Pokémon Tower, Lavender Town…
An elderly man stepped inside the building, a bag of berries in his hand. I
Pikachu ran over to him, eager for some more food.
"Hello there, Pikachu!" Mr. Fuji greeted the Mouse Pokémon as he placed the berry bag onto the floor.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu replied as he happily dug into his meal.
"Still here, I see. I suppose your Trainer still hasn't come back with the Cubone the ghosts want," Mr. Fuji mused sadly.
Pikachu stopped eating when he heard this. His ears drooped as he shook his head.
Fuji sighed.
"Well, I'll look after you as long as I'm able to. Can't make any promises at my age, I'm afraid. Still, I'm certain that those two boys will return for you. Keep your chin up, young one."
The elderly man patted Pikachu on the head and walked out.
After finishing the berries, Pikachu wrapped himself up in the blankets Mr. Fuji had been kind enough to provide for him the first night here.
How long had it been since Marowak and the Gastly had forced him to stay inside the Pokémon cemetery? A week? Two weeks? Regardless of the actual time, it had been far too long for the little electric mouse.
How he longed to be with his friends once more, and take part in more fun battles.
"Pi…ka…"
A single tear fell from his eye. He couldn't help but remember another time he had been separated from everything he knew and loved. Back when he still was still a Pichu and lived in the Viridian Forest with his two parents…
Viridian Forest, one year ago…
Boom!
Three colliding Thunderbolts caused an explosion of smoke, providing an ideal cover for the three electric rodents to climb up and hide in the trees above.
A Magneton and the human commanding it looked around, but could not see the two Pikachu they had just attacked.
"They got away…? No, they must still be nearby. Even Pikachu can't move that quickly…" the man muttered as he walked deeper into the forest with his Magneton.
Minutes later, both of them had vanished into the sea of green.
The male and female Pikachu sighed with relief and climbed back down. They had lived peacefully with their little Pichu for some time, rarely seeing humans pass through. The few that did were typically young Trainers who would catch Pokémon, take part in friendly battles with one another, then leave. Never in their wildest dreams did they think someone bad would try to take them.
It had taken all their might to drive him away before he could find Pichu.
As they returned the hollow they called home, they spotted Pichu reaching for some berries placed on something that looked man-made.
"Pika?!"
"Pika Pi!"
Rushing over to their child, they knocked him away from the berries just as metal bars sprang up from the ground, trapping the two Pikachu inside a cage, to Pichu's horror.
"Pichu? P-Pichu!"
Pichu tried to force open the bars, but they wouldn't move.
If that wasn't bad enough, they heard the footsteps of the man coming back towards them. Evidently he had heard the cage closing.
Desperation descending, Pichu struggled once again to open the cage. He pulled, pushed, bit, punched, he even whacked it with his tail, but the metal was too strong for the baby Pokémon.
The two Pikachu watched him with sad expressions. It was clear that there was nothing either of them could do to escape the clutches of the poacher. And so they did what most, if not all, loving parents would do in such a situation.
("You can't save us, Pichu! Just run while you still can!") the female Pikachu shouted.
Pichu couldn't believe what he was hearing. Shaking his head defiantly, he continued to try in vain to open the cage.
("There's no way to break this open! You have to run! Leave the forest and find someplace safe where he'll never find you, okay?") the male Pikachu encouraged.
Pichu looked at his beloved parents with tears in his eyes.
("But… what will I do without you?")
The Pikachu smiled bravely as tears fell from their own eyes.
("We will be with you always. Now go and be strong!")
Reaching between the bars, they shared one last hug, then Pichu ran off through some bushes moments before the man returned.
"Aha! You fell for my trap! Good! That makes things so much easier for me."
Smiling proudly, he put on some rubber gloves, picked up the cage, and brought the Pikachu to eye level. They growled at him.
"You two are going to fetch a pretty price from my clients. Heh heh heh heh… Gideon strikes it big again!"
Pichu stuck his head out of the bushes as Gideon walked away with the cage containing his parents. A great anger came upon him. How could a human do something so horrible to his family?! As he turned around and headed out of Viridian Forest, he vowed to hate humans forever and never allow himself to be captured.
