Part 1 of Ash and Paul's Battle! Enjoy!

The corridors of the stadium were haunted by the sound of an ocarina. The once happy melody, which played earlier in the week, was replaced with the twisted sadness and pain that the musician felt.

Inside their locker room, Lucario and Pikachu looked at their trainer with sadness in their eyes. It had been a long and sleepless night for Ash. He wandered through the woods and barely made it to the stadium in time. Now, they were now listening to his sadness as it's now being played through the music of the song, which usually gave them encouragement.

"Master," Lucario spoke slowly. "It's time. They're waiting for us." He could sense the fire that was once housed in Ash's heart was gone and Lucario's heart broke.

"Let's get this over with," Ash spoke solemnly. He rose and looked at his friends with a glassy gaze that showed no emotion, but only brokenness. "I just want this nightmare to end."

With that, the three figures walked slowly from the locker room to their platform.

---

Ash's platform began to rise. He felt tired. His energy was gone and he saw that in his two companions, who were mirroring him. The fire that once resided, in their hearts, was gone. Ash had tried to reignite his battling spirit by playing the song from Shamouti Island, which had calmed the Legendary Birds, years earlier, but it was not used. Whenever his mind would go blank, an image of Serena would always appear. It wasn't of her smile or sparkling eyes that drove him to feel better, but rather the image was of her crying and trembling. He couldn't seem to focus.

The platform stopped and he saw Paul waiting for him on the other side. He could see Paul's lips moving, but no words seemed to reach his ears. Ash's glassy gaze made its way up to the elite suite. He noticed the glares being thrown his way by his friends. Everyone, except for Gary and Trevor, seemed to hate him. He scanned the group until he found Serena.

The eye contact was brief, but for Ash, it felt like hours of torture. He saw the pain in her gaze and tears begin to take shape on the sides of her eyes. She shut her eyes and turned her face away from him, unable to keep the gaze any longer.

Ash's shoulders slumped even further. His once confident posture, which he held throughout the tournament; instead, it was replaced with the expression of an already defeated foe. He felt the way that his body looked. He felt defeated, useless and weak. He seemed powerless, without the fire, which he was so used to fighting with.

His attention was captured by the referee, who called for him to reveal his first Pokémon. He wordlessly and emotionlessly reached down and unclipped his first choice.

---

Serena looked on as Paul's platform appeared. The group, within the box, cheered for the Sinnoh native, none more so than Cynthia and Dawn. She was shaken as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Serena turned to see Gary next to her.

"Hey there. Everything is going to be ok," he said with a smile on his face.

Serena nodded her head gently before Gary made his way to the front row, where he sat next to his grandpa and Misty. She wished she could believe him, but deep down, she knew everything wasn't ok. As much as she wanted to stay mad at Ash, as much as she wanted to stop loving him, she just couldn't. Ash had broken her heart last night. He was right there, right in front of her, and yet, so far away. The entire thing felt like a nightmare, but she still loved him. She hoped that when he came out for the battle, he would look like himself, with all the confidence in the world. It would be easier to tell herself that he truly didn't care about her, but she didn't get what she wanted.

She saw his platform rise, and what she saw, nearly brought her to tears. The ever so youthful and confident persona wasn't there. She looked on what she thought was a ghost, wandering around, among the living. Then, she saw his eyes. Brokenness and a look of defeat emanated from the usually soft and determined auburn irises. She turned her gaze, as she felt tears begin to gather in her eyes. She wanted to run out of the stadium, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Gary. He gave her a comforting look. She sighed and turned her attention back to the battlefield.

Trevor was looking down at Ash with a concentrated look in his eyes, while hoping for his friend to win this battle, regardless of what happened last night. Come on, Ash. You can't give up now. If you do, then Giovanni would win. You can't let that happen, Ash! Not now, not tomorrow, not today, nor in a lifetime!

---

Maybe, I will win this tournament after all. Giovanni thought as he examined his adversary from his position in the stands.

He followed Ash's eyes until they came upon Serena. He saw the look on her face and inwardly laughed. The one person, who he truly cares about the most, has sealed his fate. How fitting. He destroyed me while saving that girl, and he destroys himself, in another attempt, to protect her. The irony is delicious.

