Again, thanks for the reviews, guys. Here's chapter 3!

Author's Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

"text" is spoken language
'text' is thoughts
"text" is translated Pokéspeech

A New Era, Chapter 3

The owner of the familiar voice stepped out behind a clearing. Jessie, holding a still-smoking bazooka in her hand, was there, laughing at him.

"Team Rocket!" Ash said. 'Just when this day couldn't get any worse…'

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"

There was no response. Jessie fell backwards. Ash sweatdropped.

"James! Meowth! Where are you?"

"We're coming, Jess…" James said. "But we're tired."

"And hungry." Meowth said.

Jessie thwacked her partners with the bazooka. "Don't you two have better things to think about other than food and sleep? Besides, I already got the twerp. He's right here."

"Can't you guys just leave me alone for once?"

"Um, Jessie?" James said. "Are you sure that this Pikachu is the twerp? He's speaking in Pikachu language, not English."

"It's him." Meowth said. "He said dat he wanted us to leave him alone for once. And besides, his voice is not of the Pikachu that we all know and love."

"Let me out!" Ash yelled. He tried to bite the net, but it was too strong to bite through.

"Sorry, twerp," Meowth said, "but dis net is made with an extra-strength metal alloy that I can't even pronounce – so you can't bite through it. And don't think about thunderboltin either."

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"
"It's speaking to me, loud and clear."

"Not now!" said Ash.

"Quit yappin." said Meowth. "Nobody interrupts da Team Rocket Super Motto."

'Super Motto? Oh, for crying out loud…'

"Floating on the wind!"
"Past the stars!"
"In your ears!"
"It tells us that you need to prepare for trouble!"
"It also says to make it double!"
"An evil as old as the galaxy!"
"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all peoples within our nation."
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie! Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"
"James! Dashing hope, putting fear in its place!"
"Meowth! Now dat's a name!"
"Wherever there's peace in the universe,
"Team Rocket,"
"Putting the do-gooders in their place at the speed of light,"
"Will be in your face…"
"To make everything worse!"
"And when everything's worse, our work is complete. So surrender now or prepare to fight."
"Dat's right."
"Wobba-Wobba!"

Ash yawned, causing the trio to fall backwards. "You done yet? Combining three boring mottos into one doesn't make it more exciting or super. If anything, that just makes it even more boring."

"We didn't ask for your opinion, twerp!" Meowth said. "Let's just give him to da boss, ok?"

"We'll finally get that promotion!" Jessie squealed.

"Why did you choose to go after me instead of Pikachu?"

"Because," said Meowth, "your Pikachu is strong, but you are weak. So, we thought it would be much simpler to catch you and bring you to da boss. And besides, you are a human-turned-Pikachu, which makes you even more valuable."

"You actually thought? Wow. I'm impressed."

"Quiet, you! James! Jessie! Let's go."

"Agreed." the two Rockets said, picking up Ash.

"Blaziken, Go!" "Empoleon – help Blaziken!"

"Huh? What was…" said the Rockets. At that moment, two Pokémon smashed into Jessie and James, causing them to drop Ash.

One of them picked up Ash, still in the net, and brought him to its trainer.

"Nice job." May said to the Blaziken by her side. "How are you feeling, Ash?"

"I've felt better."

"Um...Ash?" Misty said. "Can't you talk English anymore?"

"Oh – sorry." Ash said, a little embarrassed. "It turns out I can speak like a Pikachu now."

"So we heard." Dawn said.

"Misty, May, Dawn – do you three have any Pokémon that can get me out of this net without hurting me?"

"Hey!" Max said. "Don't forget about me! Go, Venusaur!" Max threw a Pokéball, and the plant Pokémon emerged. "Use Razor Leaf on that net!"

"Um, Max - didn't the words "without hurting me" register in your mind?" Ash said - but too late for the Venusaur to stop the attack. Fortunately for Ash, the leaves managed to rip a portion of the net while barely missing Ash.

"That was too close for comfort, but at least I'm out. Thanks." Ash said. "Now lets deal with Team Rocket."

"Right." The others agreed.

"Hold it right there, twerps! Seviper, go!" Jessie commanded, throwing its Pokéball.

"Go, Carnivine! Attack!" James threw a Pokéball as well. "Ack! Not me, them!"

The twerps just smiled. "Blaziken! Fire Blast!" "Empoleon, use Hydro Pump!" "Venusaur! Solar Beam!" "Go Starmie! Use Hyper Beam!" As the four Pokémon charged up their attacks, Ash decided to join in by using his Thundershock.

