Time for the next instalment. And please keep reviewing people!!! By the way, this chapter is written in Tails' POV again. And also, in response to a review I got sometime last year (lol), I'm not going to try and keep any sort of canon with the series, largely because I stopped watching it after the Kanto season. So I'll just use Pokémon I'm aware that Ash has/had and if it doesn't match well it doesn't really matter does it? (the answer is no)

Instinct was the first reaction my body made and I swiftly sprung to the side of the Arcanine's charge. This merely aggravated it, to my dismay, and I was forced to dodge a jet of molten flame that singed the grass where I had just been standing.

I was overcome by a strange feeling. My heart pounding on adrenalin, I quickly analysed the nearby environment. But this time, it wasn't for a safe place to hide. I wanted to fight. Leaping into the air, I tried a spin-attack on Arcanine. It worked, but it didn't phase the Pokémon at all.

Time for a different strategy. I spun my tails as fast as I could and made a rapid ascent, to about twenty metres. With a birds-eye view of the park I was able to pinpoint an ideal place to experiment with a new attack. I strategically took advantage of the dusky sky and found some airspace where I knew the Pokémon wouldn't be able to see me, though I would be able see to it.

I had to avoid some frustrated spurts of flame as the Arcanine tried to seek me out. I didn't have much time. The fire had given away my position.

Heart pounding and breathing fast, I mustered up all my courage and energy. Reversing the direction of my tails, I propelled myself towards the ground, and the Arcanine. It happened in slow motion – the Arcanine's surprised expression; the wind buffeting my face; Sally's spiteful remarks swirling around in the back of my head, beating down my self-confidence; the blue flash pushing the Arcanine out of my path. And then – black.

Groaning, I opened my eyes slowly. My head was resting on a cushion, and I was lying on my couch. The room was silent. It was just a nightmare! A nightmare about Pokémon and inter-universal travel. Or was it a dream and not a nightmare?

Slowly, I rolled over, impeded by an injury of some description.

"Aagh!" I yelped as a bright yellow face gazed up at me curiously. Startled by the cry, it jumped back. It was Pikachu. I was still on Earth.

"Pika pika pika, pika pika?" said the little mouse.

"Sorry, what?" I said, shaking sleep out of my head and trying to listen.

"You've woken up. How are you feeling?" came the repeated reply.

"Oh… sore. Sore and tired. Where is everybody?"

Pikachu shrugged. "I was asleep when they left. I doubt they'll be gone long. That was some fall last night."

"What?"

"Don't you remember? Oh, you might be concussed. Well you fell from quite a height. Or at least, that's what it looked like."

(A/N: For those who haven't copped-on yet, Pikachu is still speaking Pokémon-language, but Tails can understand what he is saying)

"Oh yeah! I remember. No I wasn't falling. I was trying to dive-bomb Gary's Arcanine. I think Sonic attacked the Arcanine first though. Because I missed."

I sighed. "He never gives me a chance to fight for myself."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel like Ash is like that. Very overprotective."

Pikachu waddled over to the television in the corner and pulled the power cord out of the back.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up.

"Um…do you promise not to tell?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Watch,"

Pikachu bit at the cord until the plastic insulation frayed off. Grounding himself with his tail, he pulled at the wires until there were two strands about ten centimetres long. He then placed the wires over his red cheeks and lifted his tail. It was curious to see. Having worked with electricity, I expected Pikachu to writhe around on the floor in agony as 240 volts of power electrocuted him. I was wrong.

"Oh dude – you have no idea how good this shit is," he said, sounding very contented. "I don't get to do this very often. Are you electric?"

"Um… what?"

"Can you… like… spark other Pokémon and stuff?"

"Oh… no I can't,"

"Shame… I'd share some of this with ya but since you aren't an electric type you'd probably just die."

I couldn't help but laugh at how casually Pikachu had said this.

"Don't tell Ash or anyone else either. This is between you and me right?"

"Yeah of course,"

"Right, that'll do," Pikachu decided, and grounding himself again he, with professional speed, reattached the power cord to its owner, hiding any evidence of it being tampered with. "Um… so anyway… if you don't mind me asking…what are you?"

