"A Bike Voucher?!" exclaimed the clerk at the bike shop, staring in dismay at the piece of cardboard Axel was presenting him. "Awww... I knew we shouldn't have given those out! We're losing money on this deal!"
"To be fair, your bikes are ridiculously expensive," Axel said fairly. "I mean, who in their right mind carries a million Pokédollars with them?"
"It's worth every penny, though," the clerk argued as he wheeled out a bright red Bicycle to where Axel was. "Press that button," he added, pointing to a small red button on the bike's frame, just under the handlebars. Axel pressed the button, and to his astonishment, the bike shrunk down to the size of a potato!
"Whoa!" breathed Axel, holding the now-tiny bike in his hand.
"Cool, huh?" grinned the clerk. "Same kind of technology used in Poké Balls. This way, there's no need to chain it up when you want to go inside- just shrink it down and put it in your pocket!"
"I like," Axel grinned. "Thanks!"
"No problem," replied the clerk. "Just go out and have fun- you can take that down Cycling Road, or in caves- like Rock Tunnel, actually."
"Rock Tunnel?" repeated Axel.
"Yeah," said the clerk. "This cave just east of town. Actually, if you're headed to Lavender Town or Celadon City, you'll want to head that way anyway- Saffron City's gatekeepers are blocking all entrances to the city for some reason," he added, rolling his eyes. "And I see you're a Trainer- Celadon City's got a Pokémon Gym, so I get the feeling that'll interest you."
"Very much so," nodded Axel. "Thanks again!"
Consulting his Town Map and boarding his new Bicycle, Axel sped off to the eastern part of town, Battery riding in the basket and enjoying it thoroughly. Sure enough, there was a narrow path leading out of town, blocked off by a small tree (which was no match for Ragweed's Cut). Following that, they found themselves on a rather hilly landscape, littered with big rocks and tall ledges... and Trainers. First was a Jr. Trainer whose Grass-types were no match for Ragweed, Ozone, and Needles, after which Kraken took on a Hiker's Machop and Onix, emerging victorious with no problems. Then there was the Youngster who came at them with an admittedly strong Sandshrew, though it was still no match for Kraken's Bubble Beam, and this was followed by a Bug Catcher who came at Axel and his team with a pair of Beedrill. Needles was able to take one of them out with a single Mega Punch, but for the other one, he instead demonstrated a new and particularly violent move of his- the Thrash attack.
After wandering around for what felt like forever, Axel came to a large stretch of tall grass. He rode his bike through the grass carefully, so as to not get grass tangled in the spokes, when the grass before him started to rustle. And then, a light blue creature with large ears and numerous spikes jumped out in front of him- a Nidoran, but unlike Needles had been, this one was of the female variety. Nidoran's gender differences were so vast that the two kinds were actually considered entirely different species of Pokémon.
"Battery! Thunder Wave!" Axel called.
"PIKAAAAAA!" bellowed Battery as he fired a weak electrical jolt. Nidoran grunted as she struggled against the paralysis, but managed to fire a barrage of ominous purple needles. Battery cried out as the Poison Sting made contact.
"Go, Poké Ball!" cried Axel, throwing a red-and-white sphere at the Nidoran... which she broke out of almost immediately. Irritated by this, Axel threw a Great Ball instead... and that one did the trick.
"Yes!" Axel cheered as Marge the Nidoran was transferred to the PC. "I just caught a female Nidoran!"
"Pi... Pikachu..."
Axel blinked. Something sounded seriously wrong with Battery- sure enough, the Pikachu was struggling to stand, his forehead taking on an ominous purple tint.
"Battery!" Axel exclaimed, kneeling down and taking off his backpack. "That Poison Sting must've poisoned you! OK, lemme see..." he mumbled as he rummaged through his bag. "...No Antidotes!?" he exclaimed. "I never restocked! OK, c'mon, Battery," he said, putting his backpack back on, stowing his Bicycle back in his backpack (in hindsight, the bike would've been quicker, but Axel wasn't exactly thinking straight at the moment), and scooping the Pikachu into his arms. With that, he ran for it, made a mad dash back to Cerulean City, his eyes scanning his surroundings for the familiar red roof...
"Pii... kaaa..." gasped Battery. With every couple of steps Axel took, the Electric-type's condition seemed to worsen. He sounded like he was in horrible pain, and his breathing was starting to become labored. Axel's blood ran cold as he considered the horrible possibility that Battery might di- NOPE. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, hell, no! That would not happen. Axel would not allow that to happen! Quickening his pace, Axel leapt down a ledge, raced past the Gym, and at long last, burst through the Pokémon Center doors.
"Oh, my!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as Axel came running up to her. "What's all the-"
"Please- my Pikachu!" Axel interrupted hastily, handing the feebly stirring Electric-type to Nurse Joy. "Poisoned... out of Antidotes... Ran whole way..."
Nurse Joy said no more, realizing the severity of the situation, and she and Chansey took Battery into the emergency room right away. The next two hours were the longest weeks of Axel's life as he paced anxiously around the waiting area. His other Pokémon had all exited their Poké Balls as well (even Kraken- he did fit in the building, but it was a bit of a squeeze), all of them hoping that Battery was all right.
The Raticate, the Pidgeotto, the Nidoking, the Gyarados, the Ivysaur... they were all wildly different in personality, but all of them could agree on one thing- Battery was a good friend, a dependable teammate, and if the unthinkable happened, they didn't know how they would ever cope. Itchy started out as one of the more pathetically weak Rattata Route 1 had to offer, and now he was a formidable Raticate, able to take out Lt. Surge's infamous Raichu in one attack, and he owed that to Battery's patience and help. Needles had always looked up to Battery as a role model after seeing the Electric-type in action back when he was a Nidoran. Ozone, she always felt like she and Battery were kind of like the parents of the team. Battery was just as much a father to the team as she was a mother to them, and the Pidgeotto had a great deal of respect for him. Ragweed might not have known Battery for quite as long as the others, but it was Axel's remarkable bond with the Pikachu that endeared him to the Trainer in the first place. And Kraken... If the unthinkable were to happen, everyone knew that Kraken would take it hardest of all. Nobody else believed in Kraken's potential but Axel and Battery. Battery was the one who defended Kraken to the others. Battery was the one who helped them become friends. Battery was the one who always assured Kraken that he was destined for great things... Kraken would likely not be a Gyarados today were it not for Battery. He owed that Pikachu a great deal.
Axel, meanwhile, was trying to wrap his head around the grim possibility that lay before him. He had lost Pokémon before, true enough, and it was a like a nightmare for him to lose Flutters and Vlad... but not Battery. He couldn't bear to think of going on without hearing a cheerful "Pika pika!" by his side. He didn't even think he could bear to catch a Pokémon without hearing Battery's "Pi Pikachu!". Battery was the Pokémon Axel was closest to out of all of his Pokémon, his best friend, they were practically like brothers...
The sound of a door opening caught all of their attention. Nurse Joy, looking too exhausted for her face to give anything away, stepped out of the emergency room and walked over to Axel.
"Nurse Joy..." Axel said, approaching her, his voice quiet, almost pleading. "My Pikachu... is he...?"