Thank you for taking the time to read my first ever fanfiction. I worked very hard on this, and plan to update it in one week's time. If you have the time, please leave a review. If there is anything lacking in my story that needs improvement, your reviews will be the only way I would know that. Thank you!

I do not own Pokémon, its characters, or anything associated with the anime or games. I am also not affiliated with those that do own Pokémon.

Chapter 1

We find our heroes in Indigo Stadium, as our friend Ash attempts to conquer what is perhaps his greatest challenge yet. Battling in the semi-finals of the Indigo League Championship, Ash and his opponent have each defeated one of the other's Pokémon, and are now struggling to find even the slightest of advantages over the other. However, it seems that his foe's Pokémon may have finally been caught off-guard...

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Seeing his opportunity, Pikachu obeyed his master's command, releasing a massive bolt of electricity upon an unprepared Hypno. Her eyes hadn't even caught up to Pikachu before the attack made full contact, sending a powerful surge of electricity coursing through her body, sending her straight to the ground.

The referee only needed a moment's examination before raising the green flag on Ash's side. "Hypno is unable to battle. This round goes to Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu!"

The announcement caused a joyous uproar of thousands of fans who had come to view this spectacular tournament, many of whom had been solidly won over by Ash, who seemed more like a champion each day of the tournament. Not just the crowd cheered and backed its favorite, but behind Ash stood his most loyal fans. Misty, the Water-Pokémon trainer from Cerulean City, leapt for joy at the upset victory. Even her Togepi, held ever-so snugly in her arms, gave her own little cheer, though she probably had little idea of what had transpired. To her left stood Brock, the Rock-Pokémon trainer from Pewter City, raising his fist in the air as he cheered for his friend. Not as enthusiastic as Misty, but nonetheless proud of Ash. In front of both of them, Ash's new friend Richie also raised a cheer for the trainer that bested him just days before, just as he had promised. All three of them provided the best cheering section Ash could ask for.

As the cheering began to die down, the announcer took his chance to be heard. "Wow! In an electrifying upset, Pikachu has defied the odds and brought down Hypno! This leaves the Saffron trainer Samantha Seer with one final Pokémon in reserve, as opposed to the Pallet trainer Ash Ketchum, who has two. The odds have definitely shifted in this amazing bout between two of the strongest trainers in all of Kanto!"

Ash's opponent, Samantha, did not need to be reminded of that vital fact. She looked upon her Hypno in shock and concern, as one of her strongest Pokémon had been felled by a mere Pikachu. The shock left her face as she called her Hypno to return to her Poké Ball, and Samantha returned to the strong and confident facade that she had held this entire battle. Ash didn't know it, but she was actually worrying about her next move, as she was counting on Hypno defeating Pikachu. She had been saving her strongest Pokémon for last, but she questioned whether or not it would last through both Pikachu and whatever Ash had in reserve. Nevertheless, it was the only move she could make, her last chance of victory. Perhaps Pikachu had been weakened in the last battle. After all, Hypno did not go down easily. Either way, her chances of winning rested in the arms of this final Pokémon. In one swift motion, she plucked the Poké Ball from her belt and cast it into the stadium.

Their celebration having subsided, Ash and Pikachu, as well as the rest of the stadium, looked anxiously upon the Poké Ball that had entered the fray. Their eyes grew as it opened, allowing the creature inside to be released and take form.

Gengar.

The announcer didn't skip a beat. "Incredible! It seems the Saffron trainer has called out a Gengar, and an impressive one at that! This announcer has seen many in the past, but this one has got to be the largest by far! This one is going to be a challenge. I hope for Ash Ketchum's sake that he's up to the task!"

Samantha's last chance to win stood imposingly before Ash's now-intimidated Pikachu. But Pikachu didn't let it interfere as he awaited Ash's command. The trainers waited for the referee's signal. Pikachu and Gengar made their way to the center of the stadium. The referee then raised his flags, then brought them down.

Samantha's command came nearly half a second before Ash's.

"Gengar! Hypnosis!"

"Pikachu! Agility!"

Both Pokémon quickly obliged, as Gengar tried to lock her menacing eyes with those of Pikachu, but Pikachu's speed allowed him to escape her gaze and run circles around Gengar, making it almost impossible to see exactly where he was at any given moment. Samantha recognized this as exactly what happened with her Hypno, but she was ready this time.

"Gengar! Use Confuse Ray!"

Gengar didn't need to be told anything else. She predicted where Pikachu would most likely be in the next instant, and launched a ray of light in that very area. Sure enough, Pikachu caught full force of the ray and, no longer able to keep his balance, stumbled face-first into the stadium floor, rolling with the momentum he had been carrying.

