Chapter 19: Heeding The Serpent
Pikachu continued walking over to the trainers, who were talking to each other as they moved along. Once close enough, he jumped onto Ash's shoulder. From here, he would have a direct line of sight to Dawn as the team walked along. It was sure to make asking for Quilava's pokéball far easier!
The mouse hummed in content as Ash reached up to stroke him briefly. The trainer turned his attention back to Cilan, who seemed to be telling a story. A pretty good one, at that, looking at the chef's excited look.
Interested, Pikachu held off on catching Dawn's attention to listen in.
"I tell you, it was utterly delectable!" he said happily. "Taking all three of us on one after the other and winning two out of three~! I'd never seen it before…"
"Wow, that's pretty remarkable, Ash," Dawn said, glancing at him.
"For a kid, anyway…" Iris remarked sassily.
Ignoring her, Ash chuckled in his usual goofy manner. "What can I say, Dawn? You've either gotta go in big or not go at all!" he said, putting his arms behind his head in an aloof way.
Readjusting himself on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu's ears dipped. Oh no… he hated that story. If only because he'd done really bad in that battle. If it hadn't been for Tepig's and Oshawott's really cool skills, Ash would've been screwed.
As impressive a feat as it'd been for Ash - what with taking on three gym leaders one after another, even though he'd only had to pick one of them to battle - Pikachu vowed to never let anybody know that he'd lost to a freaking water monkey. A good water monkey, but still a water monkey.
… Then again, Pansage probably knew. Oshawott and Pignite, too. Oh dear…
"Y'know, Ash…" Cilan continued, "that's exactly what another trainer who visited the gym a couple of years ago said. Right before picking me for the challenge with his oshawott."
"Against you!? With an oshawott!?" Iris cried.
"That's right! It was quite like my battle against Ash's oshawott… only this trainer's oshawott had a bit more of a serious recipe going. The battle started with…" He continued on with his story, though Pikachu took the time to reminisce, glancing over at the otter in question. He, Buneary and Emolga were all heavy in discussion about… something.
Heh… more serious than Oshawott's battle? That wasn't saying much. Oshawott's battle had been pretty goofy at the start. Taking Bullet Seed to the butt after dancing about to avoid it… getting chomped on the head and running around like a headless chicken as Pansage clung on… only to hit his head on a random boulder, after.
Still, he'd made up for it. Putting up with all of that and still managing to hit him with a good Water Gun, after many attempts… deflecting many Bullet Seed attacks with his scalchop, as well as a prior Solar Beam… one which had then blasted out of the ceiling, after being reflected… and then eventually slicing Pansage in quite an epic showdown that reminded Pikachu of a samurai movie.
Pikachu had been deathly jealous at the time. However, now he felt an odd sense of pride. Probably because he didn't dislike Oshawott anymore, like he'd once done. Heck, he liked the little guy, now. Even if he was still rough around the edges.
The mouse suddenly noticed that, in the distance, Emolga was looking in his direction and giving him the stink-eye. H-Huh!? What had he done?
Next to her, he noticed Buneary looking somewhat sheepish and Oshawott looking kind of awkward, which set off some alarm bells in the mouse's head.
Oh, right. Buneary must've told her about all the apples they'd sliced in the name of showing off. They hadn't cleaned up after themselves at all, had they?
Sweating profusely, Pikachu turned his attention back to Cilan. If the mouse couldn't see Emolga getting angry, then it wasn't happening…!
"… and it ended with his dewott slicing Pansage with both its scalchops!" Cilan continued energetically. "It was a tragically beautiful blend of ingredients…!"
"Awesome! A mid-battle evolution!" Ash cried. "Those are my favorite kinds!"
"… Er, I hope you were listening to the rest of my-"
"So what else happened? Huh? Huh?" Ash exclaimed excitedly.
Cilan looked dejected. "Taking all the salad out of my sandwich as always, I see…"
"Now, Ash…" Dawn scolded, raising a finger, "you know it's rude to tune out everything but evolutions and starter pokémon…!"
"But, Dawn…!" Ash retorted. "Evolutions and starter pokémon are awesome! Besides, I didn't tune anything out. That battle was real cool."
Iris groaned in either bemusement or amusement. It was hard to tell. "I'll bet you're just saying that because this trainer's just as much of a kid as you. Going for Cilan with a water-type."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"To be fair, Iris…" Cilan interjected, "the kid was going to go for Chili and Pansear… but his oshawott kept insisting for a battle against me, instead."
"Wow, really?" Dawn asked.
"Yep! Clearly, it had a taste for something far spicier than Chili."
Everyone chuckled at the joke. Except for Iris, who just groaned exasperatedly.
Deciding to cut in at what seemed like the perfect time, Pikachu considered how to get Dawn's attention. "[Um… hey-]" he started.
"[Hey,]" Snivy's voice grumbled.
Pikachu nearly jumped off Ash's shoulder in fright. "[A-Ah! Snivy!]" he yelped, looking up to see her glaring down at him from Ash's hat.
