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Chapter 14
Tesla woke up the next day feeling revitalized. He felt more . . . healthier, no headaches or intestinal problems, not even the familiar aches and pains in his joints either. The old Pikachu stared at the ceiling for a moment, he dragged his fingers across the bandage and felt where his liver was. The stitches burned, but were bearable. He sat up, wincing at the sharp pain in his gut as he managed to sit up.
And there laid Volta, sleeping by his side.
The old Pikachu's heart warmed, he stroke the Pichu's ears and pet her back. Volta's eyes pry open for a second, then closed again. She shifted to a new sleeping position, grumbling under her breath.
She was here for me, Tesla thought, Volta was here for me.
Tesla couldn't help but scoop Volta into his arms, he cradled her and rocked her back and forth. The Tiny Mouse Pokémon's puffs of breath blew gently across his chest, Tesla hoisted her up and smelled her forehead. The faint scent of bubblegum was still there, it almost smelled as strong as the night he gave her the bath. Tesla pulled her up and pressed his ear against her chest. There, beating in fast tiny throbs, her heart pulsed with life. The old Pikachu's great-great granddaughter was so young and precious. She wasn't exactly pure, since she knows a little bit too much "grown-up stuff," but her heart was good as it can be.
Volta let out a tiny yawn, her eyes flutter open, this time staying open. Those tiny black marbles looked up at Tesla, sparkling cuteness as she said, "Morning, Tesla."
"Morning, Volta," said Tesla, "How are you feeling?"
"Great," she chirped, "I'm feeling great because you're feeling great! I can tell, your heart sounds fine!"
"I'm not in a hospital bed because of my heart, Volta," said Tesla, "I'm here because of my liver. I think it's working perfectly, but I don't think I would be spending the night elsewhere for a few days. Nurse Joy would need to observe me for a while in case something else breaks, then we'll be free to leave Vegas City," then he added, "In the meantime, we've got the Faraday Power Tournament to worry about. You're feeling up for it?"
Volta nodded, "Yeah!"
"Okay, let's head for the lobby and see if Nurse Joy's awake."
Volta climbed up on Tesla's head and got settled in, the old Pikachu then got down from the bed and left the hospital room. Nurse Joy was just walking into the lobby, yawning as she was about to sit down behind the reception desk. When she saw Tesla, the nurse nearly jumped out of her seat, "Tesla," she said, "How you're feeling?"
"Better now," said Tesla, "A little sore, but there's nothing too much to handle."
"We've injected an upgraded version of nanobots into your bloodstream, I guess they're working as they should."
Tesla felt a ping of resentment, Upgraded nanobots? Great, just great.
He kept a neutral face and asked, "What was the upgrade?"
"They should help you recover from your injuries faster," said Nurse Joy, "That's why you're up and walking, and not glued to your bed."
"Am I free to leave?"
"We can't let you go yet. We'll need to keep an eye on you to see how your immune system is handling your new liver, if it is rejecting your-"
"Nurse Joy," said Tesla, "Please, don't make this Pokémon Center my prison. My great-great granddaughter has a dream to accomplish and I have to be there for her. If I break down and crash afterwards, then so be it. I'm not dying till I see my loved one battle," then he asked, "If Hipp's still around, she can follow me around like yesterday. By the end of the day, I'll come back to the Pokémon Center and you can stare at me as long as you want. Just please, Nurse Joy, I know it's your duty to help sick and injured Pokémon but you can't keep me healthy forever. If I'm going to die, then I'm gonna die."
The whole room fell silent, Tesla and Nurse Joy stared at each other for a full minute. Volta cringed and gripped Tesla's head, waiting to see what would happen. She didn't have to wait long.
"Your very noble, Tesla," said Nurse Joy, breaking the silence, "I've read your background, you were taken away from your family and you hadn't met any of your children."
"I've met one of them," said Tesla, "My son's around the age when my grandmother passed away. He's frail, sick, missing an eye and a hand. When I saw him for the first time..."
Tesla's voice trailed off, he simply shook his head, "I, uh, don't want to talk about it. Not now. But I can say that my son will die a happy Pikachu, when he realized I was his father I stood back and watched his heart fill with life. His body's still in pain, but his mind's at peace."
The old Pikachu plucked Volta off his head and held him up, "I'm not the one who should be saying thank you for the liver transplant. It means more to Volta than to me, you made sure I would be there for her long enough to see her evolve."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Volta chirped.
