As we are headed for Fennel Valley, the latest location of the Battle Pyramid so we can have my rematch against Brandon, we decide to stop for a lunch break. While we are eating, I notice a bowl empty and I ask, "Hey, where's Aipom?"

"She's over there." Reisa says as we see her go to a nearby field of flowers where she forms a crown and puts it on her head to get attention. Serena says, "Wow it is so cute."

"She has been doing this kind of thing since the Johto journey." I say as my Johto Pokemon, namely Donphan, Noctowl, and Corsola nod. My Mom asks me, "So what are you going to do next, Ash?"

I say, "Training, of course, right Serena?"

Serena smiles at me, "Of course, I am willing to help you out."

Aipom suddenly gets jealous and then she has a tantrum, she pulls me down, takes my hat again, and runs away.

"Hey, Aipom, come back here!" I yell as Mark and Emerald decide to follow me while the others are staying there. We lose the Aipom, but we notice a shrine in the distance and we go to investigate. We meet a boy named Hank, and we hear from him that the village will pick a new king for a year. The elder reveals the golden crown, announcing that the person who possesses the crown by sundown will become the king.

The elder opens the gate, and the crowd runs up the pyramid to the crown, leaving Hank and the others behind dazed by the stampede and Hank is disappointed. Just then, my hat falls down to my head and we notice Aipom reaches the crown. "Aipom, what are you doing?"

Just then, Aipom notices us, suddenly gets angry, and attacks me while running away with the crown. "Pikachu!"

Pikachu nods as he chases after Aipom. We keep searching until we hear the villagers saying that they are at the North Cliff, but we don't know the direction, so Hank sends out his Nosepass to help, it is then my Mom and the others have come.

"Ash, where have you guys been?" She asks.

"I am sorry, Mom. But we have to quickly find Aipom or else she is going to be the king..." I say.

"Be the king? What's going on here?" Minami asks.

Once we go to the cliff, they find Pikachu and Aipom there. Aipom then says how her head is stuck, and I notice the sun and say, "This is bad...the sun is going to set..."

We try to pull the crown off, but it won't budge. Aipom is now really scared and hugs me for comfort, I say, "Don't worry, if you are forced to become the king, then I will stay with her for a year."

Minami asks, "But what about the Battle Pyramid?"

I lower my head and says, "You are right, it will be a shame to miss the rematch..." Then I show my determination. "But I won't leave one of my Pokemon alone here."

Serena says, "Then I will stay here too if Ash and Aipom stay. We share Pokemon which means Aipom is also my Pokemon."

"Serena..." I smile, and Aipom is very touched that we really care about her as much as the other Pokemon.

Suddenly, a robotic Fearow grabs the crown and Aipom along with it. I grab Aipom and Pikachu remove it with Thunderbolt. Team Rocket shows up and unleashes a whole flock of robotic Fearow. I'm shielding Aipom from the attacks. The Fearow scatter high enough away that Absol cannot reach them with Dark Pulse. I summon Gardevoir, sending it to attack the robots, even though it is woefully outnumbered. Even though Gardevoir inflicts plenty of damage, the robots are too numerous, forcing me to recall Gardevoir.

"How about Aipom using Double Team? It might be able to confuse them." Hank asks.

"That's a good idea. I was also thinking the same thing." I say as I command Aipom to do so, and Aipom produces dozens of illusory copies. However, the Fearow flock quickly destroys the illusions and reveals Aipom. One Fearow grabs Aipom, and I grab back, trying to stop it. Hank uses Nosepass and Thunder Wave to disrupt Meowth's control of the Fearow flock, sending them flying erratically. Aipom uses Swift and Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to send Team Rocket flying.

Sunset is imminent, and it appears that Aipom will become king.

"What should we do..." I frown in a worried tone.

"How about this?" Hank brings out a Belue Berry, "This berry is sour, maybe it will help her get the crown off."

Aipom eats it and she jumps around with lips puckered since the Berry is so sour, pushing on her head. With Aipom already pushing, Hank pulls off the crown.

"Aipom, I am so glad. You shouldn't cause such mischief again, please?" Aipom blushes in guilt after hearing my words.

The villagers and the elder arrive, noticing that Hank is holding the crown at sunset. They proclaim him as the new king, with the villagers bowing down to him. Hank is ecstatic, feeling unsure if he should accept. However, May and Ariel mention that Hank's contributions prove that he can lead. Hank accepts the crown, and we look forward to the Battle Pyramid rematch.

When we finally arrived at Fennel Valley, the new location of the Battle Pyramid. We find Scott with Nurse Joy. "It's nice to see you here, guys."