She cringed. "[… Must you scream in my ear? I'm trying to sunbathe in peace.]"
"[S-Sorry…!]" he mumbled quietly. "[I-I, um… wanted Dawn, so…]"
She rolled her eyes. "[Good lord…]" she grumbled.
A shiver went up his spine. That was his line. Why was this woman so freaking scary to be around…?
"[Well, whatever,]" she continued. "[I suppose some congratulations are in order.]"
"[Huh? They are?]" he asked.
She smiled lightly. "[Yeah. Good job on actually being bright enough to get the hint, for once. With that girlfriend of yours, I mean.]"
"[Oh. Well, thanks.]" He huffed indignantly. "[For the praise, anyway. What do ya mean 'for once'?]"
She huffed back in amusement. "[Don't kid yourself. I've heard the tales from Emolga. You're not very good when it comes to romance, are you?]"
Face warming, he looked to the side. "[… I've seen worse.]"
"[Same.]" He saw her smirk lightly from the corner of his eye. "[You must take from him.]"
"[H-Hmph! The nerve…]" he retorted, trying to stop a chuckle.
She huffed in amusement again before going quiet.
Accepting the comfortable silence, Pikachu decided to take in his surroundings. The humans were still walking along, having a comfortably quiet moment of their own. Axew and Pachirisu were talking really excitedly amongst themselves in Iris' hair. Much to the interest of Meloetta, who was floating nearby.
"[Try not to get too complacent, though,]" Snivy said out of nowhere, catching Pikachu's attention. Her face was neutral. "[Complacency in a relationship never ends well.]"
He tilted his head. "[Huh?]"
"[It's all fun and games at first. Making googly eyes at one another while cuddling, or whatever. However, if you take things for granted… you'll regret it.]"
"[… Oh,]" he replied, not sure of what else to say. Where was this coming from?
She closed her eyes and rested her head down. "[… You've heard it, I'm sure. Everyone thinks I left my trainer because they weren't 'worthy of me' or whatever, yes?]"
"[… Y-Yeah?]"
"[… Half-true. My trainer was rather good-natured, and her battling skills were adequate enough. I enjoyed my time on her team.]"
"[Really? Then… what-?]"
"[Got herself a boyfriend. A nice one, at that. Treated her like a princess. Carried all of her stuff. Hugged and kissed her whenever he got the chance. She loved every second of it.]" She opened an eye and stared at Pikachu, startling him. "[… A month later, the magic died down. They sometimes shared a moment or two, but they barely did anything other than that, anymore. Got a little bit too comfortable with each other, I think.]" She looked off to the side. "[… My trainer got so bored that she cheated on him. Rather unashamedly, too. Nothing overly intimate, but…]"
The mouse's eyes widened. "[J-Jeez, really!?]"
She nodded, looking at him again. "[… I think he knew it, too. But he was too much of a beta to break it off. So he stayed, albeit miserably.]" She closed her eye. "[… I left soon after that. Cheaters are beneath me.]"
"[Oh…]" He frowned. "[Cheating on someone… that's just awful.]"
"[Mmm-hmm. I understand why she did it, though. She was bored and felt unloved. But, at the same time, it wasn't like she was trying to fix things, either.]"
"[S-Still…]"
She smiled lightly. "[… The fact that it repulses you just as much as it does me… well, it gives me hope that you're not one of those types, if nothing else.]" Her face went neutral again. "[Do try to keep the relationship fun, though, won't you? Looking at your girlfriend, I can tell she's the type who burns through a fire, quickly. Better keep it fueled.]"
He exhaled slowly. "[I… guess you've got a point. I mean, with keeping things good, anyway, but… she told me pretty much the opposite when it comes to that.]"
She looked at him. "[Hm?]"
"[She told me that when that 'fire' burns brightest is when the crush is strongest, sure, but… she also said that afterwards, it burns on low heat. And that's when it becomes love. Like, real, honest to goodness love.]"
"[… That so? Interesting…]" She huffed again. "[… She's full of garbage, if you ask me, but… food for thought, I suppose. After all, the only reason I joined your team is because of Ash's loving tendencies. Never thought I'd be swayed by such a thing, but here we are.]"
He couldn't stop a laugh escaping at that. "[Loving tendencies? Ash? Seriously?]"
"[Not that kind of love, you dolt,]" the snake responded, sounding like she was trying to hide some amusement herself. "[Haven't you ever felt it? Love for friends? Family? Even strangers?]" She closed her eyes. "[That stuff… unconditional love... that's perhaps the strongest kind. Love not just for a friend with potential benefits, but for the sake of others, too.]"
