Author's note: ...

Star date: 24-69-53

Day 316 of the lockdown. Intergalactic supply ships are in high demand. Requests have been made to install more powerful warp drives, to supply to even further reaches of space, though one does wonder how long this will last...

...

Heyo! Good to see you all!

Hope you're doing well in lockdown! In the meantime, here's a chapter for you to read! Hope you enjoy it!

... Also, for anyone who's asking: no, I won't be writing the battle. It's not actually all that important to the story, though I'll definitely be having the characters talk about it afterwards!

... I just hope nobody was hyped up to read it, or anything. XD Heh, whoops. Sorryyyy.

... Anyway!

Best mistake of the day: 'He glanced at Pikachu. "You hate, don't you, buddy?"'

(Pikachu is a big ol' bundle of hate. Next, he'll be wearing an eye patch and swearing vengeance on the one who betrayed him. Fun times.)


Chapter Six: Getting Ready

After spending the night at the pokémon centre, the group ate breakfast and headed on their way. The journey to Lake Acuity was a peaceful one, with one break taken for lunch and training, before they set off again. Eventually, they reached their destination.

Atop Ash's shoulder, Pikachu looked out at the beautiful view in awe. A huge lake, shimmering under the afternoon sun, and surrounded by trees and mountains. It was picturesque, almost like a painting. The weather was nice and warm, too. Quite a contrast to Snowpoint City.

"Finally!" Ash said. "Lake Acuity!" He stared at it in awe. "Wow..."

"(Yeah, wow...)" Pikachu agreed.

"It's so pretty!" Dawn said.

"Yeah, it really is," Brock replied.

The group shared a pleasant moment of silence, as they enjoyed the view together.

As he stared out across the lake, the light breeze brushing against his fur, Pikachu couldn't help but wonder if Buneary would like the view...

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about that. Sure, he'd only just discovered his feelings yesterday, but he really needed to focus on the battle today. So that was exactly what he was going to do. He'd worry about the other stuff later.

"Oh!" Dawn suddenly said, startling him slightly. "You know, I just remembered! There's supposed to be a legendary pokémon at Lake Acuity as well!"

"That's right!" Brock replied just as enthusiastically. "Uxie, yeah!"

Ah, yes, Pikachu remembered. The story that had been told by May and Zoey, confirmed by Professor Rowan, and then explained in further detail by Cynthia, the Sinnoh champion. The one about the three lake guardians. Pikachu and Ash had already seen one of them at Lake Valor, and Piplup and Dawn had apparently seen one at Lake Verity.

Pikachu smiled to himself. It was kind of cool, imagining that a legendary might watch over his battle with Paul's pokémon. Exciting, even!

... Maybe Buneary would also be listening to the battle, inside her pokéball...

He shook his head again. Now was the time to focus. Think of the battle, and nothing else!

Ash turned to him, a determined smile on his face. "Let's get over there!" he said enthusiastically. "If I know Paul, he's already waiting!"

Pikachu returned the determined smile. "(Yeah, let's go!)" he replied.

First, however, they had to make a pit stop at the pokémon centre, to make sure the team was all healed up before the battle. Then they'd find Paul and get this show on the road!


Pikachu stared around the pokémon centre, shocked and intrigued. There was so much yellow! Every wall in the reception area was covered in bright yellow posters.

"Whoa," Ash muttered, jolting in surprise. "It's so... yellow. We walk into a custard factory?"

"Hardy har, Ash," Dawn replied. "... You're right, though. It's..." She paused. "Actually, isn't it the same colour as-?"

"Pikachu?"

Pikachu glanced at Ash from his shoulder. "(Huh?)" he asked. "(Yeah?)"

Ash was staring straight ahead, not responding. After a moment, he slowly approached one of the posters and peered closely at it. It was only then that Pikachu noticed something. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, it is!" Ash cried out. "It's covered in pikachu!"

"Oh, you're right!" Dawn replied from behind them.

Looking around the room, Pikachu took a closer look at the posters. From what he could see, they were all covered in pictures of pikachu.

"It's saying there's a festival tomorrow. A pikachu festival!" Ash turned his beaming face towards Pikachu. "Isn't that cool, buddy?"

"(Uh, yeah!)" he replied, still surprised. He smiled back. A pikachu festival was certainly strange, but pretty cool, too. "(It is!)"

"A pikachu festival?" Brock asked.

"(Wow...)" Piplup said. "(Someone must reeeaaally love pikachu to hold a festival for them...)" He paused a moment. "(I think they should hold a piplup festival, instead!)"