"Wobbufet! Do something!" said Jessie.

"Wobba!" Wobbufet started to glow. However, the attacks still hit him and the Rockets, making a large explosion. Once again, the Rockets went airborne.

"What? Why didn't that work?" Jessie said, irritated.

"That's because Wobbufet used Counter…" James said.

"What? Why I oughta –"

"Jessie! Wait! You specifically told Wobbufet to do something, and he did. Don't punish him for that."

"Shut up." Meowth said. "Aren't we forgettin somethin?"

"Oh yeah…right. We're blasting off again!" -ping-

"Hey Ash." Misty said. "I didn't know you could use electric attacks already."

"Yeah...it's something that came about while I was trying to escape my captor." Ash said. "Hey – where's Pikachu? Not to mention Gary, Brock, my mom, and Professor Oak."

"Katherine left the arena with Pikachu in her hands," May said. "Gary, Brock, your mother and Oak followed her, but we don't know whether they've succeeded or not."

"All right. I just hope Pikachu's ok…"

"Curtis! Curtis, I'm back."

"Ah, Katherine, you've returned. How goes the search?"

"I'll tell you." Katherine said, as she set Pikachu down on a table.

"Where did you get the Pikachu?"

"I'll explain that to you in a moment."

Pikachu spoke up. "Pikapi! Kachu pikapi pichu? Chu pika?"

"What is it, Pikachu?" Katherine said. "You still worried about your trainer?" Pikachu nodded. "Don't worry, Pikachu. Curtis will bring him here."

"I will?"

"Yes, you will. And don't give me that tone of voice, honey."

Pikachu sweatdropped. 'Just like Ash and Misty back in the day…'

"Now, as I was about to say, I have found the identity of the One." Katherine said, as she reached into her bag and held up a picture of a still-human Ash.

"Are you sure that he's the One?" Curtis said, taking the picture. "He looks so young…"

"Don't underestimate him just because he looks young." Katherine reached back into her bag and took out several newspapers depicting some of Ash's heroic feats. "Ash has saved the world countless times, believe it or not – which I can't explain to you at the moment because we don't have time."

"What do you mean, Katherine?"

"Three things. First, when the Master did his spell on Ash, there was a little side effect. It turned the One into a Pikachu–"

"Wait – are you saying that Pikachu over there is the One?"

"Oh, no – this is the One's loyal companion, who has traveled with him through thick and thin for a long time."

Pikachu couldn't help but smile a little after hearing Katherine refer to him like that. Katherine held up another picture – this one of Ash in his Pikachu form. "This is what he looks like now."

Curtis held the two photos next to each other. "I see…several features remain similar between the two shots despite the transformation. So what was the other things you were trying to tell me?"

"The second issue is that the Master decided to transform him right in the middle of the stadium we were battling in."

"But why? That makes no sense for him to do that."

"We cannot question the Master's plans – he surely wouldn't have done it without reason."

"I suppose you're right."

"Now, the third issue is that Ash, while trying to escape with this Pikachu, managed to get himself captured."

"Oh, that's just great." Curtis said while rolling his eyes. "And I presume you want me to find out his location?"

"Of course. And besides, the Master will help you search."

"I search? What happened to we search? And why can't we just–"

"Nonono!" Katherine hissed, covering Curtis's mouth. "You know you aren't allowed to talk about that in the Master's chambers."

"Pi?" Pikachu said, confused.

"Now, go and bring him here by any means necessary." Katherine ordered.

"Yes, dear."

'I have a bad feeling about this.' Pikachu thought to himself.

Ash talked with Max and the girls about what everything that happened after he got captured – except for his dream. He didn't feel like telling them just yet.

"Wow…it's amazing that you're in as good of a condition as you are." Misty said.

"I'll say." Max said.

"How did you guys find me?" Ash said.

"We followed that mob that you were talking about." May said. "One of the members mentioned that they were after the trainer that had captured you. We saw you on a roof for a brief period before you dashed into the forest. We followed you inside, and found you with Team Rocket."

"I have to say, we got pretty lucky there." Dawn said.

"Where are we?" mentioned Ash.

"We're not far from Viridian City." Misty said. She looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. We'll have to spend the night there - we'll be back in Pallet tomorrow, Ash."

"Good." Ash said. "I thought this day would never end."

"Tell me about it." said Dawn.

After an hour or so, the group found themselves in Viridian City. They stopped at the Pokémon Center.

"Welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Center!" said Nurse Joy. "May I take your Pokémon?"

