I recently got motivated to pick up my Pokémon fic due to the Pokémon Presents that introduced all the new features and details of "Pokémon Brilliant Diamond", "Pokémon Shining Pearl" and "Pokémon Legends: Arceus". I'm so excited to play Legends: Arceus and explore the Pokémon world in a whole new level! Who else is excited for the new games?

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 22: Sparks Fly for Magnemite

Thanks to the bike bridge we traveled across the other day, we were only two days away from Fuchsia City. I was still a bit over the moon that Firered had evolved into Charizard. I was one step closer to fulfill my dream and the thought was so thrilling.

Oh, I almost forgot! Ash sent Primeape home because he wouldn't do well against the next two Gyms and got back Pikachu. We were all happy to see him again, especially Luna. She wanted to stay outside of her Poké Ball to spend more time with Pikachu while we were heading to Fuchsia City. We just had one more city to cross before reaching our destination.

Gringy City was, by far, the worst city I've ever seen. It was late at night, but the sky was dark by the smokes coming out from the factory smokestacks and there was a terrible smell coming from the water. I had no choice but to pinch my nose to block out the smell while we were looking for the Pokémon Center.

"The smell's disgusting…", I spoke up while I held Luna in my free arm.

"I heard about this city before", Misty said. "It used to be full of life with people working in these factories."

"But, sadly, the pollution's caused people to leave, so only a few are still working here", Brock added.

"That explains the lack of Pokémon…", Ash mumbled. "Still, it's sad to see what we humans can do to the nature and living creatures because of this."

"Yeah…", I nodded sadly.

"Clefairy fairy airy!" Luna suddenly started panicking in my arm.

"Luna…?" I mumbled softly.

She jumped out of my arms and hurried to Pikachu who didn't look so good. "Fairy fairy airy!"

"Piiikaaa…", Pikachu whimpered weakly while he had his head lowered.

"Pikachu? What's wrong?" Ash asked before crouching down.

Pikachu didn't respond. Instead, he lost consciousness and fell forward. Luna caught him, but she got electrocuted by him. "FAAAIRRYYYY!"

"Luna!" I yelled worriedly before I called her back into her Poké Ball. "Something's wrong with Pikachu!"

"We need to take him to the Pokémon Center ASAP!" Misty nodded.

"Ash, do you have rubber gloves?" Brock asked.

"No, I don't", Ash shook his head as he looked worriedly at his partner.

Brock removed his backpack and zipped it open before digging through it. "Aha! Found them!" He pulled out a pair of pink rubber gloves and gave them to my brother. "Here, put them on so you don't get electrocuted!"

"Thanks, Brock!" Ash nodded.

He removed his green fingerless gloves to replace them with the rubber gloves. Once they were properly on, he grabbed Pikachu and cradled him to his chest. "Is the Pokémon Center nearby?!"

"It should be!" Misty nodded as she looked on a map. "Just one block away!"

"Hurry and show us the way!" I panicked.

XXXXXXXXXX

We found the Pokémon Center within minutes and hurried inside. There was no one by the front counter, but there was a bell that Ash hit repeatedly while Pikachu groaned weakly in his arms.

"Hey! Nurse Joy!" Ash yelled as he hit the bell. "We need help!"

Nurse Joy came out from a room behind the counter while yawning loudly. "Kids, it's past 11 p.m. You should all be in bed now."

"We know, but there's something wrong with my Pikachu!" Ash said as Pikachu's cheek sparkled.

Nurse Joy yawned again while taking a quick peek at my brother's Pokémon. "It's a cold."

"A cold?! I know it's something worse than that, Nurse Joy!" Ash growled, not liking the answer.

"The way Pikachu's cheeks sparkle is the first sign of a cold for an electric rodent Pokémon", Nurse Joy replied nonchalantly. "It will feel much better after a good night's rest."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked hesitantly.

I doubted it was just a cold that Pikachu suffered from. It felt weird and the way Luna panicked before… There was something else behind it.