He paused. Glancing at Ash and also remembering... Chester... he exhaled through his nose and looked off to the side. "[Well… I won't lie. I can kinda vouch for that. Not entirely, but…]"
She sighed. "[… Well, don't let me put you off the rabbit, or anything. I'll admit, you two get on far more than any couple I've ever known.]" She smirked lightly. "[And hey… you're both less hopeless than that otter, if nothing else. I still recall Emolga's tale from last week, when he'd tried flirting with that ice cream ten times his size…]"
"[Haha, yeah. That was a fun day…]" he replied. He paused. Oh, wait. Buneary had admitted that she'd once been the same way, herself. A big flirter.
Hm… maybe he would keep that to himself, lest he ruin his argument. Besides, it wasn't like she was doing it anymore, so…
"[All the same…]" the snake continued, "[keep an eye on that rabbit of yours, alright? Treat her well, and… make sure she treats you good, too. Don't want either of you straying, now…]"
Those words shot a stab of fear through his heart. He quashed it down. "[I'll, er… keep that in mind.]"
"[Good.]" A vine unraveled out of the snake's collar.
He stared at it in intrigue. He squeaked when it wrapped around his waist and lifted him off his feet. "[W-What're you-? Ah!]" He was hoisted in front of Dawn, who looked at him in surprise.
Another vine came out of Snivy's collar and slithered around one of Dawn's wrists. The vine forced the coordinator's hand upwards, into a 'receiving' posture. Her other vine dropped Pikachu onto it.
Dawn nearly toppled over at the weight. She brought up another hand to hold Pikachu up, better. "Um… hi, Pikachu?" she said to him, stopping in place. The others stopped next to her.
"[… Um, hi, Dawn,]" he replied, smiling awkwardly. He briefly looked out of the corner of his eye, and saw that Snivy had begun napping again, both vines retracted away.
"Looks like Pikachu wants ya, Dawn," Ash said, amused.
"More like Snivy wanted Pikachu to talk to her…" Iris snarked.
"I'm sure Snivy was just helping Pikachu prepare its dish, so to speak," Cilan responded.
"Happens all the time," Ash said. "Snivy's like everyone's boss, or something."
Iris rolled her eyes. "Did you miss the memo? You're the one who should be the boss of your pokémon."
He chuckled. "Oh yeah…"
Dawn slowly shook her head and looked at Pikachu. "So, what's on your mind, Pikachu?" she asked.
… Oh no, he hadn't decided how to handle this, yet.
He started sweating. "[Er… c-can Quilava come out?]" he asked, pointing towards her bag.
Dawn looked at it for a second before brightening up. "Oh… I get it!" she said, looking at him. "You want me to dress you up to be real handsome for your new girlfriend, don't'cha? Ohh, I can hardly wait to get started~!"
He desperately shook his paws. "[N-No! Oh, dear Arceus, no!]" The last thing he wanted was Dawn prettying him up. Something inside told him her idea of handsome was a little bit different to his.
"Guess that's a no, then," Cilan said.
"Aww…" Dawn said, shoulders sagging.
Exhaling through his nose, Pikachu decided to use an old favorite tactic of his. He used his paws to mold his face into a similar shape to Quilava's.
Seeing it, Ash brightened up. "Awesome! I know that look! I think he wants to do lots more training with Quilava!"
Pikachu allowed his face to go back to normal before looking at him in surprise. Wow, Ash was improving. He was kind of proud. Even though it was only because of the prospect of more training, probably.
Iris put her hands to her hips. "More training? Ash, isn't training for an hour straight enough?"
"It's never enough, Iris!"
She shrugged. "Spoken like a true kid…"
"Hey, what's that sup-"
"Now, Iris..." Dawn interrupted, "to be fair, Pikachu missed out on all of it, because of his cute little date."
Face warming, the mouse nodded. "[Yep!]" he said.
"Too busy eating the cake to enjoy the party, I guess," Cilan said.
"Well, okay!" Dawn pulled Pikachu into a hug, as she often did with Piplup. "In celebration, I guess a little more training wouldn't hurt anybody. In fact, now I'm all fired up!"
"All fired up!?" Ash exclaimed. "Well, that settles it. We're gonna have ourselves a real pokémon match, Dawn!"
Dawn sighed with an exaggerated shrug. "Well, alright, Ash… I was gonna wait for the Pokémon World Tournament," She took a deep breath, "Junior Cup, but… you know what? I'll take you on any time!"
"Awesome!"
"But I was gonna go second…!" Iris complained. "You said it yourself, Dawn. First, Cilan, then me, and Ash last."
Ash chuckled. "Sounds like something a kid would say, Iris."
She continually punched Ash lightly on the shoulder in irritation. "Says the double kid!"
Ash danced around, trying to avoid the punches. "H-Hey, cut it out, Iris…!" he yelped.
Pachirisu and Axew, who were still in Iris' hair, squealed lightly while the dragon trainer continued her assault. Snivy, who was still on Ash's cap, just started frowning again.
Dawn sighed exasperatedly. She gasped when something seemed to come to mind. "Y'know what? I've got it!"
Ash and Iris stopped goofing around to look at her in intrigue.