Ash froze. 'This is a hospital!' He had always hated hospitals when he was younger. Ash tried to escape Joy's grasp as she picked him up.

"Huh? This Pikachu doesn't seem to like Pokémon Centers!" Joy said.

"Um…we just caught this Pikachu earlier today," Misty said. "He…uh…doesn't really know what to expect here."

May, Dawn and Max rapidly nodded their heads in approval.

"Ok then." Joy said. "Don't worry, Pikachu. You're going to be fine."

Joy led Ash to a large, cylindrical-shaped chamber and placed him inside. "You just stay right here for a few moments, ok?"

Ash nodded. The door to the cylinder closed, and Ash noticed a white mist coming from the walls. Ash was a little worried – but as the mist approached him, he found himself rejuvenated. The mist gradually faded and the door opened again.

"There we are. All done!"

'That wasn't bad at all!' Ash thought. He smiled at Joy.

"For being such a good little Pikachu, here. Take one." Joy held out several Pokéblocks. Ash took a yellow one and popped it into his mouth. He found the taste a bit strong for his liking. 'So that's what a Pokéblock tastes like…'

Ash and company rented a room in the Center to spend to night. Ash couldn't sleep, however. He started to cry as he contemplated the day's events. Misty, who hadn't fallen asleep yet, overheard his cries and went over to him.

"Are you ok, Ash?" Misty said.

"Not really." Ash said. "A lot has happened today…and all I want right now are answers."

"Tell me everything, Ash. You can trust me."

Ash hesitated for a bit. He then decided that it was all right to tell Misty about his dream. As he told her, Misty's eyes started to widen, while Ash started to cry again.

"That's terrible…" Misty said, feeling sad for the boy-turned-mouse. She picked him up and placed him on her bed. Misty started to pet him. Ash stopped crying and perked up a bit, unsure of the new situation he found himself in. Ash couldn't help himself but speak a "Cha" of satisfaction as Misty continued to pet him.

'I know that he's technically a human,' Misty thought to herself, 'but he's a Pokémon now. It must be really hard on the poor kid.'

The two of them fell asleep. While Misty fell asleep peacefully, Ash discovered he was back in his dream again. He found himself once again in a burning city - although this time, he realized he was in Saffron and not Pallet. In addition, he found himself unable to control his body. Ash could only watch as he marched through the burning remains of the once magnificent city. He continued to walk until he reached a spot not far from the city limits. He noticed that the same Pikachu from his earlier dream was there, and this time, he was with human prisoners, each tied up to a tree. 'They're still alive…'

"Ah, you've arrived, General." The Pikachu said. "The prisoners are ready. Execute them."

Ash tried to say to the Pikachu that he couldn't – but his body wouldn't listen to him. He started walking again, until he was facing one of the prisoners. Ash opened his mouth. Before Ash could wonder what his body was doing, he noticed that there was an orange glow coming from his mouth, gaining in intensity. The prisoner's eyes opened wide, and begged Ash to stop. Ash suddenly felt his mind splitting in two – one half wanted to stop the attack and save the prisoner, while the other wanted to kill him. Ash couldn't think about it for much longer, as a large orange beam shot out from his mouth directly at the prisoner.

Ash awoke with a start. 'It's even worse than before…' He walked over to the window and opened it.

"Why…" He muttered slowly to himself.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes. He noticed a silhouette stand up and face him. Ash took a step back and began to charge up his electricity, feeble as it was.

"Whoa, Whoa…hold up there, Ash." The silhouette said.

"How do you know my name?" Ash said.

The silhouette stepped out of the bushes and revealed itself to be a Raichu. "I know of your predicament," the Raichu said. "You wish to know why you transformed, and why all these events are happening to you."

"How…how do you know all this?" Ash said.

The Raichu smirked. "I have my sources."

"Why should I trust you, after everything that has happened to me today?"

"I do not wish to harm you." The Raichu extended a paw towards Ash. "Come with me, and I'll tell you the answers to your questions."

Ash paused for a moment. He didn't really know what to do. He looked back at the girls and Max, who were still asleep. He looked at the Raichu again, with his paw still extended. After about a minute or so of thinking, he decided to jump out of the window towards the Raichu.

"Thank you, Ash. You've saved us a great deal of trouble."

Ash as about to ask the Raichu what he meant by that, when suddenly another silhouette emerged right next to the Raichu. Ash thought the silhouette looked familiar, but before he could tell what it was, the silhouette was started to glow pink. Then, the three of them disappeared.

Ok...so i kinda lied. The plot will actually begin next chapter. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!