Well, as expected, Ch.9 has grown to epic proportions, so this is only the first part. The second half is giving me some trouble, mainly due to the number of OCs it has to involve. I'm still struggling with it, the kind of struggling that involves possibly scrapping the entire thing and rewriting in a new direction. .
In the mean time, I figured I had better post the first 9,000 words or so, at least. I quite enjoyed writing it – hopefully you'll enjoy reading it just as much! As always, thank you for all the lovely reviews – sometimes all it takes is someone showing an interest to get me writing again. :)
"Pokemon speak"
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A Different Kind of Soulmate
Chapter 9(a): Wish
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Ash stared into the crackling flames, in the grip of some serious déjà vu. During his last encounter with the wild pikachu clan he had spent much of his time staring into flames, and it seemed that history was doomed to repeat itself.
Now as before, the fall occurred gradually, and at first he was content to stare at the flickering, dancing tendrils of flame, the flayed tips that constantly lost themselves to the void of invisible air and were built up again, a little different each time. His mind was blank, observing the frolicking of the flames without judging. He basked in the warmth of the fire, content.
But inevitably he was drawn deeper into the fire, into the wind-tossed heart of embers from which the images would inevitably appear. This time was different from last; this time Pikachu was curled up at his side, the heat of her body providing a comforting backdrop to the scorching fire. This time Brock was here, but not Misty. This time, for all intents and purposes, Ash was not here either.
Despite the differences between now and then, the fire still succeeded in drawing out the fears hidden in the back of his mind. He watched as a flame-bordered clearing filled with yellow pokemon, apparently celebrating something, and recognized his own black-cheeked visage among them. He watched as Brock and Melanie looked on from the fringe of the trees, looking both happy and sad, although longing was plain on Melanie's face. He saw himself standing beside them with an expression of stony determination that he assumed he must have worn when trying to abandon Pikachu years ago. He watched himself turn away from the celebrating pokemon and walk off into the trees, Brock and Melanie following until they all faded into the darkness at the heart of the fire. The pikachu continued their party until they too faded into the flames, the black-cheeked chu among them.
"It's best for Pikachu to be with others of her kind…"
"This ability is only temporary…you'll have to settle…"
His own words from long ago and half-forgotten comments from the Mistress swirled around his head. What would happen when this was all over? His initial reaction notwithstanding (and he resolved to apologize to Pikachu about that at the soonest opportunity), Ash was enjoying being a pikachu. It was like a whole new world had opened up to him, filled with new friends to make, new cultures to experience, a whole new set of skills to master; a totally new way to see the world. If it weren't for their newest 'task', Ash would enjoy it immensely. As it was, he was stuck with taking the crash course.
It was also obvious how much his new ability meant to Pikachu. When she wasn't behaving oddly – and yes, he had noticed, although he was still a long way from even guessing at a cause – she positively sparkled. She delighted in teaching him the skills that he himself had taught her years before in a more roundabout way. She glowed with pride whenever he succeeded, though she also shocked him even more than usual and seemed to revel in the fact that he no longer offered even a token 'ow'. This one unnerved Ash slightly, as he knew the shocks were stronger than any he had received as a human – at least in the last few years – and he worried that she might slip up when he shifted to human. She also seemed to be content only when she was in contact with him in some way – which actually wasn't all that different from before. Ash supposed he was only noticing it more now that their sizes were more comparable.
Regardless, Pikachu would not take it well when he lost his second form. She grew more used to it every day. He could slow that down by remaining in human form longer, but would only end up hurting her more. As painful as it was, he would have to talk to her and make sure she understood that it was only temporary; that eventually, he would lose his second form and in a way, abandon her. Even though that loss might be something she wouldn'trecover from.
Voices from the other side of the campfire drew Ash's attention away from his own worries, and he tried his best to push them to the back of his mind. When the time came to talk to her he would, but that time wasn't now and didn't even have to be soon.
"So who do you think that second pikachu is then?" Melanie was saying, her voice quiet but still perfectly audible to a creature with such huge ears. "With those black cheeks…"
Ash rubbed his cheek with a paw absently as he listened. Melanie and Brock were lying in sleeping bags across the fire from the two pokemon. In lieu of a third sleeping bag which Ash certainly couldn't provide (what would happen to all his food?!), Brock had attempted to create a nest of sorts out of his pack and whatever soft things were inside. It actually wasn't too bad as long as neither of the occupants disrupted the bag's shifty balance, but Ash was still rooting for the plan where he pretended to find his sleeping bag in the forest. Likewise for the food. Alas, Pikachu's rationality had (for the moment) triumphed."I'm not sure, but I think I can guess," Brock said. "The two seem to be pretty close. I didn't think it was possible for Pikachu, honestly, but their connection is too obvious to deny. That in itself is incredible. Now Ash sends the two of them to this forest, a natural habitat for pikachu but totally isolated from humans; somewhere he knows Pikachu and its friend will be welcome. He seems to be encouraging Pikachu –"
"Oh!" Melanie interrupted. "Do you think – if it works, that is – do you think – maybe – he might let me have one?" There was a rustling noise, and Ash saw Melanie's head poke up above the fire.
"Ssh, you'll wake them," Brock said, but he was chuckling. "And I think that would be more Pikachu's decision than Ash's…or even their own!"
"Even better!" Melanie said, showing no sign of quieting down. "Just think…becoming the Master would be a cinch if I had one of those!" A fist rose above the fire to hang in the air briefly beside the head.
"Melanie," Brock said, his voice becoming even softer in what seemed an odd attempt to balance out the girl, "there's a lot more to becoming the Master than having good pokemon, you should know that."