Hipp came running into the room in full blown panic, when she saw Tesla she took a deep breath, "Oh gosh, there you are! I thought you bailed out and-"
"You're ready to go out?" Tesla asked in Pokémon speech.
"Uh, yes but I-"
Tesla raised a hand and Hipp stopped, he then turned to Nurse Joy, "Hipp's been working to hard, she came here using her vacation hours. She deserves a cool-down period for her servitude. Is it alright with you if she comes with me?"
"Of course," said Nurse Joy, "Hipp can go with you. But don't leave through the entrance, those trainers are still out there and-"
"Tell them I'm going to be at the Red Rock Hotel, that would move the problem elsewhere. If they want me, then I'll deal with them somewhere where it doesn't disrupt your Pokémon Center."
Nurse Joy nodded, "Okay, I'll do that."
. . .
Hipp, Volta, and Tesla left the Pokémon Center through a back door and made it through the alleys, when they got back onto the street they head straight for the Red Rock Hotel, "Hipp," said Tesla, "Try not to think too much, okay?"
"I have obsessive compulsion disorder," she said, "It is so hard not to think about-"
"Hipp, don't say another word about anything medical unless we're inside a Pokémon Center. If you do, I'll show you what Med is like on her free-time. And believe me, you don't want to see her on her free-time."
Hipp moaned, she clenched her fists and nervously looked around. She then started hopping on one foot, trying to resist the urge to give out a medical lecture, "Did you go to the spa like I told you?" Tesla asked.
"It's so hard to break away from the Pokémon Center." Hipp then tried to add something but stopped herself. Tesla smirked, she was out of her comfort zone and she was pulling her ears off because of it.
"Hipp," said Tesla, "Had you ever loved anyone?"
The old Pikachu saw something clicked inside the Audino's head, "Yes," she said, "I have. I am very close to heah-"
Hipp cuts herself up and bit her lip, saying nothing more. Tesla decided not to press her on it, he knows a sensitive subject looks like when he sees it, "You don't have to tell me about it, Hipp. That's your personal business. If you do decide to tell me, I will not judge you in anyway. It'll make no difference to me if you've done something really bad or out of the norm."
The Hearing Pokémon exhaled, a great burden seem to lift off her chest, "Thank you, Tesla."
Tesla padded her shoulder, "You've been a very good friend, it had been a long time since I had one this close."
Hipp blushed and covered her smile, Tesla chuckled and sighed, "A very long time, indeed."
When the two reached the Red Rock Hotel, they head straight for the breakfast room. Ash and his friends weren't there, their tables were empty. So they walked up to their hotel room and knocked on the door. The door clicked open as Cilan opened it, "Tesla, you're back!"
"With Volta," said Tesla, "I appreciate you guys leaving her with me."
As Tesla and Hipp walked in, Pikachu and Axew rushed up to them. They both hugged the old Pikachu with open arms, Tesla laughed and gently pushed them away, "Good to see you too, Kanto Kid." Tesla said to Pikachu.
"I'm glad you're okay!" said Pikachu.
"Hi, Pikachu!" chirped Volta, she jumped off of Tesla's head and into Pikachu's arms.
"Volta!" Pikachu cheered as he hugged her back.
Ash zipped up his jacket as he approached, Iris was right behind him. She was hopping around on one foot, trying to get her shoes on. She tripped on her last night pajamas and fell to the floor, Iris then got back up and got her shoes on. The wild girl made a face, "Dang, wrong foot!"
"Tesla!" cried Ash, he scooped Tesla up and hugged him.
"Yiee!" Tesla yelped as the stitches twist a knife in his gut.
Ash nearly lost his grip as he pulled him away, Hipp covered her mouth and gasped, "Oh I'm sorry," cried Ash, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you!?"
"I'm fine, Ash," chuckled Tesla, "I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about. Just don't upset Hipp and things will be fine."
Tesla then gave Hipp a look, the Audino sheepishly nodded and turned away. The old Pikachu then turned back to Ash, "Can we have breakfast now, I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday."
. . .
The old Pikachu had not one, but two waffles stacked on top of the other. He loaded it with maple syrup and added a tea spoon of butter in the middle. Hipp sat there as sweat trailed down her neck, trying to resist the urge of telling Tesla not to eat too much or too fast. However she can't, she was supposed to be on "vacation." Tesla couldn't help but tease Hipp, he cut out a section of the double-waffle and ate it in front of her. The Hearing Pokémon squirmed, she opened her mouth to say something but closed it. Hipp just threw a fit and turned away.
"We don't have much time guys," said Tesla, "The Faraday Power Tournament is in two days, we've gotta wrap up Volta's training."
