A/N: I'm trying something out with a different type of new Pokemon for the group again. Sableye was evil so here's something else the group hasn't encountered before. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Chapter 26: Emergency at New Mauville

It had been a week since the group left Verdanturf Town. Once they left, they had to say goodbye to their new friend, Wally. He had promised to take great care of Ralts and to be a great Pokemon trainer once he got better. Serena had also told Wally that she would call him sometimes to check up on his progress which he happily agreed to.

With Verdanturf Town behind them, they now had their sights set on Mauville City again. Though this wasn't the fastest way to get to Lavaridge Town which would contain Ash's next gym battle, the group didn't have much choice. Rusturf Tunnel would've taken them through Meteor Falls. Then they could've headed to Fallarbor Town and then Lavaridge Town, but the cave had been temporarily closed due to a few paths that had collapsed when Team Magma was there.

That being said, however, it wasn't like the group was disappointed by having to return to Mauville City. They didn't have very much time to spend here due to May's contest that was quickly approaching. Now, however, they could take their leisure and fully take advantage of the many attractions that Mauville City had to offer. With as much training as they did lately, it would be nice to take a small break.

They were now standing at the entrance to Mauville City again, and it looked just as massive the second time as it did the first time. The gigantic mall-like city still stretched on for miles, and a countless number of people were seen moving about inside the many glass windows scattered throughout. As the group made their way inside, they couldn't help but wonder how long it took to build this city.

"This place is still nuts," Ash muttered as the roar of many people filled their ears.

How did people sleep here? Were the apartments soundproof? The people here seemed so dependent on electricity. Heaven forbid a citywide power outage ever happened.

"Well, what should we do first?" Serena asked, "We could go shopping."

"We could go to the amusement park," May suggested.

"We could go eat," Ash brought up.

"I could make a clipboard of fun so we can have a schedule and…" Brock began, but seeing everyone's look made him sadly hang his head, "Or not."

"The amusement park would make the most sense," May stated, "There will be places to eat and shop there, anyway. Everybody wins."

The rest of the group exchanged glances with each before they shrugged and nodded their heads at May's logic. Besides, it had been several years since any of them visited an amusement park. They couldn't wait to see all the rides and things to do there.

It took some time to find the entrance considering there was only one in the whole city. The group entered the indoor amusement park after going through the ticket gate, and it was just as crowded as the rest of the city. Brock got a map from the nearby information booth before he opened it and looked at what the park had to offer.

"Hmm… this is a decent-sized place considering it's indoor," Brock noted.

"Which way to the roller coasters?" May asked.

"Umm…they're all over the park," Brock answered, "The nearest one is over there."

The group followed Brock's gaze and saw a fairly tall and twisting roller coaster not far away that was the called The Mind Bender. May smiled broadly before she made a beeline straight for the entrance. Ash and Pikachu made a beeline for the food stand as Brock, Serena, and Togetic watched them take off.

"I'll see you guys later!" May called out.

"Save me a place in line!" Ash shouted.

"Will do!" May replied.

"Well, I guess that leaves shopping for us. I've never been a roller coaster junkie," Serena said.

"Neither have I," Brock answered before he offered his arm with a smile, "Shall we, madam?"

"Thank you, good sir," Serena said with a giggle before she took his arm, and they went off.

May was eagerly waiting for her turn to try The Mind Bender. The line was quite long, but that would be for any roller coaster. There was a sign at the entrance that said certain Pokemon could ride as long as they were fit to do so. May briefly considered letting her own Pokemon ride but ultimately decided against it. Her Pokemon were still quite small and didn't exactly have the personality, per se, of a Pokemon that would enjoy the roller coaster. Well, except for Skitty, but it wouldn't be able to sit still.

"Thanks for saving a spot," Ash said as he arrived with Pikachu and ducked under and around a few people to get where she was.

May then noticed he had three corndogs and a bag of popcorn in his hands. May loved food just as much as the next person, but even she had enough sense not to gorge herself before a riding a roller coaster.

"Ash, you're not going to throw up on me after riding this roller coaster, are you?" May asked with a frown.

"Nah. I can hold my food pretty well," Ash replied as he took a bite of one of the corndogs and tossed some popcorn to Pikachu before offering it to May," Want some?"

"Sure," May replied with a shrug and grabbed and handful.

As May and Ash approached the end of the line, they could see all the people that were going on and off the ride. Some looked like they had a blast while others looked quite dizzy. Speaking of that, there were two particular people who had just got off the roller coaster that caught their eyes. One was a blond-haired boy and a younger blonde-haired girl. The girl was grinning broadly while the boy looked like he was about to be sick. Ash and May smiled when they saw it was none other than Clemont and Bonnie.

"Hey! Over here!" Ash shouted and waved.

Bonnie looked over to where they were being called and grinned in excitement when she saw Ash and May. She then tugged on Clemont's sleeve and pointed. Clemont then noticed Ash and May and offered them a weak smile before he turned around and hurried for the nearest trash can. Bonnie giggled and bounced over to the two.

"Hi!" she chirped.

"Hi, Bonnie," Ash replied before he and May looked over at Clemont bent over a trash can not far away, "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine! He always gets like that when he rides roller coasters," Bonnie said dismissively.

"Why does he ride them then?" May wondered.

"Because I always have to have someone ride with me because I'm too young," Bonnie said as she crossed her arms and pouted.

At that time, Clemont stumbled over to the two and straightened his glasses as they had gotten slightly askew. He then took a deep breath before he addressed them.

"Hey there. Welcome back to Mauville City," he greeted, "How did you like Verdanturf Town?"

"Hi, Clemont," Ash replied, "It was great! We got back to Mauville a few hours ago and May and I had to try out the amusement park!"

"Well, it's something," Clemont said with a nervous chuckle, "Mr. Wattson is taking the day off so Bonnie and I were free to do whatever we wanted. Of course, Bonnie wanted to come here."

"I love adventures and roller coasters!" Bonnie added, "Coming here is a lot better than staying at the gym and tinkering with machines, huh, Clemont?"

"Not really," Clemont mumbled under his breath before he looked around, "Are Brock and Serena here with you two?"

"Yeah. I think they're checking out all the shops here," Ash replied, "Why don't we meet up with them after May and I ride?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Bonnie said with a wide grin while Clemont nodded his head.

"Alright," Clemont said, "Just be prepared as this thing really moves."