"I'm pretty sure of it", Nurse Joy nodded before she grabbed her own pair of rubber gloves. "I'll keep it under observation until morning." She gently took Pikachu from Ash's arms. "Would you like a room for the night?"

Before anyone of us could answer, the power suddenly went out. It got pitch black in the Pokémon Center.

"What's going on?" Misty looked around confusedly.

"A power failure!" Brock exclaimed.

"Oh no! The Pokémon!" Nurse Joy exclaimed in shock.

"What Pokémon?" Ash asked.

Nurse Joy didn't answer the question. She ran back to the door she came from, so we followed her to see what was going on. We soon found ourselves in a room with several healing containers with Pokémon resting inside of them.

"What's this room?" Ash asked.

"It's the intensive care", Nurse Joy replied. "All these Pokémon here have very weak conditions and now with the power failure… They might not survive the night!"

I gasped in horror when I heard that. The Pokémon will die if the power's not back on?!

"We have to do something!" I told my brother and friends.

"Yeah! We'll fix this!" Ash nodded before he pulled on his fingerless gloves.

"We should head to the power plant and see what's going on!" Brock suggested.

"Yeah, and if they need help, we'll help them!" Misty nodded.

"Chuu…!" Pikachu whined in Nurse Joy's arms.

"Don't worry, Pikachu!" Ash smiled. "We'll be back in less than a flash!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Well, Pikachu had other plans and decided to follow us, despite being sick. Apparently, he got scared we were going to leave him behind. Luna came out from her Poké Ball to help him while trying not to get electrocuted. We dropped by the local police station to ask for directions to the power plant.

The power plant was dark and empty, and there was no one by the lobby when we stepped inside.

"Hello?! Anybody here?!" Ash shouted, his voice echoing in the empty corridors.

"Weird… Where is everybody?" Brock questioned as he looked around.

"Are they busy repairing the damaged parts?" I mumbled.

Misty looked at a map of the interior of the building. "The map says the central control room is over in that direction", she said, pointing at the dark and empty corridor.

I was getting a little scared now, so I held hands with Ash to feel safe. Luna and Pikachu walked next to us as we walked down the corridor. It was eerie quiet, like a haunted mansion. I just hoped there were no ghost-type Pokémon here.

"Iiih!" Misty suddenly yelped.

"What's wrong, Misty?" Ash asked over his shoulder.

"T-T-There's something be-behind me…", Misty gritted her teeth.

I looked over Misty's shoulders and saw nothing. "I don't see anything…"

I trailed off when my sixth sense started tingling. There was something close to us, but it didn't have the same type of presence as Pikachu or Luna, or human…

"Maybe you were just imagining things, Misty", Brock said.

"I was not!" Misty growled before she got pale. "I heard something…"

"Maybe it was the noise from the air vent", Ash shrugged.

"Airy!" Luna suddenly exclaimed.

We looked down and saw Pikachu and Luna with a…

"Mag-ne-mite!"

"It's a Magnemite!" I gasped.

"Magnemite? What a weird-looking Pokémon", Ash commented before grabbing his Pokédex.

Magnemite, the magnet Pokémon. Electric and steel-type. It moves while constantly hovering. It discharges Thunder Wave and so on from the units at its sides.

"Was it Magnemite that you sensed behind your back, Misty?" Brock wondered.

"Probably", Misty nodded before sighing in relief.

Magnemite was circling around Pikachu like crazy. Pikachu didn't like it and tried to get away from the inorganic Pokémon, but Magnemite kept following him. Luna pouted irritably and tried blocking Magnemite's path, but she got smashed away with a bruise on her forehead.

"Clefairy…"

"What is Magnemite doing?" Ash asked.

"It looks like it likes Pikachu", Misty answered.

"A magnet Pokémon attracted to an electric rodent Pokémon? That's biologically impossible", Brock stated.

