Ash ran for his life, and so did Gladion. They did not want to pick there chances against the giant shadow Snorlax, but nor did they want to meet even more surprises that shadow necrozma had in store for them.

Ash ran down the middle of the corridor, up the stairs, and then head first into a laboratory. In front of him, was a label:"venomous plants inside" Ash took a deep breathe. Did he want to enter? It may lead him out of harms way, but it was also "venomous". A nice place to mark his death, he supposed.

He heard a raspy voice behind him and out trudged Gladion, his face red and out of breathe. When they had decided to run, Gladion and Ash took separate ways, usually it was unwise to split up, but in situations like this, it was only for the good that one person might get out alive. And now they stumbled back together, they might as well stay together.

"Ash, they got me, I think...they were chasing after me and then one caught me, but again, he didn't, because he passed though me like he was a ghost. He was unable to grab me!" Gladion muttered between breathes.

"Their following us?" Asked Ash.

"Yep" Said Gladion."I think I messed up..."

Gladion's face was tight with pain, as if he had just been stun by a beedril! He suddenly caught his face between his hands and swayed, his breathes rasp and fading.

"Gladion, are you ok" Ash asked with concern.

"Yes" replied Gladion, masking his pain.

It came on. The alarm suddenly came on. A noise worst then screeching, sharp as a needle. And then it came off again.

Ash stood in silence, wondering what he should do about this.

"It's never good when some sort of alarm goes of, especially with the red flashing lights" muttered Ash.

"Yeah" agreed Gladion.

"But then it went off" Said Ash.

"It could be a drill" Said Gladion.

Ash thought for a moment. "Are you sure no one followed us?"

Gladion looked uncertain."maybe" he concluded after a long while of silent thinking.

"We could back of into the corridor and find a different room to escape from. I know this "venomous plant room" has a doorway leading out the other direction before I saw a doorway that said "venomous plant room" on the way in.

"How do you know that it was the same one?"

"I just do" muttered a Ash.

There was a sounding of heavy footsteps nearby. Ash and Gladion knew they were going to be surrounded, soon as they footsteps were coming in there direction. Unfortunately, there was another sounding of heavy footsteps in the chemical laboratory housing venomous plants, coming to the door they were at.

For a moment, they were trapped. Ash tensed, preparing for action. Gladion let out Silvarry and Ash made sure Pikachu stood still and prepared for an attack.

Then a group of black armoured men came marching their way, shadow pokemon following behind them. Ash never knew why black was the colour for secret agents and why they thought it was superstitious. He didn't really know why until know for 2 soldiers creeped up from behind them and slowly raised 2 launchers and aimed at Ash's head from behind whilst he was distracted.

It was Gladion who noticed them. With a heart piercing cry, he slammed into the two men and sent them flying, before Silvarry shot a multiattacl to temporary disarm them.

"We need a way out!" Shouted Ash.

"We're surrounded, there's no way!" Replied Gladion.

Then Ash noticed something. To the left of him was a corridor, as open as ever for Ash. He just wondered why he didn't see this exit early on. For some reason he knew that there was no people coming from that direction. Together, he tugged at Gladion and pulled him into the welcoming area of the third corridor he could escape from.

They ran, as fast as wind and lightning, faster than the worlds fastest man, they sprint, yet they seemed to be forever engulfed in its eerie darkness and silence. Finally, they stumbled across a pathway leading to two room.

Room number 1: a science lavatory that said "venomous plants inside": the same as the one on the other side of the corridor. That was right though. There were no guards there and also it had to be two separate rooms as they had just ran a whole length to get there!

The second room was, Wait it wasn't a room at all! The room had suddenly disappeared, and what was left of it was a message, and on it the message said "the maze is the area you are in right now, there is no escape, nothing but torture"

Ash took a deep breathe. He tried to process the information. The place they were in was a building built by the "pain society" who Ash knew held Serena prisoner. It was a maze! Unless... the building itself was a maze like the labyrinth in Ancient Greece, holding the Minotaur. Unless the building itself was snaking in between rooms, changing them and manipulating them to necrozma's will to torture Ash!

Ash knew he had fallen into a trap. He should never have came. He had led Gladion to his doom as well.

Haunted cry's of gengar and litwicks filled the air, as if an intire parade of ghosts had came to watch Ash suffer: human and Pokemon. At least no gengars had popped out and challenged Ash yet. Though he doubted whether the gengars could sense the fear radiating from him. He was like a lamp attracting mosquitoes, except, in this case, ghost pokemon!

A haunting mist filled the air and chilled Ash to bone. Ash took of his hat several times, just to make sure there was nothing wrong with it and it was still there(pokemon love his hat).

In the end, Ash asked Pikachu to lite tiny sparks so that he and Gladion could see where they were going without walking head first into something the maze sent to them.

They had decided to enter the laboratory with poisonous plants. After all, life couldn't get much much, could it?

And indeed, they had good luck for like around 20 minutes, but then their luck ran out when they were confronted with a cauldron and Ash ran towards it and almost jumped into it because he swore he saw Serena suffering inside, arms reaching out for him and crying for help.