---

Ash threw his Pokéball into the air to reveal his first choice. Landing with a thud, a giant Pokémon that was primarily dark blue-green. Its face, belly, and feet were a tanned fur, while claws came from its hands and feet. The Pokémon was very round and looked as if it were sleeping, due to its squinty eyes. He brought a paw up to its face, before yawning. It shook its head before pounding its chest, ready for the battle.

"Well, looks like great minds think alike," Paul said with a smirk on his face. "A normal type is a good choice to begin a match like this with. Ursaring, stand by for battle!" Paul tossed his Pokéball and out came one of his toughest Pokémon.

Standing before him, was a tall, bulky brown bear-like Pokémon. A tan circle was seen on its belly, which matched its tan muzzle. On its feet and hands, were long, razor-sharp claws. The hibernating Pokémon let out a roar, as it huffed with rage, pumping itself up for the upcoming battle.

"Go Ursaring, use Hammer Arm!" Paul commanded.

One of the normal type's arms began to turn white as it charged its opponent. Paul looked on as the attack landed, without as much as a response from his opponent. He looked over and saw the glassy gaze in Ash's eyes. Paul gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Ursaring, keep going! Use Hammer Arm until you knock out Snorlax!"

Snorlax was hit with attack after attack. Its head jarred back and fore from the constant strikes. It finally let out a cry of pain, as it was hit in the stomach and fell backward. Dust kicked up when it struck the earth.

The cry of his Pokémon finally shook Ash out of his trance. He began to panic as he saw Snorlax struggle to get up. He heard Paul command another attack before he finally countered.

"Snorlax, Focus Punch under the chin!"

Snorlax smirked as its paw began to glow white. Ursaring hovered over the sleeping Pokémon with the intent to end the first battle of the match. Before he could land the attack; however, he was sent flying back. Snorlax had punched the hibernating Pokémon, underneath the chin, causing it to come off the ground.

"Finally!" Paul yelled. "About time you fought back! I'm looking forward to beating you! Now, Ursaring, Focus Blast!"

The bear-like Pokémon began to concentrate its energy into a white sphere between its two paws. It through its paws forward, releasing the attack.

"Snorlax, Protect. Then, follow it up with Thunder." Ash responded quietly.

Snorlax generated a shield in front of itself. The resulting explosion from the Focus Blast covered Snorlax in a cloud of dust. Suddenly, a large bolt of lightning came from the sky and enveloped Ursaring in a bath of yellow electricity. Ursaring grimaced as the lightning bolt disappeared. It fell to a knee and yellow sparks could be seen flying around it.

Paul chuckled. "This might be your first mistake of the tournament, Aaron," Ash gave a puzzled look as Paul continued to laugh. "You see, my Ursaring's ability is Guts."

Ash's face went pale as he remembered what the effects of Guts were. He flashed back to their first ever full battle in the Sinnoh region. Paul had tricked Ash into the same mistake.

"Now, my Pokémon's power has increased. Ursaring, use Hammer Arm!"

The normal type stumbled its way, through the pain of the paralysis, as it attacked the hurting Snorlax. Ash looked in horror, as the nearly half-ton Pokémon was sent into the stadium wall as if it were nothing. He looked back to see that Ursaring had fallen to a knee. It was still feeling the effects of the Thunder attack. Ash turned back to his own normal type and sighed in relief. Snorlax had somehow found a way to maintain consciousness, but barely. He had to take a risk.

"Snorlax, use Rest!" Ash shouted.

Snorlax gave a sigh before relaxing its features and leaning back against the wall asleep. The snoring of the Pokémon could be heard throughout the stadium. Ash knew that the tactic bought him only a little bit of time; but after putting himself in such a hole, time was precious. He needed to stall long enough, for the full effects of Rest to take hold. He knew Snorlax wouldn't be at full strength, but at least, he would have a chance.

"Nice try, but that plan won't work!" Paul said arrogantly. "Ursaring, use Hammer Arm! Finish that pathetic Pokémon!"

The Johto pokémon staggered its way to the slumbering Pokémon. It raised its arm, it winced as the arm began to glow white. Ash saw his opportunity.

"Sleep Talk!" Ash yelled.

Suddenly, Snorlax threw its body forward and sent a light blue fist into the opponent's stomach. The Pokémon was sent skidding on its back across the battlefield floor.

Paul let out a growl, as he saw the effect the Ice Punch had. The bear-like Pokémon attempted to get up, but could only move its head. It saw that its entire torso and both thighs were encased in ice.

"Sleep Talk, once more, Snorlax!" Ash pointed to the target.