Heh. Of course he'd say that.

"I've heard about this, actually..." Brock continued, "from the Snowpoint City Nurse Joy. When I was making candy flakes, she told me about it."

"... Wait..." Dawn said, "a pikachu festival?" After a moment, she gasped. "Oh! I saw a commercial for that on TV! At the Snowpoint City pokémon centre!"

"(Oh yeah!)" Piplup said. "(I remember that!)"

Ash turned to them. "Huh?" he asked, a pout in his voice. "You guys knew? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Brock chuckled. "Well, the Nurse Joy at Snowpoint said she couldn't remember the date of the festival..." he replied, "and, with you so focused on your battle with Paul, I just assumed we'd miss it."

"Is that so...?" Ash looked at Dawn. "And you, Dawn?"

"Well, I only really saw the tail end of the commercial," she replied. "I had no idea it was at Lake Acuity! And... tomorrow?" Her eyes sparkled. "Talk about good luck!"

"Heh, guess so!" Ash chuckled. "I always seem to show up at the right place and time, huh?"

Dawn giggled. "No kidding! I have no idea how you do it."

"It's pretty much always been the case, though," Brock added with a smile.

"Heh," Ash replied. "Just lucky, I guess." He pumped a fist. "Either way, it's perfect! I'll beat Paul, and then go to the festival to celebrate!"

"Oh, are you talking about the festival?" Nurse Joy's voice asked. They all turned around to see her at her counter, a chansey by her side. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I was just in the back."

Brock immediately rushed forward, planting his hands on the desk. "Now that you're back, there's a festival in my heart!" he cried. He made a grand gesture. "It sings, it dances, it-" Out of nowhere, he was hit with a double whammy. Croagunk using Poison Jab, and Chansey using Pound. He crumpled to the ground. "Cries out in paiiiin!"

Pikachu's eyes widened. Yeesh. Talk about overkill...

"Oh my, sorry!" Nurse Joy smiled sheepishly again. "Chansey tends to be aggressive toward... anyone who approaches me the way my ex used to..." She paused, looking at Croagunk. "... And so does this croagunk, I suppose?"

Dawn laughed. "Yeah, this happens a lot!" she replied.

Ash sighed in amusement. "No kidding..." he said.

"Anyway! This festival sounds really fun! Right, Piplup?"

"(Well, yeah,)" Piplup replied, "(though I still think a piplup festival would be more fun.)"

"Is it really a festival for pikachu?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "Yes, it is," she replied. She beamed. "And it'll be a really great source of commerce, too!"

"Com... commerce?" Ash asked, sounding confused.

"Yes. Business, basically. A way to make money. The funds from the festival are going to this pokémon centre, you see." She looked down. "... And it certainly needs it." She heaved a sigh. "... I get so jealous of the Nurse Joy from Lake Valor, sometimes."

Brock sprung up from the ground, startling everybody. "Why is that?" he asked in concern.

Pikachu sighed. He should really be used to this by now...

Nurse Joy took a calming breath. "... Well, because of the large amount of tourist attractions, Lake Valor makes a lot of money. They even held the Wallace Cup there this year."

"Oh yeah!" Dawn replied. "I competed in that!"

"(And won a ribbon!)" Piplup proclaimed proudly.

"Right," Nurse Joy replied. "Lake Acuity, though, only has the lake and... pretty much nothing else. It gets hardly any tourists, and it's pretty empty for most of the year."

"That's a real shame..." Ash replied sadly.

"(Yeah, it's a really pretty lake,)" Pikachu agreed.

Nurse Joy smiled. "Yes, but this festival came as a great boon!" she replied. "With the funding, I was thinking about buying another state-of-the-art healing machine. I have one already, but it only heals six pokémon at a time... and only if the injuries aren't too serious... so another one would be greatly appreciated!"

"Makes sense," Brock said.

"(You better not flirt with her again, or I will end you...)" Chansey mumbled.

"(Not before I end him first,)" Croagunk replied calmly.

Jeez. Pikachu couldn't help but find those two a bit creepy...

"Oh!" Ash suddenly said. "Speaking of healing... could you heal up my pokémon, Nurse Joy? I've got a big battle coming up today!"

"Oh, of course," Nurse Joy replied.

"Thanks!" Rummaging around, he started pulling his pokéballs off his belt.

Nurse Joy slid a specialised tray with six indents across the counter, and Ash began placing his pokéballs in the indents. Once all five of them had been slotted in, Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and landed on the tray. He was just about to sit down when he heard Nurse Joy's voice.