"Brock is right", I nodded after I picked up Luna. "I read that Magnemite and Pikachu aren't in the same egg group."

"Chaaa!" Pikachu shrieked as he tried running away from Magnemite.

"Well, looks like you've got a fan, Pikachu", Ash chuckled for a second before he got serious. "Could it be Magnemite is responsible for the blackout?"

"This little thing causing a blackout by itself? I find that hard to believe", Brock shook his head.

"Then what other reason could it be?" Misty wondered.

"We have to find the people working here to get answers", I said.

Magnemite suddenly stopped chasing Pokémon and flew away from us into the shadows of the power plant. Pikachu sighed in relief as he hid behind Ash's legs.

"Glad to see it stopped chasing you, Pikachu", Ash smiled.

"Chu…"

"Fairy…", Luna looked relieved.

I got a bit concerned about Magnemite's sudden appearance and disappearance, but I got something else to think about when I smelled something foul in the air.

"Do you guys smell that foul scent?" I asked before covering my nose.

"I do", Brock nodded.

"Me too", Misty added.

"So do I", Ash said.

I jumped when there was a crash noise behind us. We turned around and saw purple piles of goo jumping down from the air vent. Except this wasn't just any goo…

"Grimeeeer!"

"A herd of Grimers!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Yuck, they stink!" Misty shouted while covering her mouth and nose.

"Hang on while I get some data", Ash replied through his covered mouth and nose before aiming the Pokédex at the Grimers.

Grimer, the sludge Pokémon. Poison-type. Sludge exposed to X-rays from the moon transformed into Grimer. It appears in filthy areas. It thrives by sucking up polluted sludge that is pumped out of factories.

"Then are the Grimers behind of the blackout and not the Magnemite?!" Brock exclaimed.

"It must be!" I nodded while trying not to gag by the stinky smell.

"Maybe Magnemite sensed they were coming and ran away!" Misty said.

"But Magnemite is part steel-type and steel-type Pokémon resist poison-type moves!" I pointed out.

"Muuuuk!" a large version of Grimer raised in the back of the herd.

"It's huge!" Ash exclaimed before aiming the Pokédex at it.

Muk, the sludge Pokémon. Poison-type. The evolved form of Grimer. It is usually undetectable because it blends in with the ground. Touching it can cause terrible poisoning. It is thickly covered with a filthy, vile sludge. It is so toxic, even its footprints contain poison.

"Fairy…", Luna whimpered in fear.

"That Muk must be the Grimers' leader!" Brock stated.

"Geez, you don't think?!" Misty retorted sarcastically.

"Whether it's the leader or not, we have to run!" Ash yelled.

"MUUUK!" Muk roared before the Grimers crawled fast towards us.

"Run!" I yelled.

Ash quickly grabbed Pikachu, who didn't electrocute him this time, before we ran down the corridor with the sludge Pokémon chasing us.

"We have to get to a safe place and fast!" Ash yelled.

"Can't we attack them with our Pokémon?!" I asked.

"I have Staryu and Starmie who can use Psychic, but they can't take on all of these Grimers!" Misty shouted.

We rounded a corner and almost ran into two men who were wearing a uniform that a tag that looked the same as the one of the power plant.

"Who are you people?!" one of the workers asked.

"We came here to help with the blackout, but there's a group of Grimers chasing us!" Ash explained.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the herd was coming closer. "They're coming!"

"Quick! Follow us!" the other worker shouted.

The workers quickly led us to the central control room and locked the door before the Grimers could get inside. Brock used his body to block the door to stall the wild Pokémon while we tried coming up with a plan on how to confront them.

"What exactly happened to the power plant?" Misty asked the workers.

"The seawater intake has been plugged by the Grimer, which is necessary for the turbine to activate the power generator so it can produce electricity", the first worker explained. "We've been trying to scare the Grimers away, but nothing's been working."

