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The stretch of road, once heavily traveled upon by pedestrians and traders, was deserted. Ever since the major Unovan Highway was built 7 kilometers to the East, the desert-colored walking trailed was forgotten overnight. Though Pokémon trainers often use it for their journey – and by wild Pokémon looking for a few Valhalla – the road remained a desolate stretch of land that was started to sprout weeds and grass. Out of sight and out of mind.
On this bright sunny morning, hovering around 20 degrees Centigrade, the road just got some company. First it was a blur of yellow from the distance, like it was an illusion. But it was no illusion. It was yet another lonely traveler passing through. Surprisingly it was a Pikachu, hobbling along on 4 legs as it let out soft pants and grunts. He readjusted his special goggle and tried to work up some saliva to wet his tongue, his dry mouth couldn't muster a single drop.
He looked up and noticed a wooden privacy fence to his left, stretching somewhere around 20 meters down the road. To his right, the forest gave way to a vast grassland, pockmarked with small clusters of trees. Good. He was almost there, just a little further. When the Pikachu took another step, the knee in his hind leg buckled and stung. Ow.
He had been traveling non-stop since the previous night. The Mouse Pokémon was tired, his chest burned with exhaustion and his muscles plagued with fatigue. He was ready to give up from exhaustion – and his advancing age wasn't making things any better. His joints felt like they were shifting and sliding against broken glass, every bend and twist shoots a jab of pain up his nerves from every step he took. He had ignored his osteoarthritis for this long, but it can only be for so long.
The Pikachu stepped on a small rock, the rock shifted and knocked him off-balance. He yelped as he collapsed onto the ground, plowing his face into the road in the process. He rolled onto his side and moaned, his stress-bearing joints screamed in silent agony. He had dealt with this pain for years, but he had never felt his nerves act up like this. Well, that's what happen when you push it too far. Something breaks down and you're stuck in a predicament. In this case, it was his joints, the Pikachu swore in his Pokémon language for such luck.
He laid there for a moment and waited for the pain to past, the Pikachu then tried to put some weight on his leg. A stab of sharp pain ripped through his knee and forced him back down, it hurted more than the first wave of pain.
"Damn you, Tesla," the old Pikachu swore at himself in human words, "Don't crap out now, just another 3 kilometers and there would be that Pokémon Center."
Tesla tried to get back on his feet again, both knees and elbows buckled from a lightning of hurt. The old Pikachu let out a mournful scream as he collapsed to the ground a third time.
The old Pikachu held his breath and listened. His scream was probably picked up by other Pokémon in the forest, Pokémon who were wild, maybe uncivilized and not so intelligent. If by any chance they were hungry, they were likely to find a delicious ripe Pikachu ready to be eaten. Tesla shook the thought away, he didn't wanna think about that right now. The concern should be getting to the Pokémon Center, where he could have all the comforts of home and relax from his overburdened walk.
But he couldn't move, his muscles didn't want to. Somehow the road felt strangely comfortable, Tesla couldn't believe he was this tired. Were the nanobots in his bloodstream not doing their job properly? No, this was something else. It was simple fatigue and lack of sleep, the only thing keeping Tesla going was the paranoia of being discovered. Tesla might take care of them with a powerful Thunderbolt, but might as well announce his position in a thousand meter radius instead. His unique electrical abilites won't save him this time. He didn't have the energy to let out a powerful spark to stun a grown human being, heck, he didn't even have the energy to sprint.
"From dust to dust," Tesla muttered to himself, "From the sands I came, to the sands I return."
"Hello," said a voice, "is anyone there?"
Sh*t. Tesla thought.
A door to the privacy fense opened up and a human being stepped through. The human was average weight, no taller than 1.7 meters. His skin was pale, he probably hadn't got much sun. He had blue eyes, almost as blue as the sea. He wore a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, they appear to be well worn in for comfort. More importantly, he looked quite young, somewhere in his early adolescence. The Poké balls clipped to his belt suggest he was a Pokémon trainer . . . uh-oh.