"I know, I know." The fist transformed into a flapping hand and then disappeared. "But all the rest of that stuff won't do you a whit of good without them, will it?"
"Not true." Brock started his defense, but it was not to be. "Ash –"
"Look me in the eye and tell me you think his pikachu's not something special." A beat. "Hah."
"But if Ash hadn't been able to forge a close bond with it and gain its trust, whether it was special or not wouldn't have mattered. It hated him at the beginning, you know – hated people in general, really."
Silence followed that piece of information, interrupted only by the crackling of the fire. Ash let his bafflement simmer and tried to enjoy the sound of the fire. He was sure he had missed at least half of that conversation, and he just hoped it hadn't been important. Inevitably Melanie's voice broke the quiet.
"But why would –"
"Chuuuuuu…!"
Ash jerked; how long had Pikachu been awake for? However, she remained silent and motionless after her outburst, and Ash was left doubting whether she was awake at all. There was a thump from the other side of the campfire, then silence; Ash could no longer make out Melanie's head. Whatever its source, Pikachu's cry had succeeded in halting conversation for the rest of the night.
Ash sighed and let his head fall to his paws. The unrelenting brightness of the fire coaxed his eyes closed and the crackling lulled him to sleep. If he dreamed, none of it survived the light of morning.
(o^. ^o)
"Chu!"
Ash watched with satisfaction as the leaf he was aiming for fell to the ground. The fact that it brought the entire branch with it was just a slight glitch. So his aim was a little off; that was pretty minor compared with his ability to produce electricity on demand. And so his control was a little flaky; he could still definitely fry anything that dared to get in his way! He had pika power!
"Pi kachu!" he cheered, waving his branch in the air and doing a little dance. Even though Brock had thoughtfully given him a lotion for his rash the night before, Ash's itching had him up early that morning. Not wanting to disturb Pikachu, he had headed off a ways into the woods and began to practice. Thankfully the itching had calmed down quite a bit since he'd gotten up, and he barely noticed it anymore.
Glancing up at the sky, Ash noticed it was getting close to noon. His companions would be up soon, if they weren't already, and Ash didn't want Pikachu to worry. He made his way back to the campsite.
Brock was the only one up to notice his arrival – or absence. The pokemon breeder was fussing with the pots and pans, presumably trying to prepare breakfast. The other two were still asleep, and Pikachu was now curled up into a tiny ball in the center of their pack-nest. After a moment's hesitation, Ash leapt up to Brock's shoulder, causing the breeder to jump.
"Oh, hello," Brock said once he had regained his breath. "I didn't know you were back. How's that rash?"
"Pika pika!" Ash cheered, and got a smile for his efforts. Brock turned back his cooking equipment.
"I guess you want breakfast, right?" Ash nodded enthusiastically, and Brock dug around a bit before producing a brown bag and a bowl. He placed the latter on the ground and proceeded to pour many small brown lumps into it. Ash jumped off Brock's shoulder and stared at them.
"It's my own special pikachu recipe," the breeder explained. "I perfected it years ago…"
The rest of Brock's story fell on deaf ears, as Ash had already snatched a piece and was munching happily. He'd always been curious about what the food tasted like after seeing Pikachu enjoy them so much, but Brock's many assurances that it would taste horrible to a human had eventually turned him against the idea. As a pikachu though, they were delicious, like a mix between honey and fruit and something else he couldn't name.
"Glad you like it," Brock chuckled from somewhere far above his head. "Try to save some for Pikachu. Actually, could you go wake them up when you're done? We should get moving soon."
Ash nodded and polished off one last brown nugget of goodness before hopping over to Brock's pack. Pikachu was still dozing inside, her side rising and falling gently with each breath. Ash paused, just watching her. From this distance he could see the individual hairs on her shoulder rustle with his breath, and how the stripes on her back got distorted a bit when she breathed deeply. She uncurled a little in her sleep, bringing her head closer to his.
Without thinking about it consciously, Ash dipped his own head and gave her a brief lick on her forehead. She cooed softly in her sleep, and he smiled. After a few beats Ash felt someone watching him and drew back immediately, inexplicably embarrassed. He met Brock's gaze across the empty fire pit blushed at the thoughtful, knowing look in the other's eyes. Brock smiled at him, then turned back to his breakfast preparations.
Ash blinked after him for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. Predictably he soon gave up and turned back to Pikachu. This time a completely different idea occurred to him, and an evil smile spread across his face.
"Pikaaaaa….chu!"
The electricity scored a direct hit for once, and Pikachu leapt a good foot in the air. But she wasn't the Master's top fighter for nothing, and she had fired off a retaliatory thunderbolt as soon as she became airborne. Luckily for Ash, he had expected this and was moving as soon as the electricity left him. Pikachu's attack did nothing worse than leave an ugly scorch mark in the ground.
Pikachu was awake. Really, really awake – and instantaneously so, so that the very pleasant dream she'd been having didn't have a chance of being remembered. She felt as if she could fly – would, if given half a chance. Energy coursed through her body, and she felt kind of tingly all over.
Confused and hyper, she cast around for a possible reason. Brock was busy with breakfast, and was acting like nothing unusual had happened, although she did catch him glancing over his shoulder. Melanie was still asleep. And Ash…was hiding behind Brock's pack, giving her a very strange look. She realized her eyes were probably a lot wider than they should have been.
"Whaappened?" Pikachu asked, trying to lower her eyelids to a reasonable level. Despite the speed of the question, Ash seemed to understand.
"I…tried to shock you to wake you up. Like payback, kinda." Inwardly Ash grimaced; the act of explaining a prank always made it seem mean and childish. Thankfully Pikachu didn't seem to care, and her eyes grew impossibly wide.
