock mentally facepalmed. "So what's the score? And...is that a maze on a dome?"

"Yes. And right now, Ritsu is pretty much going to lose this battle," Brock concluded haughtily, although he noticed May smiling smugly, as if she knew who the clear winner already was. The funny thing was, she was looking at Ritsu.

Ash was breathing hard. Of course he was- he went through a spider trap, a thorns trap, a glue trap, a fire trap. All while Mr. Sena was busy announcing his bad luck and Giovanni's seemingly perfect track record.

"I wish we could have some luck right about...is that Giovanni?" Ash said to himself, spotting a man and a Sandslash battling some Pokemon. "Giovanni! Fight me like a man!"

Giovanni turned to Ash, with a look of surprise on his face. Then his lips curled menacingly, and he bowed in mock respect. "As you wish. Sandslash, earthquake!"

A split second after Ash registered the word, a powerful seismic wave shook the ground under him, and he fell to the floor. Pikachu was thrown upwards, along with a ton of rocks, which then collapsed on it when it fell to the ground.

"Pikachu!" Ash called desperately. "Wake up!"

"What a spectacular display of raw power by Giovanni! How will Ritsu be able to handle this opponent?" Mr. Sena announced.

"It doesn't look all that great for Ash right now..." Brock commented drily, only to receive a death stare from May. He put his hands up in defeat, and went back to focusing on the battle.

"What's this?! Ritsu's Pikachu has just tried to thundershock Giovanni's Sandslash but it seems to be reflecting back to it!"

"How is that sandslash doing that?!" Ash dodged another haywire thunderbolt. "Unless by a miracle it has learn mirror coat...this should be impossible!"

Giovanni smiled as Pikachu kept trying to shock Sandslash but to no avail. "I'm getting bored...Sandslash, Earthquake!"

Ash barely made out of the way before a section of the maze collapsed.

"This isn't working! Pikachu, tackle!" Ash yelled.

Giovanni just yawned as he waved a hand as if swatting an imaginary fly. Instantly, Sandslash's body turned white- it used protect- and completely negated Pikachu's attack. It then swerved round and hit Pikachu with an iron tail.

"Pikachu!" Ash turned to his Pokemon, then glared at Giovanni. "Pokemon attacks cannot be changed easily midway. He must have known I was going to use a physical attack...but how did Sandslash even use Protect when Giovanni didn't even instruct it...unless..."

"This is amazing! It's like Giovanni's Sandslash has psychic powers! It completely and utterly counters every single one of Pikachu's moves!"

"Sandslash is operating independently of Giovanni's orders!" Brock said suddenly, scaring May a little.

"It listens to the orders Ritsu gives to Pikachu and responds to them accordingly. Giovanni's just a spectator!"

May watched as Ritsu repeatedly gave orders only for them to keep failing. "Come on Ritsu, I know you can do it!"

"What say you we end this?" Giovanni said. Ash and Pikachu were already fairly beaten up. "You look like you could use a little time off the competition!"

"Not in my life, I will lose to you." Ash seethed with rage. "Pikachu! Thundershock!"

"Gyro ball!" Giovanni commanded. At once, Sandslash began to whirl around like a gyroscope, only he didn't attack Pikachu immediately. It just sat there waiting for the thunderbolt to hit!

Ash was confused for a moment, before the thunderbolt hit Sandslash's body, and ricocheted perfectly back to Pikachu. The little mouse Pokemon squealed, and dropped to the ground in pain.

"It's impossible for a Sandslash's body to be so smooth it perfectly reflects even electricity." Ash thought, while searching for a blind spot, weakness, anything that could help him win. Just then, he noticed a small glint of sunlight from the Sandslash's body, and the realization hit him like a brick.

"That shininess is unnatural...Giovanni must have found some kind of crazy good lubricant or something in the maze...or he used it before the match...I should have known!" Ash fisted the floor in anger.

Standing up, he observed the battlefield. It was impossible to win them with their current state. Heck, it could be impossible even if Ash had a lifetime supply of heal potions in his bag. That was how good Sandslash is. Noticing Giovanni about to open his mouth, he called Pikachu back. "We gotta group together and think of a plan Pikachu! Let's go!"

"WHAT'S THIS?! Is Ritsu fleeing the battlefield and leaving Giovanni in the dust! What an unexpected turn of events!"

All around May, she could hear the sound of people booing Ritsu and some were even cursing him. Brock leaned to her and whispered, "Are you sure this is the person you seemingly talked to and gave advice because I don't think he's faring very well."