I was astonished. "I… uh… I'm a fox?"

"I figured. What kind of Pokémon are you? Don't tell me you're one of those Hoenn folk. I can't stand them. Sanctimonious lot if you've ever seen some."

I had no idea what he was talking about. I must have made a look, because Pikachu smacked himself on the head.

"You're from Hoenn, aren't you?" Pikachu said, looking abashed, "I always do this. Let a word slip here or there and BAM I've offended someone-"

I laughed. "Chill. I'm not a Pokémon. Didn't you hear me explaining that to the other guys the other day?"

"Nah, I don't listen to what they talk about. Takes too much effort to understand. They just assume I'm proficient in English. Selfish indeed. Anyways, you're speaking like a Pokémon now, so I just thought you were a Pokémon."

What? I was speaking like a Pokémon? Surely he must be joking. "Really?"

"Yeah! If I couldn't tell you to keep your mouth shut about amping myself up then I wouldn't have tried it. Didn't you know you could speak to Pokémon?"

"Well… no I never really tried. I mean I've only been here a week or so,"

"Weird. Well, why don't you meet some of the others?" Pikachu went over to where Ash's Pokéballs were, and pressed a few. In a flash of light, Bulbasaur appeared, along with Pidgeot.

"Where's Squirtle?"

From the pile, I could hear muffled cursing.

"Doesn't want to wake up, I suppose," remarked Bulbasaur. "What do you want?"

"I want you guys to meet Tails." Pikachu replied.

"Where's the point in that?" Bulbasaur argued, "What, are we supposed to speak to him or something?"

"Yes… I have to say I rather agree with Bulbasaur. You are well aware, Pikachu, that neither of us can speak English correctly. So why would you introduce to us to him? Cuckoo!"agreed Pidgeot, who had been preening herself.

"Um… according to Pikachu I can speak to Pokémon." I interjected, rather awkwardly.

Pidgeot choked on one of her feathers as she heard this, and Bulbasaur's mouth hit the floor. For a moment there was silence, then profuse apologising.

"Good heavens! I'm terribly sorry! Goodness me…" Pidgeot continued on in a similarly posh manner, whilst Bulbasaur generally looked rather embarrassed.

It was an awkward moment all around. Eventually Pikachu took it upon himself to introduce them.

"So…Tails, this is Bulbasaur. He's a Grass-type, so generally he likes to be a dick to anyone else," he joked, "and this is Pidgeot. She's a Flying-type. Quite a posh lot, really. Except the base evolutions. They sounds like scull'ry maids, doncha fink, Guvna?" Pikachu imitated the accent.

I laughed, but Pidgeot was less than impressed. "Oh, and I suppose Electric-types are high-class? I've yet to meet one who can resist destroying expensive electronics for their… ahem… personal use!"

Bulbasaur, who had been silent, agreed and poked Pikachu with his vines, taunting him for a reaction. At the moment, several more balls opened and Richie's Pikachu, Sparky, appeared, joined by his Charmander and Ash's Squirtle.

"Yo man, wat up?" asked Sparky as he hi-fived Pikachu.

Squirtle rolled his eyes. "I heard you guys talking. If you think base Flying-types are bad, you have proof right there –" Squirtle indicated Pikachu and Sparky, who were in the process of a lengthy hi-five-cum-secret-handshake, "that Zippo is an idiot."

He cackled incessantly until Zippo the Charmander smacked him on the head.

"Shut up you! Everyone knows that Water-types are by far the most arrogant Pokémon!"

"Yeah, well even humans know that Fire-types have the worst tempers!"

I watched in amazement as a shouting fest of which "type" was best ensued. Taunts and cries filled the room as each Pokémon defended themselves while simultaneously insulting someone else.

At that moment, the door opened, and Ash and the crew entered.

"That was a lovely breakf- hey, look, the Pokémon are playing together! Aren't they cute?"

I couldn't help but sigh at how wrong Ash was.

REVIEW PLEASE! Constructive criticisms and the like.