"My kind of ride!" May said with a giggle.

It was then that both Ash and May reached the end of the line and prepared to get on the ride. They sat down and gave a thumbs up to Clemont and Bonnie after they were strapped in.

"Have fun!" Bonnie told them before she looked at Clemont, "Maybe when we meet up with everyone, we can all come back and ride it again!"

"A-a-again?" Clemont stuttered, "I don't think that's a good idea, Bonnie. Besides, we already rode once, and we'll have to wait in line and…"

"Just come on!" Bonnie urged as she pulled her brother along.

"You ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked it.

"Pika!" Pikachu answered in the positive. It was strapped into a smaller seat specially designed for smaller Pokemon.

Ash and May then waited eagerly as the announcement came over the loudspeaker about the rules of the ride and to stay safe. After it was done, the roller coaster then began to slowly move out of its still position and up a ramp. It then began to climb up the slope, and Ash and May looked off to the side as the amusement park and Mauville City began to spread out below them like a map. They strained their eyes to see if they could somehow spot Serena or Brock, but they realized that would probably be impossible.

At last, they reached the top, and the ride paused for a moment. It wasn't extremely high due to it still being indoors, but it was still exciting to be there. They took a deep breath to prepare, and the roller coast began its descent down at a high speed.

Ash and May screamed as the ride plummeted downward and then went into several corkscrews, hence the name. May felt her pigtails flailing around wildly while Ash instinctively reached up to grab his hat to keep it from flying off. Pikachu's eyes were spinning around wildly as it tried to keep up with everything.

"We should let the rest of our Pokemon ride this when we're done!" Ash shouted to May before he yelled again after another drop.

"Definitely!" May agreed before she screamed. Forget what she thought earlier, they would totally enjoy this. Well, except maybe Azurill.

Of course, Ash also thought it would be great to ride this with Serena. She wasn't the roller coaster junkie that he and May were, but he was sure it wouldn't be too hard to get her on here with him. Maybe she would grab hold of him with one her hands. Heh. If anything, it would funny to see how wild her long hair would get after she rode the roller coaster. It had already grown mostly back to its original length since she cut it several months back in Olivine City.

Ash's thought of Serena riding with him was cut short when what sounded like a small explosion happen. Ash was immediately put on alert as sparks began to shoot from the roller coaster car, and it came to grinding halt. Ash, May, and Pikachu were both thrown forward and almost smacked their heads on the front of their cart from the force. It didn't take a genius to know that wasn't supposed to happen on this ride.

"Ash, look!" May shouted and pointed.

Ash's eyes then widened when he saw all of the machinery grinding to a halt, and a large portion of the lights shutting off all around the amusement park before stretching further out in the city. Even with the small bit of sunlight coming through the skylights in the city, it was still quite dark. It wasn't too long after that when the citizens below started looking around in confusion while some began yelling.

"A blackout?" May questioned to know one in particular.

"Not completely," Ash muttered as he noticed there were a few emergency lights that were still active, but that was about it.

Ash thought it was ironic that he briefly thought about what Mauville City would be like if the power was shut off, and it actually happened. What on Earth could have actually happened to do this, however? Didn't a city that was so reliant on electricity and machines have backup generators? Unless, of course, those short-circuited, as well.

"Ash!" a voice hollered out to him.

Ash looked down and could see Brock and Serena down below and waving at him and May. Even Clemont and Bonnie were next to them. They must've met up sometime while Ash and May were on the ride. Bonnie was looking up in worry at them while Clemont was busy talking on his Pokegear.

"We're okay!" Ash shouted back to let them know they were, but it was probably hard to hear with the frantic people shouting and running around.

Ash was sure that the power would be restored and that they could continue the ride, but he wasn't sure how long that was going to take. Frankly, he didn't want to wait around too long for it, either. Serena seemed to be thinking the same thing, too, as she released her Beautifly. Ash then saw her point to him and May, and Beautifly nodded its head before it shot out a String Shot.

The String Shot connected with the roller coaster car, and then Brock and Serena took the other end and tied it around a nearby telephone pole. Ash's eyes lit up when he realized what they were thinking and turned to May.

"Hey, May. Let your Dustox out, and have it shoot a String Shot to the ground," he instructed.

"Oh! Right!" May said as she nodded her head and released it from her pokeball, "Use String Shot!"

Dustox appeared out its pokeball and shot the String Shot to Serena and Brock. Brock caught it this time and wrapped it around the same pole form earlier. Ash and May then took one of their ends of the String Shots and tied it around one of the handlebars. They all then gave a hard tug on the sticky string to make sure it was sturdy. Ash then looked and noticed they weren't too high off the ground anymore so nothing was fatal. He then turned to the others on the roller coaster with him.

"We can use this String Shot to climb down to the ground," he told them.

A few people looked a little apprehensive as they checked the String Shot and the distance to the ground. Ash knew it wasn't the safest option, but it would certainly beat sitting in here for who knows how long. Besides, with the whole city in an uproar, it would probably even take a long time for a cherry picker to arrive and get them off. As long as they didn't let go of the string and climbed down carefully, they would be fine. Ash was confident in the strength of the String Shot, however.

"I'll climb down first," Ash volunteered as he wrenched himself out of his seat and the bar and strap that was binding him.

"Are you sure, Ash?" May asked him.

"Yeah. Once I'm on the ground safely to show I'm fine, we can let the other people go," Ash replied.

May nodded her head as she watched Ash grab hold of the strings before he hoisted himself out of the cart and began to slowly climb down. It didn't take him terribly long. He just had to be careful, and soon, Ash was safely on the ground and was greeted by a tight hug from Serena.

"What's going on?" Ash wondered once Serena released him.

"That's what Clemont's trying to figure out on the Pokegear. We ran into him and Bonnie when the lights went off. He's calling Wattson," Brock answered and gestured to the blond boy.

Ash nodded his head before he looked up and shouted as loud as he could to May and the others that it was safe to come down. After seeing someone else leave, that eased the tension of everyone else who was still on the ride, and they all safely climbed down the makeshift rope, and May took up the rear and climbed out last. May and Serena each told their respective Pokemon a job well done until they returned them to their pokeballs. At that moment, Clemont was off his Pokegear and turned to the group.

"Wattson believes that there's something wrong with the generators in New Mauville," Clemont reported.