At least, he thought he would.
Weeks later, he had found a safe new home in a little abandoned den just outside of Celadon City. There he spent some time in hiding before eventually giving in to curiosity and going into town. Over the next few days he gleefully stole food and mocked the people who lived there.
But one day, he made the mistake of swiping food from the Celadon Department Store's Rooftop Square. While laughing hysterically at the victims of his theft, he accidentally toppled over the edge of the building.
He knew there was no way he could survive such a fall, so he shut his eyes tightly.
But surprisingly, he never slammed into the concrete below. Instead, he felt himself being caught by what felt like vines of some sort.
When Pichu opened his eyes again, he was face-to-face with an odd Pokémon he had never seen back in the forest.
"Tangela," it said with relief.
Still holding Pichu with its blue vines, it turned around and faced a human woman, who Pichu guessed was Tangela's Trainer.
"Oh my goodness! That was quite a scary fall. Are you alright?" the lady asked with concern.
Pichu nodded, but he was still confused. Did this mean Tangela rescued him because of her?
Before the little mouse knew it, the woman had taken him into her gentle arms.
"That's a relief. It's fortunate that we were here when you fell. My name is Erika, and this little one is my friend, Tangela. We're very pleased to meet you."
"Tan, Tangela!" Tangela happily chimed in.
Pichu was intrigued. There was absolutely no sign of malice from either of these two. Was it possible that he could trust this human?
The doors of the Department Store slid open, and the two humans Pichu had just stolen food from ran out, shocking him out of his thoughts.
"Oh! Lady Erika! You saved the Pichu! Thank goodness for that…" the girl said.
"Yeah, that's great and all, but do you have any idea how much trouble that Pichu has been causing this past week?!" the boy said. "Something has to be done about it! It should be put in a cage, or taken back to the forest where it belongs!"
Pichu did NOT like either of those options, and he made his view on the matter known to the angry human.
"Piiiii-CHU!" he cried as he squeezed his cheeks and used Thunder Shock.
"Yow! Why you little—!"
"Please calm down," Erika said serenely. "It's not right to lock up a child, human or Pokémon."
Though still wincing in pain from using Thunder Shock (due to his underdeveloped cheek sacs) Pichu nodded approvingly.
"Then what are you going to do about it? We can't just let it continue to pull pranks. It could ruin the town's image!"
Erika smiled.
"I think Pichu simply needs someone to look after him."
She looked at Pichu sweetly, as if asking if he would be alright with that.
Pichu thought it over carefully. It definitely seemed like this lady had good intentions. She had saved his life and was willing to protect him from further harm. With that in mind, he made his decision. He would stay with Erika unless she tried to catch him. Only later did he realize she only caught Grass-type Pokémon.
Pichu lived in Celadon City with Erika for many months, and became very good friends with Tangela and Vileplume. He was on relatively good terms with Victreebel as well, and admired her battle prowess, but he preferred to stay an ideal distance from her due to her imposing size.
Eventually, Pichu started practicing battles with Tangela, but with an unmastered Thunder Shock as his only move, he struggled to improve. Pichu found himself longing to evolve so that he could be strong enough to learn to battle properly, but as he was unsure how to evolve, all he could do was wait.
One morning, while playing hide-and-seek with Tangela while Erika was tending to the plants outside the Gym, Pichu's big chance to prove himself came.
As Pichu hid inside a bush, he waited for Tangela to start looking. But to the Tiny Mouse Pokémon's horror, he heard Tangela cry out with fright.
"Come on, don't cry! It's not my fault Tangela are so rare. My client wants a Tangela, and they're getting a Tangela so I can get paid," a man's voice said.
Pichu emerged from the bush to find his vine-covered friend in the clutches of a disc-shaped robotic Pokémon with two iron claws and red eyes. But even worse than that was the human standing beside it. His clothes were a little different, but there was no mistaking that face which was burned in Pichu's memory.
The face of the man who had taken Pichu's parents away from him.
The face of Gideon.
