Author's note: Heyo!

... Hmm. I can't really think of anything to say here, so...

Read many fics, give lots of lovely reviews, and make people feel loved during this outbreak of pokérus!

... Though don't catch this strain, because it most certainly won't boost your EVs. XP

Also, I hope you like the chapter!

Best mistakes of the day:

#1 'Sure, they'd done a poot'

(Ash's team are very gassy, apparently. Need to lay off those beans.)

#2 'her eyes would have glowered with adoration'

(How does one 'glower' with adoration, you ask? One word: tsundere.)


Chapter Eight: Feeling Pain

As the sun began to set, Pikachu lay wearily in Ash's arms, while the boy hurried him back to the pokémon centre. He was exhausted. His fur was still wet, but he didn't have the strength to shake it dry. His burn had been slightly relieved from the cold lake water, but it was now back in full force. He hissed through his teeth as another stab of pain hit him.

Once Paul, Reggie, Olivier and those three helpers had left, Ash had solemnly called Monferno back to his pokéball. After that, Pikachu had tried to walk back to the pokémon centre by himself, but had collapsed again after only a few steps - maybe even partially due to shock - so Ash had picked him up and carried him.

... That battle with Paul's team had been an absolute train wreck.

Their whole team had been so pumped up. So ready. They'd really thought they'd been prepared this time. They'd really thought they'd win. However, it seemed that Paul had always been one step ahead of them. No, more like three steps ahead.

They'd been brutally slaughtered, two wins to six. Just what had gone wrong? Why had Paul's strategies been so perfect? Why had he been able to read their movements so well, and counter them so effectively?

Why had they been defeated so easily, after all the training they'd done?

Pikachu himself had only battled twice, before being overwhelmed. Twice. Unlike Monferno, who'd battled... four times, was it?

He'd evolved, gained a new type, learned a new move and... made Pikachu feel rather inferior, in terms of battle skill.

The monkey had even taken down Ursaring, the one who'd knocked out three members of Ash's team. Not to mention, he'd been paralysed by Electabuzz's Thunder, yet had powered through it and kept on fighting.

He'd done really well for himself. Unlike Pikachu...

... Jeez, and Uxie might have even seen their failure, too... He felt his ears droop in shame.


Standing on the floor of the back room, Pikachu watched as Nurse Joy opened up all of his teammates' pokéballs. She'd wanted to check them all over personally, before putting any of them in the healing machine nearby, just in case there were any problems.

As the other pokémon materialised on the floor next to him, he cringed at the state of them. What he saw was not a pretty sight. All five of them were coated in bruises, groaning and massaging their aching muscles.

Buizel wobbled on the spot, looking very sickly. Clearly, the poison from Magmortar's Smog was affecting him rather badly. Monferno's muscles looked stiff, probably locking up again from the paralysis.

"Oh my!" Nurse Joy cried in shock. She knelt down, checking them over one by one. "Hmm..." Eventually, she reached Pikachu. She inspected him, being careful not to touch his cheek too roughly. "Hmm... alright." She stood up again. "One is poisoned, one is burned and one is paralysed. We need to find the antidote, the burn heal and the paralyse heal quickly." She turned to Chansey, who was standing in the doorway. "Chansey, can you help me look for them?"

"(Of course!)" Chansey replied happily.

Nurse Joy gave the six injured pokémon a reassuring smile. "Stay right here and I'll be right back with your medicine. Okay?"

They all groaned out something resembling a reply. Nodding, she and Chansey left the room.

"(... Heh,)" Grotle said with a tired smile, "(guess the battle didn't go so well, huh?)"

Everyone looked over at him, and Pikachu could see a variety of expressions on their faces. Staraptor was frowning, Buizel looked exasperated, Monferno seemed pained, and Gliscor looked like he was about to burst into tears. Pikachu himself felt ashamed of his performance.

Grotle winced slightly at their reactions. "(Yeah...)" He heaved a sigh. "(... Man, I wish I coulda beaten Honchkrow this time. If I'd been a torterra, maybe I'd have stood a better chance?)"

Staraptor's frown deepened.