"You do?" Iris asked.
"Well…" Dawn started.
Pikachu took a deep breath while eyeing up his opponents across the big dirt battlefield: Quilava and Axew. They seemed to be doing the same, eyeing up each other and him.
No amount of preparation could calm the mouse's excitement, however. Thanks to Dawn's suggestion, he wasn't set to fight just Quilava… but Axew, too! All in a free-for-all battle royale, where the winner was the last one standing.
Needless to say, Pikachu was hyped. He looked off to his sides to see if all of his friends were just as hyped as him.
Everyone had been released from their balls to watch the fight. They all seemed to be congregating in the same group, which he couldn't help but notice Buneary and Oshawott were a part of. The mouse guessed that, along with cheering him on, they were taking some time to hang out with the others. Well… he hoped they would cheer him on as well, anyway.
The only ones who weren't with everyone else were Meloetta, who was watching from a tree nearby… and Piplup and Togekiss, who were taking turns to give each other some strange massage with their mouths. It was probably the 'preening' that Piplup had been mentioning earlier. Weirdly, though, Leavanny was in the other, larger group. Pikachu wondered if Togekiss had been dragged away from her crush by Piplup for the preening session. Tsk, tsk.
His heart leaped when he saw Buneary giving him an encouraging cheer. He punched the air in a hot-blooded manner, to show her that he meant business. She cheered louder.
"Alright, everyone…" Cilan called out from the side of the battlefield, raising an arm, "get yourselves ready… because," he pointed forwards energetically, "it's battle time~!"
"Great!" Iris shouted. "Okay, Axew, use Dragon Rage on Quilava to start off!"
The dragon's stomach began to glow bright blue. With a cry, he fired off a draconic pulse of energy towards the stoat.
"Quilava, up and over!" Dawn retorted, gesturing oddly.
Quilava leaped upwards, sailing over the projectile.
"Great! Now spin with Flame Wheel and use Swift!"
Still going forwards in the air, the stoat's back erupted into flames. Curling into a wheel, he rapidly spun around, firing flaming stars all over the place.
Seeing many of them heading his way, Pikachu frowned determinedly, ready for action.
While Iris gave a command, Ash also gave one out. "Pikachu, dodge it!" he cried.
Pikachu continuously kept jumping to his sides, dodging flaming star after flaming star. One slammed into his face, exploding into a small cloud of hot dust. Flinching in pain, he just shrugged it off and dodged all the others.
Looking ahead to see what to dodge next, he cringed empathetically when he saw Quilava ramming into Axew. The dragon was knocked back, looking rather torched, though generally alright.
"Axew, Scratch it, now!" Iris called out.
Bright, elongated claws sprouted from Axew's hands. He used them to repeatedly claw at Quilava, who was still spinning into him.
The stoat was knocked flying out of his attack, landing on his feet a fair distance away.
Thanks to Axew stopping the Swift, Pikachu found a good time to pause and regain his bearings.
Glancing at the crowd, the first thing he saw was Pachirisu hopping up and down excitedly while cheering. Clearly not for her own teammate. Behind her, he could see Buneary and Oshawott eagerly watching the spectacle. They seemed to be talking at the same time, though about what, Pikachu didn't know.
Seeing the two of them talk reminded him of Snivy's little story. The one about wandering.
He huffed and focused back on the fight. He trusted Buneary enough not to do that - especially not with a kid like Oshawott, of all pokémon - but it was a scary thought, all the same. Amusing, too, if only because it was Oshawott, but still.
"Pikachu, get in there with Quick Attack!" Ash shouted.
The mouse started running towards his two rivals, getting progressively faster as he charged energy to his feet.
"Get Axew, then slam Quilava with Iron Tail!" Ash continued.
Hm. Sounded simple enough. He prepared himself to ram into Axew, who was watching him cautiously.
"Quilava, Smokescreen towards Axew!" Dawn cried out.
The stoat fired a huge plume of smoke from his mouth in the dragon's direction. It grew into a big, black cloud, obscuring him from Pikachu's view.
Pikachu grit his teeth. Oh great, how could he hit the guy, now!?
"Keep on going, Pikachu!" Ash called out. "Remember where he was, and strike!"
Huh, was that really the best thing to do? Well… boss' orders. He kept on running towards the black cloud. He could hear coughing coming from within, so he generally knew where to strike.
"Oh no, Axew, get outta there, quick!" Iris called out.
"[Too late!]" Pikachu called out, dashing through the cloud. He hit Axew and… kept on going!?
Not expecting that, he stumbled and wiped out, crashing to the ground.
Axew gave a cry, but hadn't been launched as the mouse had expected. A loud thump rang out, as if something had hit the ground hard.
The smoke cleared. Groaning, Pikachu glanced behind himself at the dragon. On the ground, Axew looked rather dizzy, though generally uninjured. What…?