"What's New Mauville?" Serena asked.

"It's an underground facility near the city that houses several electrical equipment and generators. It basically powers the whole city," Clemont replied.

"So, what do we do? The whole city is in an uproar," May stated as people continued to run around in a panic.

"Wattson asked me to go and check it out and to call him once I've found the problem. He'd go himself, but he's all the way on the other side of the city near the gym trying to keep the peace of everyone there," Clemont said.

"You're taking me with you!" Bonnie insisted.

"No, Bonnie," Clemont replied and gave her a stern look, "We don't know all of what's down there, and it could be dangerous."

"Heeeey!" Bonnie said and put her hands on her hips.

"Do you think we could come, Clemont?" Ash asked, "We have our Pokemon with us, and we could help out in case there is something down there. It's better than going by yourself."

Clemont smiled in relief and nodded his head," Thanks a lot, guys. I appreciate it."

"No fair!" Bonnie complained, "How come they get to go?!"

"We're Pokemon trainers, Bonnie, and we have our Pokemon to protect us. You don't," Clemont explained.

"Your Pokemon can protect me, too! I get along great with your Dedenne!" Bonnie rebutted.

Clemont sighed before he looked towards the rest of the group to ask for some sort of help. They each took a step back to show this was Clemont's decision to make as he was Bonnie's brother. He rubbed his forehead in frustration as he supposed their Pokemon could protect Bonnie. Besides, it wasn't a good idea to leave her in the city by herself, and it would waste too much time to bring her back to the gym.

"Alright, Bonnie. You can come. Just please listen to us, and be careful," Clemont warned.

"Hooray!" Bonnie cheered.

"This isn't a field trip, you know," Clemont reminded her.

The group was now on the outskirts of Mauville City. It had been rather tough to get through to the entrance due to the frantic crowd while an Officer Jenny tried to calm them down. Now, they were in front of a building that looked somewhat like the entrance to a power plant, but that wasn't too far from the truth.

"So, this is the entrance to New Mauville?" Ash figured.

"It is," Clemont confirmed as he walked over to the door and took out a set of keys, "The only ones who have access to a key here are Wattson, me, and the mayor of Mauville City."

Clemont then searched around for the correct key before he used it to unlock the door. He then opened the door before he turned around to the rest of the group.

"I'll go in first just to make sure everything looks okay," he stated, and rest of the group nodded their heads in return.

Clemont then went in and tried the switch. As expected, the lights didn't come on so he had to take out a flashlight to look around. He then shined it over to where the normal generators were and inspected all of the machinery to make sure they were running properly and saw they were. Clemont then sighed as this wasn't a simple problem to fix as it went much deeper. They would have to go into the depths of New Mauville to figure out what was going on. He then went back to the entrance and stuck his head out the door.

"Alright, everyone. The coast is clear. We'll have to go below ground to figure out what's going on," Clemont reported.

The group then followed Clemont inside, and Brock took out another flashlight from his backpack so they wouldn't have to rely on just one. Clemont then led them over to a staircase, and Serena looked a little apprehensive to go down it. She was never really a fan of dark and creepy places like that. She gently grabbed onto Ash's arm, and he glanced at her before he gave her a small smile.

"Okay, everyone. There's no telling what's down there so be prepared for anything," Clemont told them as he began to descend the darkened stairwell, and the rest followed.

They entered into a massive room with all sorts of machines and gears that surrounded them. What was most likely a lively place with all of the equipment that would be running in here, the fact that there wasn't a sound now was a little creepy. It was completely quiet due to all the nonoperational machines. A walkway with railings stretched out before them. Bonnie eagerly ran over to one of the railings and looked over at all of the equipment below her.

"Wow! Take a look at all this!" Bonnie said in excitement and tried to lean even further to get a better look.

"Bonnie! Be careful!" Clemont warned as he rushed over to grab his sister and steer her away from the railings.

"So, how are we going to find what's going on down here?" Serena wondered.

"We just have to look," Clemont replied, "I was hoping the problem would be easy to find, but apparently not."

"Should we split up?" May suggested.

"No. It's best to just stick together since you guys don't know this place," Clemont said.

"That's going to take a while," Serena stated.

Clemont then seemed to get a glint in his glasses and gave a sly grin.

"Well, it may not take long at all, thanks to Science!" he declared.

"What are you talking about?" May asked.

"Oh no," Bonnie mumbled and rolled her eyes.

Clemont then knelt down and set down his flashlight. He then took out several tools and pieces of metal and electrical equipment. Once he did so, Clemont set right to work. The group exchanged glances with each other as they had no idea what he was doing. Was he seriously trying to make something right here in the middle of New Mauville?

"Uh…Clemont?" Serena tried.

"Don't bother. He won't respond until he's done," Bonnie said.

After a few minutes of tinkering with the equipment, Clemont stood up and proudly displayed his newest invention. The group stared it. Truthfully, it didn't look like much. It was just a small, cube-shaped metal object with a button and an antennae in the center.

"Here it is! My latest invention! The New Mauville Power Outage Reason Detector Finder!" Clemont stated.

"The…what?" Serena questioned, completely baffled that Clemont could make something on the spot like that.

"The New Mauville Power Outage Reason Detector Finder!" Clemont repeated, "With this machine, we'll be able to find what's causing Mauville City's power outage a lot faster. It'll detect the abnormalities in the area and be able to tell us which direction to go thank to this radar in the antennae!"

Serena, May, and Brock had their mouths open in surprise as they blinked a few times to try to process what Clemont said. This machine could really do that? Machine names aside, that did sound pretty astounding. Ash, however, was completely enthralled.

"Wow! Science is so amazing!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hahahahahaha! Why thank you, Ash! Wait until you see this thing in action!" Clemont replied and pressed the button in the center.

"You all might want to step back," Bonnie whispered to May, Serena, and Brock.

Taking heed of Bonnie's advice, the three of them got a fair distance between them, Ash, and Clemont. Both Ash and Clemont watched in excitement as the machine began to buzz and shake. The small red light at the top of the antennae then began to blink at a rapid pace. Clemont studied the device for a moment before he gave a big smile.

"It's telling us we should go that way!" Clemont stated and pointed to the right.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked him.

"Positive!" Clemont responded, "Let's go!"

He then picked up his flashlight and marched forward with his new invention along with Ash. The rest were about to follow, but Bonnie grabbed the back of their shirts to keep them in place. The group looked at her inquisitively until the invention that Clemont made began to buzz even louder than normal.