"He will be the winner! I hope...I don't know!" May said in exasperation. "I just want him to win really badly!"

Brock raised an eyebrow. May wouldn't hope for someone she didn't know to win. Especially when he could see her nervousness. She was putting her hands together like she was a puppy begging for some dog treats.

"Who knows...maybe he will win." Brock said, even though it honestly felt like a dead match already.

"All right Pikachu, you understand?" Ash said, as Pikachu nodded fervently. He sighed; it was not a very dignified thing to do, fleeing. But he knew that it would be impossible to win. With this strategy, he could have a chance to win. A chance that can only be described by imaginary numbers, to be exact.

Hopefully May was watching right now, because he really needed some moral support. Straightening up, he had only enough time to breathe before a hedge exploded, revealing a certain Sandslash and its owner.

"Come on Pikachu, we got only one chance!" Ash said, beckoning the opponent. He made a mad dash to the center, with Pikachu on his shoulder and Sandslash using Gyro Ball and just tearing the maze apart. Ash ducked as a tree branch flew above him, and with a last burst of energy, reached the center.

Before long, Giovanni and his Sandslash burst through the foliage, with the trainer clapping his hands.

"That was extremely amusing, my dear Ashy boy." He congratulated. "But I must be going now, have to meet the main boss to tell him about my win!"

Ash ignored it. He knew Giovanni said it to purposely rile him up, and he wasn't going to fall for it. Pikachu looked expectantly at him, and he gave the thumbs up symbol.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" He called out, and smiled with satisfaction as Sandslash began to curl into a ball. Pikachu just ran forward and tackled Sandslash, sending it flying. It crashed into a shrub wall and fell to the ground.

"Pikachu's first hit! Is this a sign of a changing battle?!"

Giovanni looked at Ash in surprise. "Looks like you do know a few tricks up your sleeve. Very well, I shall comply with your death wish!" He waited for Sandslash to get up, then instructed, "Magnitude!"

Out of nowhere, a massive wave of energy burst forth from Sandslash's body, reverberating around the arena floor. Pikachu was blown back by this crazy outburst, and Ash was doing all he can to stay on two feet.

"Don't give up Pikachu! Tackle!" Ash yelled.

"He's using thunderbolt!" Giovanni instructed, lips curling. Sandslash started to do its freak Gyro ball imitation of mirror coat, but Ash did not even seem to care.

"All your power! Just keep striking him!" Ash said, as Pikachu repeatedly jumped in the air and practically electrocuted the Sandslash, but it kept rebounding back to Pikachu.

"Argh!" Giovanni cursed. "My Sandslash is taking heavy damage...but no matter! That little mouse is going to fry itself with its own electricity by now!" He laughed, then took a peek at Pikachu to see that...

"PIKACHU IS PRACTICALLY UNHARMED! BUT SANDSLASH IS TAKING MASSIVE DAMAGE! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE! THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING SPECTACLE I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!" Mr. Sena was jumping out of his chair, so were everyone else as they saw the miracle unfold before their eyes. May was also trying to get a glimpse of it, while Brock was busy trying to figure out how Pikachu came out unscathed.

"I got it!" He yelled, turning to May. "Electrons flow from a low charge to a high charge. By using up all his electricity in his electric pouches, and slightly electrifying his entire body..."

"His pouches are relatively higher in charge than his body," May breathed. "And thus all the reflected electricity will go back to his pouches!"

"How is that confounded scoundrel still not dead!" Giovanni wailed, as Sandslash was hit by thunderbolt repeatedly again and again. Ash smiled gleefully. "That's my secret!"

Giovanni looked in sheer horror as Sandslash was continuously pelted by electricity, but then he realized one thing...

"Your Pikachu can't do this forever!" He proclaimed triumphantly. "It will run out of energy soon!" True enough, Pikachu was already showing signs of exhaustion. It was jumping less higher and less frequently.

"I know." Ash smiled. "Wait, why is he smiling?!" Giovanni thought desperately. All of a sudden, he had vivid visions about being killed by Labem for some reason. He imagined himself as a prisoner of war, made to hang his head over a guillotine, and watch as a cloaked man let go of the lever and severed his-

"Hey Giovanni!" Ash called, bringing him back to reality. "You wanna know what's an excellent conductor of electricity?" He said, smiling deviously. "Water."

As if by the hand of God, or some crazy omnipotent being, rain started descending from the sky, covering the ground with water.

"...But...but...HOW?!" Giovanni screamed. He was clinging onto his hair for dear life.