Ash was surprised at the strength of that attack, but didn't waste a moment. "Pikachu! Thundershock!" But Pikachu stalled, trying to make sense of the command, if just for an instant.

It was all Samantha needed. "Hypnosis!"

Pikachu couldn't escape this time. Gengar's deep red eyes locked firmly with those of Pikachu, lulling him into a powerful sleep. If Pikachu hadn't already been on the floor, he would have hit it like a rock.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled to his companion, trying to get him to wake up, but Pikachu didn't even blink.

Samantha smiled as control returned to her. With full confidence and determination, she yelled only one word, "Nightmare!" Gengar's grin grew even more sinister as she stood over a helpless Pikachu. Almost instantaneously, Pikachu began thrashing about in his sleep, seemingly attempting to fight something off. As Pikachu experienced Nightmare for the first time, Ash was living his own nightmare, watching his beloved Pikachu suffer at the hands of this Pokémon. The effect wasn't lost on the audience, most of whom hadn't seen Ghost-type moves as advanced as this. Even the announcer was at a loss for words. Ash's friends were deeply disturbed, and Misty had to cover Togepi's eyes for this one. However, none were as horrified as Ash, watching Pikachu growing weaker and weaker at the hands of his own mind.

Ash cried out one last time in sheer desperation, "PIKACHU! WAKE UP!" But it was no use. Gengar's Hypnosis was far too powerful for Pikachu to overcome so soon, and Pikachu was now at the mercy of Nightmare. Pikachu continued to writhe and squirm until he finally succumbed fully to the attack.

At last, he laid still, unmoving, but still breathing. The referee noted this, and once the shock wore off, he slowly raised the red flag. "Pikachu is unable to battle. The round goes to Samantha Seer and her Gengar!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ash ran out into the field to his Pikachu. He cradled him in his arms, hoping desperately that he would wake up. "Pikachu…can you hear me?" Pikachu had finally woken up, but was far too hurt to give a response. Ash carried him back to the stand on his side of the stadium, giving him a Potion to help him stand. "You did great, Pikachu. I'm proud of you." Pikachu smiled lightly at the encouragement, and sat down to take a well-deserved rest.

Meanwhile, the announcer made his commentary after a slight delay. "That was…quite difficult to watch, but it seems that this Gengar is the real deal." Some in the audience were half-expecting a Nightmare-related pun to go along with that, but it would have been in terrible taste. "We eagerly await what Pokémon Ash will choose for the final round of this contest."

Even those who supported Samantha made little effort to cheer after this brief victory. It would take a hard heart to do so after viewing the horror Pikachu had experienced. Still, they awaited Ash's Pokémon with anticipation.

As did he. He never saw a Gengar with that much power before. He thought hard about whom to send out next. There was no way his Squirtle or Bulbasaur could go up against it, and his Kingler had already been defeated. Pidgeotto might stand a chance, but she didn't have as much speed as Pikachu did, even with the air advantage. She might go down just as quickly. He did have a stronger Pokémon, but he still questioned whether or not it was up to the task. Then again, it did secure his victory against Richie, against all odds, though it hadn't been used since then. After a moment or two of weighing his options, he made his decision.

"Pick whatever you want, you still don't stand a chance against Gengar," Samantha yelled from her stand, growing impatient. Gengar, however, was still savoring her victory and relishing in the positive feedback of her master. Gengar was just as confident as Samantha was.

"Alright," Ash said under his breath as he reached for his Poké Ball, hoping for a miracle. Letting none of his nervousness show in his voice, he cast the Poké Ball, shouting for all to hear, "I choose you…Charizard!"

Sure enough, once the ball hit the stadium floor, the Fire-Pokémon emerged in a stunning show of power. "Oh my gosh! The trainer Ash Ketchum has chosen Charizard! There may yet be hope for the Pallet trainer after all, but he still needs to go up against Samantha Seer's impressive Gengar! Either way, it looks like this is going to be a heck of a battle!"

The stadium erupted in a roar of excitement, especially Ash's own cheering section, who now saw another chance for victory for their friend. Samantha, however, did not share their enthusiasm. She didn't think Ash would use Charizard, especially since it almost cost him the match last time he used it. She happened to be in the audience for that one. Still, Gengar was at full strength, having taken down Pikachu without much of a fight, so she still felt confident.

The two Pokémon approached each other, waiting for the signal. The referee gave the sign to begin.

"Hypnosis!"