"Chuuuuu…"Pikachu's gaze wandered off, presumably thinking. Silence reigned for a while, interrupted only by the various kitchen-y noises of Brock's activities.
"Okay." And with that obscure statement, Pikachu took off into the trees.
Ash blinked after her for a moment, stunned, then followed as fast as he could. But try as he might, he couldn't match her speed. She was a blur through the trees, and Ash soon lost sight of her. He kept running in the same direction, hoping to catch her eventually, until a cry stopped him in his tracks.
"Chhuuuu!!" came the unmistakable sound of his friend attacking something, followed immediately by the appearance of a pillar of light above the treetops. Within seconds it flickered away and died, but the air was stilled filled with various exclamations from the forest's inhabitants and the birds that could still fly were quickly vacating the area.
Moments later Pikachu bounded out of the trees.
"I'm okay now," she said. Run slightly past, pause, turn. "You probably shouldn't do that again. Unless, you know, I need it."
With that confusing advice, Pikachu took off back towards the campsite. After a few moments of befuddled silence, Ash followed.
When he made it back to camp he found Pikachu hunched over the bowl of Brock's pokefood, devouring it like she hadn't eaten in days.
"Is it really that good?" Ash said, amused. His only response was a muffled squeak. He waited for her to calm down some, and then attempted to clarify the recent events. "So what happened back there?"
"'M not sho how," Pikachu said between mouthfuls, the words coming out a bit garbled as a result, "bu I think I 'sorbed all 'e energy 'rom yo' atta." She swallowed. "I was already at full power from resting, so I got overcharged. I had to get rid of some of it or…something bad would've happened."
"Like what?" Pikachu munched on another kibble as she considered.
"Pi-ika. I've never heard of anyone letting it get that bad." She shrugged. "Explode, maybe." Ash's eyes bugged.
"Explode?!"
"Chu. That's what it felt like."
Ash stared at her, wide-eyed. So that's why she told him not to do it again – unless she needed it. Which meant when she was low on energy, he supposed. But what if he gave her too much? Pikachu continued to munch, unconcerned.
"Do you think that would work for me too?" Ash asked, another aspect having occurred to him. Pikachu looked at him sideways.
"Maybe. Probably. These things usually work both ways."
"Wait, so you know what this is?"
"Ka. Not really. We can ask the wild pikachu about it though."
"Okay guys, breakfast's over," Brock declared as he interrupted their conversation to snatch the empty bowl from under Pikachu's nose. "It's time to head out!"
"Pika pi pikachu?" Ash asked automatically, before realizing Brock couldn't understand him. Pikachu laughed, but was slowly realizing how annoying it was not to have a human representative.
Brock smiled at him and scratched his head, then slung his pack over his shoulder and began to march down the trail. Melanie, apparently fed as well, fell into step behind him. After a moment the two pikachu followed suit.
Around midday the group encountered an important split in the path; one route led onward to Cerulean and Melanie's second badge, while the other diverged towards Celadon and, eventually, the forest of the wild pikachu.
After some discussion the two-leggeds decided to split up. Melanie would continue on her own towards Cerulean City while Brock would 'visit Misty later' and escort the pikachu to the forest in the hopes of seeing Ash or, failing that, simply spend more time with Pikachu and her new friend. Brock gave Melanie a fond farewell, and after she had departed the two pikachu were treated to the tale of her gym battle and various dissertations on her ability as a trainer.
"She's not too bad for a beginner," Brock was saying as they rounded a corner, blocking the crossroads from view. Ash was learning the fine art of shoulder riding, while Pikachu walked on the path beside them. "Bossy and a bit careless at times, and she doesn't take criticism well, but she's determined. And we both know how far sheer determination can get you," Brock concluded, sharing a joking glance with Pikachu, who laughed. Ash grumbled and drove his claws more firmly into his friend's shoulder.
"She does have a good relationship with her bulbasaur," the breeder continued undeterred. "More than anything else, that was what got them through their battle with the gym's onix. They almost remind me of you and Ash, though of course you two were much closer even at that stage, despite Ash's lack of strategy and common sense."
"And of course no bulbasaur could hope to match Pikachu's anger issues back then," Ash added, aware that only half his audience would understand him, but needing to poke fun at someone other than himself.
A moment later Ash was on the ground next to Pikachu, laughing, and Brock was a smoking heap in the middle of the road. But it seemed failing to hit her target had annoyed Pikachu, since she still looked angry. Still chuckling to himself, Ash sat up and smiled at her.
"We deserved each other," he said, and after a moment she smiled back. Maybe his jab had struck a nerve; he'd have to be more careful in the future.
"Um, hello?"
Ash and Pikachu turned as one towards the source of the voice, and found a young boy standing by the side of the road in front of them. His mop of brown hair was in disarray and his jeans and t-shirt looked ragged and dirty, but he had a small smile on his face.
"Pi, pika!" Ash called, waving. Belatedly he realized yet again that he wouldn't be understood, but he tried not to let his friendly expression waver.
"Er, hi," Brock said, still attempting recover from his brush with Pikachu's electricity. He took a swipe at a sooty spot on his pants. "Did you, uh, just come out of the forest?"
"Uh, yeah," the kid replied, obviously not encouraged by Brock's less-than-stellar greeting, but plowing gamely ahead. "I was trying to catch some more pokemon and train for the Cerulean Gym, actually. Uh, are you a trainer?"
"Oh, uh, actually…" Brock paused to look at Ash, who was tugging on his pant leg and nodding eagerly. After a moment, the breeder seemed to understand. "Uh, yes, yes I am. Do you want to battle?" Relief washed over the younger's face.