"(Torterra...)" Gliscor repeated, sniffling. "(He took me out so easy, and I had a type-advantage!)" Tears poured from his eyes. "(I had a type-advantaaaage!)"

"(It sucks...)" Buizel grunted, still looking woozy. "(It sucks so hard.)"

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu mumbled sadly. "(It... really does.)"

"(Yeah...)" Monferno agreed, wincing from his stiff muscles.

Grotle nodded. "(We tried our best, but it just... wasn't in the cards this time,)" he said.

Buizel huffed. "(Doesn't help that Ash changed his strategy before the... battle,)" he said, trying his best to stand up straight.

Staraptor said nothing, still frowning deeply.

"(Yeah,)" Gliscor replied, sniffling, "(he... he normally follows his instinct, right? Throws stuff at the wall and sees what sticks?)"

"(Yeah,)" Pikachu replied. He gave a heavy sigh. "(And it usually works out alright...)"

Monferno slumped his shoulders as best he could. "(I'm sorry, guys...)" he said. "(S-Sorry I didn't... do better.)"

Staraptor suddenly huffed angrily, getting everyone's attention. "(What the heck are you apologising for?)" he snapped. "(You and I did the best out of everyone here!)" He turned his beak up at them all. "(It's the rest of them that couldn't keep up!)"

Monferno shrunk back from the harsh tone. As Grotle glanced down at the ground in shame, Gliscor wailed in self-pity.

Pikachu's ears dipped. That had been harsh. True, but harsh...

Buizel rounded on Staraptor, looking annoyed. "(What wazzat?!)" he slurred.

Staraptor glared at Buizel. "(You heard me. All you idiots had to do was beat one each. Then we would have won.)"

Buizel balled a fist. "(Hey, it ain't our fault Ash changed his strategy! Tried to...)" He wobbled slightly. "(... copy Paul's style, instead of sticking to his own!)"

"(You're blaming Ash for that?! You're the one who couldn't follow it!)"

"(Why, you...!)"

"(Hey, hey, come on, guys...)" Grotle said, trying to calm them down.

"(You and Grotle ignored the plan! I even made it easy!)" Staraptor said, flapping his wings angrily. "(I took out Weavile, and expected the rest of you to follow me! Only Monferno managed it!)"

"(Well, I...)" Monferno mumbled.

Buizel let out an unimpressed puff of air. "(You want a medal for that?)" he asked Staraptor.

"(Guys, please...)" Pikachu said, slowly walking over to get in-between them. His burns stung, but he was trying to ignore that.

"(At least I took somebody out!)" Staraptor snapped.

"(Yeah,)" Buizel replied. "(Weavile. The weakest member of the team. Big whoop.)"

"(It was more than you! Plus, I had a disadvantage, but I still won!)"

"(Well, that just shows how weak he is, then, doesn't it?!)"

Staraptor went red in the face from anger.

"(Guys!)" Pikachu said, getting in-between them. "(Stop fighting!)"

"(Yeah,)" Grotle agreed, walking over to stand nearby. "(Cool it, you two.)"

"(Why should I?!)" Buizel asked angrily. "(Bird brain here started it!)"

Staraptor huffed. "(Well, if you hadn't been stubborn and lost to that stupid Ursaring...!)" he said.

Buizel pressed his nose against Staraptor's beak aggressively. "(Hey, last I checked, you lost to him, too!)"

Staraptor scowled. "(Says the one who's never once won against Paul's team!)"

"(This was my first time fighting 'em! You forget?!)" Buizel reached up and knocked his fist against Staraptor's head a few times. "(Or is there nothing in there?!)"

"(Hey!)"

"(Guys!)" Pikachu said, trying to push them apart.

"(Let's just all calm down, okay?)" Grotle asked politely.

"(Only me and Monferno have ever beaten Paul!)" Staraptor snapped.

"(Th-There was Ambipom, too...)" Monferno mumbled. Beside him, Gliscor was still crying.

Staraptor turned to glare at Monferno. "(That doesn't count! She's not part of our team anymore! Heck, she's not even here anymore!)" He fluffed up his feathers. "(Whereas I have beaten Paul twice!)"

"(Feh,)" Buizel replied. "(You talking about that stupid PokéRinger? Oh, whoop de frigging do. You flew around and put a ring on a hook. You must feel so special.)"