Snorlax moved lazily into a standing position as if it were sleepwalking. A yellow ball formed in its mouth before a beam of pure energy was sent towards the frozen Pokémon. A cry of pain came from the hibernating Pokémon, as the beam broke the ice and revealed the Pokémon, to be knocked out. Snorlax began to wake up. It yawned and shook its head, before surveying the field. It raised its arms in the air, with a smile on its face. It gave a sleepy roar towards its victory.

"How lucky can you get?" Paul questioned annoyed. He returned the fallen Pokémon to its Pokéball, before making his next decision. "You won't be so lucky this time!"

---

Cynthia hummed as she placed a hand under her chin. "This battle is getting off with an interesting start," she said as she began to process the matchup below.

"How so?" Misty asked confounded. "It seems to be going the same as all of Aaron's previous battles. He is just too powerful for his opponents. He obviously outsmarted Paul, with that strategy, pulling a trump card out of his sleeve. Plus, it isn't a bad idea to start with a normal type in a match this big. After all, not a lot of attacks are super effective against them. Well, except for fighting moves."

"This is true, Misty," Cynthia began. "The battle did go his way, but it felt like Paul was the one that dictated the tempo. I don't know. We'll see how this contest unfolds, but right now, Aaron isn't battling like he was in the earlier rounds. It seemed that he wasn't prepared for this one."

Serena's heart sank as she heard the champion's words. She looked to Gary and Trevor, whom both had a serious expression on their faces, but neither made any eye contact with her. She was hoping for reassurance but didn't get any. She felt a pain in her stomach. Is. . . . Is he not focused because of me?

"Well, maybe that's just his strategy. You know, to throw Paul off." Trevor said.

"Maybe," Cynthia responded. "It would be unorthodox, but no one ever said that Aaron was a normal trainer."

Serena gave a sigh of relief at Cynthia's response. Of course, that must be his plan. Ash would never come unprepared, especially not for a battle this big. She began to feel her anger, towards Ash, slip away as the battle, below, continued. My Ash will win this for sure!

---

"I expected a little more from you, Aaron!" Ash was taken back by Paul's words. He had just knocked out his first Pokémon. "You fought much better than this, in the first four rounds, but maybe, that was because you had easy competition. I haven't seen you truly pushed to your limits, but if those were your limits," Paul smiled as he released his next Pokémon, "then this match won't last much longer!"

Hovering before, Paul was a predominantly dark blue Pokémon. On top of the Pokémon's head, sat a fedora-like set of plumage. Its chest stuck out, which made it look like it had a burly chest. White tufts of feathers were on its chest, which made its yellow beak and red eyes stand out. The most terrifying part of the dark and flying type Pokémon were its sharp talons that rested on its feet. The big boss Pokémon let out a blood-curdling squawk, as it waited for instructions from its trainer.

"Honchkrow, Sky Attack! Make this battle a quick one!" Paul forcefully commanded.

The dark and flying type began to glow white as it gained altitude. Once at a height it felt comfortable with, it quickly dove at its target gaining speed as it went. Snorlax waited patiently below for the oncoming attack.

"Snorlax, catch it and use Thunder full blast!" Ash countered.

The Kanto native stuck its hands out, at the last second, and caught the charging Pokémon by both wings. It was pushed back a bit by the powerful flying type move but dug into the stadium floor, so that it doesn't lose more ground.

"Now Honchkrow! Use Dark Pulse!" Paul said with a smirk on his face.

Ash realized the position that he had just put his Snorlax in. He saw the big boss Pokémon release a beam of dark intertwining loops and strike his Pokémon in its exposed chest, but not without consequence. The Pokémon roared in pain, as a bolt of lightning made contact with it.

Both Pokémon got up, but Ash noticed that Snorlax was still reeling, from the damage during his fight with Paul's Ursaring. Ash was about to return his Pokémon until he noticed Snorlax slowly turn sideways. The normal type had read his thoughts, it seemed, and as he gave a thumbs up, he demonstrated that it was ready for more. Ash grunted and nodded, before returning his attention to the still hovering Honchkrow.

"It's our turn now, Snorlax! Strike back with Thunder!" Ash shouted.

"Honchkrow, use Double Team," Paul responded calmly to the attack.

Multiple copies of the dark and flying type appeared as the attack made its way towards its target. The attack hit a copy, only for another Dark Pulse to strike Snorlax, in the back, which sent him skidding forward.

