Kanto I:

Looking at the battered form of his friend, Ash wanted to cry.

He'd gotten a lot of shit from Misty when he bragged about his two badges, about how he hadn't actually earned them. In an overconfident manner he had always just shrugged her off. If he hadn't earned them, then how in the world did he get them? But now, now he understood what she was talking about and it felt like his entire world had collapsed out from under him. If Misty had been right about this, what else had she been right about?

Leaning against the bed, he ran his fingers lightly over the numerous bandages the covered the tiny body of his very best friend and sighed. His pride had taken a hit, but it was ultimately Pikachu who had paid the price for his arrogance and that wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. Pulling his hand away, Ash folded his arms and used them as a pillow for his head. He wouldn't sleep though. Couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, visions of the disastrous battle that had taken place earlier played in his mind. Sitting up again, he leaned back in his chair and stared out the window.

But it wasn't what was outside that caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the thunderstone glinting brightly in the light of the moon. Getting up, he walked around the bed and collected it. Right now, in the silence, the greenish yellow stone seemed so innocent. Like it was just an everyday rock that couldn't possibly change his and Pikachu's lives forever. Gripping it in his fist, he turned back to Pikachu.

It would be so easy. All he had to do was place the stone on his fur and that was that. Pikachu would be a Raichu and they might be able to stand a chance against Lt. Surge. But in the back of his mind a voice, which sounded suspiciously like Brock, told him that this was wrong. Pikachu had made his choice and Ash would just have to live with it. Groaning, he shook his head. Brock, because he wouldn't admit to hearing voices, was right. This wasn't just his decision. It wasn't just his life. The choice belonged to Pikachu too. So he turned back to the small box, placed the thunderstone inside it, and resolutely closed it with a small thud.

They would find another way to beat Lt. Surge. A way that didn't involve changing their entire lives. They would just have to try harder.

They did it. They'd beat him.

The Thunder Badge still glinted in the sunlight and Ash couldn't take his eyes off of it. It was still a bit surreal. Now that all of the adrenaline had worn off, he realized just how tired he was. But they'd won, and that was what mattered. The acknowledgement from Lt. Surge didn't hurt either. Leaning back against the bench, he knew it would be a while yet before Pikachu woke up. His buddy had absolutely exhausted himself against Raichu and deserved the nap.

"So you really beat Lt. Surge."

Looking up, he saw Nurse Joy looking at him with a small smile on her face and he gave her a large grin in return.

"We sure did! And we even have the badge to prove it!" It was redundant to show her the badge; she'd already seen it he was sure. But he felt entitled to show off a little. Thankfully, she didn't say anything and just smiled a little brighter. Looking at her now also made him remember something else.

"Oh yeah," Quickly pinning the badge in it's rightful spot on the inside of his vest, he then unzipped his backpack and pulled out the box which housed the Thunder Stone. "This belongs to you, Nurse Joy. We didn't need it." When he tried to hand her the box, she just shook her head. Instead, she handed him a small orange pouch.

"Perhaps you don't need it now. But one day, should Pikachu ever decide to evolve, let's leave the option open."

The next morning as they were leaving, he placed the empty box on the counter in front of Nurse Joy. She just raised an eyebrow at him. Smirking, he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the small orange pouch that she had given him yesterday and showed her. Then he turned around and caught up to Brock and Misty, and walked out of the Pokémon Center.

Word Count: 762

A/N: Well, long time no see. As the title suggests, this is my story Thunderstone, except broken down. A year and a half ago, I wrote a drabble that turned into a 2,600 word one shot. But it was convoluted and you couldn't really see the transitions. It was suggested that I break it down and I finally am. I'm breaking the story up into small stories about specific instances, and they will follow a chronological order of his journey. See you next time!

P.S. The fact that my initial asterisk breaks didn't survive the doc manager is really annoying. *pouts*