And, like pretty much every person in Unova, jumped back in shock when he saw Tesla. Either he was surprised that he was seeing a Pikachu or a Pokémon in distress, Tesla felt it was all over.
"Holy crap," the human gasped, "Are you okay!?"
Might as well sh*t myself. Tesla thought.
As the human rushed to offer his aid, Tesla tried to crawl away. But his joints sparked with pain, slowing him down greatly, "No, no, no, no!" he cried, "I'm a senior Pokémon, I'm no good for Pokémon training! I'd die before I get caught in them Poké balls!"
"A talking Pikachu," the human asked, "Wait a minute, what!?"
Tesla stopped glared at the human being, "You're not one of them amatuer Pokémon trainers?"
"I've been training Pokémon for 4 years now," said the human, "Why?"
"You're . . . Do you even know me?"
"No, I don't know who you are."
Should I trust this kid? Tesla thought to himself, Hmm, he doesn't have that look in his eye. Guess I'll double-down on this.
"Oh that's a relief," said Tesla, "I'm a celebrity, well-known to the older Pokémon trainers. Usually trainers your age who happen to know me, sacrifice whatever Pokémon they have to catch me," The old Pikachu let out a sigh, "So many tried, so many failed. I'm just tired, I..."
Tesla drifted off and rested his head, the human reached down and picked him up. The old Pikachu didn't struggle, he just doesn't have the fighting mood in him at the moment, "Here," said the human, "Let me help you, I don't know who you are or what you've done but you don't seem like a bad Pokémon."
"I just been through a world of hurt is all." The Mouse Pokémon muttered.
"I can tell, I got some healing powder stashed away. My Pansage might help you ease your stress."
. . .
Charlie Pendergast did his best to help the Pikachu. He sat the goggle-wearing Mouse Pokémon on the couch and gave him a warm blanket and soft pillow. The Pikachu moaned in pleasure as he relaxed, even showing a small smile. Pansage jumped up and offered him the special leaves on her head, the Pikachu reached out a weak arm and plucked some off. He chewed it up for a few seconds, the look on his face showed skepticism as he tried to figure out what the leaves do.
"Taste like spearmint," he said after swallowing, "Feels a bit rubbery too, I wonder why."
"Pansage?" said the Grass Pokémon, probably asking if he was alright.
"The leaves calmed my nerves, but my joints are still turning into razor blades."
Not only he can speak, thought Charlie as he prepared the healing powder, He sounds literate.
Just as when he was going out to forage for special fruit in the forest, he stumbled upon a weak and paranoid Pikachu. The one thing he couldn't get was not just how a Pikachu managed to make its way on Unova, but how the Pikachu could talk. He sounds a bit hoarse, hinting he was probably old. But how old can Pikachus get anyway? He wasn't too sure. To him, seeing one in real life was quite an amazing experience, since Pikachus were one of the most adorable Pokémon to own.
Does that explain why he was so paranoid, because he was a celebrity and feared capture? Charlie wasn't sure if he wanted to capture him, the Pikachu claimed to be done with Pokémon battling. He could see why, the Pikachu couldn't run away when he approached him. He sounded like he was going to whimper, to cry. Maybe the Pikachu still doesn't trust Charlie, even after all the help he was giving him.
"Here," said Charlie as he offered the Pikachu a spoonful of healing powder, "This should help."
The Pikachu took the medicine without resistance, he stir it in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. Interesting, he seemed to like the bitter taste, "Not sure if it helps me feel better," the Pikachu commented, "or actually makes me better. I had never taken herbal medicine before in my life."
"Where did you come from?" Charlie asked.
"I came from Faraday Island, I was born in Viridian Forest in the Kanto region."
"You have a trainer?"
The Pikachu smirked, "I had one . . . for seventy years. He's dead now."
