That's What Friends Are For
Part 1
Pichu was collecting mushrooms. He, Grimer, Jigglypuff, Psyduck, Stinger, Azurill, Mudkip, Charmander, Magby, Treecko and Torchic were on a camping trip. Grimer told Magby and the little electric mouse to go out in the field to collect mushrooms for their lunch. The little mouse and Magby agreed and both scampered off.
Pichu was singing to himself while collecting mushrooms.
"Oh, the fields are alibe," he sang. "with the soumd of Pichu with the somg they have sumg for a thosamb years! The fields fill my…"
"Pichu!" Magby called when he was done with his basket. "I think we got enough. We better go back."
"Just omes mores."
"Well okay, but you better hurry up!"
"Wills do!" He felt around the tall grass for some more.
Suddenly, in a patch of grass sat a lone mushroom. But this wasn't an ordinary mushroom. This mushroom's top was red polka-dotted with a purple stem.
"Oohhh!" He cooed in amazement, picking it up. "Grimer ambs Charmambers wills bes happys I fombs dis!" He put the mushroom in his basket and turned to Magby.
"Okays Megbee; I'm readies!"
"Okay," He said. "Let's go."
So the two went back to the campsite, both unaware that Pichu had picked out a poisonous mushroom.
Back at the campsite, Psyduck was reading a newspaper and getting annoyed.
"Can you believe this?" He demanded, pointing at a picture of a Buneary who was at a podium giving a very passionate and angry speech. "These Pikawizz Empire psychos are at it again."
"Oh, honey, why are you even reading that?" Jigglypuff asked. "We took this camping trip to relax, remember."
"What's the Pikawizz Empire?" Stinger McScorpio asked.
"Oh, they're this buncha nut-job Pokémon supremacists that follow some crazy Pikachu who thinks he deserves to be king." Psyduck grumbled. "He goes around with a crown and everything, if you can believe that. He thinks the world should only belong to Pokémon and should be ruled by him. He and his group hate any non-Pokémon, and they also hate any Pokémon who act different then they think they should act. They make us all look bad."
"No one takes them seriously, dear." Jigglypuff reminded him. "They're just a fringe group that makes a lot of noise."
Psyduck was about to argue when Magby and Pichu returned. The two went up to Grimer and Charmander with their baskets.
"Here are the mushrooms." Magby told Grimer. He looked at Magby and Pichu.
"Excellent timing!" He said. "We're all starving; let's eat!"
Grimer called for everybody, telling them it was time to eat.
"Ooh!" Said Torchic. "I can't wait to eat; I'm so hungry, I can eat a Snorlax but I won't because it's too big and I'm just a little Torchic."
"Gah!" Treecko groaned. "Why are there no outlets out here?" He hadn't obeyed Psyduck and had brought his Pokegear with him to listen to music, but had used up the battery on the way out.
"Oh, don't be so grumpy." Mudkip chided. Unlike Treecko, she was enjoying the outdoors.
"Whem cam we eats, Grimer?" Pichu asked.
"Right now," Grimer replied. "Go on, pick some mushrooms from the bucket! We also have some berries." Everyone picked a handful of each and ate their piles. Pichu handed Charmander the polka-dotted mushroom.
"Here yous goes! I picked tis outs just for yous!"
"Why thank you." Charmander said, grabbing it. Pichu stood proudly.
"You welkolms!" He continued eating from his pile.
"Hey!" Mudkip said. "I read about that mushroom! I saw a picture of it in my guidebook. Unfortunately I forgot what it's called…"
"Oh well!" Charmander responded. "Maybe you'll remember after we're done with our lunch." With that, he popped it in his mouth and ate it.
Suddenly, he held his stomach, looking ill.
"Ooh, I don't feel so good." He moaned. He then fainted. Everyone gasped and gathered around the salamander, except Pichu and Torchic. They just stayed sitting while eating their mushrooms.
"Charmander!" Grimer called. "Charmander! Wake up, buddy!" Charmander didn't wake up. Grimer tried again. He still didn't wake up. He even tried slapping him, no use.