"Yes, very much, if you wouldn't mind. But…" and here his face fell slightly, "I can only use two pokemon right now…if that's okay…?" Brock nodded, ignoring Ash's mini celebration at his feet.
"That's fine. It would probably be best if I only used this pikachu." Brock waved a hand at Ash, who couldn't decide whether to be insulted or agree.
"Great," the boy grinned brightly. "Well, I guess we don't have a referee, so…go, Spearow!"
The bird materialized in the air, already flapping and ready to go, letting loose a piercing screech. Ash was frozen for a moment while he and Pikachu just stared at the bird. Pikachu's first battle (if you could call it that) had also been with a spearow…
"Uh, well," Brock fumbled, "…Ashes, I guess you're up." Ash stared at the breeder in amazement, but there was no doubt about who Brock meant. With one last suspicious glance at Brock, Ash stepped forward into the battle field. However, Pikachu intercepted him.
"You sure you're ready for this, Pikapi?" she questioned, but before he could even open his mouth to reply, she smiled and answered herself. "Pii, stupid question, I know. But I'll help you anyway. Fighting is a lot different from giving orders. For now, just remember that speed is your best friend. And, um…watch out for the beak and the talons. Both are very sharp." She leant in to give him a quick nuzzle, a whispered 'good luck', and then backed away.
Ash swallowed and turned to the spearow. The other pokemon had landed, and was now fixing him with a one-eyed look that made Ash feel distinctly like food. He glared back and allowed a few sparks to shoot from his cheeks. The spearow merely clacked its beak, unimpressed.
"Okay Spearow, let's start with Peck!"
The bird obliged, but not with the aerial strike Ash had anticipated. Instead it shot forward doduo-style, propelling itself across the earth with its strong legs and sharp claws. Slowed by his surprise, Ash rolled a moment too late, and the bird was able to catch his tail.
"Pikapi, now!"
"Ashes, Thundershock!"
Without even turning to look at the spearow, Ash summoned his electricity and funneled it backwards, towards his tail. He heard a satisfying squawk from behind him, but the other pokemon was able to shake off the shock and return to the air. Ash turned to face the gliding bird and waited, electricity still crackling around him.
"Good job, Spearow! Now try Fury Attack!"
"Ashes, Quick Attack!"
Quick Attack? Ash though, eyes widening in horror. He had been so focused on his electricity that he hadn't even tried to use physical attacks. Stupid! Of course there's more to Pikachu's fighting than just electricity!
"Pikapi, it's okay!" came the voice of his saviour. "Use your electric energy to push yourself forward and just run! If you move fast enough, he won't be able to hit you!"
Ash nodded and took a moment to focus on his electricity, trying to ignore the spearow bearing down on him. He tried to imagine it fueling his jump and leapt forward, praying to Ho-Oh that he was doing it right.
He ran pretty much at random at first, but after a few moments had passed and he still hadn't been hit, his confidence began to return and he began to pay more attention to his surroundings. To his alarm he discovered the spearow was almost on his tail, and he dodged towards a bump in the ground, using it as leverage to do a sharp u-turn. Ash glanced back to see the spearow flapping ungainly in an attempt to turn, but even more surprising was the trail of light Ash seemed to be leaving in his wake.
"Okay Spearow, that's enough! Give it a taste of Aerial Ace!"
With a sinking feeling Ash realized his dodging was over, and instead he planted his feet to meet it head on. Although he had seen his own pokemon take this sort of stand many times before, his own experience with projectiles tended to be along the lines of running to intercept them. Standing still and waiting to be hit was very different, and required a much more focused and deliberate kind of courage.
"Ashes, thundershock!"
Ash reached for his electricity, but before he could put it to use the spearow struck him. The pain was startling, and Ash was sent flying from the force of the attack. But even in his new form, his reflexes were good. He twisted cat-like in midair, righting himself with all four feet pointing to the ground, and obeyed Brock's command.
"Pika-chuuuuu!"
"Speeeeeerrrr!"
Ash landed lightly on his feet at the same moment his opponent crashed to earth in a flutter of feathers. It didn't rise.
"Spearow, return!" its trainer called, and the pokemon disappeared in a flash of red light. "Spearow, you put up a great fight."
Ash was caught for a moment in the strangeness of witnessing this familiar ritual from such a different perspective, but a familiar call soon brought him back. He turned around to see Pikachu cheering at him from the sidelines, and he flashed the victory sign at her. If he had been paying attention, Ash would've seen Brock frowning.
"Alright Voltorb, you're up!" Ash turned at the other trainer's cry, and found the red and white pokemon materializing on the field. While examining the pokemon to get a feel for its level, Ash was struck with a sudden idea.
"Hey buddy, you want to take this one?" he suggested, swiveling around to look at Pikachu.
Pikachu gave him a puzzled look, but as usual decided to go along with whatever idea had popped into his head this time. She took to the field, trading spots with Ash. Neither of them noticed Brock's silence.
"Don't knock it out, okay Pikachu?" Ash cautioned. "I want to try out your shield."
Pikachu glanced back and nodded in vague understanding, trusting her friend to give her more detailed instructions when the time came. She understood what his intention was, but she still didn't see how he planned to do it.
"Voltorb, Tackle!"
"Pikachu, dodge it and use Quick Attack!"
Easily falling back into her normal role, Pikachu deftly sidestepped the other electric type and retaliated with her own lightning-fast attack. She sent the voltorb flying back towards its trainer but recovered easily from the near-collision herself, twisting in midair to land lightly in front of Ash. She noticed the other trainer looking from Brock to Ash in confusion, but she didn't spare it further thought. Instead she focused on keeping herself alert, tilting her ears backward to catch Ash's next command.