Seventy!? Charlie gasped inside his head.
"Oh, um, I'm sorry, I-"
"My trainer was a true friend," the Pikachu explained, "But his death also announced my freedom, it took me 20 years to get off the island. Now that I'm off, I'm going to track down what had become of my relatives."
"Wait a minute," said Charlie, "Back up, you said seventy years. How exactly old are you, do you know?"
"I'm 107 years old."
Charlie's mouth dropped, "You're that old?"
"Pan Pan!?" Pansage also gasped.
"Yeah, I am."
"That explains why you were so worn down."
The Pikachu shifted in the couch and sighed, "The doctors at Faraday City fixed me up as best the could, but they can't fix everything. I have arthritis in my stress-bearing joints, I wasn't sure I'm going to move that far till . . . I don't know."
Charlie sat down on the coffee table and placed his hand on the Pikachus forehead, "Well you're not burning up, you don't seem to have a fever. Anything else hurting you, Pikachu?"
"No," said the Pikachu, "Nothing. I didn't catch your name, by the way."
"Charlie Pendergast. This is Pansage, my best friend."
"Pansage!" Pansage cheered.
The Pikachu chuckled, "Elemental monkeys, they always have that malicious look in their eyes. Had a Pansage friend myself, but he passed from old age long ago. What was his nickname, Peppermint? Yeah, he was a great friend."
"You have any other friends?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, but most of my Pokémon friends had long since passed. For those who're still alive, I'm not too sure what had become of them. I do know one of them went insane, or half insane . . . Anyway, my name is Tesla, Tesla Westinghouse. The Legendary Mouse Pokémon of Faraday City."
"You were that famous?"
"Pan?" Pansage asked.
"Thanks to my trainer, I was more of a pet bird on his shoulder than anything else. Though I did keep the public entertained when I do get to battle, maybe one every few months I show off a serious battle. I can tell you I'm still scarred from those battles, I still feel the aches on occasion."
"You poor thing." said Charlie.
"I never liked Pokémon battling, I was glad I was done with it when my trainer died. It kinda offset the grief from his passing, as it announced my retirement. I'm so old that I just wanted to get down and rest, I just couldn't do that."
"Why?"
"I'm looking for my family, I was just heading to a suspected location on that road outside. I started from the coast, been working my way up. But somewhere along the way, being a Pikachu and all, I pissed off a few people and I kinda hurried along the road. I pretty much wore myself out, it wasn't a smart move but I had been through worse."
"What did you do?"
Tesla frowned, "I went rooting around a neighborhood, trashed some guys kitchen cause I felt like it. He almost shot me in the ass with a crossbow, it was so funny at the time. Now how many questions are you going to bombard me until you tell me about yourself?"
Charlie felt startled by the statement, "Well," he began, "I, uh . . . I had been Pokémon training since I was 10, when I got my license. I was out in the wilderness, doing some research on the local plants. I came across Pansage at the foot of a tree. She broke her leg from a fall, I took her in and patched her up. Her leg got better after a few months. But when I try to release her, she stayed by my side. She's-"
"Been with you ever since," Tesla finished, "What a coincidence that story is so common, seems that the only way to fully bond to Pokémon is simply, helping them, at their weakest."
Charlie rubbed the back of Pansage's head, "Never thought of it that way."
Tesla stared up at the ceiling for a moment, "Is it alright with you if I stay here for a day?"
"Sure, Tesla," said Charlie, "Where you're heading after you leave?"
"I'm looking for a nearby railway station, it's going to lead me to my final destination."
"What are you planning?"
"Train hopping."
Charlie raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
"Cause its the least likely place you'll find a Pokémon who's trying to get somewhere. I might be followed, I'm not sure by who, and I'm not eager to find out by whom. I'll appreciate it if you turn a blind eye if anyone ask you where I'm going, even if they claim to be friends."
