Cha. 21

If Thunderwave won't work, then…

"Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail shone a shiny grey and sliced toward an Image before him.

The Magikarp just smirked. The tail cut through the illusion. Instead of disappearing though, it wavered and…

Split into two! Simultaneously, all other seven Images divided as well! Pikachu's eyes popped out. "What the hell!?"

"This is called Split. It is a very basic trick of Water type Methods, but they have great effects if you haven't seen it before. However, it's apparently lost in your world since the Prehistoric Eon…"

Pikachu tuned him out and racked his mind for a way to find the real Dexter. Thunderwave was his only area of effect attack.

Quick Attack?

Nope. If he used Quick Attack, he might end up dealing with dozens of Dexters before finding the real one…

Whatever his solution was, he wouldn't have to chance to execute it, because Dexter had snatched the upper hand. A water-shaped megaphone materialized in front of all sixteen Magikarp.

*BOOOM!

A wave of intolerable racket echoed through the forest. Pikachu saw black, his eardrums bursting. But what's worse, his brain vibrated and quaked, his concentration spinning out of his control. Within two seconds, he lost all senses and crashed down, pouch still sparking unconsciously.

The Images cleared. Dexter hopped down from the branch of a tree, turning back into a Porygon in midair. He shook his head in disappointment. "Damn… he lost to a bunch of illusions…"

"I didn't even get to use my preparatory attacks…"

"What happened!?" A voice rang out in hurried panic. Dexter turned to see Ash running through a bush.

The teen's eyes narrowed when he saw Pikachu lying on the ground stiff. He dashed over and put a hand to the mouse's neck.

Good, the pulse is still dancing strongly. Ash shook the immobile mouse. "Pikachu!"

No answer. He took a deep breath and faced Dexter. "Explain."

Dexter sighed. "I didn't think he's this weak either."

Ash pointed and said plainly. "Fix this."

A ball of water materialized on top of Pikachu and fell against his face. Pikachu yelped and jumped up in surprise. Dexter replied curtly. "Done."

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?" Pikachu yelled. "What the hell happened!?"

Dexter gave him a complacent glimpse and materialized a megaphone before his face, purely of water. At the base of the megaphone was a spinning white ball of energy.

"Do you want the scientific explanation or the simple explanation?"

"The short one." Ash decided for the duo.

"Well, the short one is that the energy vaporized the water around the base of the megaphone and turned it to steam, which soared through the megaphone-construct."

"The inside is designed to create a turbulent effect with the air, and the rate of expansion of the steam makes it react very roughly with the air, which creates the sound explosion." Dexter pointed. "The sound of sixteen blasting at the same time is equivalent to a sonic boom."

"You call that a 'short' explanation?" Ash gave a bleak stare. "You could have just said that the megaphone made noises."

"But how did I faint!?" Pikachu blinked twice before shouting. "Even with a sonic boom, it still wouldn't be able to knock me out!"

"The tune of the sound is adjusted to the same frequency of your blood flow around your brain. So when it vibrates, the blood does too, which cause a pressure around your cerebral cortex, which made you blank out."

Pikachu's jaw dropped, and so did Ash's. They never knew battling could go into a depth like this…

Hell, not even the League Championships were to this precise of a calculation!

Dexter shook his head with an air of disdain. "You know, this is really the most basic tactics. A few thousand years ago, this is what the children play with."

"When did you get my blood flow stats!?"

"With Scan. It's a really foundational support Method, which delivers a psychic scan of the minor details of the environment and the opponent."

"Normally, when Pokémon fought in my time, they cast Block on themselves as a starting move, which is another support Method, one that counters Scan. It basically stops the opponent from spying on your surroundings, like your blood flow."

Pikachu snorted. "Scan and Block. Great names."

"Like I said, they are literally the most rudimentary Methods." The despise was written all over the Porygon's face.

Ash ignored the comment of the proclaimed elderly being. "So the second question: Why the hell are you two fighting!?"

Dexter and Pikachu exchanged a glance. Pikachu lowered his head, while Dexter gave a light laugh.

Ash scratched the back of his head. He was missing something here…

The mouse looked at Dexter ambivalently. "So… you'll really teach me the… Methods, they're called?"

"I'll give you the Methods of Scan and Block right after this. You should master the basics in a few days."

The electric mouse took a few deep breaths before staring up at the boy. "Ash… I've met many humans before, even living in the forest."

Ash's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but Dexter raised a flipper to signal him to listen on.

"You're among the… most eccentric whom I've seen." Pikachu smiled a little. "At least the easiest and most fun to be with…"

"I was going to propose this even without Dexter's… bribery." Pikachu shot a look at a smirking Porygon. "I really enjoyed my time with you… even though I almost died the day I met you."

"But the idea of freedom was pulling me back, until Dexter talked to me. Who said living in this little forest is true independence!?"

Pikachu took a long breath and stared into Ash's eyes. "Capture me. Take me to places. Train me to be great!"

Ash blinked and turned to Dexter. "What is he saying?"

The Porygon coughed awkwardly. "Sorry… I forgot to turn the translator on…"

Pikachu: "..."

"Is that really what he said?" Ash asked with a look of surprise. The Pokéball in front of him shook four times and registered the capture.

"Yep. Not a single word of exaggeration or lie." Dexter said righteously.

Ash waved his hand, and Pikachu burst back out from the ball. The mouse shook his head. "That was… weird… a bad weird. I feel trapped within a cage…"

"Pikachu… You don't have to do this just because you lost." Ash bent down and caressed the mouse's fur. "Dexter can take care of himself."

"What are you talking about?" Pikachu blinked. "Is your translator on?"

"Yes, it is." The mouse saw a very eerie look within the boy's eyes as he continued. "You don't have to be his slave. All my Pokémon are treated equally. Especially the bed-warming part."

"Dexter is a Pokédex. He doesn't even need to sleep. Also, you don't need to wash his flippers…"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Pikachu's fur tinged out. What the hell!? Bed-warming!?

Ash turned to Dexter in confusion. "Wasn't this what he was saying?"

The Pokédex couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out in laughter. "YEP! Every word!"

Pikachu's face darkened as he immediately realized the joke. Dashing past a confused Ash and lunging at Dexter, he roared. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

Ash held his head, watching powerlessly. On the bright side, he got two Pokémon in a day. On the flip side… he had to deal with another psycho…

A/N: This is how battling will work in my fic. A mix of strategy and tactics, not primitive comparison of power. You might very well see a Weedle defeating a Dragonite in my book... especially with Methods.

There are different types of Methods. Some can be used to gather Qi, some for battling, some for spying, some for defending, building, traveling, anything you can imagine.

Also, I'm taking suggestions for Pokémon with cool effects. For example, Shedinja's immunity, Zorua's transformation, Kangaskhan's pouch, basically anything that can be turned into drama and be made interesting.