But Ash remained silent for the moment, and Pikachu watched as the voltorb slowly rolled upright, muttering to itself in its crackling tongue.
"Alright Voltorb, great job!" its trainer cheered. "Now Sonic Boom!"
"Use Iron Tail to send it straight back!"
"Chu-pika!" Pikachu cried, swinging her glowing tail at a precisely calculated strength and direction to exactly reflect the energy wave. The voltorb, completely unsuspecting, was hit head on.
"Voltorb!" the brunette cried. With painstaking slowness, his voltorb rolled up.
"Volll…torb…" it panted. The boy's expression turned grim, and suddenly Pikachu realized what Ash had intended all along.
"Voltorb, use Self-Destruct!" The electric pokemon closed its eyes, trembled a bit, and then began to glow.
"Pi?" Pikachu questioned, glancing back at Ash to confirm. Her friend nodded, his eyes bright with excitement.
"Do it, Pikachu!"
Although she knew what Ash wanted her to attempt, they hadn't had much opportunity to practice it yet so she was going to have to improvise. By the looks of the voltorb, she had a fair amount of time to experiment before it built up enough power to explode. She shot two thunderbolts up into the air in quick succession in an attempt to split her own electricity, but the first bolt fizzled into non-existance the instant she cut off power to it in order to release the second. It wasn't a question of speed; electricity just didn't work that way. She risked a glance at the voltorb.
"Pika!" she shouted in alarm. It was glowing brighter than she had expected, and she was running out of time. She knew she could take whatever the other pokemon could throw at her, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to hurt.
"Pikachu! At me!"
Pikachu barely had time to register this command before an arc of electricity came soaring her way. With a cry she shot her own bolt back, and the two streams of electricity collided in midair. But instead of destroying each other they merged, and a glowing blue light flowed back along both ends to pool around the two pikachu. Ash and Pikachu locked eyes through the blue walls of their shields, both wearing identical expressions of triumph as they continued to pour power into the connection.
A boom echoed through the air, and Pikachu closed her eyes against the dust that would never touch her. When she opened them again she found herself staring into Ash's black eyes again, still covered by a film of blue. After a moment she understood the expression of determination she saw there, and nodded. Ash twitched his tail three times, and on the third time they both cut off the stream of power. Instantly the bolts reformed and struck their initial targets, but it was definitely not a normal bolt. Instead of resisting, Pikachu's body accepted the electricity as its own, and Pikachu realized her energy levels had returned to their pre-shield state. She shared a surprised glance with Ash, who seemed to be experiencing much the same thing.
Only then did she turn to the other observers, and found both humans staring at them in awe. The young trainer's voltorb was unconscious near his feet, dusty and battered. Almost absent-mindedly the boy recalled it.
"What was that?" he whispered, but in the silence the small sound carried.
"Pika–" Ash started and then stopped, a look of annoyance crossing his face. Pikachu only sighed.
"I honestly have no idea," Brock replied instead. "These pikachu don't actually belong to me – I'm just taking care of them for a friend. He must have been working on that with them…" Brock trailed off, glancing between Ash and Pikachu with a look that made Pikachu feel distinctly guilty even though she didn't know why.
"Well, whatever it was, it was amazing," the kid said, still with that awed tone. "What's your friend's name?"
"Oh, you wouldn't know him," Brock shrugged.
"If you say so," the boy said, giving him a suspicious look. "Well, I guess I should head back to Cerulean then. Thanks for the battle." With a wave, the bedraggled preteen departed.
After waving back, Brock turned to the two pikachu, who were both crouched in oddly defensive positions. Brock smiled at them.
"I think there's a Pokemon Center not too far down this road," the breeder said. "If we start now we can probably make it before dark. How about it?" A strange pregnant silence followed, and Pikachu found herself reluctant to break it.
"Chu," muttered Ash finally, and the breeder took this as agreement and started off down the road. By silent agreement Pikachu and Ash kept off the shoulders and trailed behind Brock in silence as the light of the sun faded and the shadows grew.
(o^. ^o)-/
Brock closed the door to his room for the night, hoping the two pikachu contained within wouldn't resort to anything as drastic as attempting to escape. Rolling his shoulders to relieve a day's worth of backpacking tension, the breeder made his way back to the Pokemon Center's lobby. Fortunately the video-phone was free, but then it was only early evening; most people were likely out having dinner.
He lifted the headset to his ear and waited patiently for the screen to flicker to life and signal that it was ready. When the familiar message finally appeared Brock quickly entered the lab's number from memory, and proceeded to wait some more as the phone went through at least four rings.
"Hello?" the eventual answer came through, and a harassed looking Gary appeared on the screen.
"Hello, Gary," Brock smiled. Gary coughed and stood up a bit straighter, trying to regain his usual poise.
"Brock. Well, what a rare pleasure."
Brock frowned slightly at that, but let it pass. Just because Gary had regained his friendship with Ash didn't mean he had completely lost his old personality. The egotistical researcher could still be grating at times, especially when he didn't feel obligated to maintain his usual façade of charming politeness. Still, Brock got the feeling there was more to this particular comment, and he felt a brush of guilt for remaining so distant from Ash the last few years.
"Yes, well, I just wanted to know if Ash was around," Brock tried. "I was thinking of dropping by." Immediately Brock realized this was the wrong thing to say as Gary's whole demeanor sharpened.
"Why didn't you call his house then?" Gary asked with narrowed eyes. Brock tried to keep his pause to a minimum.
"It's dinner time – I didn't want to interrupt him and his mother if they were eating."