Charlie thought for a moment. So this Tesla Westinghouse, claiming to be a famous Pikachu looking for relatives, hopping on a train to who-knows where? His story was more patchwork than whole, Tesla still doesn't fully trust him. Why would he? Not all Pokémon liked to be captured and trained. As a Pokémon trainer, Charlie had to respect that. Everybody deserved freedom, he let Pansage go but she came right back. She liked him, and she's not going anywhere anytime soon.
But this Tesla was, where ever he was going he doesn't wanna leave a trail. The Pikachu was obviously old. He was stubborn, but not ignorant. Tesla was taking a risk. To his eyes at least. So that raises the question, why was he so paranoid?
He might try to leave before sunrise tomorrow, Charlie thought, Who knows what he'll blunder into out there, I best have Pansage keep an eye on him. He's not leaving until I can be sure he's fit for travel.
"You were never here." Charlie said.
Tesla smiled, "I can already tell we could be good friends. Thanks for helping be back there, I wasn't thinking straight to begin with."
Charlie nodded, "Common for Pokémon."
"True."
Charlie remained silent for a moment until he asked, "So, what do you like to do in the meantime?"
. . .
The healing powder did its job, the pain in the old Pikachu's joints had faded away and relaxed. For the rest of the day, Tesla enjoyed his time with Charlie. He slept for the first few hours until his muscles hurt. When he found out that Charlie had gone away to run an errand, leaving his Pansage behind to keep an eye on him, Tesla made himself feel at home. First he found the bathroom and took a shower, a rather long one. He shampooed and conditioned himself, twice, then added the body wash, and finally urinating in the shower. Tesla felt the loose strands of yellow fur come off, eventually covering the bottom of the bath tub along with a golden stream of urine.
When Tesla was done, he dried himself off with the hair dryer. His fur fluffed up, making him look fat. The old Pikachu just laughed it off and patted down most of his fur, the rest would come down on its own. When he was done, he used the toilet and defecated. Tesla moaned in relief as his felt his bowels relaxed, he let out a smile as he finished it off with a loud fart. He had the courtesy to flush and added a bit of bleach to the bowl, hoping it would get rid of some of the smell. It doesn't.
Once he was done with the bathroom, Tesla went to the kitchen and got out a small bowl. He dumped some peanut butter in it, along with a whole banana and peach. He took it to the living room where he ate it with a spoon. When finished, he took his bowl back to the kitchen and washed it. Eventually he noticed the sink was full of used dishes, recalling he was indebted to Charlie for saving him, it seemed alright he should clean up the house . . . so he washed all the dishes and put them back in the cabinets, then washed out the sink from any left over food.
Tesla let himself get carried away, and wound up doing Charlie's laundry and taking out the trash. Pansage watched him through it all, the look on her face told Tesla that she was wondering if he was allowed to do it. It really got to a head when Tesla cleaned up Charlie's horribly messy bedroom. All the dirty clothes were picked off the floor and washed in the washing machine, more dirty dishes washed and put away, trash picked up and disposed of, and the bed had its sheets changed – with its comforter smoothed out with an iron.
When he was all done, the old Pikachu was back on the couch napping by the time Charlie came back home.
"Whoa," Tesla heard Charlie say, he perked an ear and made a small grin as he further listened, "This is not what I expect!"
Always wowing them, he thought, as trained.
When night came around, Tesla slept peacefully. When he woke up, it was still dark, he glanced over at the digital clock and it said 5AM. That was early enough. The old Pikachu got off the couch and head for the back door for a discreet getaway. Using all of his strength, Tesla jumped up on the doorknob, twisted it, and pushed against the door frame with his foot. The door swung open, letting out a rather loud squeak. Tesla dropped back down and looked outside, the stars were out, twinkling brightly in the sky.
I'm outta here. Tesla thought.
"Pansage!" Wait!