"I kmows a ways to wakes hims!" Pichu volunteered, getting up from his mushroom pile.
"Pichu, don't!" Stinger warned. But it was too late. The mouse did a Thunder Shock.
However, instead of shocking Charmander, he did it to himself. The rodent fainted on the ground.
"Cover his tail!" Azurill told Grimer. "I'm going to use my water gun attack to try and wake him! Psyduck and Mudkip, you do it too!"
Grimer found a leaf to cover Charmander's tail with. Mudkip, Azurill and Psyduck then all used their water gun attacks to his face.
They did this for ten munities. Still, no good.
"It's no use." Psyduck said, giving up and trying to catch his breath.
"You can't give up on these things dear." Jigglypuff told her exhausted husband. Psyduck looked at her.
"But honey, we tried for a good ten minutes! I'm exhausted; it's hopeless!" Grimer looked sad. He looked at Azurill and Mudkip who were still going at it.
"Okay guys," He told them. "You guys gave it your best shot. That'll do." Both Mudkip and Azurill stopped, exhausted.
Grimer removed the leaf and sighed in relief. Charmander's tail was still burning.
"I got this guys!" Torchic piped up. She jumped up from her meal, went over to Charmander and rapidly started pecking his face with her beak.
"Uh, Torchic," Grimer started. "We tried everything. I don't think that'll work." Torchic stopped, scurried to the tent and came back with her lucky green hat.
"Sure it will!" She reassured them. "With my lucky hat, anything's possible!" With that, she resumed pecking.
"Bet this wouldn't have happened if we got food at the store." Treecko grumbled.
"Treecko, this is serious!" Jigglypuff admonished.
"Sorry, I'm just sayin'"
Mudkip suddenly realized something. She looked at her friends and adoptive parents.
"That was a Dormio Boletes." Everyone gasped. Magby looked confused.
"What's a Dormio Boletes?" He wanted to know.
"A special poison mushroom that causes sleep." Mudkip responded. Everyone gasped again.
"We better take him to the nearest Pokémon Center." Jigglypuff suggested. Everyone agreed.
"Is he going to be okay?" Grimer asked Chansey as she came out of the ER. "Please, I got to know; he's my best friend." Chansey sadly shook her head. Everyone gasped.
"Sorry." She apologized. "I did all that I could. Nothing I have can wake him up. If we can't awaken him soon, your friend will be trapped in this coma forever." Grimer began to cry.
"No! Not my best friend! Are you sure there's nothing we can do?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Again, I'm truly sorry. I wish I could, but sadly, I can't"
"I'm sorry dear." Jigglypuff told him in a comforting tone. "I know that Charmander meant a lot to you and losing him must be, oh, I don't know what to say."
"That's okay, I don't expect you to." Torchic and Pichu looked confused.
"Why is everyone so sad?" Torchic wanted to know.
"Yeahs," Pichu added, looking at his boss. "Whats happemed, boss?" Stinger was too sad to answer.
"You poisoned him!" Psyduck answered for him. Everyone looked at him. "You gave him a bad mushroom and poisoned him! This is all your fault."
"It's nots my faults. I did'mts kmows!"
"Exactly; you never know! You always mess things up. You have gone too far this time. Charmander is never going to wake up because of you!"
"I'm sorries." The electric mouse began to cry. "I'm sorries!" Mudkip then came to his rescue.
"It's not Pichu's fault." Mudkip told Psyduck. "Think of what's best for Charmander." Psyduck sighed and looked at Pichu.
"I'm sorry Pichu. It's not your fault. I was mad and went crazy. Can you forgive me?" Pichu brightened up. He leapt up at him and hugged him.
"Yeses! All is forgiven!"
"Okay, don't overdo it." Pichu leapt down.
"Sorries!"
"What about an awakening?" Azurill piped up. Everyone looked at her and cheered up.
"Oh yeah, an awakening!" Grimer said. "I forgot about that; thanks Azurill!"