"You have to turn the power generator on as soon as you can!" Ash shouted irritably. "Many Pokémon in the Pokémon Center are going to die if you don't do something!"

"We're trying, but-"

"Ash! Guys!" Brock shouted from the door as it was being pounded by the Grimers from outside the room. "The Grimers…will break in soon!"

"Chuu…"

"We have to battle them!" I said.

"Right!" Ash nodded as he grabbed a Poké Ball. "Haunter, I choose you!"

"Hauunt!"

I flinched back when I saw Haunter. No matter how many times I saw him, I always got scared of him.

"Staryu, Starmie, help us out!" Misty shouted before throwing two Poké Balls.

"Kraa!"

"Kruu!"

Luna jumped out of my arms and joined our Pokémon, even though she was still shaking in fear. Pikachu jumped out of Ash's arms and wobbled to the other Pokémon.

"Pikachu, don't battle! You're sick!" Ash told him.

"Chu chu…!" Pikachu shook his head.

"Let him do that if he feels he can!" Misty told Ash. "If Pikachu suffers from a cold, maybe if he releases electricity, like when humans sweat when they have a cold and fever, he might get better!"

"I didn't think of that! That's smart of you, Misty!" I praised her.

"Brock, get away from the door!" Ash shouted.

"Okay!" Brock nodded before he threw himself forward from the door.

Seconds later, the door flew off the hinges before the herd of Grimers crawled into the control room. Muk stayed outside as it ordered its minions to attack us.

"MUUUK!"

"GRIMEEER!"

"Everyone, attack!" Ash yelled. "Haunter, use Psychic! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Luna, use Metronome!" I shouted.

"Staryu, Starmie, use Psychic!" Misty shouted.

Our Pokémon attacked the Grimers with the moves we told them to use. Luna started wagging her fingertips, but she suddenly stopped and watched Staryu and Starmie as they used Psychic. She relaxed her tense body before she was enveloped by a cosmic aura.

"Why is Luna using Cosmic Power?" Misty wondered.

"No idea", I shook my head.

"She needs to help us!" Ash called. "Our Pokémon are already getting tired!"

"FAAAAIRYYYY!" Luna started yelling before she used Psychic to lift up the Grimers in the air and threw them out of the room.

"Luna's using Psychic!" Brock gasped. "She's learned a new move!"

"She must've studied Staryu and Starmie when they used Psychic!" Misty said in realization.

"Wow…", I mumbled in awe before smiling determinedly. "Luna, keep using Psychic!"

"Fairyyy!" Luna yelled as she kept using Psychic.

The Grimers were slowly running away from the room, but there were still many left to handle and our Pokémon were getting tired. However, like our prayers had been heard by a mysterious force, our Magnemite friend returned with several Magnemites and Magnetons, flying into the control room through the air vent.

"Magnemite came back with reinforcement!" Misty said in relief.

"Mag-ne-mite!" our Magnemite friend chirped.

"Awesome! Magnemite, Magneton, help us out to get rid of the Grimers!" Ash told them.

"MAGNEMIIITE!"

"MAGNETOOON!"

The magnet Pokémon released Thunderbolts at the herd of Grimers and chased them away. The magnets followed them outside to who knew where. The only sludge Pokémon left for us to handle was the leader Muk who refused to give up.

"Muuuk!"

"We've only got Muk left to take care of!" Ash said. "And I will catch it!"

"You want to catch a Muk, Ash?!" Brock asked in disbelief.

"Yeah! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"PIKACHUUU!" Pikachu yelled before releasing a Thunderbolt.

Muk got hit and roared in pain by the move. When the attack was over, Muk's body sparkled a bit, meaning it got paralyzed.

"Now! Catch it, Ash!" I shouted in encouragement.

Ash nodded and picked up an empty Poké Ball. "Poké Ball, go!"

The device got thrown by my brother and hit the sludge Pokémon. Muk got absorbed into the Poké Ball without trying to put up a fight. The Poké Ball wobbled three times before it released the capture ding sound. At the exact same time, the power was back on and the dark room was lightened up by the lamps.