Tesla spun around, his cheeks sparkled with electricity from the shock, ruining his night vision, "Damn it, Pansage," he whispered, gripping his chest, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
The Grass Monkey Pokémon lowered her head in shame, "Pan." Sorry.
"Look, go back to bed. I have to go, I prefer to move under the cover of darkness where everybody's asleep."
Pansage shook her head and held out her hands, "Pan, Pan Pansage!" No, don't go!
Tesla raised an eyebrow, "Now what is your problem?"
Pansage reached out and grabbed Tesla by the wrists, "Pansage Pan Pansage Pan Pansage, Pan!" Don't leave without Charlie knowing, please!
Tesla ripped his hand free from Pansage's grip, "I'm a Pikachu, and Pikachus are a rare sight on this island! I might be hunted by damn idiots and I don't want anybody tracking me!"
Pansage's eyes watered, "Pan!" Please!
Tesla pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned, What the f*ck am I going to do now!? He thought.
"Err, you're lucky I'm not a fire-type. I swear I can feel my temper steam out of my ears. You know what? If you want me to stay, fine!"
Tesla sat down on his rear and crossed his arms, turning away from Pansage, "Pan Pan Pan!" Pansage muttered. Oh don't be like that!
Tesla closed his eyes and sat there, almost pretending Pansage wasn't there. After a few minutes of silence, Tesla calmed down enough to ask her a question, "Were you watching me all night?"
"Pan." said Pansage. Yes.
"Did Charlie told you?"
"Pan." Yes.
"Figures."
Another moment of silence.
"Pan Pan?" Pansage asked. Are you alright?
Tesla sat there and thought for a moment, "Pika Pika Pikachu," he spoke in his Pokémon language and Pikachu voice, sounding agitated, "Pika Pika Pika?" You seen Charlie brought me in, does that tell you anything?
"Pan Pan, Pan Pansage." You're broken down, yet you don't wanna give up.
"Pikachu." Exactly.
"I should have given up a long time ago," said Tesla, "I had been harshly injured from multiple Pokémon battles so many times, many of the injuries hadn't fully healed. The many surgeries where the doctors have to fix and realign my broken bones, some bones had to be bolted and stapled back in place as a permanent fixture. Those old injuries still hurt, but not as much. Even though I won the battles, it wasn't worth it."
Tesla turned around and looked at Pansage in the eyes, "And the biggest kicker, I never wanna fight them. On some days where an old wound starts acting up, I curse my trainer's name because of it. Now that I'm old, it hurts even more."
Pansage sat on the ground and twiddled her fingers, "Pan Pan?" Was it that rough?"
"I dislocated many of my joints from almost every battle, and I pop them back in place. Of course it was that rough."
"Pan." Ouch.
"Had you fought any battles?"
The Grass Monkey Pokémon nodded her head, "Pansage."
"Ever lost one?"
She nodded again, "Pan."
"I had never, and I mean never, lost a battle. Because the only way to lose a battle is by fainting. I always drink coffee before battle, just to keep he from fainting. The tactic work and I won every battle I fought, but half of the battles I won were failures to me. I get injured, poisoned maybe. If I'm just a bit dinged up, my trainer doesn't take me to the Pokémon Center, he just tucks me into bed with a glass of water and that's it. But if I get a broken bone, or internal bleeding – he can tell – then I go to the Pokémon Center."
Tesla got back on his hind legs and stretched his muscles, "Being in bed, sick from a battle or an ailment . . . it was the most horrible experience I had ever faced. I got poisoned one time after facing against a bad ass plant-type, I was sick for a week. My kidneys managed to remove the poison, but it took me a month to fully recover. Through it all, I felt pain almost every day!"
The old Pikachu held his breath and listened to the silence, he was a bit too loud there, "He was a tough trainer, and a loving one. He treated me more like a human being than anything else. From what I been through, I have learned to fine tune my skills and the pain I sense from battle. Now, what do you do when you are hurt?"