"Don't mention it."
"I'm afraid an awakening won't work." Chansey told them. "The Dormio Boletes is too powerful. Not even a Wake-Up Slap will work." Everyone looked sad again. "But I just remembered. There is one way." They cheered up again. Grimer looked hopeful again.
"What is it? What is it?"
"Oh, it's impossible. It's too dangerous."
"What's impossible?" Grimer asked. "Please, I can do it! Anything for my BFF!" Chansey sighed.
"Well, they say there's a berry tree on the tip top of Mount Silver called the Luna Berry tree. It's a special berry that only grows once every hundred years. It can awaken anyone from any slumber, no matter how deep. There's only one known tree in existence. I warn you though, there's a powerful Dragonite guarding it. You need to take a train to Tohjo Falls and go from there. The next train for Tohjo Falls leaves at nine tomorrow morning."
"We can do it!" Grimer said. "Just you wait!"
"I hope you save Charmander." Magby said at their house the next day. They just had breakfast and were saying goodbye to Grimer, Pichu, Torchic, Mudkip and Treecko before they went on their long journey.
"He'll save Charmander!" Azurill assured him. "I know he will!"
"Thanks Azurill." Grimer responded, smiling at her. "You always know what to say." Azurill smiled. "Charmander will be home and well before you know it."
"Pichu," Stinger told the rodent. "You be good now, listen to everything Grimer tells you. I don't want you to get in trouble."
"I wom'ts!" Pichu promised. "I'lls be good! You cam coumts on me!" Treecko rolled his eyes.
"Pleasssse!" He said. "With Torchic and Pichu on our team, we're bound for some mishaps!"
"Well, as long as they come back safe and sound."
"That why you're coming!" Mudkip told him. "To make sure they don't get into trouble." Treecko looked at her.
"Isn't that your job?"
"Well yeah, but hello! I'm only one Mudkip; I can't do it all on my own!"
"Yamgs!" Pichu cheered. "We're goimgs on ams advamtures!"
"This'll be fun!" Torchic told Treecko. Treecko rolled his eyes again.
"Save me before this nightmare begins!"
"I have some things for you!" Jigglypuff said. She went back into the house. Seconds later, she came back with blankets and a basket of rice balls. She handed them to Grimer who grabbed them.
"For your long trip."
"Jigglypuff, you are so generous. Always thinking of others." Jigglypuff smiled.
"Yup." Psyduck agreed. "That's my wife! Always thinking of others!" Then to himself he muttered, "Although she tends to go a bit overboard."
"What was that, honey?" Jigglypuff asked him.
"Nothing!"
"What about my teddy bear and lucky hat?" Torchic asked. "I might need them, especially my lucky hat and my teddy bear!" Jigglypuff went inside to grab them. She offered them to Grimer.
"Here!" Torchic ran up and let Jigglypuff place it on her head.
"Lucky!" Grimer grabbed the bear and put it in the basket.
"Okay!" He started. "I think we're ready to go!"
"Good luck!"
"Trust me, I think we're have very good luck with Torchic's lucky hat. Grimer replied. Torhic jumped up and down when she heard her name. "Well, off we go! See ya!" With that, the four began to depart. Jigglypuff and her remaining family waved goodbye.
"Bye!" Jigglypuff and family called from behind.
"I hope you bring back that berry to save Charmander!" Magby shouted.
"We will!" Grimer called back. "We will!"
Meanwhile in King Pikachu's crumbling castle, the evil Percival Pikawizz sat upon his throne. His faithful servant, Lord Christopher Eevee, sat beside him. They were waiting for the Tribe of the Sharpened Blade, a Bisharp and his gang of Pawniards, to arrive so that they can discuss their plans with the new recruits. King Pikachu was getting impatient.
"What is taking them so long?" The king wanted to know.
"Relax Your Highness." Lord Eevee told him "I'm sure they'll be here soon." Just then, the door opened and Pawniards and Bisharp came in. Lord Eevee went to them.
