A/N: Chapter # 10 is up at last! Wow. Ten whole chapters. Of course, the story will be longer. Much longer. I leave me to my work now... Oh wait, I was supposed to be introducing Chapter 10. Back to that then. Okay, so... Here ya go. :P Now, behold as this new chapter of the (not so) epic story of Pokeville is unfolded! Hereforth, the reaction to Pikachu's racing victory is revealed, the good/bad consequences of the race, and saucy new developments of the Shinx/Chikorita relationship! Enjoy, and please review!

It was over.

After he just barely came in first, Pikachu finally lost his footing and tumbled for several feet before sliding to a halt.

Everything was deathly silent. No one dare spoke. The air was thick with disbelief and tension. So much so, that it could be cut through with a cleaver.

After several moments of silence, the referee Sentret held the flag high in the air, then spoke in a shaky but still clear tone.

"T-The winner... is... um... Sp-Sparky... or was it Pikachu...?" He said somewhat nervously, and gave the flag a little wave.

Pikachu slowly picked himself off the ground and coughed up some dirt and grass he got in his mouth when he crashed. He was exhausted. The energy and strength that earlier empowered him had departed, and in its place was the soreness and frailty he had felt before.

He turned around and saw the crowd, his friends, and the Rattata. All of them had their mouths wide open in shock. You'd think they'd seen a ghost or something.

"...What?" Pikachu said nervously, "Did I win?"

No one spoke for a minute. All was quiet until Shinx decided to speak.

"Did you win...?" He said, still evidently in disbelief. "You... you... did it! Of course you did Sparky! You actually did it!" Shinx's shocked expression was quickly replaced with a broad smile.

Piplup came forward as well. "I can't... believe you... won! Actually won! This is just fabulous!" She said, beaming.

"Pikachu! You did it...!" Chikorita said, "All that nonsense earlier... It doesn't matter now, you won against the Rattata!"

Plusle and Minun were simply overjoyed. "YEAH PIKACHU! We knew you could do it!" They both shouted, "Did you appreciate our help? Huh? Did ya? Did ya did ya did ya?"

Shinx shoved his cousins aside and continued, "Unbelievable! They've been unbeatable for years now, and see what our Sparky has done! Awesome!"

Initially, the excitement wasn't universal. Many of the crowd members began murmuring amongst themselves in both disbelief and confusion. Eventually though, a wave of applause gradually found its way across the crowd of roughly two-dozen Pokemon. They began cheering out "Pikachu!" and "Sparky!" in unison, although there was slight confusion as to if Pikachu's name was in fact 'Pikachu' or 'Sparky'.

Pikachu didn't know what to say. He was starting to turn a little red from embarassment and shyness. Still, he felt really proud of himself.

"Well well, it seems our Sparky fellow has something in him after all!" a nearby voice said.

Pikachu and his friends turned towards where the voice came from, and saw the Rattata leader, Ratsy, walking towards them, looking surprisingly pleased.

"I'm impressed Mister Sparky," said Rats, "I just knew you had something firey burning in you. Even when we used our patented 'V-Attack' move to slip by, you fought back with a far-superior technique of your own. Very impressive indeed."

"Uh, well... thanks Ratsy." Piakchu said, smiling. "But it wasn't just me, my frie-"

"I'm well aware, thank you." Ratsy interuptted, and he turned to Plusle and Minun. "That move you two used, it was 'Helping Hand' was it? It boosts the power of your companions."

"Yes yes mister Ratsy guy," Plusle replied cheerfully. "We all cheered Pikachu on till the end! It was so much fun!"

Ratsy chuckled softly. "Yes, indeed." He turned back to Pikachu. "You are a lucky Pokemon Sparky- or should I call you Pikachu? If that is your real name."

"It is," Piakchu responded, "But you can call me one or the other, I'm used to it by now. Heh."

"Haha, yes, as I was saying, you are very lucky sir Pikachu, to have such good friends. To be honest, I am envious of you."

"Oh, err... You don't... have to be...?"

"But I am. The only real friends I have you see are the rest of my group. None other."

"Oooh... Well... sorry about th-"

"Did I say I was unhappy with that? I did not. Since my friends happen to be my best friends, thank you."

Piakchu just nodded in response.

"Now then. I think it is fair to say, Mr. Pikachu, that I lose. I concede defeat to you, sir." Ratsy said, and bowed.

"Umm... Thanks?"