"Pan Pan Pansage." said Pansage. I'm comforted by my trainer.
Tesla smiled, "I don't have that option."
The old Pikachu could see the look in Pansage eyes, it was empathy. Her eyes watered again and a tear streaked down her cheek, but it wasn't a full blown cry. Thank Ho-Oh for that, or Charlie would march in her wondering what the crap had happened. Tesla approached Pansage and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Remember, its a dangerous world out there. It may had done me in, but not you. I don't know your past, but when your trainer teaches you everything that you can possibly learn, you'll discover a change in relationship. The bond won't be a trainer and Pokémon, it would be friend and friend. Best friends maybe. Completely equal, if possible. That is what my relationship with me and my trainer is like."
Tesla turned around and stared back outside. The horizon was a little brighter now, the stars fading away by the advancing sun. Morning would come, waking the world as it always does, "I hate mornings," said Tesla, "I prefer to sleep in, whenever possible."
"Pan Pan Pansage?" Pansage asked. So you won't leave right away?
Tesla shot around and gave her a look, "Damn it, Pansage. If I were to leave, I would have ignored you and be on my way a long time ago." A smile then stretched across his face. "I'm glad you did stop me, now I don't have to do all the walking."
. . .
Charlie began to wonder what was Tesla doing behind his back, he stood there and watched as he slept on his back. His mouth hanged open, letting out soft snores as drool oozed out and soak the couch. Pansage slept on the other foot of the bed. She slept on her belly with her face snuggled underneath an arm, sleeping quietly. This wasn't what he expected. Pikachus always wander off after getting what they need, usually early in the morning. But Tesla stayed, and slept in.
He's more tired than I thought. Charlie thought.
He approached the old Pikachu and sat down on the coffee table, Tesla let out a snore as he shift his head. More drool poured out of his mouth, he let out a soft moan in his Pikachu voice as one of his ears twitched. Charlie reached out and turned Tesla's head so his face was pointed at the ceiling, the old Pikachu's snores lessen in volume. Charlie held out his finger over Tesla's belly, he glanced at his face and saw he was still in a deep sleep. Well, that won't last long.
Charlie jabbed his finger down on the old Pikachu's mid-section, almost with the force of a human punch. Tesla let out a loud snort and started coughing, he sat up and hunched over, clearing his airway of saliva.
"Pikachu!" the old Pikachu let out an angry roar in his Pokémon language, he probably sweared a cuss word.
Charlie grinned, "Rise and shine, you old fart."
Tesla looked at him with droopy eyes, his ears were relaxed as his jaw somewhat hanged out. Drool from his sleep stained his cheek and chin, the old Pikachu didn't seem to notice.
"Ugghh," he moaned, "I can't tell if I should be tired or pissed . . . what time is it?"
"It's eight-thirty." said Charlie.
Tesla let out another moan, "I thought I was too old for sleep, I feel younger already."
The old Pikachu noticed the drool on his mouth and wiped it with his wrist, "Mind if I use your bathroom?"
"Sure," said Charlie, "Take your time."
"Thanks."
Tesla got off the couch and wobbled on his hind legs, he almost lost his balance halfway towards the bathroom. He grumbled to himself as he regained his balance, then disappeared into the bathroom shutting the door behind him.
Pansage stirred and sat up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and gave Charlie a silly look, "Pansage!" she chirped.
"We gotta wait for a moment," said Charlie, "Tesla's in the bathroom. Did he try to leave in the middle of the night?"
Pansage nodded, "Pan."
"I guess you stopped him then."
Pansage let out another nod, "Pan!"
For 15 minutes, Charlie heard Tesla whistled a tune as he ran the shower. He repeated the verses, over and over again. Charlie couldn't believe the sound was able to travel through the walls, unimpeded by the insulation. It didn't take long for the song to get stuck in his head, even Pansage was covering her ears from the catchy tune.