Eyeing up Axew's tail, he finally realized it. Oh, right. He must've barely missed the dragon and hit his tail, instead. Dang it all…
"Excellent! Just as planned!" Dawn cried out. She pointed dramatically. "Now, get 'em both with Eruption!"
"[Hook, line and sinker!]" Quilava taunted, the flames on his back igniting violently. He leaned down while arching his back, aiming the fire Pikachu and Axew's way.
"Ah! Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash called out.
"Axew, charge another Dragon Rage!" Iris shouted.
The flames on Quilava's back fired out in a massive, aggressive stream of lava. It flew towards Pikachu and Axew.
Gulping, Pikachu got up to his fours, prepared to sprint away from it.
"No, wait, Iris is right!" Ash shouted. "Thunderbolt the fire!"
Pikachu stopped in his tracks and desperately fired off a Thunderbolt towards the incoming lava. His electricity, plus Axew's Dragon Rage, hit against the lava, holding it in place.
Pikachu strained as he felt the lava's pushback against his Thunderbolt. Even with the combined effort of Axew's stream of draconic energy, he was still struggling.
The lava advanced on them, edging closer and closer. Pikachu could feel its intense heat bearing down on him, making sweat pour down his forehead. Glancing to the side, he saw that Axew was in a similar way. Oh, this wasn't good…
"Forget it! Pikachu, get outta there!" Ash called out.
… Pikachu agreed. He cut off his electricity and used Quick Attack to zip away to the side.
Glancing behind him, he saw Axew react in surprise. The lava quickly creeped up on the dragon and engulfed him. He squealed loudly while being blown across the field.
Iris gasped. "Axew!" She growled and angrily stomped her foot on the ground. "What's the big idea, Ash!? That was all your fault!"
Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Whoops," he mumbled, as if it hadn't occurred to him. His eyes widened and he pointed outwards. "Wait, yeah! Now, Pikachu, Iron Tail on Quilava, let's go!"
Pikachu grinned. Yeah, perfect! He ran around in a broad circle, redirecting himself towards Quilava.
Dawn freaked out. "Gah! Quickly! Turn around and get Pikachu!" she cried.
The stoat cried out in panic. He twisted himself around, sweeping the lava stream across the field in an attempt to catch Pikachu.
The mouse kept on running in a big circle, easily outpacing the attack. Going on for a lap around Quilava, he hissed in pain when he went across the burnt grass. Yowch! Now he was really glad he'd gotten out of the way of that freaking lava.
Missing something that Iris had yelled out, Pikachu refocused his attention on Quilava. He noticed that his lava flow was starting to weaken.
Taking the opportunity, Pikachu made a hard turn and ran directly towards him, Iron Tail at the ready. Getting close enough, he got ready to swing. "[Hah! Hook line and-]" he started.
An intense pain in his back interrupted him. He was sent flying into Quilava, who was also sent flying. Lying on the ground, Pikachu winced at the harsh aching in his back. Owww, what the…?
He glanced behind him. Axew was standing where Pikachu had been, looking proud of himself as energy evaporated off him.
Aghh, drat. The mouse had let his guard down. Seriously, though, how tough was that dragon!? Considering how well he'd survived Cynthia's merciless assault that one time, though… it wasn't too surprising, he guessed.
… Huh, that was something to tell Buneary about. He got the feeling she would be impressed with the little guy. Especially since he was still basically a baby.
"Great work, Axew!" Iris praised, interrupting his thoughts. "Now finish 'em off with Outrage!"
The dragon aggressively pumped both fists while an ominous, red aura enveloped him.
"Pikachu, endure it!" Ash cried out.
"Q-Quickly, get behind Pikachu!" Dawn called towards Quilava.
"[Way ahead of ya!]" Quilava called back, jumping behind the mouse and making himself look as small as possible.
"What!?" Ash yelped, as if not expecting that.
"[Oh, you cowards…!]" Pikachu groaned, holding his tail in front of him like a shield and turning it steel.
Finally charged enough, Axew lunged towards Pikachu and began to punch and kick at him with the strength of a frigging truck. He left visible dents in Pikachu's tail as the mouse blocked each strike.
"[Survival of the smartest!]" Quilava chuckled from behind the mouse.
Huffing, Pikachu glanced off to the side. He saw Buneary with her paws to her mouth, as if worried.
Oshawott looked enthralled, as if impressed by Pikachu's stamina. Either that, or by how much Axew was threatening to ruin the mouse. He hoped it was the former.
Emolga was looking rather pleased. Probably because she considered this karma for the apple massacre. Maybe that was something he'd have to apologize for, later...
He only just saw Pachirisu cheering before having to turn his attention back to Axew, whose attacks were getting more frantic. Oh man, if this kept up, the mouse's poor tail would get broken...!
"Pikachu, right now! Get outta the way!" Ash called out.
"[Oh, finally...!]" Pikachu retorted. He dodged to the side, barely avoiding another punch.
"[… Oh, poop,]" Quilava responded, sounding scared. He wailed in pain shortly after.