"No no, it's 'Thank you very much good sir', but I'm not here to give you a grammer lesson now, am I? Hahaha..."

"..."

"Joking aside, I would really like one day if we could have a rematch, just us, in a one-on-one race. No tricks. What say you?"

"...Sure? I guess that'll be great."

"Marvelous. Now then Mr. Pikachu, I will be taking my leave. Good day sir! Now, come along gang."

And with that, Ratsy and his troupe of Rattata walked off as the crowd continued to cheer for Pikachu.

"Wow... He took that loss really well." Shinx said.

"Yeah, he's a real gentlemon isn't he?" Piplup said, "Now Pikachu... It's time to face your fans."

Pikachu gulped, and walked rather apprehensively with Piplup towards the crowd, and he was quickly swarmed all around, his new fans pushing, prodding, and questioning him mercilessly.

Shinx laughed. "Poor Sparky, he's gonna hate all that attention."

The crowd, along with Pikachu, Piplup, Plusle, Minu, and Torchic, all moved away and out of sight, leaving Shinx and Chikorita alone.

Chikorita took a deep breath. Here's my chance... She thought, but right when she was going to speak, Shinx spoke first.

"So, what's been up with you lately?" He asked, "You haven't been acting yourself, is something the matter?"

Chikorita gasped softly. "W-What makes y-you think that?"

"It's been pretty obvious, y'know. Talking to yourself, acting weirdly apprehensive, and to cap it off you keep trying to ask me something."

"Uhh... Y-Yeah, I do..."

"So? What is it?"

"Er..." What do I do, what do I do? He's getting really suspicious! Chikorita thought, There's no way I can weasel out of this one... Oh... I'll just have to come clean...

"Shinx..." She said, tensing up.

"What is it now?" Shinx said impatiently, "Just tell me! What's holding you back?"

"I don't... I just don't know..." Chikorita said, and looked away. "Part of me wants to be... with you, and the other part is telling me we're just friends..."

Shinx gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

Chikorita gulped. "I... I... Oorgh... I... Do you... Err..."

"Yes...?"

Gulp! "Uh... I... guess I... I... like you?" She said, barely audibly.

Shinx looked confused. "Eh? What did you say? Speak up a bit Chiko!"

"Urk! I...l-like... like... Oh..."

At this point, Chikorita started stressing out a bit. How could she speak up? When she was so nervous? And it's not like she could just walk away, Shinx clearly knew something. What could she do?

What do I do...?

Without any thought or warning, Chikorita suddenly jumped foward and, you may have expected this, kissed him.

Shinx had no idea what this was about, understandably, so he was caught quite off-guard and didn't have time to resist.

Chikorita blushed intensely and looked down. "S-Sorry... I... couldn't help myself..."

Shinx barely moved. "...Wow." was all he said. His face was frozen in a near-perpetual state of surprise, to say the least. There was a rather long period of awkward silence.

"Umm... Do you think... anyone saw?" Chikorita said nervously, and she glanced around. No one was in sight. She sighed with relief.

"Chiko...?" Shinx said slowly, still unmoving, "Do you... like me?"

"Eep! Uh... Well... I, uh, I... yes... I do..." Chikorita repled shyly.

"Hmm, that would explain a lot..." Shinx said calmly, beginning to regain his composure. "But listen, if you do... y'know... like like me, then... why didn't you... I dunno, ask me to go out somewhere?"

"Y-You mean... on a... date?"

Shinx sighed. "That's the proper term, yes. So, why didn't you?"

"Well, I... uh... was a little... you know... afraid that... you wouldn't want to..."

"I can understand that, mainly because... uhh... as long as we're being honest here, and... crazy as it might sound... I think... I like you too."

"Y-You do? R-Really?"

"Umm, well... yeah. I never showed it though, 'cause I must admit it would make me seem a little... silly in front of everyone else. Especially Plusle and Minun. Do you have any idea what they would be saying if they found out I liked you or vice versa?"

Chikorita sighed. "Yeah... I get it. That means...if we do start, um... 'dating', then... we should keep it a secret?"

Shinx nodded. "Exactly. Rumors have a tendancy to spread, so no one should know."

"But... what about Piplup? Or Pikachu? Can't they keep a secret?"

"Listen, Piplup is a huge gossip, so no. You should know that. But Sparky... well... he's pretty trustworthy, and I'm pretty sure he's keepin' secrets from me, so... maybe."

"Okay... well... when should we-"

"I've already thought about that. Right now, things are pretty noisy, and they're gonna be even noisier, so now wouldn't be a good time."