When Tesla was done, he walked out of the bathroom. His fur was towel-dried, and it seemed to glow brighter, "I'm shedding my fur like crazy," says the old Pikachu, "Must be the change of season."
"So where you're headed?" Charlie asked.
"The nearby train station, it's going to take me where I'm going."
"The quickest way just so happened to be that walking trail you were on yesterday."
"Would you show me the way?"
"Yeah, I can."
Charlie opened the back door and stepped out, when Pansage and Tesla followed him out he closed and locked the door behind him. Just as they step out onto the walking trail, Tesla winced and grabbed his knee, "Ahh," he groaned, "I'm still too sure from that hike, would you mind if you carry me?"
"Uh, I won't mind." said Charlie, then again he wasn't surprised.
Charlie picked Tesla up and carried him off, his expression relaxed once he was off his feet, "That's so much better," he said, wiggling his toes, "Almost like your couch, Charlie."
"Don't push your luck, Tesla." Charlie snickered.
The old Pikachu giggled, "What? I'm old enough to be your great-grandfather, I'm not as spry as I used to be."
Pansage hopped on Charlie's shoulder and got settled in. Great, now he had to carry two Pokémon.
Charlie carried Tesla like an infant as he head down the trail. The trees shuffled as birds hopped from branch to branch, chirping their mating calls along the way. Pansage cooed as she spotted a wild Cottonee, it hovered in the air, spinning counter-clockwise. As Charlie passed by, the Cottonee floated away without alarm.
Twenty minutes of silence went by, Charlie looked down and noticed Tesla had fallen asleep in his arms. Charlie gave him a jolt, and the old Pikachu's eyes fluttered open, "Why?" he asked.
"Why what?" Charlie replied.
"Why did you jolt me?"
"Just making sure you hadn't dozed off."
"I was just resting my eyes."
I'm starting to think you're just being lazy. Charlie thought as he rolled his eyes.
As he continued to walk down the road, Charlie wondered about the Pikachu's health. He was old and possibly frail. He should be staying at a Pokémon retirement home or something, the world was beating down on Tesla from the inside-out. What made him sail across an ocean and travel deep into Unova that was so important? What was keeping him going? Charlie wondered about all the possibilities, but figured out none. He wasn't a Pikachu expert, but he can tell that Tesla would crap out again. If he was indeed a celebrity, then he might not get a break from his adoring fans. And since Pikachus weren't a native species in Unova, that just made his life even harder.
Within the distance, a train horn belched and hooted. It was so loud that the nearby wild Pokémon took cover and hid, thinking it was a predator or something, "We're almost there," said Charlie, "Just have to make a few turns."
Charlie detoured off the trail and made his way through a patch of woods, he pushed by the bushes and shrubs until he stumbled into the local rail line. After checking for a train, Charlie followed the rail line to its source. The train yard loomed in front of him, its network of rails from all over Unova converged together like blood vessels to a heart. It was busy, several freight trains steamed by, blowing a few whistles to announce their approach. Fellow train workers followed the front of the train as it slowly guide the locomotives to their designated rails. It was packed, and they were trespassing.
"This is where we say goodbye, friend," said Tesla, "Thanks for your help."
"Sure thing, Tesla," said Charlie, "You think you can handle it from here?"
"I'll find a way."
Charlie sat down Tesla and he stretched his legs, suddenly Pansage jumped down and gave Tesla a big hug, "Pansage!" she cried.
"If I get settled in and cleared up a few things, I'll look you up," said Tesla, "Maybe we'll see each other again some day."
"Pan Pan!"
Pansage climbed back on Charlie's shoulder, Tesla looked around the train yard and nodded. He turned back towards the young trainer and smiled, "Bye, Charlie. Bye, Pansage."
"Bye, Tesla." said Charlie
"Pansage!" Pansage waved goodbye.
With that, Tesla ran off into the sea of box cars and locomotives. Charlie nodded to himself and turned to Pansage, "Let's go back home now, we're done here."