Staraptor's feathers bristled as he turned his glare back on Buizel. "(Why, you little-!)"

"(Enjoy being an honorary member of Squalorville!)"

Staraptor's face held nothing but pure, unbridled rage. "(That's Squallville! Squall! As in wind!)"

Buizel smirked. "(Heh. More like trash!)"

"(Oh, that is it!)" Staraptor immediately shoved Pikachu out of the way with his wing. With a yelp, the mouse landed on the floor. "(You die now!)"

Pikachu quickly looked up, just in time to see Staraptor smash into Buizel with Aerial Ace. The weasel flew across the room, past Grotle, Monferno and Gliscor, before his back smacked into the wall.

After a moment, Buizel looked up at Staraptor, a much more sinister smirk on his face. "(Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Fine, then, bird brain, have it your way!)"

Taking a deep breath, he let out a powerful Water Gun. It hit Staraptor, and the sheer force of it sent him reeling backwards. His back smacked into the other wall.

"(Guys!)" Grotle called out. Near him, Monferno shrunk back and Gliscor wouldn't stop crying. "(Knock it off!)"

Staraptor zipped forward with Quick Attack. Buizel did the same with Aqua Jet. The other pokémon dove out of the way as the two clashed in the middle of the room. Pikachu watched in horrified awe as the two foreheads aggressively pushed against one another, both trying to gain dominance. When neither would budge an inch, they broke off from one another and landed on the ground.

Spinning on the spot, Buizel released a Sonic Boom from his tail. Far too close to dodge it, Staraptor used Close Combat to smack it behind him. It went flying towards the doorway, which Nurse Joy and Chansey were suddenly hurrying through.

"What's going on in-?" Nurse Joy asked, but was interrupted by an explosion right next to her. She screamed in shock.

Ignoring her, Staraptor flew up high, trying to gain an advantage. Buizel, however, only fired off more Sonic Booms, which the bird chose to fend off with more Close Combats. He kicked and swung at every oncoming gust of sound, which sent them flying around the room. There were explosions everywhere, and the sound of screaming pokémon as they all tried to scramble out of the way.

Pikachu got hit by one and was sent rolling. When he stopped, now in even more pain than before, he looked up just in time to see a Water Pulse flying straight towards Staraptor. It hit him square in the chest.

It was then that Ash, Dawn, Brock and Piplup came running into the room, as well as a blissey that Pikachu hadn't seen before. She was wearing a nurse's hat, though, which probably meant she belonged to Nurse Joy.

"What's going on?!" Ash cried out. All five gasped as they saw the carnage.

"(Whoa...)" Piplup said.

Blissey flailed her arms in panic. "(The healing room!)" she cried.

"(What the-?!)" Chansey cried, frowning.

"What happened in here?!" Brock asked.

"Was it Team Rocket?!" Dawn asked, looking worried.

"(... Who?)" Chansey asked, glancing at her.

"It's the staraptor and buizel!" Nurse Joy replied, frantic. "They're-!"

"(Die!)" Staraptor yelled, dive-bombing with Aerial Ace.

There were cries of pain as every pokémon in the room was struck. Before he had time to react, Pikachu was sent flying across the room. As he hit the floor, he rolled, only coming to a stop at Ash's feet. His burns seared with pain.

... Why was Staraptor attacking everyone else now? Sure, they'd done a poor job against Paul's team, but did that really warrant being attacked?

Tenderly, Ash knelt down and picked Pikachu up. The boy looked shocked and horrified. "Staraptor!" he cried, his head snapping upwards. "What are you doing?!"

Pikachu looked up to see Staraptor still using Aerial Ace on his teammates. Each one was blasted across the room, a few smashing into walls and others being littered with debris. The room was a mess.

"I think Staraptor's confused!" Brock suddenly said.

Pikachu's eyes widened. Looking closely, he supposed Staraptor's gaze did seem a little unfocused.

"Oh no..." Dawn replied.

"Staraptor, snap out of it!" Ash cried.

"(Brave Bird?)" Staraptor replied. "(Alright!)"

Pikachu's eyes snapped open even wider. Uh oh.