"And you know us researchers don't live like normal people," Gary concluded, laughing. His laughter had a slightly mocking edge, but when Gary followed it with a sigh Brock concluded the researcher was also willing to let things pass.
"You just missed him, actually. He and Pikachu left a few days ago."
"Do you know where they were headed?" Brock pressed.
"He said he was going to visit a clan of wild pikachu, but who knows where Ashy-boy will actually end up," Gary chuckled. Brock smiled, but knew there was no way his next question would avoid arousing suspicion. But he had to be sure.
"He didn't take any other pokemon with him? Another pikachu, maybe?"
"Another pikachu?" Gary looked puzzled. "Nah, Ashy only had the one, like always. …Everything okay over there, breeder?"
"Everything's fine. Thank you, Gary." With that Brock hung up, and the screen flickered and died. No doubt he had just made a mess for Ash, but that wasn't his main concern at the moment. The breeder stared at the black screen for a few more moments, and then very slowly began the trek back to his room.
When he had first encountered the pair of pikachu while escorting Melanie to Cerulean City, Brock hadn't known quite what to think. Seeing Pikachu without Ash was enough novelty in itself to keep him occupied at first. But it didn't take long before the situation had become clear – or so he had thought. He had assumed that Pikachu had somehow found a mate (no matter how impossible he had thought that to be) and Ash, being his normal selfless…self when it came to Pikachu, had sent them off to the forest to be together. Only after this idea had simmered for a bit and sunk in had he begun to worry about Ash. In fact, if things had worked out the way he had predicted, Brock may have wound up making a very similar phone call to Gary anyway.
At least I don't have to worry about Ash anymore, Brock thought as he rounded the corner and the door to his room came into view. Then again, he amended as he remembered the look the two pikachu had shared after their song, maybe this isn't any better.
With a deep breath Brock pushed the door opened, fully prepared to be greeted by an empty room. Instead he found the two pikachu exactly where he had left them, huddled together on the bed farthest from the door. Brock stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click, and sat down on the closer bed.
"I just got off the phone with Gary," he said, his voice calm and steady. "He told me that Ash left with Pikachu just a few days ago, heading for the wild clan. He had no knowledge of another pikachu, especially not one with black cheeks." He leaned forward, hands resting on his knees, and decided to just be blunt.
"Ash, what's going on?"
The black-cheeked pikachu drew back at this, and Pikachu leant forward to meet it. They conferred for a few moments, and then seemed to come to a decision.
"Chu," they nodded together, and the strange pikachu jumped to the ground. It shuffled around a bit, and when it couldn't touch anything from where it was standing it settled down and closed its eyes. It seemed to be concentrating quite hard, paws curled into balls and ears twitching – Brock felt like it was getting to ready to attack. But then without warning a whirlwind burst from the odd pikachu. The wind was fierce, but it didn't seem to be affecting anything in the room. A light flashed dimly within the vortex, and then the wisps of wind had dissipated and his old friend was standing in their place. And then said friend had fallen on the ground.
"Ow…" Ash groaned, sprawled on the floor like an overturned shuckle. "Stupid bag…"
"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned, poking her head over the edge of the bed to check on her trainer. Ash struggled out of the restraining straps and sat up. He reached out and gave her a scratch.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Learned something though, I think."
"Ash?"
"Eheh," Ash chuckled awkwardly, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Hi, Brock."
"Lily?"
"No," Ash shook his head. " Something much worse."
All things considered, Brock took the news well. This was perhaps not too surprising, considering not only had the breeder witnessed Ash's previous transformation into a pikachu courtesy of a witch named Lily, but he had also been present for most of Ash's epic messes in the past. This, after all, was the same boy who had been named the Chosen One, and had gotten them into countless fights and problems over the years. Brock didn't find it all unbelievable that the Pokemon Master had somehow managed to screw up the very balance of power in the world.
Nevertheless, it was a lot to take in.
"Well, I'm just glad I was wrong about your reason for visiting the pikachu," Brock joked, trying to start off simply. Besides, it couldn't hurt to probe this issue a bit. Then Brock caught sight of Pikachu's unmistakable glare from the opposite bed and reconsidered. It could hurt a lot.
"Huh?" Ash asked blankly, uncomprehending eyes wide. Brock sighed, deciding a change of tactics was definitely in order.
"Never mind. So you're meeting back with everyone in two weeks?"
"Yep. Everyone's going to gather back at Oak's and we'll decide what to do when we have more information."
"Sounds reasonable, though I suppose that's because it's not really a plan yet." Brock crossed his arms and leant back against the wall, causing Ash's cheerful expression to flicker. "Do you have any idea how you're going to accomplish all this? Do you even know what you're trying to accomplish?" At least Pikachu had stopped giving him the glare of death; now she looked worried. Ash, on the other hand, just seemed confused.
"Of course – we're going to make it so that pokemon can't be used as slaves. We're going to make a world where everyone is equal, people and pokemon."
"But Ash...how?" Brock leaned forward again, locking gazes with the young Master. "This world isn't black and white. There are no 'bad guys' in a conflict like this; only people and pokemon who just want to live their lives. Yet there's going to be fighting if you do this. People, and pokemon, might die. Can you handle that?" To Brock's surprise, Ash looked away, turning to face the window even as his gaze seemed to turn inward.
"If I have to, I will," he said softly. "But I have to hope it won't come to that."
"Pikapi…" Pikachu murmured, responding to the rare sadness in Ash's voice. She placed a paw on his leg, and he started petting her out of habit without turning his gaze from the window.