Pichu once again was overcome with intense rage and hatred.
"Pichu! Pichu chu chu!" Pichu demanded furiously.
Gideon looked down and noticed the electric rodent.
"A Pichu? Those are pretty rare, too, but nobody I know wants one…"
Erika, Vileplume and Victreebel turned up seconds later, causing Gideon to flinch.
"What do you think you're doing?! Let go of my precious Tangela at once!" Erika shouted.
"Pichu Pichu!" Pichu added, pointing at the Pokémon poacher.
Gideon scowled and moved several steps away, Metang hovering over him, still clutching the anguished Tangela.
"Hold on! I don't even want your Tangela for myself! I'm giving it to someone for a profit! You can just take it back from them after they pay me!"
Erika's panic turned to anger, surprising even Pichu.
"I won't allow my precious Pokémon to be sold off to anyone! Give her back now, or I will have no choice but to use force!"
Gideon thought it over for a bit, but shook his head defiantly. He climbed atop his Metang, then threw a Poké Ball.
"That money is too good for me to just give up! Go, Porygon2!"
What emerged from the Poké Ball was a smooth, bird-like Pokémon with a flat bill and very large eyes. Pichu, though still angry, was fascinated by Porygon2. It seemed even less natural than Metang.
"Vileplume, use Petal Dance! Victreebel, Leaf Storm!" Erika shouted.
Victreebel unleashed a massive surge of leaves, and Vileplume created a swirling vortex of sharp flower petals. The two attacks merged into a beautiful tornado and zoomed towards Porygon2. But as remarkable as this was, Gideon remained focused.
"Conversion!"
Porygon2's eyes flashed a red light, and digital squares formed around its body just as the flower tornado smashed into it. It was virtually unfazed.
"Wha—?! But how can that be?!" Erika cried, utterly shocked.
Gideon chuckled to himself.
"Conversion is a unique move only Porygon and Porygon2 can use. It copies it's enemies' type for the duration of a battle. In this case, Porygon2 became a Grass- and Poison-type, making it doubly resistant to your Grass-type attacks! Now then, Porygon2, freeze them with Blizzard!"
A harsh, freezing wind generated from Porygon2's bill, and both Victreebel and and Vileplume were frozen solid.
"Oh no! Vileplume! Victreebel!" Erika cried in horror.
"Heh. Guess that's that," Gideon said smugly as he recalled Porygon2.
"I might as well say this now," he continued. "You Gym Leaders are supposed to be these strong and wise people, yet you insist on limiting yourselves to just one type, leaving yourselves vulnerable to certain types and fighting styles. As a scientist, I find that to be absolutely absurd. It's far smarter to experiment and find the most effective and consistent path to victory! That's how I live, and it's why I've never lost a bounty! So long, beautiful!"
Realizing that Gideon was about to escape, Pichu furiously jumped on top of Metang and punched it repeatedly with his tiny fists, but Metang didn't feel anything.
"Hey! Knock it off, you little runt!" Gideon said with annoyance as he slapped Pichu off Metang and back to the ground.
Gideon's Metang activated Magnet Rise and slowly rose into the air until it was level with the top of the nearest building, then began to head for the western exit.
Pichu got up and growled with anger. Once again, that awful human was taking away someone important to him! There had to be something he could do to stop it, but what? He could climb the building and try to intercept them, but that would take too long.
At this time Erika had used a Full Heal to thaw out Victreebel, and Pichu got an idea.
"(Quick! Use your vine and toss me up there!)" he said urgently to Victreebel, pointing at the top of the building.
Though Erika could not translate Pokémon language, in her heart she understood what Pichu was saying.
"You've become so brave, Pichu. Please, save our dear friend!"
Pichu nodded and smiled at Erika as Victreebel picked him up with her vine and threw him up to the very top of the building. After landing he broke into a run and jumped across the roof to the next building, which Metang was right next to.
"PICHU!" he screamed as he closed in, getting the attention of Gideon, Metang and Tangela.
"How did you—? Oh, who cares?!" Gideon shouted with exasperation. "You're just a helpless little baby! You can't stop me!"