"Pan!" Pansage agreed.
. . .
A big heavy locomotive, complete with 20 cars packed with consumer goods, began to roll down its designated rail. It blew its horn, announcing its departure. The conductor increased the speed with a push of a lever, the train steamed and groaned as it moved faster. When it was around near the speed of a bicycle, Tesla made his move.
He broke out of cover and ran on all four legs, he puffed as he ran parallel to one of the boxcars. It was beginning to pass by, moving much more faster now. When Tesla spotted a latter, the old Pikachu gave it all he got and jumped.
"Gotcha!" he said to himself as he grabbed the bottom bar of the latter.
It didn't take long for Tesla to start slipping, his eyes widened. If he fell, he would be crushed by the train and pulverized like an orange in a blender. He would feel every bone crunch and vessel split before being left for dead by the side of the railroad. Tesla tightened his grip as the train became fast as a race car. The old Pikachu tried to grab the ladder with his other hand, but the inertia pulled him back.
"Give it all you got, Tesla." Tesla Westinghouse told himself.
Tesla exert all of his muscle forward and latched his other hand to the ladder. Next he began climbing up the boxcar until his feet rest against the bottom bar. With the locomotive's loud thumbs and squeals deafening his ears, Tesla climbed up the box car and made it on top.
"Made it!" he gasped as he flopped onto his back, the wind whipped past him as the train lumbered along. He took a moment to rest and thought about his plan. Yes, this train would take him to another train station, where he would get on board a passenger train and it should take him to the town of his namesake. However, its going to be a long trip. The train had to make a few stops along the way, who knows what they would bring on board.
"Hmm," Tesla thought out loud, "A lot of stuff to get into."
Tesla rolled on his belly and got on all fours, he best find cover. If he was caught by the technicians or the conductor, he'd be in deep trouble. The old Pikachu looked around for a way into the box car. He found one, a small skylight, just big enough to squeeze through. Tesla crawled to it, keeping low as possible to avoid being caught by the wind. He grabbed a hold of the sides and pried open the plastic cover, it opened up just a bit. Once Tesla got it as wide as it can possibly go, he stuck his head through, squirming the rest of his chubby body in.
The old Pikachu flopped on the floor of the box car, Tesla got back up and shook it off. Though it was a hard landing, he was used to such falls.
"Whoa." said a voice.
Tesla stood up on his hind legs and saw three hobos, sitting cross-legged around a dimming electric lantern. They all stared at him with curious eyes, one of them had their mouth stuck open, holding a piece of jerky in front of it. The old Pikachu examined them carefully. Hmm, they seem friendly enough, though they look old enough to might have heard of his battling days.
"Is that a Pikachu?" said a skinny hobo with the wide eyes.
"He looks like Tesla." said the hobo in the middle.
Well, Tesla thought, F*ck it.
Tesla approached the lantern and sat cross-legged before it, "Indeed I am," said he said, "You might have seen me on television two decades back, during those glory days. Right?"
The hobos leaned back, as if they were pressed by an unseen force. Their eyes grew ever wider as the hobo with the jerky dropped the piece of meat, his mouth remained stuck open.
"Yes," said the hobo in the middle, "We had, we heard you were in Unova but . . . we didn't expect you to drop by."
Tesla reached out and touched the lamp with the tip of his finger, the lamp sparkled with electricity and the bulb brightened. The whole boxcar lit up as bright as the lantern can possibly get it, Tesla rest his back against one of the cardboard boxes and held out his hand, "I feel like I have stories coming out of my ass," the old Pikachu said as he extended a hand, "Pass me a beer and I'll keep you occupied for the next few hours."
The middle hobo got out a brown beer bottle and tossed it to Tesla, he pulled the cap off with his teeth and spat it aside before he sucked down a mouthful of warm beer. Ah yes, he was feeling better already . . .
THE END!