"Hey there Scott!" Before we can say some more, Nurse Joy suddenly approaches me like a crazed fan.

"I can't believe I see the Ash Ketchum in front of my eyes, can you give me an autograph?" I sweatdrop and do the sign near all of my battling pictures, and Nurse Joy also notice my Mom, May, Ariel, and the others who are also famous, and they also have to sign their names.

"This Nurse Joy is a fan of Pokemon battles and contests, she knows it all." Scott says.

"But I still think this is too much..." Serena says.

"I suppose you are anxious to keep going?" Scott asks. "But I am sorry that Brandon is busy at the ruins right now...so you still can't battle him yet."

"Oh, man..." I frown in disappointment.

"My Pokemon Center is just nearby, why don't you come with me and wait there for Brandon? We have a beautiful hot spring too." Nurse Joy says.

"At the center with the view?" Everyone is excited as we all head there.

When we arrive at the Pokemon Center, I have to admit this is probably the best Pokemon Center that I've seen before. There are a lot of facilities, there is an exercise room, hot springs, as well as a battlefield and a contest hall.

"Wow, there is an actual contest hall?" Ariel says in shock.

"Of course, we also held contests here." Nurse Joy says as May and Ariel are amazed.

At the battlefield, I want to ask Serena to help with the battles, to which she agrees, but Nurse Joy buts in and asks that he wants to battle me. So Ash and Nurse Joy battle using Chansey and I use Medicham.

Nurse Joy removes her Nurse's hat which causes her to have a change in persona. The same also goes to Chansey.

"Woah, it is like they change their personality..." Mark says.

"What a surprise." Serena says.

Nurse Joy's Chansey is very strong, and Medicham barely defeats Chansey. Causing her to rush off with Medicham and Chansey to heal up.

"She certainly is a strange Nurse Joy..." Mark says.

While we're waiting for my Medicham to get healed, May asks, "Do you think you're ready for Brandon, Ash?"

"I don't know. I don't even remember how I even battled Regirock..." I say while holding my head. "That King of Pokelantis sure messed up my head..."

"King of Pokelantis? What's going on here?" My Mom asks.

"The thing is, Brother Ash was somehow drawn to the seal of the King of Pokelantis, and it caused him to be possessed. Brandon tries to fight him using Regirock, and it is when Serena has Pikachu use Thunderbolt on Ash that he's saved." Emerald says.

"That sounds horrible..." Minami says.

"But it's a good thing that it is not something like a Dark Phase." I say.

"Dark Phase?" When Ariel asks, my Mom says, "It is something that happens to aura users. There will be a dark phase for them as they might do something evil or dark things."

"So that means we will also have a Dark Phase?" Mark asks as now they are all concerned. "How will it disappear?"

"We have to overcome it, or separate and eliminate it." I say.

"But how in the world do you know about this term, Ash?" My Mom asks.

"I... I think it might be related to my other self..." I say.

"You mean the self that's in Unova?" Minami asks. "I think you did mention that."

Max says, "Wait, what do you mean a self in Unova?"

"Minami, Lillie, and I split ourselves into two and our other selves are in Unova." I say while opening the television, which shows a massive battle on the screen with the gym leaders, and trainers fighting against Team Plasma.

"What is going on in Unova now? It looks like there is a war happening..." May says.

"They are Team Plasma." I say. "And that green-haired guy over there... that's my other self."

"The King of Team Plasma? Liberating Pokemon from trainers? What the hell is going on?" Serena asks.

"That is another story to tell." I say. And it is then Team Rocket comes and they try to steal the Chansey. But after taking off Chansey's hat, Chansey breaks through the bindings and uses Solar Beam to send them flying.

After that, we decide to find Brandon in the ruins. When I find him, he's staring at an ancient tablet and is trying to figure out how to unlock the secret. "Brandon! It's me!"

"Hey Ash. It's good to see you." Brandon says.

"So how's all your work going?" I ask.

"Good. I've just solved the most important riddle." Then he starts to move the puzzle and says, "Very soon, I'll have the answers that I seek."

Then the symbols on the tablet start to glow, and he solves a riddle that will guide him to the sealed chamber, and the location of a special Pokémon.

"Wait, can we battle first?" I ask, and he gives me a loud 'NO!' like before.

"Tell me now, have you been training hard, Ash?" Brandon asks.

"Yeah." I say.

"Then you shall pass my challenges first. Don't you get carried away, that's how the King of Pokelantis was able to possess you, and cause you to lose your very own spirit."