"Okay... that's fine. I understand."

Shinx smiled. "Glad you do. I promise you, when things aren't so shook up anymore we can work something out." He said, and winked.

"Oh! Uh, g-great!" Chikorita said, and smiled as well.

"Well, let's not stand around here anymore. C'mon, let's go home Chiko."

Finally, both Shinx and Chikorita walked away through the park together towards home, with Pikachu and company still far ahead.

Pikachu was followed the whole way home by the crowd, which was still cheering and congratulating him on his victory. Even those nay-sayers who assumed Pikachu would fail had joined the club, and were cheering his name.

"Haha, hey Pikachu!" said Piplup excitedly, "You're practically a celebrity now! Look at all these Pokemon!"

"Yay for Pikachu! Yay hooray-de-day!" Plusle and Minun chanted.

"Great... Pikachu... win... hiccup..." groaned Torchic, still a bit ill from his candy hangover.

Pikachu was both happy and overwhelmed. This was simply too much, but he was still buoyed up so much from his victory that he didn't care.

"Thank you all so much..." Pikachu said over the cheers of his friends and the crowd, "But I can't thank my friends enough... If it weren't for them... I wouldn't even be here in Pokeville!"

"Aww... Thanks Pikachu." Piplup said, smiling. "I'm sure Shinx and Chikorita would be happy for you too- Hold up, where are they?"

"Over here!" two distant voices called out.

Piplup and Pikachu turned around to see both Shinx and Chikorita running towards them.

"We're here! Sorry for lagging behind!" Shinx called out as they rushed to the group.

"Hey buddy!" Pikachu said, beaming. "Where were you?"

"Took the scenic route." Shinx replied. "Have you heard? When we were passing through town we could hear almost everyone talking about you! You're like a legend or something!"

Pikachu grinned in slight embarassment and pride. A legend? Me? That's a lot to live up to, isn't it? He thought.

By the time the crowd had reached the cul-de-sac Pikachu and friends lived in, it had already dispersed. Shinx couldn't help but sigh with relief.

"Wonderful, now we can get some rest for a change..." He said, and began walking towards his house.

"Yeah... I'm beat, I could use a nap..." said Pikachu, "Bye everyone, see ya tomorrow."

"Okay then, see you later Pikachu!" Piplup said, and headed to her house.

"B-Bye Pikachu, and bye Shinx..." Chikorita said quietly, and went home as well.

"Oorgh... See ya... guys... need sleep..." moaned Torchic, and he dragged himself back to his house.

Plusle and Minun were still full of energy. "Byebye everybody! Catch up with ya guys later!" They said, and bounded back to their house.

Pikachu and Shinx went into their house, then shut the door behind them.

"Phew... What a day..." Pikachu remarked, and proceeded to sit on the sofa and relax. Shinx also came up and sat beside him.

"You're telling me," He said, "I just found something out from a certain someone."

This piqued Pikachu's curiosity. "What is it and who was it?" He asked.

Shinx took a deep breath, and decided that it would be best to tell him. "Do you promise not to tell anyone? It's a secret you see." He said, giving Pikachu a serious look.

"Shinx... You're my friend, right?" Pikachu said, just as serious, "So that means we can trust each other. I promise not to tell, and you can believe that."

Shinx smiled. "Of course I'm your friend, but I'd just thought I'd make sure, because this can't be told to anyone else."

"Again, I promise to keep it a secret. So, what is it?"

"Well..." Shinx began, taking a deep a breath. "...It's about me and Chiko..."

Pikachu's ears perked up. "Yes...?"

"You see, after the race, the two of us stayed behind, as you know, so I started talking to her about her unusual behavior lately..."

"Go on..."

"After a little bit, well, she... promise you won't laugh... she... kissed me..."

Pikachu's suddenly widened in shock. "Bwhaa? She did that?"

Shinx nodded slowly.

"Wow! Shinx, does that mean she...?"

Shinx nodded again.

"Unbelievable! I never would've guessed-"

"And..." interuptted Shinx, "...I think... I like her too... Have for a while now actually..."

Pikachu gaped at Shinx. "Are you kidding me? You're both like... in love?"

"No! Not like that! It's a bit early to say that, we haven't even been on a date yet or anything!" Shinx yelled defensively.

"Okay, okay, sorry." Pikachu said, smirking a bit.