"Um... does your pikachu have a pokéball, too?"

"... Huh?" Ash asked. "Well, yeah, but he hates it. Don't you, buddy?"

"(Well, hate's a strong word, but...)" Pikachu replied. He nodded. "(No, I don't like it.)"

"Oh..." Nurse Joy suddenly looked awkward. "It's just that... the healing machine only works on pokémon who are... inside their pokéballs."

Pikachu's eyes widened. "(... Huh?)"

"Huh?!" Ash cried.

"It's... not a perfect design," Nurse Joy admitted, "but it's very efficient."

"But..."

Pikachu glanced back and forth between Ash and Nurse Joy. They were both looking down at him with concerned gazes.

... He wasn't getting out of this easily, was he?

Okay, well... one option was to outright refuse. Though that would mean being healed the less efficient way, which would probably be much slower. Not to mention, keep Ash from battling Paul for longer.

It might even inconvenience Nurse Joy, as Pikachu would be taking up space and resources that other pokémon might be in more desperate need of.

At the same time, she'd said herself that Lake Acuity got barely any visitors, so maybe he could get away with it?

Argh, now he was just being selfish, wasn't he?

... The other option was to bite the bullet and get inside his pokéball. After all, it wouldn't be for long, right? At least, that was what it sounded like. A quick in-and-out job. Painless, right?

... Well, weighing the pros and cons, it would probably be a lot less hassle to do the latter, wouldn't it? As much as he disliked the idea.

After a few moments of contemplation, he took a shuddering breath as he turned to Ash. "(Okay. Fine,)" he replied. "(I'll... get in it.)" He nodded.

"You'll do it?" Ash asked in surprise.

Pikachu nodded again. "(Yeah. I won't like it, but I'll do it.)"

"Well... if you're sure, buddy." Pulling off his backpack, Ash unzipped it and began to rummage around inside it. After a moment, he pulled something out. A lone pokéball with a lightning bolt on it.

It had been a long time since Pikachu had seen that thing.

"Last call, buddy," Ash said, holding it out. "You going in?"

Pikachu stared at the pokéball for a moment. He had very mixed feelings about this, he wouldn't lie. Mostly falling on the negative side. But it would be mostly painless, right? Right? Plus, it was more convenient all around for him to do this, so he supposed he had no choice, really.

He sighed and nodded. "(Yep, I am,)" he replied.

"Well, okay then. Pikachu, return!"

He watched the beam of red light shoot from the button of the pokéball, straight in his direction. The urge to dodge it was strong, but he held firm. Before long, he felt his entire body being absorbed into the light, and pulled away from the counter.


Well, here Pikachu was. Floating in the vast digital space that was his pokéball. It had been a long time since he'd been in here.

... One couldn't deny that it was comfortable. Pokéballs were specially designed with the pokémon's comfort in mind, after all. They weren't cramped, and the way the pokémon's molecules floated around in a bundle created an odd sense of zen. It was calming.

But all of that had nothing to do with why he disliked them.

Yeah, being in here was making him remember. The lack of freedom. The impending doom that was to come. He would sit in this void and wait for the horrible fate that awaited him outside this very pokéball...

He shivered. Those days had been horrible.

He hadn't been able to trust humans after that. Not Professor Oak, and certainly not Ash. That, of course, had changed after the spearow incident. Not only had the boy protected him from harm, he'd offered him freedom. Freedom of choice, freedom from his pokéball, and even freedom to leave, if he'd wished.

Now, though, several years later, here he was. Back in his pokéball again. All because the Lake Acuity Nurse Joy had to buy the latest technology. He sighed to himself.

Ah well. He didn't hold it against any of his friends for liking pokéballs. Heck, he knew he was a rare case for not liking them.

Even Buneary liked them, didn't she? Well, he didn't suppose he could blame her. She probably didn't have any bad memories associated with them.

He pictured her warm, happy smile - her cheerful, bubbly personality - and felt himself smile. At least, the equivalent to it, while he was in this state of existence.

... Dang it. He was doing it again.

Fine. After the battle, he'd figure something out. Though, like he'd told himself before, the battle came first.

He wanted to win. For his sake, for Ash's sake, and for the sake of the entire team. If he got distracted at any point - especially by thoughts of Buneary - he was likely to falter. So he would make sure not to!

Together, they would battle Paul, and they would win! Then they would go to the pikachu festival tomorrow and celebrate their victory!

... First, though, he hoped this healing session wouldn't take too long. He really wanted to get out of this pokéball as soon as possible...