"Right." I nod.

"Do you want to know what Pokemon I'll be using after you reach me on the final floor?" Brandon asks, and now I'm curious. "I'll be using Regirock, Regice, and Registeel."

After that's done, I return and I decide to discuss it with my Mom. My Mom says, "The three Regis... this is going to be tough. You do have those three with you, right?"

"Yes, we head to the Sealed Chamber and unlock the Desert Ruins, Island Cave, and Ancient Tomb in Hoenn, that's how we get them." I say.

"I see... since you're able to catch them, then you shouldn't be worried about how to beat them." My mom says, and I understand what she means.

So it is time for me to challenge the Battle Pyramid, Brandon says, "Behold! This is my Battle Pyramid! On your way here, you have been tested with your Knowledge, Guts, Tactics, Luck, Spirit, and Ability. And for now, my theme is Bravery!"

"Bravery?" I ask, and when the door opens, I notice that the whole place is dark. "Now get in there, boy."

When I walk in, the door closes and I say, "Hey! I can't see anything!"

"Your mission here is to try get back up to me." Brandon says as I notice him standing at a door. I try to navigate my way, but all I do is bump into walls until I finally reach him.

"Good, now you should do it again." Brandon says.

"I don't know what you're up to, but I've already memorized the way out..." But much to my horror, the whole maze is randomized, and I realize that each maze that I'm going is different.

"Do you get it now? Brandon's facility, the Battle Pyramid, is a maze of darkness. It is like a dungeon that rearranges its interior each time he enters." Scott says.

"No way... this sure is the toughest out of all of them..." Serena says.

"No matter how good you are, you'd better be prepared to spend more than 24 hours here before you can even think about going up against me." Brandon says.

"More than 24 hours?" Minami asks.

"So what are the rules?" I ask.

"You will be using three Pokemon when challenging this facility. And you are allowed to exchange the Pokemon you have on hand at every round. There are seven floors for each round, and you'll be able to battle against me at the final floor of the 10th set." Brandon says.

"That means he'd have 70 levels to pass through!" Emerald says.

"You won't just be trying to find your way around the mze. You'll meet up with trainers and wild Pokemon in the middle of your exploration. So get ready to battle. And since no healing is allowed, we will also scatter the items around the pyramid. You're free to pick them up and use them as you please."

I say, "Well, that's good enough for me. Let's begin the challenge."

I decide to go with Torkoal, Linoone, and Medicham as my first set, and now we navigate our way through the maze.

The others are watching me go through the maze, and Mark says, "Are all the Battle Frontier Facilities this hard?"

"Actually... this is the hardest... I wonder if Ash is going to be okay..." Serena says.

The worst thing is that every time I finish a set, I have to climb down to the bottom outside the pyramid. Jump scares are not scaring me because of a certain Giratina sister of mine.

But the others outside are surprised at the jump scares, especially May, and Max says, "This sure lives up to the name. This test is a true test of bravery..."

And I also realize that the more I defeat the trainer or the wild Pokemon, the brighter the place becomes and it is much easier for me to navigate through the area. But I decide to run away after coming across some wild Pokemon, that's because Misdreavus' Grudge caused some of my Pokemon's moves to lose their PP.

"I see a shower of sparks...And in it, I see your Pokemon struggling with paralysis..." "I see poison... ...And, I see your Pokemon suffering from the effects of poison..."

"I see bright red flames... ...And, I see your POKéMON suffering from burns..." "I sense the tremendous pressure of unrequited anger... It is a curse... ...And, I see your Pokemon drained of power Points and having no recourse but to use STRUGGLE..."

I still remember the Hex Maniac's words and it is really horrible. Fortunately, Linoone's Pick Up ability helps me get the Ethers that I need on this floor.

After I reach the end of the 70th maze, Brandon says, "You have gone through the mazes very well, young man."

"Yeah, but after those mazes, I feel like I have a lot to learn." I say.

"That's a good first step. Honesty makes you grow. Let me tell you one thing. A Pokemon battle isn't about only the trainer, you see. It's about a Pokemon and its trainer truly becoming one. Because the only one who can teach that is you. That is the ultimate Pokemon Battle."

As just I'm ready to battle Brandon, he suddenly says that he can't battle me for the Pokemon that he found in the ruins, so he promises that after he comes back, I won't need to go through the mazes and I can just battle him with his three Regis.

There is a reason that I didn't write the Brandon battle in this chapter, I want to make it like the Anime, but I don't want Ash to lose to him. And the next chapter will be the 4 episodes from this chapter and I hope you like it.