Clemont then stared in confusion at the device as it began to emit sparks and smoke. Clemont gasped and tried to dispose of the machine quickly, but it was no use. The device exploded right in both his and Ash's face as the rest of the group used their arms to shield themselves. The smoke then began to clear. The group could see Ash and Clemont both covered with smoky dust with their hair pointed straight up. Clemont let out a cough as Ash blinked in surprise.

"See? I told you. Everything my brother makes ends up exploding," Bonnie said with a shrug as Pikachu and Togetic snickered.

About ten minutes later, Ash and Clemont were able to get cleaned off enough to where they continued on. Clemont was sad that his invention exploded again, but he was still confident it had pointed them in the right direction. With no better option right now, the group followed him.

As they walked down the path, they began to see an odd sight. Their flashlights revealed that some parts of the machines in the area were charred black. They also smelled smoke. They knew that they had to be getting close to whatever it was that was causing this.

"What do you suppose happened?" May asked.

"Well, I know one thing. These marks weren't simply caused by machines short-circuiting," Clemont replied.

"What do you mean?" Serena questioned.

"I mean it couldn't been someone…or something," Clemont said.

"Pikachu, be ready for anything," Ash whispered to the yellow rodent, and it nodded.

As the group continued, the smell of smoke and the charred pieces of equipment became more frequent. They had to getting to the bottom of this. Though the blackened pieces of machinery were quite severe, they couldn't have been the only cause of the blackout in the whole city. They soon came into a clearing where two huge machines were.

"These are where the two main generators for the city are," Clemont said, "If even just one these are damaged, it could blackout the whole city. Our backup generators help combat this, but as you could see on our way here, a lot them were damaged. Let's split up and have look around them and see what we find."

The group nodded and began to search around the huge pieces of equipment. They didn't quite know what they were searching for unlike Clemont who was a whiz at this stuff. They only thing they could do was find something that looked weird. May especially wasn't good at this stuff as she wasn't a geek like her brother. She had no idea what help she would be in this, but whatever.

May then jumped when she saw a spark emit from the side of the generator she was inspecting. Curious, May the walked a little further and figured she must be getting close. She peered around the side of the generator and immediately wished she hadn't.

Part of the generator had been torn off which exposed the gears inside the machine. That wasn't it, though. What horrified May was that there was a splatter of blood on the gears. It dripped on the floor and was creating a small puddle. May's eyes widened as she covered her mouth and let out a terrified shriek at the sight.

Her cry had an instant effect on everyone else. They hurried over to May as fast as they could, and Clemont shined his flashlight on where May was looking to get a better view. What they all saw almost made them cry out in alarm, too.

"Don't look, Bonnie," Clemont said and covered her eyes.

"Wh-what happened?" Serena asked while she quivered.

They didn't have too much time to ponder it, however. It was then the group heard what sounded like growling. It was low and sounded dangerous. The whole group began to shake as Pikachu and Togetic jumped in front of them in a protective stance. Clemont and Brock shined their flashlights around wildly as they tried to find the source of the noise.

"Whatever did that, I think we're about to find out," Ash said.

"You know what? I'd prefer not to find out! Let's just get out of here!" May shouted.

"I'm with you, May!" Serena agreed.

"I want to see it!" Bonnie complained.

"Forget it, Bonnie!" Clemont rebutted as he grabbed her arm, and they all turned around and began to run.

Brock, however, stayed. He was still trying to find the source of that growling. It sounded different compared to a growl that something would make if it was threatening someone. It sounded more as if something was in…pain? Brock then noticed a trail of blood leading from the source of the gears and quickly followed the trail. It didn't take long for him to discover the source of the blood.

An Electrike was lying on the floor and gasping and growling in pain. As Brock shined his flashlight on it, he soon saw why, and he gasped.

It was missing its back right leg.

"Guys! Get back here! It's an injured Pokemon!" he hollered.

By then, the group was already a fair distance up the walkway, but because of the slight echo from Brock's voice, they were able to pick up on it. They hurried back to where Brock was and soon saw what he was referring to. By that time, Brock was already applying a cloth to its stubbed appendage. As soon as he did so, the Electrike gave a howl of pain and let loose a Shockwave.

"Woah!" Brock cried as he and everyone else ducked.

The Electrike looked up and tried its best to look intimidating, but it was in too much pain to accomplish much. It soon laid its head back down before it resumed growling in pain. The group looked on at the Electrike and knew the situation was too urgent to ask even what could've happened to it.

"Oh, my gosh. How horrible," Serena said as she and others immediately felt pity for the Pokemon.

"The poor thing," May whispered

"Somebody help it!" Bonnie yelled.

"I'm trying," Brock said through gritted teeth.

He then went to apply the cloth again to slow the bleeding, but the Electrike gave another yelp of pain and unleashed another Shockwave. Once again, the group had to duck to avoid the attack. Brock noticed how shallow the Electrike's breathing was and knew this wasn't good. If he couldn't slow the bleeding soon, the Electrike could bleed out and die. Who knows how long it had been down here like this? This was the time when his Pokemon doctoring would be put to the test, but it was hard if the Electrike kept attacking them.

"We're not here to hurt you! We're trying to help!" Brock told it, but Electrike didn't listen and continued to growl at them. Its eyes were watering in agony as it did so, however.

Brock knew that they didn't have all day to try to dodge Shockwaves. He didn't like this method, but it was the only way to help it. He sighed before he turned to the others.

"Guys, we may have to hold it down to keep it from moving. It's the whole way I'll get a clear path to apply the cloth," he said.

"I'll help," Ash volunteered as he stepped forward.

"I will, too," May said.

Ash then went over to the back end of Electrike as May took the front. May reached her hand out to try to steady the Electrike, and the Pokemon looked up and promptly bit her hand.

"Yeoooooow!" May screamed.

May then went to jerk her hand back, but the Electrike's grip was strong. For some reason, it wasn't letting go. May jerked her hand harder, but Electrike was firm. However, the weird thing was it also appeared to have relaxed a little since biting May's hand. Its breathing became more relaxed, though still, shallow, and its hostile expression also softened.

"Hey. Electrike appears to have calmed down," Clemont observed.

"You're right. It got like that when it bit May's hand," Serena agreed.