"What took you so long?' He demanded to know. Bisharp looked sternly at him.
"Relax!" Bisharp told him. "We're here now and that is all that matters."
"Okay, since this is your guys' first day on the job, I must inform you that His Majesty doesn't like waiting."
"Sorry, but it's a long way from Unova you see, and…" He then saw Lord Eevee wasn't amused and saluted. "It won't happen again, Your Lordship."
"See that it doesn't!" Lord Eevee replied icily. Bisharp looked up at the king. "What perilous quest do you wish us to go on, Your Majesty?" The Pawniards looked at the king and bowed before him.
"You know of the Luna Berry?"
"The one that is on the pinnacle of Mount Silver guarded by a powerful Dragonite? What about it?"
"I want you to get it for me so we can wake Rayquaza."
"Rayquaza? The legendary Pokémon, Rayquaza?"
"The very same. You know the story of Rayquaza, do you not?" King Pikachu inquired. "Legend states that eons ago, the legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre had an epic battle that shaped the very land and sea. Only Rayquaza, the dragon of the high sky, could quell their fierce battle."
"Yes, Sire." Bisharp stated. "The Hoenn legend has even reached our ears in Unova. They say that after Rayquaza settled that terrible battle, he flew off to unknown parts and fell into a deep sleep."
"You will not speak before His Highness unless you are requested to do so." Lord Eevee sneered. "But you are correct."
"But what does the Luna Berry have to do with it?" Bisharp inquired.
"Recently, my servants have found Rayquaza." King Pikachu returned. "His place of rest is the top of Sky Pillar, an ancient structure on an island in the eastern Hoenn region. However, he still seems to be locked in an unbreakable slumber, one from which not even my top experts could wake him from."
"They were severely punished for their failure." Lord Eevee chuckled. He was in charge of punishing the King's enemies, and those that failed him, a job he greatly enjoyed.
"I see." Bisharp nodded. "And the Luna Berry can awaken anyone from even the deepest sleep. That is why you require me to retrieve it?"
"You are correct." King Pikachu nodded. "Once we awaken Rayquaza, we can use it as a weapon to conquer the world. All will fear and bow before me with the legendary dragon of the sky by my side! I will finally take my place as master of all Pokémon!"
"And then we can finally make the world the way we want it to be." Lord Eevee agreed. "So many small-minded fools oppose our glorious world view."
"Few will oppose you if you have Rayquaza by your side, my king." Bisharp bowed. "I shall do as you command. The Tribe of the Sharpened Blade will not fail you. I give you my word of honor."
"Excellent. Go to Mt. Silver and retrieve it, then bring it to Sky Pillar in the Hoenn region. My men will meet you there."
"I will wait for you there myself." Lord Eevee instructed. "Don't be late. A train leaves for the small town of Tohjo Falls at nine in the morning tomorrow, to the base of Mt. Silver. Be on it. You will be contacted once you retrieve the berry."
"If you succeed in this mission, you will be greatly rewarded." King Pikachu promised. "Your Tribe will have a seat of power in my new world order. No longer will you have to war bitterly over small scraps of territory in your native home."
"That will please us greatly, Your Majesty." Bisharp bowed again. "We will be on the train tomorrow. For the glory of the Pikawizz Empire!"
"Good. See that you don't fail me." King Pikachu replied. "You may leave my presence now." With that, Bisharp and the Pawniards rose and departed the throne room. After they had left, Eevee turned to his master.
"What do you make of him, Your Majesty?"
"Not too bright, but fiercely loyal. He will serve the Empire's cause well." He looked at his cruelest supporter. "You have to prepare, also. Is the blimp ready?"
"I fly to the Hoenn region tonight, my king." Lord Eevee bowed. "Doctor's Plusle and Minun have already informed me that the control device is prepared."
"Good." King Pikachu declared. "If all goes well, by this time next week all of Kanto will be under the flag of the supreme Pikawizz Empire!" He and Lord Eevee laughed evilly. Their plan was about to be set in motion.