But Gideon was wrong. Pichu felt stronger than he ever had in his life. It didn't matter to him that he was just a baby. Erika had entrusted the fate of Tangela to him, and he refused to let her down!
As Pichu steeled himself to leap from the rooftop onto Metang, he could feel power surging up from deep inside, and his body began to glow.
Was it happening?
Gideon's proud expression soured into one of shock and disbelief, proving Pichu's instincts correct.
The Tiny Mouse Pokémon flashed one more happy, innocent smile as the glow engulfed his small body. His beloved parents had told him to grow stronger for them, and as he jumped off the roof he knew he had found that strength at long last.
After he landed on top of Metang, the glow subsided.
Gideon couldn't believe what he was seeing. Most baby Pokémon were only known to evolve by having a strong bond with a Trainer, and Pichu was no exception. But seeing as he isn't a Grass-type, he definitely wasn't one of Erika's Pokémon.
"You evolved into a Pikachu?! How?! That Gym Leader isn't even your Trainer!"
The first thing Pikachu noticed about his new form was that his cheeks didn't feel quite so tight. Not only that, but he was absorbing the electromagnetic waves that Metang was using to float.
And our evolved friend knew exactly what to do with all that electricity. He grinned mischievously at Gideon, who was beginning to sweat nervously.
"Pika…CHU!"
Pikachu unleashed a supercharged Thunder Shock that KO'd Metang in one blast.
As for Gideon, well, he wished he had brought his rubber gloves as the electricity ravaged through his body.
Tangela felt the electricity through Metang's claws, but her Grass-typing insulated her from most of the damage.
"Pika? Pikachu!" Pikachu called out to Tangela as he held out his arm for Tangela. The Grass-type stretched out a vine from below and grabbed Pikachu's hand just as Metang's grip slackened, allowing Pikachu to pull her up.
Now what? They needed to get down immediately before Metang fell. The answer came from below, as they heard Erika call out to them.
"Down here, you two!" she said as she ran after the falling Metang.
Still holding on to each other, Pikachu and Tangela jumped off, right into Erika's embrace, as Metang and Gideon careened into a large tree just outside the city gate.
"My Tangela! Thank goodness you're alright!" Erika shouted through joyful tears.
"Tang Tangela!" Tangela replied, also crying.
When Erika turned her gaze to Pikachu, it dawned on her that Pichu had evolved to save her beloved Tangela.
"You evolved to save her! Thank you, Pikachu! Thank you!"
Erika hugged both Pokémon tightly. All Pikachu could do was grin. At last, he had finally grown stronger and defeated the human who had taken his parents.
Wait a minute…
HIS PARENTS!
Pushing himself out of Erika's grasp (much to her confusion), he scampered over to the tree that Gideon had fallen into with his Metang, but there was seemingly no sign of the villain.
Somehow, Gideon had escaped.
"Pika CHU!" he shouted with seething hatred.
Erika was confused and concerned by Pikachu's behavior.
"Does Pikachu know that horrible man?" Erika wondered.
Whatever it was that bothered Pikachu, Erika felt that he needed to find a Trainer he could trust to help him, but seeing as he only trusted her, that didn't seem very likely.
But when the Department Store was robbed two weeks later, Erika's wish came true when she witnessed Pikachu come to the rescue of a boy named Trace, who had seemingly attempted to apprehend the robbers himself alongside his Charmander.
Route 16, One Month and Two Weeks Ago…
Golduck and Poliwrath succumbed to combined power of Pikachu's Thunder Shock and the mysterious Leaf Storm, and collapsed.
"No! Where'd those leaves come from?!" the male robber shouted.
Erika and Victreebel emerged from the outer trees and stepped between the robbers and Trace.
"What horrible people you are. To steal from my hometown, and attack this little boy… you should be ashamed of yourselves!" Erika shouted resentfully. "First, you will return the goods you took! Then, you are going to prison!"
The female robber sighed.
"Fine. Take the loot. But you aren't taking us anywhere!"
The two thieves threw smoke grenades, and moments later they were gone.