Venomous species of plants attacked them, the majority Pikachu roasts in ashes with thunderbolt, but unfortunately it was attracting a lot of noise and sooner of later the evil members of staff would come and kill them, they would starve, or they get killed by some sort of ghost pokemon.

It came for them once more. Ash became so desperate with starvation that he started to find ways to sleep, and try to eat venomous plants! Craziness came for Ash, and so did the people working for PAIN.

They ran at Ash, shadow raticates gnawed at Ash's feet.

Pikachu fired bolt after bolts of thunderbolt, it was starting to tire. After an unfortunate shadow claw from raticate, Pikachu fell to the ground and got trampled. Ash had been pushed aside and was busy trying to fend of a Gengar from trying to use psychic on him to control him and confuse him.

In the end, Ash was able to pick up Pikachu, and carry it whilst sprinting away. The men, however, didn't give chase. They just stood still and allowed Ash to attack them with Greninja, who he let out.

Greninja was a very agile pokemon, and was also very powerful, even without its Ash Greninja form. Soon all the raticates lay on the ground, covered with dark energy, not only from their shadow aura, but also but from Greninja's rapid fire of water shrunken and shadow pulses.

What was alarming though, was that the guards stood still and allowed Greninja to attack their pokemon without even fighting back. They stared at Ash, and what shocked him was that their eyes were glassy and emotionless like a robot, their faces was like a picture, unblinking, unmoving. No, there was no way they were humans at all. Ash wondered how it was even possible for them to survive.

Soon, the maze summoned a mist to cover the guards and wounded pokemon and in a blink of an eye, they were gone, dissolved into the evening mist!

Ash took a deep breathe to try to calm down. He did not understand how those shadow raticates got defeated so quickly. It was almost... as if it was a shadow itself! A shadow of an original raticate. Just as powerful, but very fragile.

Ash shook back his confusion and hurried on, only to realise that Gladion had disappeared.

"Gladion!" Shouted Ash urgently. They must not get lost. If Gladion was somehow injured or captured, no Ash could not think of that.

Greninja barked urgently at Ash. It was only then that he realised that there was a looming barricade in front of him, that wasn't there before. After that barricade , Ash could see red light. Red as blood...

That thought made Ash flinch. Should he head towards that? Or should he turn away?

It was Greninja who decided for Ash. It suddenly jump up and, with a very high jump, it Shouted "NINJA!" And tumbled towards the opposite direction. Pikachu, who had recovered in Ash's arms, ran after it, leaving Ash to follow.

Perhaps it was their unbreakable bound, but Ash could sense fear and anticipation radiating from Pikachu. He could also sense the flow of responsibility Greninja had. The frog ninja pokemon decided that it needed to help Ash, to repay him for his kindness. It was only the belief in hope and knowledge, the belief that they might one day escape, that shielded them from the overflowing darkness.

There was a trickling noise. Ash paused. There was something, something big, looming in the shadows, manipulating fear into the hearts of humans. It constricted on him. Fear made Ash's chest tight up, constricting and collapsing on itself. They ran on, one human and two pokemon friends, linked by their unbreakable bond.

There was an eerie red light. Red as blood. They were back to where they started again!

This time it was Ash who made the decision. He ran and jump at the barricade, flinging till he was nearly at the top. Then he fell.

Pikachu and Greninja ran to him, helping him back up. Overflowed by his Pokemon friend's kindness, Ash tried again. Pikachu followed, with Greninja. Then they all fell.

Ash's face was gritted with determination, a hope for the better, as he tried for the third time. Yet Necrozma still wanted to torture him. He fell and this time, smashed his arm with the force of 1000 thunderbolts.

"OWWWWWWW" complained Ash. He was sure he broke his arm. It was rigid, tight. He wasn't sure whether it was from fear or fright, or perhaps it was actually broken in such a way that his whole arm was erupting masses of blood, and the blood had froze to the chilly air.

This time, Greninja also held its hand in pain due to his bond with Ash.

Pikachu watched intently between his fellow pokemon and master, not sure what to do.

"Pika Pi" it muttered sadly. It's tail dropped by about an inch.

Then, the pokemon jumped. Pikachu sprang through the air, onto the barricade, and left upwards again. It was nearly at the top. Then it fainted...

Of all the action that Ash had been through. This was the worst. Not caring about his own hand, Ash sprang up and caught Pikachu before the light mouse pokemon hit the ground.

Ash stood up, angry and determined.

"There's one thing that will help us pass this wall, this barricade that Necrozma put."

Greninja looked at Ash intently, wondering whether Ash was deciding to return it to the poke ball and go up with pikachu.

"And its not faith, or hope. Belief is important, but it's not that. They can be useful, but Necrozma also has these qualities. The traitors also have these qualities. There is one thing that we have that they don't have though..." Ash continued with his little speech.

Greninja looked at Ash, waiting for him to say what it was, but Ash stopped and said

"Any guesses?"

Greninja moaned and grumbled, it was in no real mood to play guessing games, but because Ash was so happy, the unbreakable bond linking Ash and Greninja also made Greninja happy and excited.

Anyways, Greninja probably knew the answer. All he had to do was to link his thoughts to Ash to get what Ash was thinking.

Spoiler: In the next chapter Ash will meet possessed Serena.