"Sort of like a chew toy," Ash mused, and May glared heatedly at him.

"Excuse me! My hand is not a chew toy!" she snarled at him and went to pull her hand out again, but Electrike still held firm.

"May, I know it's hard, but it's all we have. Just please keep it in there long enough for me to slow the bleeding. Then we can treat you hand," Brock pleaded.

May was about to object, but she then saw how peaceful the Electrike had gotten since her hand was in its mouth. It was no longer trying to shock them or glaring at them. Besides, it didn't feel as if her skin was broken, and it didn't hurt as much since the initial shock of when Electrike first bit her. She then sighed.

"Okay. Fine. Just please hurry," she relented.

"Thank you, May," Brock replied before he set to work.

Brock then applied the cloth and pressed it against where Electrike's leg was missing. Electrike gave a hiss of pain and whimpered yet it didn't try to attack them. May winced a little as Electrike applied more pressure to her hand as Brock finished up. Still, she remained strong. Pretty soon, Brock was able to tie the cloth around the bleeding appendage. He then sat back and wiped his forehead.

"That'll hold the blood in, but not for long before a new one will need to be applied. We need to get to a Pokemon Center as fast as we can," he stated.

The group then nodded as May took her hand out of Electrike's mouth and massaged the ache away. The bite hadn't broken through her glove so that was a relief. However, as soon as she did so, Electrike began to growl and hiss in pain again. Brock went to pick up the Electrike, but it began to shoot out another Shockwave. Brock dodged the electric shock and sighed.

"It's no use. I can't get close," he mumbled, "How are we going to carry it?"

The group shrugged as they tried to come up with a solution. May was still on the ground as she placed her hand on the group sprawled out as she tried to think of something. Electrike spotted May's hand before it reached over and bit down on it again. May screeched as she and others turned to see Electrike visibly relaxing.

"Well, I think we found our answer. May, will you carry it?" Brock requested.

"Why me?" May asked.

"I don't know why, but Electrike seems to relax around you. It's just until we get to the Pokemon Center," Serena answered this time.

May frowned, but as she turned to look at Electrike, she realized it really did need medical attention. Besides, it wasn't as if Electrike was seriously hurting her. It wasn't even leaving teeth marks. May then nodded her head.

"Alright. I'll do it," May said as she picked up the Electrike with her free hand, "There. There. It'll be okay. We're going to help you."

With that, the group hurried out of New Mauville as quickly as they could.

The group had managed to make it back to the Pokemon Center in Mauville City. Nurse Joy had immediately admitted the Electrike, but there was only so much she and Chansey could do without electricity. She had gotten some sterile bandages since the cloth Brock used was already stained with a lot of blood. This was able to stop the bleeding, but the Electrike was still in critical condition.

As the group was anxiously awaiting more news regarding Electrike, Wattson had burst through the doors of the Pokemon Center. Clemont had called him on the way to the Pokemon Center to let him know what was going on. Wattson appeared rather worn out and was slightly dirty. The group could only imagine the hard time he must've had trying to get here and keeping crowds from panicking.

"I got here as quickly…as I could. Is the Electrike okay?" he asked between breaths.

"Nurse Joy has him, now. I don't know how okay it is, though," Clemont replied truthfully.

"I see," Wattson replied solemnly, "We've dispatched a team down to New Mauville, and they're working on cleaning up the place and repairing the generators. It's a large team so I hope it won't take too long."

"That's good. I just don't know much longer it can last," Clemont said as he turned to emergency room.

Wattson then cast a look to Ash and the others, "It's nice to see you all again. I understand you helped Clemont with investigating New Mauville. Thank you for that."

"It was no problem, Mr. Wattson," Ash replied.

"You said you all found that Electrike with its leg missing, and a trail of blood and scorch marks near the generator. I wonder what could've happened," Wattson said thoughtfully.

"I don't know how Electrike even got into New Mauville since everything is locked," Clemont muttered.

"A resourceful Pokemon could enter anywhere they can find an opening," Wattson replied.

"I have a theory," Brock spoke up as everyone looked to him, "My guess is that the Electrike was able to get in and got lost in New Mauville. It probably was shooting off bouts of electricity as it tried to find a way out. That would explain the scorch marks along the machines. I also noticed that the back part of the generator had been eaten away from age which exposed the gears inside."

"That doesn't Electrike missing its leg, though," Serena pointed out.

"There's no way to know for sure, but judging from the splatter of blood on the gears and trail, I'm guessing the Electrike was frantic in its search and got too close the exposed part of the generator. Its leg must've gotten caught in the rotating gears, and…ripped off," Brock finished the last part grimly.

The group looked a bit sick after Brock gave that bit of information. They could only imagine how gruesome and horrible that must've been like when it happened. Poor Electrike.

"The only thing we can do is wait and hope Electrike pulls through," Brock added with a sigh, "It's already lost a lot of blood."

At that moment, Nurse Joy came out along with Chansey looking rather grave. Upon seeing her expression, the group feared the worst. However, that wasn't quite the case. Instead, Nurse Joy nodded at the group and then to Wattson.

"Electrike's condition is a little more stable, now, but Chansey and I won't be able to do the surgery unless we have electricity," she reported.

"Can we…see it?" May requested.

"I think it will be fine, but only briefly," Nurse Joy said after thinking for a moment, "Please do be careful, though. I should warn you, however, it's not a good sight."

The group then followed Nurse Joy into the emergency room. Once they saw Electrike, they let out a collective gasp. They didn't really see how Electrike's conditions was any better. If anything, Electrike looked worse. The shiny green and yellow colorings that were on all Electrike were absent and replaced by pale green and sickly yellow colors…probably from the blood loss. It's entire lower half was heavily bandaged to keep its blood in. Electrike's breathing was shallow and shaking like it was in shock more than anything. They couldn't even tell if the Electrike was conscious or not.

"As you can, see, Electrike is still alive, but it's gone through a lot to stay with us, and it will go through a lot to even get back to somewhat normal due to one of its lost legs," Nurse Joy told them, "Even if the power comes back on soon, and the surgery is successful, it will still take many months for Electrike's body to build back all the blood that was lost."

"So, what will happen?" Ash wondered.

"At best, the Electrike will be able to move around okay, but it won't be able to do anything strenuous for a long time like battling without fear of going into shock or a seizure. At worst…" Nurse Joy trailed and left it up in the air.