Rolling on the ground, Pikachu turned to watch the spectacle. Axew was knocking the ever-loving stuffing out of Quilava with many punches and kicks to the face.
"Wow, nice going, Ash!" Iris complimented. "Good to see you use that brain of yours for once!"
"Heh, thanks!" Ash replied. "I'm gonna use it some more! Pikachu, Thunderbolt 'em the second Axew gets confused!"
Pikachu nodded and preemptively charged up some electricity. He grumbled in pain when the metal fizzled away from his tail, and he felt many stinging aches across it. Good lord, he'd taken a beating from that kid. Still, better his tail than his face, he guessed.
"Not so fast, Ash!" Dawn shouted. "Quilava, Flame Wheel on through!"
Enduring Axew's abuse, the stoat made his back erupt into harsh flames. With a cry, he bundled himself up and rolled forwards like a fiery ball.
He smacked Axew away somewhere to the side, setting him on fire in the process. Landing on the ground, Quilava revved up before going straight for Pikachu.
"Pikachu, time for that Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.
Nodding, Pikachu unleashed the electricity he'd charged up. It hit Quilava dead on, stopping him in his tracks. However, the stoat just kept rolling in place, even managing to gain some traction after a short while. Before too long, he was going at a good speed, again, despite the electrical assault.
"No use! Dodge it, quick!" Ash cried, talking over a comment from Iris.
Cutting off his electricity, Pikachu dived to the side. He yelped when Quilava's fire clipped his tail. Oww, did everyone have to beat on his tail, today? Again, though, better than his face.
Rolling to his feet, Pikachu ignored the pain and got ready to dodge another attack. Sure enough, Quilava had gone in a full circle and was zipping towards the mouse again.
Pikachu got ready to lunge out of the way. A searing pain in his back interrupted him. He'd also been flung forwards. W-What the-!?
While going through the air, he looked back. He saw Axew gazing at him, smiling proudly while some smoke poured out of his closed mouth.
Another harsh pain stopped Pikachu in his tracks when Quilava rammed into him violently. The aching was replaced with the horrible sting of fire burning him. That, too, was soon replaced with more aching when Pikachu stuck to Quilava and was repeatedly run over several times.
The last thing he heard before everything went black was Ash calling his name out while running closer.
…
… Well, almost. The mouse's eyes fluttered open one last time to see Ash accidentally get knocked flying by Quilava's attack.
He huffed out a chuckle before passing out for real.
Pikachu slowly felt himself begin to wake up. Huh... his head was lying on something warm and cozy. Was he in a bed? Why was he here? Oh, then again, he'd lost that battle, hadn't he? So... had he been hospitalized? And from such a simple battle, at that? Oh no... another mark of shame to add to the list.
Hearing murmurings around him, he allowed his eyes to slowly drift open. The first thing to greet his vision was Buneary. She was looking down at him in relief while stroking his head.
He blinked. His face warmed. Oh yeah... they were dating now, weren't they? And... oh, he was probably resting on her fluff.
His face warmed even further when he realized that everyone was probably watching him like this. Oh dear... well, he knew he'd have to practice that 'public displays of affection' thing some time or another, so... he didn't mind.
"[Hey, hon!]" Buneary said, smiling.
"[Hey, um... h-hon,]" he replied, smiling back.
She beamed brightly at that. She winced soon after. "[Gosh, they really got you good. How're you feeling?]"
"[I've taken harder hits, so I'll be good, thanks.]" He glanced behind her and noticed the sky, meaning they weren't in a pokémon center, at least. It looked rather bright out, too, surprisingly. "[Gosh, how long was I out?]"
"[Just a minute or something. They're still having their battle, y'know!]"
"[Oh, alright, neat.]" He contemplated getting up to watch it. He was really comfy here, though, so he hesitated.
Eventually deciding that he wanted the best of both worlds, he just pushed himself up slightly to get a better view of the action. Next to the battlefield, he saw Iris - with a dazed-looking Ash laying nearby - giving out orders to dodge Quilava's latest attack.
Looking to the action, he saw the stoat currently trying to run over Axew while spewing smoke. The dragon tenaciously kept dodging, however, all while charging up a Dragon Rage on Iris' order. He fired it off, barely missing Quilava, who'd turned to hide in the smoke. Seconds later, the stoat burst out of the smoke and headed straight for Axew, who smacked him off to the side with Scratch. An action that had left him with a burn, judging by his pained reaction.
While watching, Pikachu huffed. Drat… to think, he'd been the first one to get knocked out. He'd hoped he would've been second, or first, or… at least in another tie. Dead last, though… Man, he wasn't doing well in Unova, was he?
He was distracted when he heard Pansage telling a story to the others from behind Buneary. A scarily familiar story. "[… And then my brother's Scald hit him square in his features, knocking him out cold!]" he said with a chuckle. "[Said it was the most fun he'd ever had, my Panpour. He'd never had the chance to go all out and still have an easy time before!]"