Shinx shook his head dismissively. "The point is, this is a big secret, at least for now. So don't tell ANYONE. Not Piplup, not Torchic, and especially not Plusle and Minun. Can you promise me that... as a friend?"

Pikachu smiled. "I promise you... as a best friend."

"...Thanks Sparky." Shinx said quietly, and smiled too.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Eh? Who could that be?" Shinx asked no one in particular, and he walked over to the front door and opened it. Standing there was Ratsy, the Rattata Pikachu had raced against earlier.

"Good day, sir... Eh... Shinx, was it?" Ratsy greeted, "If I may ask, where is that Sparky fellow of yours?"

"Who? Him? I'll give him a shout." Shinx replied, then yelled back into the house, "Hey Sparky! That Rattata is at the door for ya!"

Moments later, Pikachu arrived at the front door.

"Yeah? What's the matter?" He asked Ratsy.

"Sir, is it okay if I speak with you for a moment? Alone? There is something I need to tell you, it's important." Ratsy answered.

Pikachu gave his a wondering look. "Uh, okay. I'll be back in a bit Shinx..." He said, and walked outside with Ratsy, shutting the door behind him.

"Now then," Ratsy began, making sure Pikachu was listening, "I'm sure you are accustomed to Pokemon cheering out your name."

"Eh-heh, yeah... It's kind of overwhelming though."

"I know that feeling. The first race I ever won I was swarmed by new fans, I didn't hear the end of it... Heh."

"It was bad?"

"Not bad, but rather... how you say... too much."

"I see... So, why did you come here?"

"To the point, I like that. Well, I wanted to let you know that... Hmm... How do I say this...? Are you familiar with the saying 'Those who do great things are thusly expected to do more great things'?"

"Uh... Not really, why?"

"It means that... Well, you just won a race, against the current champions; me and my group, correct?"

"Yeah?"

"So, now you're famous. Word will quickly spread about you far and wide. And guess what? They're going to expect you win again. And if you fail to measure up? They get disappointed, and let you fall through. Are you with me so far?"

"I... think so..."

"The point is, everyone is now going to expect more from you. You'll see later on, I assure you."

"But... How else? What could they want me to do?"

"I'm quite sure that will be apparent by tomorrow. Anyway, I'm done for now, as the hour is getting a tad late. I will see you some other time. Farewell Mr. Pikachu!"

And with that, Ratsy left down the street as the light of day grew dimmer.

I don't remember it being that late... I must've been in the park longer than I thought... Pikachu thought, confused as to how almost a whole day passed so quickly.

He stood on the house's front lawn for a few minutes to admire the beautiful golden sunset, then turned around and re-entered the domicile. Inside, Shinx was on the couch, watching televison. When Pikachu entered Shinx turned to face him.

"...So? What did that guy want?" Shinx asked Pikachu.

Pikachu shrugged. "Not really sure, something about 'great expectations' or something to that effect, I dunno." He said. Of course, this was a lie, as Pikachu knew a lot more than that, but he had decided to keep it to himself.

"Uh-huh... So, what? You gonna come watch TV or what?" said Shinx flatly, not really interested in what Ratsy had to say anyway.

Pikachu didn't need to be told twice. He quickly sat on the couch beside Shinx and started watching television with him. All that time, he thought about what Ratsy told him.

'Great expectations'? Like what? He thought, I'm supposed to find out by tomorrow... But what is that expectation?

This thought haunted Pikachu the rest of the evening. He had no idea if this would turn out to be good, or bad.

The next day, Pikachu managed to wake up (on his own), and he even woke up sooner than Shinx. Pikachu was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a drink, when Shinx finally did wake up.

"What the heck? How are you up so early?" Shinx asked, bewildered.

Pikachu raised his cup and laughed. "One word: Coffee."

"Hahaha, you're hilarious." Shinx said sarcastically, still looking tired.

"Heh, I know I am buddy, I know I am." Pikachu said, taking another sip of coffee, "And you can drop the sarcasm, it's only morning. Plus, I saved you a cup. Still hot, too!"

Shinx straddled over to the table beside Pikachu, "Well, that's pretty decent of you Sparky, thanks." He went to take the coffee cup Pikachu left for him on the table, but it was tragically out of reach.

"Oh, right." Pikachu said, and he took the cup of coffee and handed it down to Shinx, "Here ya go. Watch it, it's hot."

"Uhh, well... thanks again, Sparky." said Shinx, taking the cup, and he sat on the chair opposite Pikachu.