The bird flew in a backwards loop. As he gained momentum, fire blazed from his feathers. Then he shot downwards at an incredible speed, now glowing blue. He slammed headfirst into the healing machine.

What followed was a humungous explosion. Monferno and Grotle, who had been standing near it, went flying. The debris scattered across the room, raining down on Buizel and Gliscor. The seven people in the doorway shielded their eyes from the updraft of dust, with Ash also shielding Pikachu.

When it settled, Pikachu looked up, only to see all five of his teammates sprawled out across the floor, groaning in pain.

A few moments passed. Then Staraptor fainted, most likely from the recoil of Brave Bird. Not long after, Buizel, looking far more sickly than before, also fainted. Probably partly because of the poison. Now buried underneath a pile of rubble, Gliscor also fainted.

Monferno, who'd been slammed against a wall, fell flat onto his front, having also fainted. Grotle, who was lying on the floor nearby, pushed himself up slightly and looked over at the others. After a moment, he heaved a dejected sigh.

Pikachu was about to do the same, until he felt his burns throb. They did it once, twice, three times, all in quick succession. Then he blacked out.


Pikachu could hear something. A smacking sound? It was happening over and over again, and... were those yelps accompanying it?

He slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, adjusting his vision. Above him was a light fixture, surrounded by white.

"(Chansey, no!)" he heard Blissey cry.

He turned to the side, to see her flailing her arms in panic as Chansey continually smacked Buizel on the head with Pound. The weasel was lying in a bed, covered in bandages, and was yelping in pain after every hit.

"(The jerk deserves it!)" Chansey replied.

In the next bed over, Staraptor - who was also covered in bandages - chuckled at Buizel's misfortune. Chansey immediately rounded on him.

"(Oh, don't think you're getting away, either!)" She hurried over, her paw still glowing, and smacked him on the head even harder and faster than she'd done with Buizel. He yelped in pain. "(You broke Nurse Joy's healing machine, you lousy-!)"

"(Chansey!)" Blissey cried, running over and grabbing her paw. She held it in place. "(Don't injure the patients more than they already are!)"

Chansey growled in response. After a few moments of contemplation, she put her paw down and huffed.

Buizel and Staraptor both sighed in relief.

... So this is where they'd all ended up, huh? The hospital beds of the pokémon centre. Pikachu looked down at himself and, sure enough, he was lying in a bed, covered in bandages. Turning around, he looked on the other side and saw his other teammates. Grotle was in the next bed over, trying to comfort a crying Gliscor in another bed. On the end bed, Monferno lay motionless, probably still unconscious. All three of them were also covered in bandages.

After a moment, Grotle seemed to notice him. He turned around with a smile. "(Oh, hey, Pikachu,)" he said.

"(Hey...)" Pikachu replied tiredly.

"(Glad to see you're awake. To bring you up to speed... the healing machine broke, so they have to heal us the old-fashioned way. With potions and bandages and lots of rest, which... don't work as well.)" His smile turned sheepish.

"(... Ah. Well... thanks.)"

"(No problem.)" From the bed next to Grotle, Gliscor suddenly wailed. The tortoise hastily spun around. "(Hey, hey, it's okay...!)" He smiled comfortingly.

Pikachu lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. So this is what it had come to. Bed and bandages. It reminded him of the time he'd lost horribly to Lieutenant Surge's raichu...

... Man. He'd wanted to look so cool. If he'd managed to beat Paul - heck, if he'd at least done well against Paul - he'd have been able to proudly face his crush afterwards. Maybe even share a few stories with her about how he'd overcome the odds, when they'd been stacked against him. She'd have been so impressed, and her eyes would have glowed with adoration.

Now, though? She had nothing to be impressed about, and he had nothing to be proud of. He'd fought two battles, and won neither. He'd let his team down. He'd let Ash down.

He'd even let Buneary down, considering all the encouragement she'd given him. How certain she'd been of his victory. How much faith she'd had in him...

Heaving a sigh, he sunk underneath the covers in both shame and embarrassment. Honestly, after his performance today, it would be hard to face either Ash or Buneary right now.

Ash would be reeling from his loss, and Buneary...

... She probably wouldn't find him attractive anymore.