"I remembered the weather forecast yesterday when I played with a certain girl!" Ash winked. "She, she told me that if I had to win stronger opponents, I had to be wittier. And I tried. Oh, and also, we're standing smack dab in the center of this crater. Water just loves to collect here!"

"THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE STROKE OF LUCK FOR RITSU YELLOWTAIL! IT HAS STARTED RAINING, AND COINCIDENTALLY THEY ARE IN THE CENTER OF THE BASIN! GO RITSU!" Mr. Sena screamed.

The crowd was screaming, cheering, and rooting for that incredible turn-table. Even Brock had to settle his heart down as the cheers of the crowd were deafening. May was looking happily at Brock, tears in her eyes. "Ritsu did it! He was so cool!"

Brock smiled and wiped off the tears from her eyes, as he pulled her into a hug. But right now all he had was a slight suspicion of this Ritsu guy. There was only one person in his memory that could pull of this kind of miracle.

"Pikachu, you do the honors." Ash curtsied, exactly like Giovanni when they first saw each other in the lobby, and Pikachu nodded. Ash took in a deep breath, and screamed, "THUNDER!"

At one Pikachu sprinted forward and climbed up one of the few remaining hedges. It soared into the air and was hovering over the Sandslash now. And it was over within a few seconds. Lightning crackled across the entire sky, like the thunder god Odin empowered that Pikachu for a few milliseconds, and struck down on the Sandslash.

Every single water droplet that was slowly being collected in the pool evaporated, leaving a scorched blackened ground devoid of any precipitation, until more rainwater started taking its place. Sandslash was slumped over, its body limp and lifeless. And Ash and Pikachu just stood there, motionless, until Ash fist pumped the air with a hearty "Yeah!"

The crowd went wild, showering Ash with praises and flowers. Mr. Sena was about to break a hole in the podium by jumping like a mad rabbit, and May was hugging Brock.

"He did it! He actually won!" She laughed, and Brock smiled. He ruffled her hair, muttering. "Yes. Yes he did. Nice one...whoever you are."

It was still raining. Ash suddenly felt drained of his energy, like he had ran a 24 hour marathon without stopping. His muscles screamed at him to stop, but he inched forward to Giovanni, ignoring his imposing height. Giovanni was still reeling from the loss, and Ash had to snap his fingers to get him back.

"A deal is a deal. You kidnapped Serena, didn't you?! Tell me where she is!" Ash yelled, grabbing his shirt.

Giovanni straightened up, swatting Ash's hands away. "I don't know."

"...What?"

"I said I don't know. When I tried to set fire to the warehouse she was in, I got knocked out after walking away for a few seconds. But before I blacked out I could see his back, and that's how I know it was a him. I also saw a glimpse of his shirt." Giovanni said simply, and as Ash leaned toward him rather closely, he sighed- Ash was never going to let him go unless he told him something more. "And...his shirt contained a sign which said...'Love Cynthia forever!'."

Ash stepped back, his mind whirring. "If Giovanni or Labem didn't take her...is there a third party killer?!"

That took forever. Literally lol

Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me, with my inconsistent updating, and I hope I can upload more in the future! Sadly, life has a way of using up all of your time :/

Well, this is a present to you all...I think...4000 words man, double of my usual chapter length. Somebody give me a cookie haha.

Hope you like this battle scene, I tried to make it as unique and epic as possible, combining physics with ingenuity and that stuff. Hopefully nobody goes bombastic about the physics theories in this chapter.

Review corner~

Guest- Maybe they will, maybe they won't. I won't give any promises about updating soon, but I will try my best!

Cookies United- It was shorter? NOOOOOOOOOOO!111!1! Anyways, my only answer to that is...the human mind can really do a lot of memory locking to forget all about the bad memories that you have. Take it from me, I've had plenty memories that are so bad but I just don't remember them for the sake of my sanity :D

AmericanBoy2016- Gasp! Futuristic robot boy! Anyways, thx for reading my fanfic, and as always...no promises.

Razzorow The Great Madman- Yeah, I don't like Ash being over friendly too...jk. I just went with the flow inside my head so sry lol. And WAIT. HE HAD A CHARMANDER?! Oh well, too late to change my chapter.

muzafarmansoor97- What parents? The pokemon world is literally a world where you own pokemon to battle with other people. So...what was that about parents? Haha, no promises again.

Aw I have less reviews. Oh well lol

Review my battle section pls, and tell me if it was epic and it created the epic feel to it...or if it was too short xD

Peace~