"Flamethrower!"

The Ghost-Pokémon was faster, locking with Charizard's eyes as it had Pikachu's. Charizard began to look dazed and succumb to the move.

"Keep it up, Gengar! Don't stop until he's completely asleep," called Samantha, refusing to underestimate Ash's dragon.

Ash was determined. "Fight it Charizard! Stay awake! You can do this!" Charizard was indeed fighting it. Those who could see his face could tell that he wasn't getting tired. He was getting angry. And that's just what Ash needed. As if predicting Ash's next command, Charizard broke free of the Hypnosis attack and launched a powerful Flamethrower that caught Gengar completely by surprise. She was able to jump out of the way, but only barely, as her right arm caught the blaze. It was a rare sight, but there was Charizard, ready to fight, waiting for his master's command, and the crowd was loving it.

"Good job, Charizard! Now hit it with a Fire Blast!" Charizard happily obeyed, blasting the kanji of fire straight at Gengar, who, again, only barely got out of the way in time. But Charizard didn't stop. He launched blasts of fire wherever he could see his enemy, not once pausing. At the fifth blast, he caught Gengar with the full attack. This sent Gengar flying to the other side of the stadium and rolling after hitting the ground. But after a moment or two, she could stand. She was, however, badly hurt.

This turn of events made Samantha worry. "Gengar! Night Shade!" Darkness then emanated from Gengar, forming a wave of energy that launched itself straight at Charizard.

Ash yelled out, "Charizard, watch out!" But Charizard had been struck by the Ghost-Pokémon's powerful attack, which managed to knock him back a step. Luckily, though, Charizard was still up. After taking a second to compose himself, he charged after Gengar. Having grown weak from using so many Fire Blasts, he began his attack with the next best thing: Flamethrower. Soon, both Pokémon began charging each other with sudden strikes of Flamethrower, Night Shade, Ember, and even Confuse Ray, but Charizard remained too strong for it.

Samantha didn't like this. Charizard was enduring Gengar's most important moves, and fighting through the ones that could actually affect it. All she could think of was, "Keep at it, Gengar! It's got to tire itself out, eventually!" And she was right. Unfortunately for her, Gengar was tiring out, too.

On the opposite end, Ash was excited. Charizard had a chance. Ash saw that Gengar was fast, but he also saw that it was getting tired. Charizard was using up a lot of his fire, but Gengar was slowing down. If it would slow down just enough, Charizard could get at it, then hit it hard enough to bring it down.

Charizard probably knew this as well, as he was getting closer to Gengar, who had her flank seared by the last Flamethrower attack. Knowing Gengar was getting tired, Charizard began to exert himself even more, pressing his flame attacks harder and harder until one made full contact with Gengar. However, she still managed to stay up, refusing to give in. Irritated and tired, Charizard lunged after his exhausted foe, managing to grab hold of her in a tight embrace, refusing to let go.

This gave Ash the inspiration he needed. "Charizard! Fly!" Charizard understood, as he flew straight up into the air, carrying a weak Gengar with him. Every head in the stadium went up, watching as the dragon carried the ghost higher and higher, Ash watching in determination, Samantha in fear. Ash had absolutely no love for this particular Pokémon, and Samantha knew it. No doubt she brought this upon herself, inflicting that Nightmare upon Pikachu, but it was too late now. Once the two fighters were almost out of sight, Charizard did a complete 180, coming straight down with his cargo, eyes fixed intently upon the ground. Almost everybody in the audience knew what was coming. As Charizard quickly neared the ground, he released his hostage.

In a mighty collision, Gengar struck the ground at full force while Charizard turned ninety degrees and flew back to Ash's side of the field, landing triumphantly. Once the smoke cleared, everyone, including the referee, looked upon the broken mess that was Gengar, looking for any sign of movement or ability to battle. None was found. In that realization, the referee, not once breaking his objectively professional demeanor, raised the green flag. "Gengar is unable to battle. Ash Ketchum wins the semi-final battle!"

The stadium erupted in cheering and praise for the finalist, as the crowd had been completely won over by Ash, not exactly because of his Charizard, but because of his resolve throughout the entire battle, especially the way he avenged his Pikachu. Charizard gave no sign of enthusiasm, but it was clear that he enjoyed his domination of Gengar. Ash returned him to his Poké Ball, gratefully adding, "Thanks, Charizard. You did great."

"Looks like this heated matchup has finally come to an end, and Ash Ketchum leaves as the victor once again. Remember, tomorrow is the final battle of the tournament, where Ash will battle the other finalist in the match that will determine the winner and new Indigo League Champion!"