Everyone laughed at the story. All except for Pachirisu, who seemed too busy cheering for Axew to notice. Heck, even Buneary was giggling lightly.
Feeling his face go insanely hot, Pikachu pulled her fluff over his face. Oh, fabulous. Chalk another one up for the 'Pikachu's failure everyone knows about' pile.
"[Oh, hey, speaking of Sleeping Beauty,]" Crustle started, sounding amused, "[he's awake!]"
He heard a bunch of pokémon clambering around to see him. Realizing that he was resting on Buneary's fluffy lap in full view of them, he instinctively started to get up. He grit his teeth when he remembered his promise to not act ashamed of her, though. Aghh, this was really gonna take some getting used to.
"[H-Hey, guys…!]" Pikachu said, letting go of the fluff as they came into view.
"[Oh, hey, Apple-Murderer,]" Emolga huffed, glaring daggers at him.
He felt himself begin to sweat. Oh dear, and he thought Snivy had been scary.
"[H-Hey, don't blame him so much for that,]" Buneary replied awkwardly. "[I did my fair share of…]" She sighed, "[… 'apple slaughtering', too, y'know.]"
Emolga pouted angrily. "[He started it, though… and I don't forgive people who hunt apples for sport!]"
Oh brother…
"[... Um… good job on the battle, Pikachu,]" Leavanny said, sheepishly.
"[Um, th-thanks!]" Pikachu responded.
"[The parts where you weren't knocked out, anyway...]" Snivy mumbled, watching the fight intently while coiled up on the ground nearby.
Pikachu cringed, his face going warmer. "[Thanks...]" he grumbled.
"[Hey! Leavanny's right,]" Oshawott retorted, paws on his hips. "[My man Pikachu did great!]"
He felt Buneary stroke the top of his head. "[You got that right! He did his best with what he had, and that's good enough for me!]" she praised.
Pikachu smiled at them. "[Glad to know you guys have my back, at least.]"
"[… So biased,]" Stunfisk muttered, "[… but not wrong, either. I guess.]"
"[You kidding? He was beaten by little kids, man,]" Scraggy snarked.
"[… You're a little kid, aren't you?]" Unfezant replied.
"[Yeah! And knowing him, I'll bet I could beat Pikachu to a pulp all easy-like, too.]"
Some of the others chuckled at that, making Pikachu's self-esteem go down the toilet. Oh, for crying out loud…
Buneary huffed. "[Keep that sass up, mister, and we'll see who gets beaten to a pulp…!]" she said, sounding like she was half-joking. Maybe.
"[Oh, I'd like to see ya try!]" Scraggy retorted, tugging on his 'pants'.
Going back to watching the battle properly with the others, Buneary and Scraggy continued with their back and forth. Huffing exasperatedly, Pikachu turned his attention back to the fight, too.
While watching Axew Scratch away all of Quilava's Swift stars as they came at him, something occurred to the mouse. Scraggy was right, really. Pikachu kept getting his tail handed to him a lot, these days. Not just by two year olds and younger, either. Though the fact that that kept happening wasn't doing his ego any favors, either.
Noticing Snivy out of the corner of his eye made him think of something. Something that sent a slight shiver down his spine. The main reason Buneary had even fallen for him in the first place was because of his impressive stunts. Sure it wasn't why she kept liking him, but… was it possible that the opposite could happen?
She knew all of his most embarrassing failures in Unova, now. Heck, she'd just seen one with her own two eyes. So… that 'burning fire'… could this be like dumping a bucket of water onto it?
… Then again… she had stuck up for him when the others had teased him about his screw ups. Plus, she had said that she'd been impressed by the tale of his battle against Trip's snivy, so…
… Pfft, yeah. He was just being paranoid. His girlfriend wasn't going to go off him just because of a few minor set-backs. She wasn't shallow!
… All the same, maybe he did need some extra training after all.
He kept up with that thought. Up until Axew landed a final blow on Quilava with Giga Impact, ending the match.
Everyone cheered for Iris and her little dragon. Pikachu did, too, though he wouldn't lie… it would've been nice for him to be the one out there, getting everyone's praises. Buneary's, especially.
Oh well. Next time…
TO BE CONTINUED!
Finished: 21/06 (June)/2018
Word count: 6,067
VGS2's pointless notes: Hope you liked this impromptu battle! I actually wasn't going to have one at first… but screw it. Beats the Pikachu vs Quilava battle from the actual show. Seriously, they hype up a battle between Ash and Dawn for the longest time… and then Dawn uses her 'meh' mon, instead of one everyone knows/loves, only to get interrupted by Cynthia's "Okay, I've seen enough" garbage. Dear lord… XP
Oh yeah, quick reminder! I added two new chapters to the very beginning of the fic, and also added a frick-ton of content to chapters 3 and 6! Make sure you don't miss out!