"So what do we do?" Ash asked.
"Anything at all?" Pikachu asked.
"Now Volta might have to battle Pokémon the size of a refrigerator. To be sure she could defeat them, I wanna see her battle her evolved form," Tesla looked up at Ash, "Your Pikachu is very powerful, he's the perfect opponent for Volta."
Volta looked up when she heard her name, a piece of pancake still hanging from her mouth.
"How is battling Pikachu made sure she could battle larger Pokémon?" Iris asked.
"How?" Axew added.
"Simple," said Tesla, "According to conventional wisdom, Pokémon almost never defeat their evolved form by power alone. It takes strategy, well tuned strategy."
"That's what I used when Pikachu was battling a Raichu," said Ash, "It works."
"Pikachu." Pikachu nodded.
Tesla took another bite of his waffle, "During Irvin's journey through Kanto, I found myself in an electric-type gym. My opponent was nonetheless a Raichu. He was to most egocentric Pokémon I had ever seen, he severely defeats his opponents with powerful moves such as Hyper Beam. The injuries were so bad he sent them to the Pokémon Center, which was right across the street from the gym."
"Was he really powerful?" Cilan asked.
"Have you been listening!? Of course he was, but only in that area! Before the battle, I've went to the library and researched the Raichu. Figured out its behavior, learned of the usual moves it could learn. Now upon first glance, the Raichu has stubby arms. Not very good for punching in my opinion. I've talked to Irvin about it, he told me to break the Raichu's spirit using fighting moves. Basically speaking, fight dirty. So no, I didn't use my special electricity on him. This is a test of power on whose stronger.
Tesla sat back and grinned, "When the battle came, Irvin stuck with only normal-type and fighting-type moves. Iron Tail and such. So after dodging the Raichu's electric attacks for five minutes, his trainer caught wind of it and decided to use the same strategy. The Raichu hit me with a Quick Attack, I took the blow in the mouth and he knocked some of my teeth," Tesla pulled his mouth back and showed them, "It was the molar, right in the back. And another tooth on the bottom. I simply got back up and spat them out, my expression unchanged. The look on the Raichu's face was priceless."
"So what happened?" Ash asked.
"We exchanged blows for a couple of minutes. He was getting more aggressive, more violent. The Raichu picked me up and slammed me onto the ground, I basically pretend to be on the verge of defeat. The trainer decided to finish up with Iron Tail, so the Raichu took pleasure and came upon me like the wrath of Arceus. That was when I showed him my cards.
Tesla leaned forward and held up his fist, "I took my fist, stick the tip of my thumb between my index and middle finger, and sucker punched him in the solar plexus. Then I went unleashing surgical strikes against his other weakspots. Broke several of his ribs, ruptured his spleen, I even broke his tail in three places. I finished it off by charging up my fist and sending it directly under his jaw, he hit the ground so hard that the whole gym shivered to its frames."
"And that," Tesla added, "Was how I defeated my evolved form."
"What happened to the Raichu?" Cilan asked.
"I don't want to say exactly what happened, but I can tell you that he spent the rest of his life in deep depression," Tesla then added, "Now I visited him at the Pokémon Center after the battle, he was all covered in bandages and tubing. He looked at me in the eyes and asked, 'What are you, Pikachu?'" Tesla paused for a moment, "I simply told him, 'I'm not a Pikachu, not anymore.'"
"Why would you do that to him?" Iris asked.
"Why?" Axew asked.
"Cause my trainer told me to, I had nothing against the Raichu but Irvin wanted to make sure the damage is permanent. At the time, I didn't care about other Pokémon. Either I help them or harm them, it doesn't matter. The world is harsh either way," the old Pikachu then looked down and sighed, "I haven't seen another Raichu that depressed till I've met my grandson, Bruiser's the opposite personality of that Raichu but his true feelings were pretty much the same. The poor fella doesn't like the power he was given, and I can't blame him. The Raichu I had defeated relished in it, and I took it away from him."
Tesla rested his hand on Volta's shoulder, "I could drone on about this for hours, but the point is, it is never about power. Never was. It's about logistics, how to achieve what can't be achieve. Either Volta wins or lose the tournament, I would be proud of her if she hold on as long as humanly possible. If she gets knocked out from the first blow, we can always try again next time. What matters is she took the opportunity, and that I am proud of alone."
"Tesla," said Volta, "Will I ever see Uncle Bruiser and my Daddy again?"
Tesla turned to Volta and said in Pokémon speech, "You will, Volta. But I'm not going back to Dixie with you. If you want to see them again, you must know when to let me go."