The group frowned upon hearing that as they went a little closer to Electrike. It truly was hard to watch the Electrike look so pitiful. May reached her hand out to place on Electrike in the most comforting way she could. Upon May's hand nearing, Electrike snapped its eyes open and promptly bit her hand again.

"Aaaaaah!" May shouted, which caused the group to smile. May then whipped her head around to them, "I'm glad you think it's funny!"

"That's more from relief than anything, May," Serena told her, "Despite how bad it looks, we're just happy that Electrike is feeling well enough to bite you hand."

"Gee, thanks," May mumbled as she rubbed her sore hand.

It was at that moment that the lights miraculously turned back on. The group's eyes lit up just like the lights around them as they stared in wonder. Already, they could hear the humming of the machines in the Pokemon Center and some of them outside. Wattson quickly got on his Pokegear as the rest of the group looked eagerly at Nurse Joy.

"Does that mean that mean Electrike can have the surgery, now?" May asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes. I can perform it, now. However, I must ask you to all wait again for me," Nurse Joy said quickly and ushered them out. Once they were back in the waiting room, Wattson was off his Pokegear.

"The workers said that they were able to fix one of the generators and get things partially working again to the essential places like the Pokemon Center and some restaurants, but most of the city is still without power," he informed them.

That was fine for the group, however. Just the fact that the electricity was back on in the Pokemon Center and that the surgery could be performed was great. Now, the only thing they had to do was wait and hope that everything went well.

Electrike's eye twitched as it regained consciousness. It didn't know when, but it had passed out several hours before, and everything since then had been a blur. Everything had been like a dream to it so far today. Electrike then grimaced. Even though it had its eyes closed, it could still tell its surroundings were brightly lit. It cracked its eyes open, and it was indeed confirmed to Electrike that it was under many bright lights.

Electrike's mind was swimming as its eyes lazily darted around the room. Where was it? How did it get here? It vaguely recalled a group of humans, but that was about it. Electrike had been in too much pain to remember anything. Why was it in pain again? It can't remember. Electrike then looked down and realized it was on a bed of some sort. It was comfortable, but that was beside the point. Electrike had to get a better idea of where it was. The last place it remembered being at was New Mauville.

Electrike gave a yawn as it went to stand up…and promptly fell over. Electrike shook its head in confusion and felt a little light-headed from doing so. Ignoring that strange feeling in its head, that wasn't the only thing that Electrike found was off. Though all of its body parts felt relatively normal despite being sore, something was missing. Electrike scanned its front legs and discovered they looked and felt normal. Electrike then turned its head to stare at its back which also looked normal. Electrike then went to its back left leg. That was fine. Electrike then went over its final leg, and its eyes widened in horror.

Its back leg was no longer there. The only thing that remained was a stubbed appendage that had been closed up and heavily bandaged. What happened to it?! Why was its leg gone?! Is that why it felt so lightheaded?

Electrike's head then snapped over to its right as a door opened, and a pink-haired human walked in with a Chansey. Upon seeing it, the woman gave a kind smile to it. However, Electrike felt no comfort from the look she was giving it. Did she do this to it?!

"Hello, there. It seems you've finally woken up. You've been out since yesterday," she told it warmly.

"Chansey!" Chansey added happily.

Yesterday? What all happened to it? Electrike remembered it had gotten lost in New Mauville, but then what happened? Whatever it was, Electrike knew it didn't like this. It gave a cry of pain and got very defensive as it stared up at the woman and sparked its body at her in a threatening manner. It had to get out of here. The woman gasped.

"Please! You must try to relax. You aren't feeling well enough! I just want to help!" the woman pleaded.

Electrike didn't believe her. It stood up as well as it could and let loose a Discharge. The woman screamed as she and the Chansey ducked to avoid the electricity. The commotion must've been loud as it seemed to attract another group of humans that came through the door. They looked somewhat familiar to Electrike, but it didn't care. Electrike growled at them, as well, and shot another Discharge at them which caused them to duck, too.

Electrike then looked around the room as quickly as it could for an exit and spotted a window. Electrike then unleashed another Discharge straight at the window. The electricity caused the window to shatter completely. Electrike then jumped off the table and onto the floor, but missing a leg caused it to stumble and fall over again. Despite that, Electrike was quick to get up, and it leaped up and through the broken window and out into the city in a panic.

A few people gave gasps of surprise at suddenly seeing a Pokemon jump through the window and the state it was in. Upon seeing the crowd of people and noise around it, Electrike was afraid and bared its teeth at them before it unleashed a Shockwave. The people yelled and got of the way as Electrike ran away from them as fast as its three legs would allow it to.

The group got up from the floor as they hurried to the window that Electrike had gone through. They could see various bolt of electricity shooting up throughout the city and knew Electrike must be the cause of it. A few screams were heard, as well.

This wasn't good. Nurse Joy had successfully managed to get the surgery done the day before, and most of the electricity had been restored to the city, but Electrike still needed rest to recover enough. Due to its weakness and the loss of blood, who knows what would happen to Electrike if it didn't calm down. They couldn't imagine what the Electrike must be going through.

"Oh, man! We've got to go after it!" Ash said.

"Please get Electrike back!" Nurse Joy cried.

"We will. Come on, guys! Let's go!" Ash replied

"I'll stay here and alert the city!" Wattson said.

With that the entire group burst out of the Pokemon Center and went after the Electrike as fast as they could. By now, Electrike was probably a good distance ahead of them so they only had the frenzy of people and crackling of electricity off in the distance to go by. They then began running after Electrike.

They had only been running for less than a minute when Clemont began to get tired. His face was red and covered with sweat. He then stopped and bent over while panting heavily.

"Woah! Oh…wow. I'm sorry. I…can't go on," Clemont panted, "Go on…without me."

"You're so useless in this, Clemont!" Bonnie shouted as she tried to pull him along.

"I'm sorry. I just…can't," Clemont gasped.

The group knew they had no time to wait for Clemont to regain his breath so they continued on while leaving him and Bonnie behind. As they ran, they had to try to move around the huge crowd of people which was difficult enough at a walking pace. Why did Mauville City have to be so crowded?

A few people were attempting to stop and capture the Electrike as it passed them after Wattson alerted the city. However, they would all back off once Electrike would shoot electricity at them. It didn't help that most of the people in this city weren't Pokemon trainers so they couldn't use their own Pokemon to help.