"I've been thinking about it," he continued, "and at first all I could focus on was how angry I was at the Mistress – Celebi." Ash paused again, playing with Pikachu's ear while his loyal friend watched him with concern. A small smile crossed his face. "It took a while, but eventually I was able to see past that and realize that her gift was…well, a gift. She meant well. Once I accepted that, well, it gave her words a lot more weight. Things got a bit more real. It did occur to me there would be danger – when isn't there? But I refuse to accept that anyone has to die.
"I haven't really thought this through yet, but I remember how much Celebi emphasized pokeballs while she was telling her story. I think maybe if we can destroy the balls that might be enough. If the balls are gone, then pokemon can no longer be held against their will. Many pokemon will remain with people and help them, but they'll do it because they want to, because they're friends. I don't think Celebi would have any problem with that.
"I'm not sure how to destroy the balls or stop people from just making more, but I was hoping that the others might have some ideas when we regroup in Pallet. I think we can do this without anyone getting hurt, and I'm going to give it my best. I will not accept a plan that aims for anything less."
"Ash…" Brock said, mimicking Pikachu in English. He held the trainer's young, determined eyes for a moment longer before closing his own and dropping his head. A small, almost wistful smile crossed his face.
"Count me in."
(o^. ^o)
"So this is it then."
"Guess so."
"Pi…"
Ash and Brock stood on the path outside of a forest, just shy of the spot where the first shadows fell from the trees. Pikachu, as usual, was perched on her trainer's shoulder. Ash had been the first to stop, oddly reluctant to cross into the shadows, and his reluctance had turned the shadows into a barrier for his companions as well. He wasn't sure, but if he had to name the emotion he'd say he was almost…nervous.
But that was silly. What possible reason did he have to be nervous? They'd only be staying for two weeks, and during that time he'd get so many opportunities to practice and learn and make new friends. He'd get to see what it was like to really live as a pikachu – how many people got to do that? It was great! Amazing! He should be excited. He was excited! And yet…
Ash gave his head a shake. It was just a dream. A stupid, silly dream. Since when did he start worrying about his dreams? Since the one that came true, a traitorous voice whispered in the back of his mind. He mentally growled at it. That had been a special case: the Mistress had been in it. She had forced the dream – and Pikachu had had it too. This was completely different. And it wasn't even a dream, just his imagination and the fire…completely meaningless.
"Ash? Ready to keep going?" Ash looked up and blinked at the breeder.
He watched himself turn away from the celebrating pokemon and walk off into the trees…fading into the darkness at the heart of the fire.
"Uh, yeah," he said, forcing a smile. "Sure." With that he stepped into the shadows and continued down the path, missing Pikachu's look of concern.
"So Brock, what are you going to do when we find them?" Ash asked mainly to get his mind focused on other things. The normal chattering of the forest now surrounded them, and their footsteps on the path didn't sound quite so lonely.
"I'll camp here tonight, just to make sure everything's alright," the breeder said. "Then I guess I'll go back to Cerulean and visit Misty like I promised." Brock hesitated. "Ash, should I tell her?" There was a pause, but the forest sounds filled the silence.
"No," Ash decided. "The less she knows, the less danger she'll be in. Me, too. We'll get word to her somehow when the time comes…but not yet."
Brock nodded, not entirely comfortable with keeping things from his friend but respecting Ash's decision. The Master had good reason to be very careful with this secret. Besides, without Ash there to demonstrate, how could he really expect Misty to believe him? The story was fantastic even when compared to their past adventures, and Misty hadn't been in the thick of one of those for quite a while. Being steeped in the monotony of Ash-less reality had kept even Brock from noticing what was right in front of him.
Pikachu's ears twitched and she went stiff on Ash's shoulder, causing the trainer to stop once again. Both remained still for several seconds, eyes scanning the trees.
"Let's find Brock a place to camp first," Ash suggested finally when nothing revealed itself. "Then we can go looking for them together and see if they remember us."
"Chu…" Pikachu murmured, now concerned with how she would explain Ash's absence to the wild pikachu if they did remember her. For that matter, what would she call Ash? Even if they didn't remember him, it would be too risky to use his real name. After a few more moments of worrying this over in her own mind, she said as much to Ash.
"A name, huh?" Ash parroted. He threw a sideways glance at Brock. "I guess Ashes won't work." Pikachu made a negative-sounding noise, and Ash cast around for inspiration. Predictably, the first thing he saw was the brim of his cap.
"Red."
"Pi-chu?"
"Why not?" Ash countered, giving his hat a flick to illuminate his reasoning, as much as that was possible. "No one will connect it with me. And I kinda like it."
"Chaaa," Pikachu sighed, shaking her head. Ash glanced at her and was relieved to find that she was smiling.
"Now what was all that about?" Brock interrupted.
"Sorry. Pikachu figured it would be too risky to use my real name with the other pikachu, especially if any of them remember us. So, from now on, Pikachu's friend is Red." Brock coughed suspiciously.
"Ash, you do realize you–Red is likely the only pikachu in the world without any red on him…?"
"Yeah?" In the face of that, Brock could only mimic Pikachu's smile and sigh.
"As long as you like it."
The rest of the walk was spent in companionable silence, and it was nearing evening when Brock decided to veer off the path and search for a camping site. After a time spent searching for a reasonably flat piece of ground (during which Ash obsessively avoided anything with leaves of three), Brock finally located a place at the base of a large maple that was secluded enough not to draw visitors and flat enough to allow him to move in the morning. Once Ash's dramatic collapse was done with (what had his mother put in that bag?!) the three began the familiar ritual of setting up camp, a process no longer requiring much in the way of conscious thought.
"So Brock, I never asked – how did you know that other Pikachu was me? Before you called Gary, I mean." Ash glanced up at Brock from where he was rummaging around in his pack for something or other. The breeder gave him a disbelieving look.