"Alright! I caught Muk!" Ash cheered before picking up the Poké Ball.

"The power generator is back on! The Magnemites and Magnetons must have chased away the Grimers blocking the intake!" the second worker exclaimed in joy.

"Now, let's hurry and make sure the Pokémon Center will have the power they need for the sick Pokémon!" the first worker added.

I sighed in relief and tiredness before I picked up Luna and hugged her. "You were amazing, Luna. I'm so glad you learned Psychic."

"Fairy airy!" Luna smiled.

I was also glad we managed to save the sick Pokémon in the Pokémon Center and Ash caught a new Pokémon, even though it was a smelly one.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was already dawn when we walked out of the power plant with the two workers where the Magnemites and Magneton waited for us.

"Thank you so much for helping us get rid of the Grimers, everyone", the first worker thanked us all. "My friend and I've been thinking to keep the magnet Pokémon around so they can help us take care of the Grimers if something like this happens again."

"That's a good idea", Misty nodded. "And maybe you can take care of the sea and clean it up so the Grimers won't return."

"We'll definitely bring that up on the next meeting with the mayor", the second worker nodded. "The result of the city's pollution caused the Grimers to invade the coast here."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled widely.

"And Pikachu is good again", I smiled at him.

"Clefairy!" Luna smiled before trying to hug Pikachu.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu laughed heartedly at the affections.

"When electric mouse Pokémon builds up too much electricity, its body becomes magnetized", the second worker explained. "That makes it look like it has a cold."

"So that's what it was!" Ash gasped in realization. "And when Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolts, the pressure must have reduced and he became better!"

"Exactly", the first worker nodded. "That's why it's necessary Pikachu releases electricity when it starts getting signs of a cold. Of course, if it has a normal cold, its cheeks won't sparkle, so make sure not to mix up the signs."

"Gotcha", Ash nodded before turning to our Magnemite friend. "Thanks a lot for the help, Magnemite."

Magnemite floated down to Pikachu and Luna, but it didn't act the way it did to Pikachu before. Pikachu wanted to give it a friendly hug, but it floated away from him.

"That's weird. Magnemite was all over Pikachu before, but now it's the one giving him the cold shoulder", Misty said.

"Did it fall out of love like humans do?" Brock wondered.

The second worker chuckled softly. "I guess Magnemite got attracted to Pikachu when its body was magnetized, but now that Pikachu's no longer that, Magnemite is not interested in it."

"Like animal Pokémon, some are attracted by the other's scent while Magnemites and Magnetons are attracted to other Pokémon by their magnetized force", the first worker added.

"That explains the lack of interest", Brock nodded.

"But Luna really likes Pikachu", Misty pointed out.

"Well… Pikachus and Clefairies are in the same egg group, so…", I started before blushing hard. "Maybe something is going on between them."

"Pika!"

"Fairy!"

"Wait… But they are our Pokémon and we're siblings…", Ash trailed off before he grimaced like he was smelling something bad. "Yuck! That's disgusting!"

We all laughed at my brother's comment while we released all the tension that got built up in our bodies after this adventure.

But now that Luna knew Psychic, I might have a chance against the Fuchsia City's poison-type Gym Leader.

What about Ash's Muk? He decided to send it to Professor Oak. I just hoped he could handle Muk's…unique smell.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charizard (male)

Bruce the Primeape (male)

Luna the Clefairy (female)

Kobra the Arbok (male)

Wanda the Gyarados (female)

Oliver the Gloom (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:

Eevee (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Bulbasaur (male)

Charmeleon (male)

Haunter (male)

Beedrill (male)

Pidgeotto (male)

Pikachu (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Squirtle x5 (males)

Krabby (male)

Primeape (male)

Muk (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Starmie (genderless)

Horsea (female)

Psyduck (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)

Vulpix (female)