Electrike didn't exactly know where it was going as it ran. It just knew it wanted to hide away from everything. As the Pokemon looked back at its stubbed appendage, it gave another howl of anguish. However, the combination of it looking back and its three legs made Electrike lose its balance. It tripped and skidded across the smooth flooring of Mauville City and right into a food stand.

A few of the people stopped to look at the Electrike, but they barely had a chance a look before the Electrike unleashed a Discharge. Many people dove out of the way as the Electrike struck the food stand, and there was a small explosion as the food stand burst into flames.

Electrike then heard the sound of sirens, and it turned to see a few police cars coming into the vicinity. Electrike could see police officers and a few Growlithe who were in the police cars, and it growled at them before it took off running again.

"All citizens who are not Pokemon trainers steer clear!" Officer Jenny said through her mic before she gave a sigh. The past couple of days have been a nightmare for her.

The group passed by the flaming food stand and knew they were heading in the right direction. They were getting pretty tired by now, but they knew they had to keep going. They saw the police cars heading away from them and knew this couldn't be good. This Electrike was skittish enough as it was due to what happened to it. Those police would just spook it more, and there was no way they could be able to capture it without hurting it.

Electrike hurried as fast as it could and frantically looked around for a place to hide. It then ended up running into the amusement park which had a sparse number of people in it due to it being one of the few places that still didn't have electricity. It then darted off.

The group entered the park and could already see Officer Jenny as well as a few other police officers with Growlithe out. The Growlithe were sniffing the ground as they tried to pick up the scent of the wild Electrike. Ash looked over at Pikachu and nodded his head.

"You know what Electrike smells like, Pikachu. Do you smell anything?" he asked it.

Pikachu took a few sniffs of the air before they saw the police officers and the Growlithe run off to another section of the park. Pikachu pointed after the officers to confirm that's where Electrike had headed. The group took a deep breath before they hurried after the police and hopefully could find Electrike soon.

As they group ran, they came to halt once they saw the police and Growlithe stop. Pikachu gave a few more sniffs in the air and pointed up. They group looked up and gasped as Electrike had managed to get on top of a carousel. How were they supposed to get up there? Officer Jenny saw the group coming and held her hand out.

"Stay back, kids!" she warned.

"It's okay. We're Pokemon trainers," Ash replied, "We're the ones who found Electrike in New Mauville, too."

Officer Jenny's stern look softened when she heard that, "Right. You must've been the people that went with Clemont into New Mauville," she said before she looked back to Electrike, "Any idea how to get it down?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't recommend sending a Pokemon up there to attack it, though. That Electrike is already weak and doesn't need to be exposed to more stress," Brock replied.

"Pikachu, Togetic. Get on the top of the carousel and see if you can talk to Electrike," Ash told them.

The two Pokemon nodded their heads as Togetic flew up there as Pikachu leaped from each figure and until it made it to the roof. As soon as the Pokemon were up there, they saw bouts of electricity go up off. They weren't particularly worried for the Pokemon as they knew Pikachu could easily absorb the electric attacks, but Electrike still probably thought they were there to attack it.

"If Pokemon can't get Electrike down. What can?" Serena asked.

May looked around at the carousel and saw how Pikachu had leaped from each figure until it was able to get on the roof. May judged the distance on how far the polls that held the figures up and her jumping distance. She then turned to the rest.

"I think I can make it up to the top of the carousel," she told them, and the others looked at her like she was crazy.

"May! That Electrike won't stop shooting out electricity! You could get hurt. Not to mention you could slip trying to get up there!" Serena told her.

"I would advise against that, too," Officer Jenny said.

"It's okay. I won's slip. I did a lot gymnastics when I was a kid so getting on top of that roof won't be an issue, and Pikachu is up there to help absorb any attacks that Electrike would use. At the very least, I need to talk to it, and if me talking to it doesn't work, it might leave the top of the carousel to where we can get it," May reasoned before she added, "I can use Dustox's String Shot to keep me steady."

The group exchanged glances with each other as they tried to decide. One thing was certain. They need to have that Electrike calm down as fast as possible so it doesn't wind up fainting from exhaustion. If May's words could somehow reach Electrike, she may be able to get it down.

"Okay. Just be careful," Serena told her.

"You can do it, May," Ash encouraged.

"Thank you," May said before she released her Dustox, "Dustox wrap your String Shot around my waist."

Dustox nodded and began to spray the string around May before it gave a tug to tighten it around her. May then hurried over to the carousel and climbed on top of a Rapidash figure. She then began to climb the pole that was connected to the roof while the group watched with worry.

"Is this safe?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Well, heh. Maybe not, but we've done crazier things," Ash said with a chuckle as Serena and Brock nodded in agreement.

May then climbed as high as she could up the poll and judged the distance to the edge of the roof. May gave a small grab for it and discovered it was just out of her reach. May then saw another bout of electricity shoot off above her, and she knew she had to hurry. May then took a deep breath and jumped from the poll to the edge of the roof.

May managed to grab on the roof with one hand, and her grip almost slipped, but Dustox was there to keep her steady and make her not slip completely. May took a deep breath and was thankful for her gymnastics and athletic body. She then reached up with her other hand and grabbed the edge of the roof. She then gave a mighty pull and managed to climb up the rest of the way.

"That was actually pretty good," Ash commented, rather impressed.

Once May was on the roof, she immediately spotted Electrike in a warning stance as it glared at Pikachu and Togetic. The two Pokemon turned to see May and looked rather surprised she was up there. Electrike then noticed May and snarled a warning at her.

"Please calm down, Electrike! We just want to help you!" May told it.

Electrike didn't listen and unleashed a Shockwave directed at May, but Pikachu leaped in front of her and absorbed the attack. May didn't let that deter her and tried again.

"I know you're scared, and I can't imagine what you're going through from losing your leg, but you can't do this. If you don't calm down, you could end up worse!" May pleaded.

Electrike growled at May as it took a few steps back from her. May crawled a little closer to Electrike, but that also caused it to back up even more.

"Please let us help you!" May said before she gasped, "Look out!"

Electrike had backed up too much and didn't realize where it was going. Its back left leg stepped off the carousel, and it slipped off the roof. Electrike gave a howl as it frantically reached out with its front legs and grabbed the roof with its claws. Though they kept it from falling. It was quickly sliding down the edge. It was only about a twelve foot drop, but due to its three legs, Electrike might land awkwardly and break another leg which was the last thing it needed.