"Tes..." The Tiny Mouse Pokémon whimpered.
Tesla picked up Volta and hugged her, "I know you can do it, Volta. I know you'll battle hard in the tournament and make your way back to our family, you don't need me to hand-guide you."
Volta managed a smile and buried her head into Tesla's shoulder, "I love you."
"I love you too, Volta."
At that moment, Cabot came running in the room. He looked like he had been running a marathon, "Oh good, I've found you! There's a whole crowd of Pokémon trainers on their way here, I ran ahead to warn you."
Tesla took one last bite of his double-waffle and nodded, "Then let's go meet them, let's hear what they have on their minds."
"Would they try to-"
He shook his head, "They won't, they all saw what would happen if they try to."
Cabot ran his hand through his hair, "So that brief skirmish with the Oshawott is true?"
"You've heard?"
"All I heard was you breaking the Oshawott's wrist and lobbing his scalchop back at him."
"You've broke an Oshawott's wrist!?" Ash asked.
Pikachu gasped, "Did you!?"
Tesla simply shrugged, "I didn't agree to battle, so why play by the rules? I simply grabbed his hand and twisted it to get his scalchop, then I threw it – not lobbed it – back at him. He went down so hard that he went straight to the Pokémon Center."
"Nobody knew where he is," said Cabot, "The Oshawott later disappeared that night, a few things were missing from his hospital room and the door was locked and barricaded. The trainer wasn't totally convinced his Oshawott would have left him like that, but it make sense. It was demoralized, his spirit broken."
"Pity," Tesla simply says, "He was egocentric, they always crash hard."
Tesla got off his chair and sat Volta down, "Let's handle these trainers, once they're off my back then we could get started for the day."
As he walked towards the door, he could feel the others' eyes drill into his back. Tesla didn't mind, he was used to the stares.
. . .
Wotter retrieved the latest dead drop spike, when he got back to the safehouse he found Smugleaf reading a book. The Discipline Pokémon had seen her reading a lot of things, but a book was something else. Books were complex, filled with detail and complex words that makes Wotter's mind numb. The Discipline Pokémon shut the door and asked, "Where did you get that book?"
"Someone threw it out two blocks away from here," said Smugleaf, her eyes still glued to the book, "This book's written by a famous author, I remember seeing his name in a lot of books stores several years back. This was one of the original copies that used to sit on the display shelves," she closed the book and held it up, "Now look at it, the pages are yellowing and the cover's all scratched up. Musty and abused, yes, but the bonding is still strong. Whoever threw it out must be disgusted by its condition, even though it's a best-seller."
Smugleaf sat it down and looked at Wotter, "We've been thrown out, chucked aside like trash, abandoned. Just like this book. Just when we thought we're going to suffer a miserable fate, Nobark came along and salvaged us. Cleaned us up, and set us straight."
"What, you've gone philosophical?" Wotter asked.
Smugleaf grinned, "You've finally noticed?"
The Discipline Pokémon shook his head, "No, I just didn't know how much philosophical."
The Grass Snake Pokemon clucked her tongue, "Poor poor, Wotter, sometimes I worry about you. Are you feeling okay?"
Wotter nodded, "I am, I just wanted to go home is all."
"We will, after we do this final objective. Once that's done, we won't have to worry about whatever damage it would cause on us."
Wotter sat down and opened up the dead drop spike, then dumped the contents on the desk. A small slip of paper and a folded up photograph fell out, Smugleaf got up and unfolded the slip of paper and read it out loud, "Your final mission will require patience and nerves of steel. Cabot Richardson had suspected us for quite some time, he had almost killed one of my oldest friends and now he has come to do him harm once more. He must be assassinated, out in the open and under burning daylight. Set your provided weapons on fully-auto with the suppressors removed, unload an entire clip into his body. Spare whatever Pokémon he has on his person, capturing is optional."
"You will set fire to your safehouse to act as a distraction," Smugleaf continued, "Once you've completed your objective, head straight home. We have some cold ones in the fridge for you. Signed, -N.
"P.S. Patience is the key, take as much time as you need. Just make sure Cabot doesn't leave Vegas City alive."
Smugleaf folded the note and sat it back on the desk, then picked up the photo, "Wow, this guy's just a kid."
She handed the photo to Wotter and he looked at it. Indeed, Cabot was a kid, probably in his early twenties, "This is the same guy who was with that Pikachu and Pichu."