(Obligatory reminder: Just like in Spiritual Successor, I guess I should say it. Swift doesn't always hit in the anime! That's all. XP)
Shameless promotion: Today, I shall promote allen Vth! He's(?) written a My Little Pony fic and an Undertale/High School DxD fic... but, most importantly for you guys, he also made a Mystery Dungeon fic! It looks to be an exciting adventure involving a snivy-turned-human, who eventually runs into a spot of trouble with an outlaw. An encounter that ends interestingly, as another being assumes control of his body to give him a little boost.
On the other end of the scale, a female oshawott is setting out to begin her journey as an explorer. I didn't get far enough into reading to find out, but rest assured, there shall be probably be shipping. Probably. XP
Looking through the first chapter, it seems rather fun and action packed. The characters are charming enough, too, so I'd recommend it! Go offer up some reviews!
Fun mistake/s of the day: #1: 'A pretty good one, at that, looking at the chief's excited look.'
(Here comes big Chieftain Cilan! Y'know, it reminds me of a long time ago, when I thought the protagonist of Halo was called Master Chef. Cilan's true name. XP)
#2: "[… The magic eventually dyed down.]"
(Don't dye duck feathers, please, Snivy.)
#3: "[Never thought I'd be swayed by such a thing, but here we.]"
(I left this sentence orphaned for weeks before I finally noticed something was wrong. And even then, only when ravengal pointed it out. XD For frick's sake, Snivy, stop forgetting to finish your.)
#4: "You want me to dress up to be real handsome for your new girlfriend, aren't you? Ohh, I can hardly wait~!"
(Not only is there a grammar error, but now Dawn wants to dress up handsomely to cuck Pikachu. XD)
#5: "[N-No, oh dear, Arceus, no!]"
(And then Arceus did horrible things to Pikachu. Things that not even Ri2 would write about. XP Seriously, I've gotta learn not to comma all the time. Tsk.)
#6: '"Blahblahgottagofast" Cilan said. "Well, okay!" Dawn pulled him into a hug, as she often did with Piplup.'
(Oops. I forgot to fix Dawn's hugging action after adding Cilan's line there. So now Green Sonic gets overly affectionate PTSD, instead. XD That said, it'll only truly give him the shivers if Oshawott hugs him, considering who voices the otter…!)
#7: 'All in a free for all battle royal,'
(In which only royalty may fight. So Togekiss' old trainer and nobody else, basically. XP)
#8: 'Seeing the two of them talk reminded Snivy of her little story.'
(Whoops, we accidentally slipped into Snivy's POV for a second, there. XD Reminds me of those fics where you hear everyone's thoughts and feelings at once, like the reader's God, or something.)
#9: 'Crashing the ground, Pikachu winced at the harsh aching.'
(Pikachu makes the worst pilot ever. He can even mess up flying ground. Considering he's electric-type, though, I'll forgive her.)
#10: 'Considering he's electric-type, though, I'll forgive her.'
(And then I changed Pikachu's gender out of nowhere. Oops. XD I get the feeling this isn't the first time I've done it, either. Kinda reminds me of one of ravengal's PikaBun: One-shot Wonders fic.)
#11: 'Lying to the ground, Pikachu winced at the harsh aching.'
(He also makes a very bad liar when it comes to ground, too, apparently. Bad idea, considering his weakness to what he lied to. XP)
#12: 'Either that, or by how much Axew was threatening to ruin the mouse. He hoped it was the latter.'
(You want Oshawott to cheer because you got ruined? No wonder Oshawott never respects you anymore. XP)
#13: '"Not so fast, Ash!" Dawn shouted. "Quilava, Flame Wheel."'
(I love how she shouts and then quietly mutters something out, according to that full stop. XD Still, better than Paul and Cynthia, I guess. They like to just sound emotionlessly bori- Er, stern.)
#14: "[They're really got you good.]"
("They are really got you good!" - Lifted Spirits Pachirisu)
#15: 'Her heard her give a please or amused hum. Or maybe both.'
(God, what even is this? XD Clearly I shouldn't write when I'm both really sleepy and distracted by ravengal playing The Binding Of Isaac.)
#16: 'Drat… to think, he'd been the first one to het'
(Well, you're not wrong for this fic, at least. XD Not counting the first flashback chapter, anyway.)
#17: 'He felt Buneary stroke the side of his head. "[You got that right!]" she added, stroking Pikachu's head.'
(Buneary, you can stop stroking him now… O,o)
#18: 'Plus, she had said that she'd been impressed by the tail of his battle against Trip's snivy, so…'
(Look at Buneary over here, being an apparent tail-philiac. XD Maybe I should make that a character trait of one of these rabbits some day. Watch this space!)
Jeez… so many mistakes. One of these days, it's gonna be more mistakes than actual chapter. XD
Oh well. The next bunch of chapters are all basically done, seeing as I finished those freaking ages ago. Maybe I'll upload 'em once a week, or something… so look forward to that! :D
Tata for now! c:
Next up: Learning a thing or two!