"Now Honchkrow, finish it off with another Sky Attack!" Paul commanded.

In unison, the copies began to glow white, as they rushed the large normal type, who was at the center of them. Ash stayed calm, as he formulated his counter.

"Snorlax, spin quickly while using Blizzard!"

The Kanto Pokémon responded while spinning like a ballerina, as a cold wind, accompanied by snow, came out from its mouth. The motion and attack encased the battlefield and made it look like a snow globe. The copies could be seen disappearing, as the real Honchkrow was sent flying out of the swirling storm, created by Snorlax.

Paul snarled as he saw his Pokémon being thrown around by the effective attack. "Honchkrow, compose yourself! And go back in with another Sky Attack!"

Paul was getting frustrated until he noticed the storm had died down and the figure of a swaying Snorlax could be seen.

The Pokémon had made itself dizzy, with that maneuver and left itself wide open for the next attack, which his dark and flying dealt. The still-glowing Honchkrow dived to the stadium floor, away from the still dizzy Snorlax. When it got inches away, from the ground, it then leveled off as it made its way toward Ash's Pokémon. When it got close, it turned sharply upwards. The attack hit under Snorlax's chin, tossing the normal type into the air and onto its back.

Again, Paul snarled as the sleeping Pokémon again got up, but he knew that it was only a matter of time, before his opponent would seal his own Pokémon's fate.

Ash had to take the chance, as he watched the way Snorlax was staggering.

"Rest again!"

Once again, the muscles of the normal type relaxed, before it fell on its back, asleep.

"Gotcha, Aaron!" Paul said with an air of victory lacing his voice. "Honchkrow, use Dream Eater!"

The reeling dark and flying type then released a shadowy figure of itself, in the direction of the sleeping Pokémon. The shadow-like version hit Snorlax causing the normal type to sit up with a cry of pain, before falling back down to the ground, with swirls in its eyes.

Ash stood shocked that he hadn't seen Paul's plan from the start. Paul, who had kept the move in the big boss Pokémon's repertoire, for just such an occasion, had tricked him. He slowly lifted Snorlax's Pokéball and returned his knocked out Pokémon to its Pokéball, before making his next choice.

Paul looked at his own Pokémon and gave an annoyed grunt. Honchkrow needs a quick rest, but it may need to come back out later. I don't want to reveal too much of my team, early in the match.

He reluctantly returned the exhausted and injured Pokémon to its device, before turning and smirking at his opponent's next choice.

Balancing on its tail, in front of Ash, was a Pokémon that resembled a bat. The Pokémon had a primarily dark purple coloring, while its wings were pitch black. Its arms were red and connected to two big pincers it used for hands. It yellow eyes shine bright and glowed, along with the whites of its fangs that stuck out of its mouth.

"Wrong choice, Aaron. Weavile, stand by for battle!" Paul tossed his Pokéball in the air and Ash growled in frustration, as the ice and dark type Pokémon appeared. The Pokémon was black with a red collar, ears, tail and a fan of fur that appeared above its head. On the center of its forehead, rested a yellow oval. From its black arms, came white hands that held long claws. The Pokémon moved with grace and power, around the battlefield.

Ash let out a low growl, as he surveyed the situation, before making his first move.

"Gliscor, use Steel Wing and get in close!" Ash commanded.

Gliscor jumped from its tail and spread its wings as it ascended, using the wind to its advantage. It began to fly toward the sharp claw Pokémon with glowing wings.

Paul looked on calmly before countering. "Let it get in close, Weavile," the dark and ice type waited patiently, as the attacking pokémon closed the gap.

Once it was seconds away, Paul made his move. "Weavile, use Double Team!"

Gliscor stopped its assault and landed back on its tail, as it looked around at the copies that now circled it, with a panicked expression on its face. Ash searched frantically for the real copy, as Paul planned his next attack.

"Alright, Weavile," Paul said slowly. "Take your time. When you see your opening, then strike with an Ice Punch."

Every copy's claws began to glow white, as Ash and Gliscor continued to frantically search for the real Weavile. Suddenly, every copy took off towards the center, where Gliscor was presented.

"Quick Gliscor! Use Earth Power, and then, follow it up with Fire Fang!" Ash commanded.

The fang scorpion Pokémon's eyes began to glow yellow, as cracks appeared under its tail. The cracks suddenly expanded and grew on the field, causing the copies to disappear.