"Ash, you fought with Pikachu against that Voltorb. I never gave a single command – in fact, you were the one who decided Pikachu would fight at all." Brock shook his rumpled sleeping bag and laid it on the ground, trying to avoid the worst of the roots. He wound up with the bag stretching out from the tree, and nestled his pillow in the crook between two branching roots. "You really confused that poor boy."
"I ah…I guess that was pretty obvious." Ash paused at his rummaging to rub the back of his head, blushing slightly at his own carelessness. "It was just so natural, I didn't really think about it."
"Obviously," Brock laughed. The breeder watched as Ash dug out something that looked like a small watermelon and gave it a confused look. Pikachu contributed with a poke to its hard, striped skin. "But it wasn't just that. I suspected something before then, I just didn't know what." Ash and Pikachu abandoned their inspection of the tiny watermelon and fixed Brock with identical wide, worried gazes.
"Why?"
"Pika?"
"Don't worry, it wouldn't be obvious to most people, not even people who know you," Brock reassured them, and then stared off into the trees for a moment as he considered how to phrase his thought. "Pikachu's…well, she's what we breeders would call spoiled. That doesn't mean anything bad," he added quickly to forestall his impending electrocution as Pikachu's cheeks sparked. "It just means that the pokemon is useless for breeding purposes. It refers to pokemon who've spent a lot of time in the company of humans and have developed an unusually strong bond with one person in particular, usually their trainer. We call this 'over-bonding', since it prevents the pokemon from breeding normally." Brock settled down to sit cross-legged on his sleeping bag since Pikachu, along with Ash, was watching him attentively and seemed unlikely to attack. Judging from the interested but mostly blank expressions facing him, he decided a longer explanation was in order.
"Breeders like me try to get our pokemon to behave as naturally as possible," Brock continued. "For a lot of species, that means pair bonding, and although we generally choose the mates to ensure the best offspring, there's really nothing we can do if the pair refuses to bond. With most pokemon this only happens when the two simply don't get along, and the breeder will just find more compatible partners for them. But with over-bonded pokemon, it doesn't matter how many partners you present them with – they simply refuse to show any interest and instead spend all their time pining for their person. Most breeders know to check for the signs and will refuse the pokemon at the slightest hint of it, but I saw it once with a friend's Ninetales. It was heartbreaking. She eventually had to beg its trainer to take it back.
"Some over-bonded pokemon – ones with weaker bonds – will come around eventually, but it's a long and painful process for everyone involved, and rarely does a breeder wish to try. The more extreme, strongly bonded cases will never breed, and may even waste away from the separation.
"I've tried to avoid it with my own pokemon, and though I suspect Crobat, it's not extreme. Lance's Dragonite is an extreme case for sure, as is Gary's Umbreon. Your Bayleef would be another one, though not as strong. In fact, most good trainers have at least one.
"But without a doubt, Pikachu is by far the most extreme I've ever seen. If she had found a mate like I thought...well, it's unlikely."
Silence reigned in the wake of Brock's lecture, with Ash staring and Pikachu looking distinctly uncomfortable with glowing red cheeks. Finally Ash spoke, predictably skipping over the implications of the subject matter entirely.
"Wow Brock, you really know a lot!"
"Well I am a breeder, you know," Brock laughed. "It's my job to know these things."
"Oh yeah, I guess so," Ash agreed, rubbing the back of his head again absently. "But still, that was a lot! And it was so interesting too! Wait…" Ash paused, turning serious and finally considering what Brock had said. "Does that mean Pikachu can never have a family?" Brock paused to catch Pikachu's eye before answering.
"Maybe not."
"What? But you said…" Ash floundered, looking back and forth between his friend and partner, bewildered by the odd intense look they were sharing. Not for the first time and definitely not for the last, Ash knew he was missing something. But, as he was used to doing in situations like this, he let it go for now.
Finally Pikachu nodded at Brock and broke the gaze, but before Ash could remark on the strange shade of orange she had become, she attacked the watermelon.
Ash gaped. He wasn't sure how she had managed it, but her bolt of electricity had split the fruit into distinct wedges – six of them in fact, and each with only slightly jagged edges. The feat was all the more impressive to Ash now that he was wrestling with his own electricity; a display of that amount of control had him in awe.
Not noticing Ash's amazement since she was most definitely not looking at him, Pikachu went ahead and grabbed a wedge, biting into the odd fruit with only slight hesitation. To her surprise it was a watermelon after all – just smaller, and…yellow. Ash followed suit, and soon the two were happily munching away while Brock finished setting up camp.
Once Pikachu and Ash had finished eating and had scrounged up some more food to give to the wild clan when they arrived, it was time to go. Ash shouldered his pack, bundled the food up in a smaller bag, said his goodbyes to Brock, and shifted. Gripping the parcel firmly in his teeth, he gave the breeder a playful nuzzle and then he and Pikachu were off.
They didn't have much of a plan in place to find the other pokemon, but even with that in mind the task was surprisingly hard. An hour passed with no sign of them, not even a scent on the wind. And then another hour, though Pikachu had detected some electricity in the air once even though she was unable to locate the source. Evening turned into night, and still they'd had no luck.
Pikachu admitted defeat when Ash stumbled and fell in the darkness for the fifth time, and forced the trainer to concede as well. It was no use injuring themselves trying to find the clan tonight; the wild pikachu were probably sleeping by now as well. Besides, they did have food with them – they wouldn't starve if they had to wander for another day. The two stopped for the night beneath the overhang of a scraggly bush, huddling together for warmth and praying it wouldn't rain.
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TBC...duhduhduh... Read it? Review it!