Ash hurried over and stood underneath Electrike in case he had to catch it. He knew he would be in for quite a shock if he did. However, he had endured several of Pikachu's electric attacks before and knew this couldn't be any worse. It still would be pleasant if that could be avoided, however.

May knew she didn't have much time. Electrike was slipping fast. However, she couldn't get close to it without it shocking her. May went to reach out for Electrike and suddenly remembered something as she did so. Electrike always seemed to calm down when it bit her hand. If she could get Electrike to bite her hand, she would be able to help it up and maybe get it back to the Pokemon Center. She really didn't want it to bite, though.

A howl from Electrike, though, quickly had May make her mind. She crawled towards Electrike has fast as she could and reached her hand out towards its mouth rather than its paws.

"Go on, Electrike," she said, and then winced for what was to come.

Electrike saw May outstretch her arm to it and licked its lips. Forgetting about the danger it was in, Electrike gave a might push and thrust its mouth onto May's hand and bit down.

"Eeeeek!" May screeched.

May quickly shook off the pain, however, and used her other hand to grab one of Electrike's paws and pull it up. Once she did, she sat up on her knees and brought Electrike close to her chest. Sure enough, Electrike had taken a deep breath and appeared a lot more relaxed before it closed its eyes in exhaustion. May smiled once she saw that as Pikachu and Togetic came closer to see.

"It's okay, Electrike. Everything will be just fine, now," she said softly as she cradled it, "We'll get you the help you need to make it through this."

As the rest of the group watched from below, they couldn't help but be surprised at May. There was no way they could imagine her doing something like this at an earlier part of her journey…even when she had come to accept Pokemon. Yet here she was soothing an Electrike and doing whatever she could to get at it and help it. She really had matured since the start of her journey.

"That was well done, May," Serena whispered.

"Wait up! Did I miss…anything!?" a voice cried, though it sounded extremely tired.

The group turned to find Clemont hurrying over to them with Bonnie close behind. Once he reached them, Clemont fell to the ground on his hands and knees and looked ready to pass out.

"Did…did…did…" he began, but couldn't finish between his breaths.

"Did Electrike get helped?" Bonnie translated.

"Yes. We've gotten it taken care of," Serena replied with a smile before she looked back up at the carousel, "May handled it really well.

"That's…good! Holy…cow! I need a…break!" Clemont panted before he collapsed on the ground.

"Oh, brother," Bonnie muttered.

The group spent another two days in the Pokemon Center in Mauville City to make sure Electrike would turn out okay. Due to all the help they did, Wattson kindly paid for their meals and any other expenses they had during their time in Mauville City. After the second day, Nurse Joy walked up to the group, who were with Clemont and Bonnie, at the Pokemon Center lobby.

"I think Electrike's condition is stable enough to where it can leave the Pokemon Center," she reported.

"That's great!" Ash cheered as he and the others smiled broadly.

Nurse Joy led them into the backroom, and they saw Electrike resting in one of the beds. It gave a small yawn and a stretch before it turned to look at the group. It looked a lot less hostile and scared of them than it did at first. Apparently, it had gotten more used to the group the past few days which was good. It was still pale but not deathly pale like when they first found it.

"I still needs a lot of time to recover, though," Nurse Joy said, "It needs a good trainer to take care of it."

The group exchanged glances with each other as they figured Nurse Joy meant them. The question was which one of them should have it.

"I'll take care of it!" May suddenly declared.

All eyes turned to May as they watched her determined expression. They weren't sure of this. It was a delicate situation and couldn't be decided just because someone wanted it.

"We appreciate you volunteering, May, but Electrike needs to be in the hands of a more experienced trainer due to its handicap," Brock told her as he crossed his arms, "Ash, Serena, Wattson, or me should have it."

"That's right. Even if one of us has it, you'll still be able to play with Electrike," Serena added.

"Don't you see?" May asked, "I'm the one that Electrike is calmest around. It probably won't let the rest of you too near it to train. I was the one who carried it to the Pokemon Center both times."

The group still looked skeptical after May told them that. She did have a point. Still, with someone who had so little experience and hasn't made any notable achievements in her journey so far, they were still uneasy.

"I promise I'll take really good care of it! Once it's much better, I'll be able to teach it to do so many things as if it had all of its legs. Besides, since I do contests and not battling, it can probably adapt to that much better," May said.

They still weren't convinced. Ash, Brock, and Serena all went into a huddle as May, Clemont, and Bonnie stood off to the side. May crossed her fingers as she waited for them to discuss it. May just felt a special connection with the Electrike since it bit her hand so much. She especially felt it yesterday as she held the Electrike in her arms. It looked so peaceful with her.

The group then broke up their huddle and gave a serious look to May as she awaited their answer. Brock was the one to speak as he nodded at May.

"Okay, May. We'll let you be the one to train Electrike. Just know that we're watching you. If we feel that Electrike ends up being too much for you to handle, one of us will have to train it. Can you accept that responsibility?" he asked seriously.

"I can," May replied.

"Alright, May. You can do it," Brock said.

"Great!" May cheered as she ran over to Electrike and knelt beside it, "I'm going to get to be your trainer, Electrike! We'll have a lot of fun together!"

May then hugged the Electrike, and everyone knew what was coming as soon as she did that. Electrike reached out and chomped down on May's hand once again.

"Aaaaah!" May yelped.

"You know, May, I think the reason Electrike likes biting your hand so much is because you're the only one of us who wears gloves. If you take them off and let Electrike chew on them, it probably won't bite your hand anymore," Ash suggested.

"Oh. I didn't think of that," May realized as she took her gloves off and placed them in front of Electrike, "There. You can chew on them all you like. I can always buy new gloves."

Electrike responded by biting May's hand.

"Or not. It just likes your hand," Ash said with a smirk as May glared at him.

Electrike will be able to compete in contests eventually but not until late Hoenn. May will use it a lot more in Kanto during the Battle Frontier and hopefully be able to prove that her Electrike is just as good as any other. I like the development and maturity I'm giving to May this arc.

The next chapter will be out in two weeks, and there will be an evolution! It definitely won't be one you expect but one you thought had to happen eventually. Until next time, have a good one.

Chapter 27: The Winstrate Family.