They sat there for some time, sipping their coffee and chatting loosely, until there was a knock at the door.

"Ugh, I'll get it." Shinx said, sighing. He hopped off the chair and slowly walked to the door. Opening it, he saw no one was there, except for the daily newspaper, the Pokeville Gazette, and some mail on the doorstop.

"Oop. Mail's here." Shinx said bluntly, and he picked up the papers in his mouth and brought it inside.

"Huh, maybe that race made it to the papers." Pikachu said, semi-jokingly, and he recieved the paper from Shinx and unfurled it. His smile quickly disappeared when he saw the front page. The details of the race was all over it. Every bit, the beginning, middle, and end, as well as every other interesting detail. They even ended up calling Pikachu 'Sparky' in the paper.

"Wonderful," Pikachu said, sighing, "Everyone in town knows about me now. Ah well, at least this whole schtick will pass soon enough..."

"Umm, Sparky?" Shinx said, looking rather concerned, "Wanna re-word that statement? This letter here is addressed to you."

"Wha? Who's it from?"

"Oh, I dunno... maybe... because it was sent from the Pokeathlon Comittee of Pokeville?"

Pikachu gasped. "From WHO? Lemme see it!" He said, snatching the letter from Shinx, and tore it open, then began to read from it.

"Here's what it says: 'To Mr. Pikachu (aka Sparky), This letter is to inform you of your entry in the Pokemon Tri-athlon Games, or 'Pokeathlon'. A Mr. Ratsy, former Pokeathlon Speed Champion, has recommended you to us, and after much consideration we decided to choose you to represent Pokeville in the upcoming Pokeathlon this summer'... I've been WHAT? By Ratsy?" Pikachu said in disbelief, and he handed the letter to Shinx. "Can you finish reading it for me? I don't think I can go on..."

"Uhh, sure. Anyways... Ahem, 'In case you are not already aware, the Pokeathlon is an event held in a determinable location annually. Currently, we are not aware of the confirmed hosting area of this years Pokeathlon. The nominee locations currently are: New Haven City, Poketopia, Daybreak Town, and Pokeville. We will announce the chosen location a few weeks before the Pokeathlon begins, to give you a chance to prepare.'"

"I may have to leave to another city, or even worse, back to New Haven? Away from you and everyone else? There's no way I can do-"

"Let me finish, please Sparky, there's more. 'You are currently one of three participants to represent Pokeville, the other two have not yet been determined. If you have any recommendations, then feel free to contact us with you requested participant. We look forward to your greatest effort at the games. Until then, good luck. Regards, The Pokeathlon Comittee.'"

As Shinx finished the letter Pikachu sat in shock. How did I get myself into th- Oh... right... that race thing. He thought, and covered his face with his paws.

"Oh, come off it, Sparky!" Shinx said, tossing the letter aside onto the table, "Didn't you hear that last part? You can bring along another competitor for Pokeville, aka, your friends!"

"Well... Yeah, but only two!" Pikachu protested, still upset.

"It should be obvious who candidate numero one is!" Shinx said with a smug grin.

Pikachu lifted his face up and smiled weakly. "Oh you... Of course I'll bring you along... But... isn't the Pokeathlon physically demanding?"

"Your point?" Shinx said, rolling his eyes. "There are five events, Sparky. Speed and Jump, which are good for you, Power and Skill, better suited for me, and Stamina, which we both can take farely well."

Pikachu thought a moment. "Well... Okay, but we'll be one short of a team! We need three you know."

"Of course. We'll just find someone else good to tag along . We may need to look around a bit, but it shouldn't be hard."

"Ummm... Okay then, I'll do it." Pikachu said, and smiled.

Shinx smiled back. "I knew you would come around eventually Sparky. C'mon, we should tell everyone else about this!"

At last, both Pikachu and Shinx left their house, and proceeded to let everyone know that the Pokeathlon was coming, and Pikachu was ready.

A/N: Developments! Shinx and Chikorita have finally revealed their true feelings (yet decide to keep it a secret), and Pikachu is chosen to be in the Pokeathlon! It's not until summer though, so you'll have to wait a few more chapters till we get there. :P Don't worry, many more interesting occurings will take place till then, including the introduction of a few new characters! In other news: NOW HEAR THIS! My other Pokemon fanfiction, Bond of Steel: Soto Legends, has now been published! Chapters 1 and 2 are out, so if you're interested go check it out! Until next time, PLEASE REVIEW! (And I'll give you a cookie :D)

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0