"He must be participating in that tournament," said Smugleaf, "But we're not killing him there. It has to be outside and we need a good escape plan, we'll get our tails chewed off by the police if we stage the hit there."
"We'll do it after the tournament then," said Wotter, "After this kid get's local publicity, his death would be a magnet for the local paper."
Smugleaf nodded, "I agree. In the meantime, we just simply watch him. Maybe he has a habit we could use against him."
. . .
The trainers came within minutes, Tesla took a seat at the lobby as Cabot guided them to him. Volta sat on his thigh, curiously looking on as the crowd approached him. The old Pikachu scanned their eyes for signs that they might attempt to bag him. None of them set off his alarms, so far.
"Are you the Tesla Westinghouse?" one of the trainers asked.
Tesla just stared at them, as he always does when strangers speak at him. After a moment of silence, the old Pikachu held up his hands. Purple electricity buzzed between them, the crowd stepped back. The lights flickered as ozone flooded the room, Tesla ceased sparking and lowered his hands.
"It's him alright," said a trainer in the back, "No Pokemon could do that."
One of the trainers stepped forward, his colorful clothes made Tesla's eyesore. He looked at the trainer in the eye as he asked, "You're in the tournament?"
A moment of silence.
"As a trainer," said Tesla, "As long as I live, I will be the one calling the shots in future battles."
Another moment of silence.
"Well," asked Tesla, "What do you want me to say? You've been a thorn to Nurse Joy for two days wanting to see me. Well now I'm here, so what in the world do you want?"
"Who are you training?" another trainer asked.
Tesla sat his hand on Volta's head, "This here is my great-great granddaughter. Her name is Volta. I've just spent the last few months trying to find whatever family I had left. Unfortunately, what's left aren't doing so well right now."
"What happened?"
"You don't want to know."
The room went silent.
"Okay," said a girl, "What was life like being owned by a Pokémon Master?"
"Depends on how you look at it," said Tesla, "His Pokémon are idiots, he is always forgetful. Sometimes he pissed me off so much that I gave him a nasty shock. Overall, life with my trainer was pretty much . . . vague at best."
"Why vague?"
"You'll find his methods unusual at best, appalling at worst. But his Pokémon loved him, they loved him because he raised them that way."
"So how's retirement?" a trainer wearing an ugly green hat asked.
Tesla shrugged, "The taste of freedom could never be so sweet. However, I am still being hunted. People just don't get it, they all are still trying to catch me. Many trainers tried and many trainers failed, half of them would never train Pokémon again."
A lot of eyes bulged from the crowd, Tesla simply shook his head, "What are you expecting from me? Right now I have something to do and you guys are wasting your time. If you want to hear my story, you have to wait till the Faraday Power Tournament. I'm just not in the mood to talk right now."
"How's your liver," said another trainer, "Are you okay?"
Tesla grumbled, "The doctors just transplanted a new liver, as the last one was ruined from a lifetime of abuse. I'd just been discharged from the Pokémon Center and I'm not in the mood to talk to other people right now," then he added, "Why the f*ck do you guys want to invade my personal life anyway?"
No one said a word.
"If it's about my trainer, that's all in the past. Dead, gone, and not coming back. His Pokemon, my friends, are either dead, dying, or had gone insane. Maybe a few are doing okay, but overall, we all felt like we've been tossed out. We felt like we're mere things to you people, just things."
"What's Irvin's secret in becoming a Pokémon Master?" someone asked.
Tesla chuckled, "We steal Pokémon eggs, incubate them till they hatch, then we raised them. Irvin treated his Pokémon like human beings, not things we call Pokemon. That was why they were so loyal to him, why I bother sticking around. I could have just run away, but I didn't. I wanted to be treated as a person, not trash."
"I'm sorry." said Cabot as he approached.
"Not your guys faults, it's just how the world works. Irvin's motto pretty much explains it: 'A man chooses, a Pokémon obeys.' That's how all you guys treat your Pokemon, like things. Sure they may love you in all, but it's not because if you're good or mean to them. It's how you treat them, teach them."
"Now would you please excuse me," said Tesla, picking up Volta, "I have a loved one who wants to accomplish something in life. I'll tell you guys more at the Faraday Power Tournament."
"Is there anything we could do for you," said a trainer, "Anything?"
"Yes," said Tesla, "At the Faraday Power Tournament, don't cheer me on. Listen to the crowd's reaction, then look at mine. You'll learn something from that.
Tesla got off the cushioned chair and left the lobby, leaving the trainers to wonder what he was trying to get them to understand.
TO BE CONTINUED...