Once the announcer had finished, Ash came down from the stand, followed by Pikachu, who had recovered much more from his own battle with Gengar and also shared Ash's excitement. They were then practically ambushed by their friends, who kept trying to find the right way to congratulate him. Richie was trying to get his voice heard over the cheering of the crowd without any success, while Brock was trying to find an opportunity to get a word in. Misty, on the other hand, suddenly hugged Ash, telling him how awesome that fight was. She then quickly realized what she was doing and broke away, leaving both her and Ash blushing slightly.

Ash was clearly happy. "Thanks, guys. Thanks for being there for me. I don't know if I could have done it without you behind me."

Richie quickly interjected, "Of course, you could have! It looked a little shaky near the end, but I knew right from the start you were going to win."

Brock finally was able to cut in. "I agree, Ash. To be honest, I think you're starting to look a lot like a champion to these people." Ash looked to the spectators for confirmation. As Brock said, they were all looking to him in sheer adoration, most of them still cheering for him. As he was looking, he caught the gaze of Samantha, who had already called back her Gengar. She looked somewhat disappointed, but accepting of her fate. She broke eye contact quickly and simply walked away. Ash figured a handshake would be quite out of the question after what had transpired.

His train of thought was interrupted by Misty. "Well, come on, Ash! We should celebrate. After all, the finals aren't until tomorrow evening. We have plenty of time."

"Yeah, but let's go to the Pokémon Center first," said Ash, clearly concerned for his team.

"Pika…chu," agreed Pikachu, still exhausted.

"Haha, alright Pikachu," Ash replied, picking him up and departing the stadium with his friends. "Let's…," but before Ash could finish his thought, he was suddenly confronted by a couple of familiar faces. "Professor Oak? Mom?"

"Oh, Ash, honey! I'm so proud of you," said his mother as she quickly ran up to embrace him. "I was so scared after what happened to your poor little Pikachu!"

"Mom, really, it's okay. I was just taking him to the Pokémon Center anyway."

Prof. Oak gave an approving nod. "As you should Ash. I saw the whole thing, and that match was one of the most grueling I've ever seen. But you still did a spectacular job." Ash thanked them and was about to continue on until Prof. Oak stopped him again. "Actually, Ash, I have something I think I should talk to you about. Why don't you have your mom take your Pokémon and your friends to the Center and we'll catch up with them soon." He turned to Ash's friends and mother. "Is that alright with you?"

They exchanged glances. "I don't see why not. I'd love to hold on to them for you," Mrs. Ketchum replied to Oak. Ash gave a knowing nod to Oak, realizing that what he has to say must be important. After giving his Poké Balls to his mother and watching her depart with his friends (except for Pikachu, who wanted to stay with Ash, and Richie, who promised to meet them after the battle tomorrow), he and Oak went the other way for a short distance.

"Ash, I need you to stay with me on this, because you're probably not going to like what I have to say."

Ash was now curious. "What is it, Professor? I promise I'll listen."

Oak nodded. "Okay, Ash. When we go to the Pokémon Center to meet with your friends, Gary is going to be there."

Ash went straight from curious to confused. "What? I thought he left after losing his last match."

Oak nodded once more. "He did, but once I found out whom you will be facing in the final match tomorrow evening, I called him and asked him to come back. He and I both have information about this trainer that you should know."

When Oak told Ash that he knew whom he was going to face, he no longer cared that it was Gary who was going to provide the information. He decided to put his little rivalry aside if Gary was also willing to. "Okay, Professor Oak. Who's the trainer?"

Oak became very serious. "Ash, remember when I first gave you Pikachu, how the other three Pokémon I was giving out were already taken?"

"Yeah, how could I forget?" Ash noticed Pikachu's ears perk up at the mention of their first meeting.

"Yes, of course, Ash. You see, you arrived right after Gary left, having already chosen Squirtle. Before he ran into you, however, he was leaving to find the trainer whom he just saw leave with a Charmander."

Ash immediately understood. "He wanted to battle him."

Oak smiled. "Exactly. My point is, the trainer who received my Charmander that day…is the very same trainer you will be battling in the finals tomorrow. And I believe Gary may be able to give you some information about him."

Ash wasn't expecting that. One of the very trainers from Pallet Town that beat him to Prof. Oak's lab that day was going to be his opponent. "Professor Oak, who is he?"

Oak was very serious again. "Ash, his name is Red."

I hope the cliffhanger doesn't bother anybody. As I said, I will update the story in one week. Again, thanks for your time, and please review!