"Gliscor, behind you!" Ash cried out as the real Weavile stumbled and threw itself at its target.

Gliscor trusted Ash and made a quick jump, before doing a backflip and grabbing ahold of the sharp claw Pokémon. Its fangs, then ignited, as it bit down on the shoulder of its victim, causing a scream of pain to come out.

"Weavile, use Surf on yourself!"

Gliscor took its biting fangs out of its opponent, as it turned to see a wave of water rising from the ground. With a horrified look on its face, it jumped over the ice and dark type, as it tries to avoid the wave, but only to be hit by the attack. The wave took it to the base of Ash's feet.

Again, Ash sighed in relief as he saw Gliscor stand. It was coughing up water, but it still possessed the will to fight on. Weavile was holding the shoulder, that Gliscor had embedded its teeth into, as it was panting heavily.

"Weavile, use Ice Punch again!" commanded Paul.

Like a bolt of lightning, the Pokémon responded with swift speed. It closed the gap before Gliscor could react and sent the Pokémon into the wall of the stadium.

"Again Weavile!" Paul pushed on.

"Gliscor use X-Scissor!" Ash shouted out, as he decided that the bug move was Gliscor's best chance, to survive the assault.

The ground and flying type raised and crossed its glowing pincers in the air. The two attacks met.

Paul looked on in frustration, as he saw his Weavile being sent back by the Bug-type move.

"Alright, let's end this now, Gliscor!" Ash said as he pumped his fist into the air. "Use Giga Impact!"

Gliscor propelled itself from the wall with its tail. It closed the gap quickly. It encased itself in a pink energy, before slamming into the dark and ice type Pokémon. Weavile skidded across the stadium floor. Ash and Gliscor looked on in horror, as Weavile managed to stand itself up while having a smirk covered its face.

"Nice try, but not good enough, Aaron!" Paul said with venom in his voice. "Weavile, use Blizzard and end this!"

The attack hit the immobile Pokémon. Gliscor cried in pain as the storm passed it, before falling to the ground knocked out. Ash froze for a few seconds, as he saw his faithful Pokémon lying unconscious on the battlefield. It was the first time, in five years, that he was trailing behind in a battle. He began to visibly shake as he returned the Pokémon to its Pokéball.

---

Dawn let out a delighted shriek. "Wow! I knew Paul was strong, but not this strong! He's actually beating Aaron!" she shouted.

"I'll say so," Brock answered. "Aaron doesn't seem to have an answer for Paul's Pokémon or their power. To take a direct hit from a Giga Impact, like that, and to still be standing, shows just how powerful Paul's pokémon are."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

The group turned to see Cynthia, continuing to examine the battlefield below.

"How could you say that?" Dawn asked skeptically. "We all saw that Giga Impact land!"

"That is true," it was Alder, who decided to speak up, instead of Cynthia. "But Weavile didn't take much damage, before that attack. Sure, the Fire Fang did significant damage, but the X-Scissor, that was used, wasn't nearly as effective as it could have been, due to the collision with the Ice Punch. No, Aaron just miscalculated how much damage Paul's Pokémon had taken. Really, it was just another error."

Cynthia hummed in approval and nodded her head. "It seems more likely that for some reason, Aaron's head and heart are not in this battle. If he doesn't fix it soon, then Paul will be the one to continue on.

The rest of the group began to murmur quietly amongst themselves, all except for three individuals. Gary and Trevor looked back to where Serena was standing, alone. He saw her in tears. He saw the pained look, in her eyes, when their gazes met.

Serena couldn't believe what she was seeing. Ash wasn't battling like himself. His heart wasn't in the battle at all. Cynthia had been right. She began to quietly cry before she looked down to see Gary and Trevor staring at her. She wanted to see comfort in their eyes, but all she saw was a look of concern. The concern, in Gary's eyes, wasn't for her though, and she knew it. It was for his childhood friend, who seemed to be a ghost of himself.

As for Trevor, the serious, yet worry look, in his eyes, were indeed for her. He then whispered quietly, so that only she could hear him.

"Serena, you're the only one that could clean up the mess that Ash has gotten himself into. He must win this battle. Please, for all that is holy, forgive him. He needs you right now, Serena. Go back to him, so that he could battle like himself again. Go back to him. Go back..." His voice faded, as Serena began to tremble.

She felt her heart breaking. Her mind began to race through the conversation that she had with Gary, the night before.