Erika sighed. It seemed that criminals had been getting better and better at escaping ever since Team Rocket appeared. Sometimes she wondered if they were inspired by the evil organization in some way. She called out Tangela and Vileplume to help Victreebel retrieve the bags of stolen goods, then noticed Pikachu looking down at the unconscious Trace and Charmander, looking worried.
"They should be fine, Pikachu," Erika said calmly. "You interrupted the Golduck's Hypnosis quickly enough that their memories should be fully intact. However, we shall still take them back to the Gym after we've returned what those thieves stole from the store."
Celadon Gym, Present Day…
"So after we woke up, Erika explained everything to us. Charmander and I were so grateful to Pikachu that we asked him to come along with us!" Trace explained. "He was really helpful in our Gym battle."
Erika nodded.
"Though I was sad to see the little one leave, it truly pleased me to see that Pikachu was willing to put his trust in another human. But now he's trapped in that haunted tower. I will do all that I can to help you set him free."
Brayden was still somewhat astonished by the story.
"To think, Gideon and those two robbers are still out there somewhere… if I ever find those jerks, I'll make them pay for everything they've done!"
"Right, but right now we have to focus on finding Cubone and Team Rocket," Trace reminded his friend.
Brayden nodded. Now that they were all back to full strength following a restful night, it was time to finally fulfill their mission.
As they recalled most of their Pokémon to their Poké Balls, they noticed Oddish having a friendly discussion with Erika's Vileplume.
"Hey Erika, Vileplume evolved from an Oddish, right?" Brayden asked.
"That's correct. She was very kind and helpful from the moment we met. Not at all different from yours, Brayden."
Oddish smiled brightly at them both.
"Oddish has been with me ever since Cerulean City. Maybe she's thinking she wants to evolve soon?" Brayden wondered.
"Oddish! Odd!" the Weed Pokémon said excitedly to Brayden.
"That sounds like a "yes" to me!" Trace said with a grin.
"Well, just know that before Oddish can become a Vileplume, she'll have to evolve into Gloom, first," Erika explained.
She picked up an old photo and brought it over to Brayden. It showed a younger Erika with her Victreebel, Tangela and a blue, bipedal Pokémon with small hands. On its head was not a set of green leaves or a large flower, but a smaller flower surrounded by red leaves. It was smiling, but what looked like drool was hanging from its mouth. It was certainly not an attractive Pokémon at all.
Brayden and Trace were unnerved, to say the least. But Oddish was outright horrified. She jumped from the top of Vileplume's flower and into Brayden's arms, where she promptly began sobbing.
"Oh my! I'm terribly sorry, Oddish. I didn't mean to frighten you," Erika said regretfully.
"I guess Oddish doesn't want to evolve anymore," Trace said sadly.
Brayden was disappointed by this, but seeing Oddish cry this way hurt him more.
"Hey, it's okay, Oddish. If you don't want to evolve, that's fine. I like you just the way you are!"
Hearing this, Oddish quieted down. Though her eyes were still wet with tears, she smiled and affectionately rubbed her head against Brayden's shirt.
"Oddish seems to really love you, Brayden. What a sweet little Pokémon!" Erika said.
She tapped Oddish gently, and the Weed Pokémon turned to face her, curious.
"You do everything you can for Brayden, don't you, Oddish?"
Oddish nodded.
Erika thought to herself for a moment, then brought out two stones. One was a perfectly smooth and round stone, the other had an image of a leaf on it. Brayden and Trace recognized the latter immediately: a Leaf Stone! It had the power to make certain Grass-type Pokémon evolve.
"If you keep this Everstone with you, you'll be able to stay an Oddish forever. But one day, if you decide you must evolve, use this Leaf Stone and you'll evolve into Vileplume immediately after you evolve into Gloom. Do you understand, Oddish?"
Oddish stared at the two stones, then nodded. Erika then handed the stones to Brayden.
"Thanks, Erika," Brayden said as he placed the two items into his backpack. "Now then, let's head on out! Look out, Team Rocket! Here we come!"
Brace yourselves, readers, because next chapter the battle against Team Rocket continues!